Five leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines have been allowed by a Manila Regional Trial Court to travel abroad to participate in the resumption of peace talks with the Philippine government this month.
In an order issued on Friday, the Manila City RTC, Branch 32, granted the motion to travel abroad filed by CPP leaders Benito Tiamzon, Adelberto Silva, Rafael Baylosis, Randall Echanis and Vicente Ladlad, allowing them to travel abroad from June 22 to 30 to join the informal and formal peace talks.
The communist leaders were among the accused in a murder case arising from the discovery of the mass grave in Leyte containing suspected victims of the communist rebel purge in the 1980s.
The CPP leaders were released from detention in August 2016 to join the peace negotiations as consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
But the lower court ordered their rearrest in January following the request of the Department of Justice when the peace talks bogged down in November last year.
In their motion, Tiamzon and Silva told the court that the peace negotiations between the government and the NDFP are “currently underway” following President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement last April of his plans to revive the peace talks.
“Thus, they entreat that their bail bonds be reinstated and declared effective for the duration of the peace negotiations,” the order stated.
The accused also said they have been invited by NDFP negotiating panel chairman Fidel Agcaoili to attend the informal talks, which will be followed by the formal talks.
They also said they have respective functions during the event, which they claimed “are indispensable.”
“After a careful consideration of the arguments of both parties, the Court grants the accused-movants’ motion to travel abroad,” the court’s order read.
However, the accused were required to strictly follow the rules the court set for their provisional liberty, including the requirement to return to the country within three calendar days after the completion of the informal and formal talks.
Tiamzon and Silva were required to post another P100,000 bond as their previous bail bonds have already been canceled.
