LEGAZPI CITY -- A week after the joint forces of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police arrested the top rebel commander in Bicol inside the cockpit arena in Sta. Maria Bulacan, the Kaparatan-Bicol threatened to file writ of Amparo against a military officials for continuously holding the suspect incommunicado at the AFP’s facility in Camp Aguinaldo.

        John Concepcion, spokesman of the KARAPATAN-Bicol lambasted the military for failing to surface Eglicerio “Ka Choy” Pernia after several days in custody.

        “We are mulling to file writ of amparo and habeas corpus to compel the military officials to present Pernia in the proper court and to allow relatives, lawyers and physicians to visit him on regular basis. A suspected red leader had rights too, he said.

        “The basic human rights of Iglecerio Pernia must be respected. The AFP must be knocked in their heads for them to know that even suspected rebels, enemies of the state as they perceived them to be, have rights too,” Concepcion continued.

        Ka Greg Bañares, spokesman of the Bicol Regional Party Committee(BRPC) of the communist movement demanded the military officials to liberate Ka Choy for humanitarian consideration.

        Iglecerio Pernia alias “Ka Choy” Secretary, Albay Provincial Party Committee of the New People’s Army (NPA) and a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP-NPA) Executive Committee in Bicol was arrested by the joint forces of the military and police agents.

        Army Col. Leoncio Cirunay, commanding officer of the Army’s 65th Infantry Battalion told Bicol Mail that the suspect amassed big amount of money or close to P100 million in extortion money from political candidates during last year’s national and local election in Albay.

        He said the suspect sought refuge in Bulacan province after government forces intensified their military offensive in Bicol particularly in Albay. “After amassing millions in extortion money he has lived a life in luxury and spent big amount of money in gambling and other vices,” Cirunay said.

        Pernia, a native of Ligao City, was arrested on the strength of a Warrant of Arrest issued by local courts in the cities of Legazpi and Ligao.

        The ranking NPA leader had a bounty on his head with P1.5 million for his capture and faced a string of criminal cases ranging from murder, frustrated murder, highway robbery, and arson in various courts in Albay.

        Authorities brought the suspect to the ISAFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, in Quezon City for investigation after which he will be send back to Albay to face the criminal charges filed against him.

        Cirunay said Pernia was tagged as the mastermind in the number of salvaging of known government and communist leaders in Bicol notably the killing of lawyer physician Ricardo Nepomuceno, leader of the Kilusan Kontra Kumunista (KKK) in Oas town last 2004 and farmer leader Expedito Ribaya the former security officer of former Albay governor Fernando Gonzales on November last year.

        Military and police intelligence report also said that the suspect was also the mastermind in the assassination of Sotero Llamas alias “Ka Nognog” former Secretary General of the CPP/NPA Bicol Region Party Committee in 2005.

        Pernia and Llamas tangled in a leadership struggle within the BRPC that caused Pernia to allegedly order his hitmen to kill Llamas, without the sanction of the CPP central committee.

        Roberto “Obet” Perñia, son of Ka Choy condemned the military for detaining his father incommunicado at Camp Aguinaldo.

        “As far as I know, we are still in a supposedly democratic state where the accused is still entitled to his rights as a detained person and given due process of law, why can’t they give that to papa? Why are they (military) hiding him from us?” said a very frustrated son of Pernia who came all the way from Bicol to search for his father’s detention cell,” he said.

        Obet, served as former Sangguniang Kabataan Federation president in Ligao City a couple of years ago during the incumbency of former Ligao mayor Fernando Gonzalez while his father was number one enemy of the state.

        Concepcion said that Ka Choy’s son was accompanied by relatives and a quick reaction team organized by KARAPATAN and DESAPARACIDOS composed of a lawyer, doctor and paralegal workers from the region.

        Unfortunately according to him, the groups eventually end up not seeing Iglecerio after the personnel manning the visitor assistance center repeatedly informed the group that it’s past the visiting hours and it will take time to confirm if indeed Iglecerio is in their custody.

        The young Pernia said that he and some of his relatives decided to proceed to Manila upon hearing Bicol PNP spokesperson, Sr. Superintendent Eliciar Bron confirmed to media that his father was brought to ISAFP headquarter in Camp Aguinaldo.

        He then sought the help of Human Rights groups to ensure that his father’s rights will be protected. “I’m hoping against hope that they will surface papa unscathed, given the fact that the military is notorious in using torture as an SOP in their interrogation “he added.

        Upon the arrest of Ka Choy, ranking military officers hailed it as a major victory against insurgency, especially in the Bicol region considered by many as a stronghold for communist guerrillas.