Warrant not necessary for Ladlad’s arrest: Palace

FILE: Secretary Salvador Panelo’s Press Briefing (Photo screengrabbed from PCOO)

MANILA — Malacañang on Thursday said an arrest warrant is not needed for National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF) consultant Vic Ladlad since crime of rebellion is a “continuing crime”.

“The crime of rebellion is a continuing crime and therefore no warrant of arrest is needed for that,” Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said in a Palace media briefing.

Ladlad and two others were arrested early Thursday in Quezon City for alleged possession of illegal firearms.

Aside from firearms, including an AK47 and M16A1 assault rifles, police recovered from the suspects were subversive documents.

Panelo said Ladlad is no longer covered by Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).

“The JASIG is operative only if there are peace talks ongoing; but that has been terminated by the proclamation of the President on Nov. 23, 2017,” Panelo said.

JASIG was an agreement signed between the Philippine government and NDF in 1995 to essentially guarantee the immunity and safety of individuals involved in the peace talks.

Panelo said other consultants covered by the terminated JASIG could also be arrested by the government since peace talks were terminated in November last year.

“I think there has been an announcement by the President even last year about the arrest of these people given the proclamation that the peace talks had ended,” he said.