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2 civilians killed in AFP attack in Batangas, CPP reveals

Two civilians were killed in the December 17 Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) operation in Balayan, Batangas while a member of the New People’s Army (NPA) is missing, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) revealed.

Pretty Sheine Anacta, 19, and Rose Jane Agda, 30, were killed along with five other NPA fighters, CPP’s official newsletter Ang Bayan said in a statement Thursday, December 28.

The two civilian victims were reportedly visiting their relative Precious Alyssa Anacta, Ka (Comrade) Komi, 26, who was among the guerrillas killed in the incident.

Pretty Sheine was Ka Komi’s younger sister while Rose Jane was her sister-in-law, the CPP said.

According to the NPA, Pretty Shaine fainted at the first burst of gunfire but was later executed by the attacking soldiers of the 59th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (59th IBPA).

“She was alive but was eventually killed by the butchers. To make it appear the maiden was a Red fighter, they planted an assault rifle beside her,” NPA-Batangas spokesperson Ka Gregorio Caraig said.

The CPP also said Rose Jane’s cadaver indicated rape by government troopers.

“Rose Jane’s situation was disgusting when her cadaver was seen at the funeral parlor. Her pants was down, a sign that she may have been abused,” the CPP statement reads.

READ: Rights workers reveal AFP desecration of slain NPA fighters’ corpses

The CPP also revealed that NPA member Baby Jane Orbe (Ka Binhi) remains missing nearly two weeks after the clash.

The group said they are sure Orbe is being held by the 59th IBPA it accused of being notorious violators of human rights and international humanitarian law.

Orbe was injured in the clash and the CPP said her hors de combat status should be respected by her captors.

Orbe must be treated in an hospital where she must be allowed to be visited by her relatives and lawyers, the CPP said.

The Philippine Army for its part said that one of its soldiers, a Sgt. Jernell Ramillano, was killed in its attack against the NPA while three other government troopers were injured. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Not defeat, but a resolve to seek justice

By Nuel M. Bacarra

I interviewed Raymond Manalo early in the morning of the promulgation of his and brother Reynaldo’s kidnapping and illegal detention with serious physical injuries case against retired Major General Jovito Palparan last Friday, October 6. He was excited and, as was the mark of his 16-year narrative against “The Butcher” and cohorts, he was straightforward and hopeful. “GUILTY!” Raymond blurted when I asked him what he thought the verdict would be.

Raymond was justifiably confident as he presented generally the same testimony he provided in the case that convicted Palparan of the same charges involving missing University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño in 2018. He added that his testimony was even stronger this time as he was no longer a simple witness but he was testifying on his and his brother’s own abduction and torture in the hands of Palparan’s men.

Meeting the general and other victims

Raymond had always been consistent in his revelations against the accused. He and Reynaldo were abducted on February 14, 2006 from their home in San Ildefonso, Bulacan by the paramilitary under the 7th Infantry Division then commanded by Palparan. They were brought to various military camps throughout Central Luzon for 18 months but eventually escaped from a chicken farm somewhere in Pangasinan province where they suffered forced labor in the hands of their captors.

Raymond told the Court that after their abduction Palparan himself ordered the brothers brought to the barangay hall in Sapang, San Miguel, Bulacan where the most notorious general of the Gloria Arroyo regime personally gave him P1,500 to give to his parents. Palparan instructed Raymond to give the amount to his parents and tell them it was “his income from his new boss.” Palparan also told Raymond to tell his parents not to “attend hearings or join rallies and that he already joined Palparan.” In addition, The Butcher also told Raymond that, “If he attempted to escape, his family will be massacred and he and Reynaldo will also be killed.”

In a Philippine Army camp in Limay, Bataan, Raymond testified that he witnessed the torture of Karen and Sherlyn, as well as the the murder of farmer Manuel Merino who was kidnapped with the students. Merino was stabbed and his remains were burned. Raymond added that he saw the fire burning in the distance the entire night. Afterwards, Raymond and Reynaldo were brought to a resort in Iba, Zambales. But when they were brought back to Limay, Karen and Sherlyn weren’t there anymore.

READ: Abandoned Mount Samat Military Camp Yields Bones, Evidence; Quest for Justice Continues

Raymond’s testimony in Karen and Sherlyn’s case was so strong that the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court upheld Palparan’s conviction.

Raymond himself was severely manhandled by the soldiers. He still sports a scar on his forehead that came from a blow with the butt of a gun. His back became an ashtray of the troopers during a drinking spree and he also became their punching bag. He also underwent sessions of “water cure” from his captors.

