MANILA: The military maintains that the arrest of Benjamin Mendoza, whom it claimed to be a communist rebel, last October was not a case of mistaken identity.
Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt Col Ramon Zagala said Mendoza and Rolly Panesa, who introduced himself as a security guard, are the same person. The military claims that Mendoza is the secretary of the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee and that ‘Rolly Panesa’ was just his alias. “We are very firm that Rolly Panesa and Benjamin Mendoza is one and the same person based on facts and witnesses,” Zagala said.
Zagala was asked to react to a Court of Appeals ruling that granted a petition for writ of habeas corpus and ordered the release of the suspected rebel. The government is planning to appeal the court’s decision, which has triggered anti-military sentiments from activists who claim to be human rights advocates.
“Our solicitor-general, who is holding the case for the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), is already making appropriate motions following the Court of Appeals’ decision to release Benjamin Mendoza,” Zagala said. the philippine star
