By Macario "Ka Karyo" Liwanag
Spokesperson, Narciso Antazo Aramil Command
New People's Army – Rizal province
The NAAC-NPA-Rizal released the 3 POWs namely Cuntapay, Agasen and Umali last March 27, 2009 but until now they are not being permitted to go home to be with their families. Against their will, the three are confined to barracks as if they are guilty of any wrongdoings. They are being treated as prisoners in their own camp. They are accused of being brainwashed by the NPA and are now being subjected to endless psychological interrogation, a misnomer for psychological torture, by their own superiors in the PNP and by the intelligence agents in the PNP and AFP to elicit information against their captors and the NPA custodial forces who took care of them while they were NPA POWs. They are suffering humiliations from their own comrades in PNP and AFP, a situation they never experienced while in the hands of the NPA.
Since their release, they were brought to the provincial PNP headquarters in Hilltop, Dolores, Taytay, Rizal and were not allowed to go out of the camp. They were not even allowed to visit their family even during the Lenten Season. Even P01 Agasen was not allowed to attend the graduation of his only daughter even if it's one of his ardent wishes upon release. The NPA released him a day before the graduation for him to attend and to be able to pin the numerous medals garnered by his daughter who graduated valedictorian in her class. But the PNP was very inhuman for not acceding to the wish of his daughter that she wants her father, PO1 Agasen to be with her in the graduation day. They are prisoners now more than when they were POWs of the NPA.
The 3 former POWs are telling the truth when they speak out their minds that they were treated fairly and humanely by the NPA and there exist 2 government in the Philippines, a reactionary government they faithfully serve that is led by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and a Democratic Revolutionary Government based in the countryside of the Philippines that is being led by the CPP-NPA-NDFP because they themselves experienced how the revolutionary government works. They were arrested, detained, investigated by proper revolutionary judicial authorities, treated as POWs and unilaterally released for humanitarian reason by the Democratic Revolutionary Government. This is the experience that they won't forget while living. This is the truth that the reactionary AFP-PNP-GRP officials won't accept because to do so is to accept that their goal to defeat the CPP-NPA-NDFP by 2010 is a dismal failure. That is why they hated P/Inspector Rex Cuntapay when he said in the TV interview after their release that there exist 2 governments in the Philippines today.
The 3 former POWs are now being coerced by their superiors to speak lies against the NPA which is hard for them to do because they are basically good men and good officers and gentlemen. But since they still remain with the PNP, we won't be surprised if they would eventually recant in public the good praises they said about the NPA after their release. As PNP members, they are obliged to follow the command of their superiors, but these won't remove the fact that they were treated humanely and leniently by the NPA and that they already know the real situation of the Philippine society where the police and the military are being used to prop-up a corrupt and anti-people Arroyo regime. The 3 former POWs knew in their conscience what the truth is even if they would be forced by their superiors to lie about their experience with the NPA.