Unacceptable verdict

But the Malolos Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 19 under Judge Francisco P. Felizmenio acquitted Palparan last Friday afternoon.

We saw Raymond rushing down the courthouse after the promulgation to join his supporters gathered by the curb. Crying, he shouted: “Walang katarungan dito! Ang katarungan ay para lang sa mayayaman, hindi para sa mahihirap! (There’s no justice here! Justice are only for the rich, not for the poor!)

Karapatan secretary general Tinay Palabay immediately embraced Raymond to console him and asked water for the crying victim. Edith Burgos, mother of involuntary disappearance victim Jonas Burgos, also embraced and comforted him. It was Atty. Julian Oliva Jr. who fielded the reporters’ questions about what happened inside the courtroom. I hardly understood the questions and answers as I could not take my eyes of Raymond. He was heaving with grief as he covered his face with a towel.

Raymond Manalo being consoled by Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay. (Nuel M. Bacarra/Kodao)

What followed were indignant speeches about the Court’s decision. When Raymond had somewhat recovered, the group decided to go back to Manila. At six in the evening of the same day, a rally was held at the Boy Scout Rotunda in Quezon City for more indignant speeches against the verdict. Human rights and progressive groups said they could not reconcile Felizmenio’s decision with the fact that Raymond’s testimony that convicted Palparan earlier—one that was upheld by superior Courts—was junked. They agreed with the victim when he shouted, Takot ka, Judge!” (You’re scared, Judge!)

Raymond was himself the last speaker at the indignation rally. Composed this time, he said the pursuit for justice in his and his brother’s case will continue. He assured the media and his supporters that a new round of battle in the courts and in the streets will soon commence. Palparan would not escape accountability, he said.

Covering the promulgation had been one of the longest for me since I became a reporter for Kodao. My advancing age tells me there should be few of this kind of coverage, but my tiredness was overshadowed by Raymond’s determination and strength. What could a reporter do when he has compelling stories and strong subjects like Raymond Manalo but accompany him (and others like him) in their journey?

Yes, I was sad for Raymond and his brother last Friday. But I ended my coverage with the same hope that he asked everyone who accompanied him that day: “Justice will be served as long as we don’t give up.” #

Groups ask BBM to investigate abduction of 2 environmentalists

Survivors demand surfacing of other desaperacidos

Rights defenders are asking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to conduct an investigation into the abduction and enforced disappearances of activists after two young environmentalists revealed they have been snatched by the military and disappeared for 17 days.

After anti-Manila Bay reclamation project activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano revealed their ordeal in the hands of the 70th Infantry Battalion-Philippine Army (70th IBPA), Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) said the victims’ revelation already warrants a full-blown investigation.

“Will you not call for an impartial investigation into the abduction of two environmental activists and the apparent cover up done by the military?” BAYAN president Renato Reyes Jr. asked.

“Shouldn’t you fire all the officials engaged in the elaborate cover up? Shouldn’t you finally abolish the NTF- ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict)?” Reyes added.

Reyes also asked, “Shouldn’t you issue an unequivocal statement that abductions and forced surrenders are not acceptable because they are human rights violations? Why the deafening silence when it comes to human rights? Is it 1972 all over again?”

Human rights group Karapatan said the NTF-ELCAC is accountable for the abduction, enforced disappearance and fake surrender of two women environmental defenders.

“Now that the truth is out, Karapatan demands that everyone involved in the abduction, enforced disappearance and fake surrender of environmental activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano be held accountable, especially the (NTF-ELCAC) whose malicious and baseless accusations, harmful rhetoric and activities against ordinary folks and activist groups and individuals have enabled and encouraged the commission of countless human rights violations,” Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said.

“The perpetrators, including those who conspired to cover up what really happened in Orion, Bataan on the night of September 2, 2023 should be charged, prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law,” Palabay added.

Filipino groups abroad meanwhile applauded Tamano and Castro who “courageously declared the truth and exposed state terrorism through the NTF-ELCAC and the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines).”

“They valiantly stood their ground, bringing also to focus the issue of reclamation in Bulacan that is causing massive livelihood loss. With their courageous expose, their lives are now endangered. We should stand with Jhed and Jonila and protect them from any retaliation of the terrorist AFP and the NTF-ELCAC,” BAYAN-Hong Kong and Macau said.

In a separate statement, the Hong Kong Campaign for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines said it “salutes the bravery and courage of Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano to speak the truth.”

“The international community is watching closely to see how the government will respond to the brave truth spoken by Jonila and Jhed,” the group said.

