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Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff General Carlito Galvez Jr vowed on Thursday to hunt down the other communist leaders who have been temporarily released before due to the peace talks.

This, as Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde vehemently denied that the arresting police and military personnel planted firearms when National Democratic Front consultant Vicente Ladlad was arrested Thursday morning in Novaliches, Quezon City.

"We are not engaged in any planting of evidence," Albayalde said in "The Presser" hosted by Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar held at Malacanang Golf Club.

He said the denial of Ladlad's camp that he was planted with high powered firearms and explosives was just "an alibi."

"The police or Armed Forces of the Philippines are not engaged in unlawful acts. We will not tolerate those (planting of evidence) activities," he said.

In the same presser, Galvez said Ladlad, as well as other communist leaders such as couple Benito and Wilma Tiamzon who were temporarily released when peace talks were still ongoing, should now "turn themselves in."

"We will pursue all these cases and will hunt them down," he said.

Galvez said the 16 consultants of the NDF, the political wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army, were just released temporarily before because of the ongoing peace talks. But since the negotiations have been terminated since last year, they should surrender or else the government would go after them.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, in a press briefing, said the Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), which served as a security pass of these consultants, is no longer in effect contrary to the claim of the Maoist group.

"The JASIG is operative only if there are peace talks ongoing; but that has been terminated by the proclamation of the President on November 23, 2017. Secondly, the crime of rebellion is a continuing crime and therefore no warrant of arrest is needed for that," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS