PNP to work with military to arrest Tiamzons

November 30, 2020

The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday said they will coordinate with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in arresting communist party leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon who were convicted of kidnapping and serious illegal detention last week.

In a press briefing, General Debold Sinas said they received a directive from Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano to initiate police actions and coordinate with the military in tracking down the couple who remain at-large despite an order to re-arrest them from the Manila Regional Trial Court after the Philippine government ended peace talks with   the National Democratic Front on November 2017.

“We will be securing the conviction. I have already directed our CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) to get a copy of the conviction from the court for our reference,” Sinas said.

“We have tasked our different intelligence units, especially the Intelligence Group, to coordinate with the AFP counterpart for the possible arrest,” he added.

“Our coordination will be intel reports on their locations which will help us greatly in our efforts to track the couple… They might have ideas on how they can help us in arresting the two convicted felons,” Sinas said.

Sinas said they are willing to facilitate the surrender of the couple.

“We are hoping that they will coordinate with us if they want to surrender. We will be willing to facilitate their surrender and bring them to the appropriate court and jail to serve their sentence,” he said.

In a statement, Ano said he instructed the PNP to intensify their manhunt on the Tiamzons.

"The decision of the Regional Trial Court is a great victory for the Filipino people because of their crimes against humanity. As top leaders of the Communist Party and its armed wing, New Peoples Army, they kidnapped, killed, and tortured so many people and burned so many equipment," he said.

In a 19-page decision last Friday, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 216 found the Tiamzons guilty of the kidnapping and serious illegal detention of four military personnel who were on a furlough in 1988.

They were sentenced to reclusion perpetua or 20 to 40 years in prison and asked to pay a total of P225,000 in civil indemnity and damages. Ella Dionisio/DMS