[Inquirer] Maoist militants released three Philippine soldiers and a militiaman from captivity and turned them over to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and other city officials in a ceremony in a remote village of San Luis, Agusan del Sur on Tuesday.Two of the government troopers, Pfc. Diven Tawide and Pfc. Glenn Austria were separately taken at road checkpoints set by the New People’s Army in San Luis and Talacugon on April 3.
The decision to also free Cpl. Jawad Awadi and militiaman Roy Perez was reached at the last minute during the handover program, according to NPA official Ka Omar Ibarra. They were caught in civilian clothes earlier that morning by the militants who were securing the vicinity of the venue in Barangay Balit.
Ibarra blasted the Philippine military for not presenting to the public one of its NPA leaders, identified as Ricardo Manili, alias Ka Joker, and six other civilians who were seized at a military checkpoint in Esperanza. Ka Joker, who was supposed to lead the turnover ceremony, was arrested in the area still covered by the agreement on suspension of military operation to pave the way for the smooth release of the NPA "prisoners of war," Ibarra said.