NPAs RELEASE HOSTAGED PROVINCIAL JAIL WARDEN

By Manny Pinol

The New People’s Army (NPA) today released the provincial jail warden of Compostela Valley Province who was abducted by the Communist rebels in Panabo City Dec. 23 last year.

The release of warden Jose Mervin Coquilla came 48 hours after Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte asked the NPA to release the hostage “within 72 hours.”

“If possible release him on his birthday tomorrow and return him to his family. If you don’t, I will go to your camp and bring his family there and you can hostage all of them,” Duterte told the NPAs Saturday afternoon.

After lunch today, Duterte, along with his executive assistant and trusted aide Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, flew by helicopter to a designated area in COMVAL Province where the rebels turned over the warden to Duterte.

Duterte, in turn, brought Coquilla to the provincial capitol of Compostela Valley where he was turned over to local officials and his family at about 3 p.m.

Lijobeth Coquilla, wife of the warden who was captured by the rebels in Panabo City before Christmas, met with the Davao City Mayor in the holding room of the Ateneo de Davao University where he was scheduled to speak on political leadership before a group of students.

Lijobeth, who was accompanied by her two children, suffers from cancer and appealed to the NPAs that her husband be released because it was affecting her health and her family.

“My son had to resign from his job in a bank because of what happened to my husband,” Lijobeth said.

“You look at that, you (referring to the NPAs) better give her son a job,” Duterte said.

Coquilla worked with the Compostela Valley Provincial Rehabilitation Center (PRC) for 16 years.

Duterte assured Coquilla’s wife that he would work for the release of the hostaged warden.

While COMVAL is outside of Duterte’s political territory, he has always been asked to work for and negotiate the release of soldiers, police and other government workers hostaged by the NPAs.

Shortly before Christmas, Duterte also obtained the release of two Army soldiers held hostage by the NPAs.

(Photo caption: Mayor Duterte with Jail Warden Coquilla and Duterte’s executive assistant Bong Go. Photo by Bing Gonzales.)