Jhed Tamano (left) and Jonila Castro at the Commission on Human Rights prior to their release Tuesday night. (Nuel M. Bacarra/Kodao)

Rude surprise

Despite the defiant revelation of the victims, however, the military insisted on its earlier report the two environmentalists surrendered.

Lt. Col. Ronnel de la Cruz, 70th IBPA commander, said Castro and Tamano requested their assistance as the two young women wanted to leave the underground Communist movement they were allegedly part of.

The 70th IBPA reportedly refused to give up custody of the two victims even as no charges have been filed against them and after they revealed the abduction, enforced disappearance and fake surrender they suffered from the military.

The NTF-ELCAC for its part said they were “betrayed” and “hoodwinked” as they only had “the best of intentions in mind” in attending Tuesday’s press conference.

The Task Force added it stands with de la Cruz’s story that the two youths surrendered.

Castro and Tamano have been reunited with family and friends Tuesday night after being turned over to the Commission on Human Rights by Mayor Jocell Vistan Casaje after a standoff at the Plaridel, Bulacan municipal hall.

Karapatan list of enforced disappearance victims under the Marcos Jr. government.

Surface the other disappeared

In a speech before well-wishers at the CHR grounds, the two said they are not the only victims of abductions and enforced disappearances and called for their surfacing and release.

Under the Marcos Jr. government, Karapatan said eight others remain missing after abduction by suspected state agents.

Elgene Mungcal and Ma. Elena Pampoza were abducted in Moncada, Tarlac in July 3, 2022; Arial Badiang was disappeared in Manolo Fortich, Bukindnon on February 7, 2023; Ronel delos Santos, Donald Laloy Mialen and Lyn Grace Martullinas were abducted in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental on April 19 this year; and Dexter Capuyan and Gene Roz Jamill de Jesus remain missing after their abduction in Taytay, Rizal last April 28, Karapatan said.

Palabay added that just last September15, peasant organizer Bea Lopez was reportedly abducted in Cauayan, Negros Occidental with tricycle driver Peter Agravante.

Agravante’s remains were found two days later in a cliff in Basay, Negros Oriental bearing torture marks and a gunshot wound to the head.

“Jhed and Jonila’s case should also prod the public and government officials, as it is their primordial duty, to strengthen investigations and efforts to find and surface all desaparecidos,” Palabay said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

NPA accuses Philippine Army of killing 3 civilian women in Masbate fire fight

Three civilian women were killed by the military in an encounter with the New People’s Army (NPA) in Sitio Madarag, Brgy. Jagnaan, San Jacinto, Masbate last Monday, August 21, the Communist guerrillas reported.

In a tribute to its casualty in the fire fight, the Jose Rapsing Command (JRC) of the NPA said troops of the Philippine Army’s 96th Infantry Battalion  (96th IBPA) killed civilians Jelyn Guis Dejomo (56), Sheryl Salazar Dejomo (29) and Divina Lubiano Ajitan (60).

“They were indiscriminately killed by the military despite the fact that they were clearly civilians,” JRC-NPA spokesperson Luz del Mar wrote in their statement published on the Communist Party of the Philippines website.

The report the three victims were civilians is part of its JRC-NPA’s tribute to Eddie Rosero, a member who was killed in the fire fight.

Del Mar added 13 96th IBPA troopers have also been killed in the encounter.

While silent on whether it suffered casualties, the 96th IBPA said in its own announcement that Rosero was a top leader killed with three others in the said encounter, referring to the three women.

The Battalion also said one other NPA member, a Ramon Bartolata, was captured and is being treated at the Ticao District Hospital.

The military unit added the August 21 clash was the third between themselves and the NPA since August 18.

NPA fighter all his adult life

The JRC-NPA said Rosero, who went by the name Ka Star, was a most respected Red commander of the revolutionary movement in the province.

“The enemy’s desperation to hound and malign his name is not surprising,” del Mar said.

Del Mar said Rosero was a Masbate native who opposed mining operations in their province.

Rosero joined the NPA as a full time member in 1998 and has led in several successful operations against the military and the police in his 25 years in the revolutionary army. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

AFP’s rights violations strengthen resistance, NPA says

The government military’s human rights violations can only strengthen the New People’s Army (NPA) particularly in the Visayas region, the underground group’s Negros Island Regional Operation Command said.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) “flagrant attacks” against civilians, innocent farmers and hors de combat NPA fighters are prodding the people to fight back, the revolutionary army’s Apolinario Gatmaitan Command spokesperson Maoche Legislador said in a statement.

