By RAYMUND VILLANUEVA
www.nordis.net

QUEZON CITY—The National Democratic Front of the Philippines in Cagayan Valley (NDFP-CV) has raised alarm over the disappearance of one of its regional staff, who has been out of contact for over three weeks.

In a statement, NDFP-CV spokesperson Salvador del Pueblo said Scarlet Lyne Gayo, a member of the group’s public information team, has not been heard from since early December. He alleged that Gayo may have been abducted by armed state forces.

“According to relevant information, Gayo was cornered by elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and is being pressured to turn against her revolutionary comrades in exchange for the dismissal of several trumped-up charges against her,” del Pueblo said.

Kodao Productions reported that Gayo was last seen in Cavite province on December 9. The NDFP-CV said she had been on medical leave and was due to return to her unit when contact with her was lost.

Del Pueblo noted that Gayo had been conducting field research in Region 2, documenting the impacts of droughts, typhoons, and other disasters on poor farming communities before her disappearance.

The group expressed concern for her safety, pointing to previous cases of captured comrades being reported killed in what they called staged encounters.

“The AFP and NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict) of the US-Marcos regime must be made to answer if Gayo and her family are harmed in anyway, in violation of international humanitarian law and protocols of war,” del Pueblo said.

He added that the Government of the Republic of the Philippines is obligated to respect Gayo’s rights as a prisoner of war.#nordis.net