INATASAN ng Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ang Philippine National Police na higit pang paigtingin ang paghahanap kay Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Chairman Benito Tiamzon at asawa nitong si dating CPP Secretary General Wilma Tiamzon, matapos hatulan ng habangbuhay na pagkabilango ng Quezon City Regional Trial Court kamakailan.

Ayon kay DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año, “I have instructed the PNP to intensify the manhunt for these Communist Terrorists so that they can serve the sentence imposed on them by the court”.

“I exerted a lot of effort in capturing them in 2014. I was then chief of ISAFP (Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines) when they were arrested in March 2014. I spent almost half of my career looking for this couple,” dagdag pa ni Sec. Año.

Magugunitang matapos ang maraming taon ng pagtatago sa batas ay nadakip ng military ang mag-asawang Tiamzon sa Barangay Zaragoza, Cebu City noong Marso 2014.

“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 People’s Army, they kidnapped, killed, and tortured so many people and burned so many equipment,” paliwanag pa ng kalihim.

Magugunitang base sa 19-page decision na ibinaba ng Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 216, napatunayan na guilty sina Benito at Wilma Tiamzon sa kasong kidnapping at serious illegal detention sa isang Army lieutenant.

Ang mag-asawa ay pinatawan ng habangbuhay o 20 to 40 years in prison at pinagbabayad ng halagang P225,000 bilang civil indemnity and damages.

Ayon kay Año, ang nasabing conviction sa mag-asawang Tiamzon ay masasabing landmark victory para sa sambayanang Filipino na dumaranas ng matinding sakripisyo at matagal na paghihirap dahil sa protracted war na inilunsad ng CPP-NPA-NDF at front organizations nito na naglalayong pabagsakin ang gobyerno at pumatay ng mga sundalo, pulis at mga inosenteng sibilyan sa nakaraang 50 taon ng communist insurgency. (JESSE KABEL)