Govt negotiators gave NPA ‘love offering’ for captive cop’s release

BUTUAN CITY – An influential member of the government negotiating team during a press conference here yesterday morning admitted giving a “love offering" to communist-led rebels at the height of the negotiations for the safe release of PO3 George Sabatin. After 19 days in captivity, Sabatin was released by the New People’s Army (NPA), which had snatched him in a daring attack launched by some 50 fully-armed rebels in Barangay Pulang Lupa, Trento, Agusan del Sur on Feb. 1. The NPA released the policeman to the government’s negotiating team headed by the Agusan del Sur Vice Governor Santiago Cane and some provincial officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. A member of that team, Roman Catholic priest Lito Clase, admitted that the NPA rebels had demanded at first three “baby armalites" (M16 carbine) and one M203 grenade launcher. “But we never heeded to their demands; instead we give them 300 sweatshirts, some food and others as love offerings [or] tokens because this is part of Filipino culture – thanking [them] for the safe release of P03 Sabatin," Fr. Clase said during press conference held at Philippine National Police (PNP) regional office conference. Fr. Clase is the head of the Roman Catholic Church-led Caraga Conference for Peace and Development (CCPD) Apostolate of the Indigenous People. Sabatin for his part admitted he surrendered to the NPA rebels. “I was alone and wounded at the time of the attack, and when the NPA rebels shouted to me to surrender… I raised my hands and surrendered," the policeman admitted during press conference. Caraga Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Reynaldo S. Rafal said police will continue investigating the NPA attack on the checkpoint which had led to the abduction Sabatin, as well as alleged the extortion activities by NPA rebels in the area. He said police were looking into who owned the private vehicles that were used in the NPA attack, and whether these were used with their consent or under coercion, intimidation or force. Roel Agustin II, the spokesperson of the NPA captors of Sabatin, claim that the two civilians killed in the rebels’ attack had allegedly been extorting as much as P1,000 from each lumber-laden truck that passed through the checkpoint. But during the news conference, Sabatin denied having first-hand knowledge about any extortion activity at the checkpoint, saying the police force he belong to were only there to provide security. Two M16 automatic rifles were reported taken by the NPA rebels who attacked the Task Force Bantay Kalikasan checkpoint where Sabatin was captured. –Ben Serrano/MRT/JV, GMA News