BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA

The National Democratic Front (NDF) in Negros Island is calling for the release of its spokesman Ka Frank Fernandez, who was arrested by government forces in Laguna last Sunday.

In a statement, NDF-Negros denounced the “trumped up” charges filed against Fernandez.

Fernandez and his wife Cleofe were nabbed in Liliw, Laguna on the strength of an arrest warrant around 5:16 a.m. on March 24.

NDF-Negros said the couple must be “immediately released on the basis of justice, propriety and for humanitarian considerations.”

Fernandez, according to the NDF, is in Laguna to seek medical attention.

It added that it was “ridiculous” for the government forces to “plant firearms and explosives” in the couple’s possession.

The couple was also denied access to a lawyer and communication to their families, claimed the NDF.

Fernandez – who is known by multiple aliases like Ibarra, Ago, Suilo, and Kanor – faces charges for four counts of murder and attempted murder.

He and his wife’s arrest came two days after President Rodrigo Duterte canceled peace talks with the communist rebels permanently./DGB, WDJ