NPA frees captured soldier in Mindanao

New People's Army (NPA) rebels on Tuesday released a soldier who they "arrested" in Compostela Valley province in Mindanao last month, in a gesture they called a show of respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. NPA Southern Mindanao regional command spokesman Rigoberto Sanchez said they released Staff Sgt. Bienvenido Arguelles Jr. on "humanitarian" grounds. "The decision to release POW Arguelles is based on humanitarian considerations. It is in compliance with the revolutionary movement's long-standing policy of lenient treatment of POWs and its serious adherence to the NDFP Declaration of Undertaking to Apply the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and Protocol 2 of 1977. By releasing him and other POWs on this ground, the revolutionary movement is giving chance for human rights and the international humanitarian law to be respected at all times," Sanchez said on the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) website Tuesday night. Arguelles belongs to the Army's 25th Infantry Battalion. He was under the custody of the NPA's Conrado Heredia Command-Guerrilla Front 20 Operations Command for one month. Sanchez said Arguelles was arrested last June 19 in Sitio Mabatas, Barangay Upper Ulip, Monkayo town. He said Arguelles' arrest should serve as a warning to all military and paramilitary and police personnel who "commit incursions" into guerrilla bases, especially those who conduct intelligence operations against the Red fighters and the masses. "It should also serve as warning to those who serve as protectors of large-scale, environmentally destructive and exploitative foreign and local firms under the pretext of Investment Defense Force and 'peace and development projects' especially that the Diwalwal mining area in Monkayo town is up for total sell-out," he said. Earlier, the NPA also released a minor belonging to the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) who was captured along with Arguelles. A report on state-run Philippines News Agency quoted Arguelles as saying he was surprised about his release. — LBG, GMANews.TV