QC court enters not guilty plea for Tiamzons . Alleged ranking communist rebel leaders Benito Tiamzon (right) and his wife Wilma Austria attend their arraignment at the Quezon City RTC branch 81 on Tuesday, April 8. The couple refused to enter any plea on two counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges filed against them before the court. Asti Flores
The head of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) on Wednesday dismissed as “propaganda” a leftist group’s claim that the military pocketed the cash seized from arrested communist leaders Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Austria.
“That’s propaganda. They are trying to divert the issue, from the crimes committed by the couple,” said Maj. Gen. Eduardo Año, referring to the group Bayan, which is asking the military and the police to return the money supposedly seized from the couple.
“Kahit sinkong duling hindi kukuha yung PNP (Philippine National Police) at AFP dun,” Año said. “Hindi kukunin ng AFP saka PNP yung pera para masira yung pagkakuha ng mag-asawa na yan.”
Police and ISAFP agents arrested the couple in Cebu last March 22 based on standing warrants of arrest for multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder.
Bayan said the money was intended for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas.
Año dared Bayan to file a case against the arresting team in court. “Kung meron silang complaint dun sa arresting officers, dapat sa korte nila idulog,” he said.
An earlier military statement did not mention any cash recovered from the couple during their arrest.
The statement said the major items seized from the couple were four handguns, magazines and ammunition, two handgrenades, two vans, four laptop computers, 16 cellphones, and 20 flash drives. — KBK, GMA News
