Cordillera rebel leader arrested in Ilocos Norte

BAGUIO, Philippines – Authorities arrested a leader of a communist rebel leader in the Cordillera region during an early morning raid in Ilocos Norte on Monday morning, October 21.

Police have neither confirmed nor denied the arrest of Cordillera People’s Democratic Front (CPDF) spokesperson Simeon Naogsan, widely known as Ka Filiw, but the Ilocos Human Rights Alliance (IHRA) said authorities apprehended him at a house in the town of Bacarra.

The CPDF is the umbrella organization for underground groups allied with the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in the Cordillera region. It is part of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF).

IHRA said Naogsan’s family informed them that the CPDF leader was in the province for medical treatment.

As of 11:20 am, the group said they have confirmed the arrest of Naogsan through the Ilocos Norte Provincial Police Office. He was taken to a hospital for medical attention before being moved to the Ilocos Norte Provincial Police Office in Laoag City for processing and determination of proper custody.

IHRA said the Bacarra police refused to provide information to a paralegal team inquiring about the arrest.

Lieutenant Colonel Roldan Suitos, officer-in-charge of the Bacarra police station, said he still had to verify the report about the arrest. He said he was in a conference and had no personal knowledge of the incident.

IHRA asserted that due to Naogsan’s illness, he should be recognized as hors de combat under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

Under IHL, hors de combat refers to someone in the control of an opposing party who clearly intends to surrender or is incapacitated by wounds or illness, making them unable to defend themselves. Such individuals, who refrain from hostile acts and do not attempt to escape, must not be attacked and should be treated humanely.

“We urge the PNP (Philippine National Police), AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), and all state forces involved to respect and uphold his rights under these principles,” IHRA said.

In December 2020, the Anti-Terrorism Council designated the CPP and NPA as “terrorist organizations” under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. This designation also extended to the CPDF and other underground organizations. 

The ATC included Naogsan, along with NDFP peace negotiator Luis Jalandoni and four others, in their list of designated persons, in May 2022. 

In September 2022, a Manila court dismissed a 2018 petition from the Department of Justice (DOJ) that sought to label the CPP and NPA as terrorist organizations. – Rappler.com