In a reaction to AFP Visayas Command chief Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo’s assertion of a “remarkable combat accomplishment” by government soldiers in weakening the NPA in the region, Legislador said the former’s claim is nothing but “hallucination”.

Legislador added that Arevalo’s statement are, in reality, based upon the “murderous rampage” of his troops against civilian communities in Western, Central and Eastern Visayas.

“AFP’s monstrosity spans from red-tagging, threats and harassment, fake encounters, abductions and enforced disappearances, cold-blooded killings, forced surrenders, illegal arrest and detention, deception, aerial bombings and artillery shelling of communities and other human rights violations,” the regional NPA spokesperson said.

Legislador said that around 300 cases of human rights abuses affecting over 24,000 individuals were perpetrated by the 302nd and 303rd Brigade of the Philippine Army, 27 cases of which victimized more than 50 children in Negros Island alone.

“Arevalo…is on hallucinogens… the mastermind of all ceaseless state-sponsored crimes and state terrorism that has victimized the people of the Visayas. He is also the main spinner of lies and deceit,” Legislador said.

He also cited the AFP’s claim that the massacred Fausto family in Brgy. Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental last June 14 were “reinforcements” of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the NPA in Negros Island.

‘Strategic victory over the NPA’

Earlier this week, military spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar also claimed the AFP has achieved “strategic victory” over the NPA, claiming further the revolutionary army has only 1,800 active members left.

In a National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) press conference last Monday, June 10, Aguilar said 400 of the 1,800 NPA fighters are already identified and are the subject of “focused military operations.”

Aguilar added that more than 600 NPA members were either recently killed in combat operations or voluntarily surrendered to the government.

“We should end the local armed conflict now. We cannot let them stay for another 50 years,” Aguilar said, adding the AFP intends to eliminate the NPA’s remaining active fronts this year.

Aguilar called on to local government units to bring social services to communities known to be influenced by the NPA.

Intensified armed encounters

Legislador admitted that real armed encounters between the NPA and the AFP have indeed intensified in Negros Island but these are mainly due to yet another “pipe dream” of defeating them swiftly under the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government.

In fact, Legislador said, another company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 7 of the Philippine National Police has recently been deployed to Negros Oriental on the pretext of providing additional security for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections this December.

Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo and nine others were killed earlier this year in a brazen assault by hired killers suspected to be employed by political rivals in the province.

But Legislador said that the military and police operations are really meant to eliminate the NPA’s resistance to the entry of foreign businesses to the island.

“In truth, the AFP and the entire state forces of the US-Marcos II regime are only prodding the people to fight back, on the streets and up to the countryside. What is left for the people on the Visayas islands is to strengthen themselves and their Red Army in order to advance the revolution further,” Legislador said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

NUPL asks Teodoro to uphold duties of lawyers

‘Anti-terror charges vs rights defenders alarming’

Human rights lawyers asked national defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro, himself an attorney, to uphold their duties as counsels to their clients.

In a hand-delivered letter in front of Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City Friday, July 7, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) urged Teodoro to respect the United Nations Basic Principles of on the Role of Lawyers in the context of protecting the human rights of their clients as well as promoting justice.

The five-page letter is accompanied by a separate letter by Nieves Lizada, mother of human rights defender Mary Joyce who is detained at the Philippine Army’s (PA) Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal.

The letters were handed out to a representative of the Office of the National Defense Secretary.

The event was accompanied by a protest action by human rights workers from Southern Tagalog and Metro Manila.

Southern Tagalog human rights defenders demand the freedom of two of their colleagues. (NUPL photo)

‘No rule of law’

The NUPL cited the case of Mary Joyce and Arnuldo Aumentado who are being denied access to their lawyers; the case of sugar farm workers Alfred Manalo, Lloyd Descalar and Angelito Balitostos who were abducted by government soldiers; and Southern Tagalog (ST) youth rights defenders Kenneth Rementilla, Jasmin Yvette Rubia, and Halley Pecayo who were harassed and red-tagged by the PA.

Called the Mansalay 2, Mary Joyce and Aumentado were investigating the shelling of a Mangyan community in Oriental Mindoro province when arrested by the PA last April 25.

Despite two previous consultations with their lawyers on June 3 and June 28 in Camp Capinpin, the two have since been denied time with their counsels and have yet to be taken to a civilian jail even after indictment from a regional trial court.

In their letter, the NUPL also complained of the harassment of their members from the Sentro Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (SENTRA) who responded to requests for assistance for sugar farm workers Manalo, Descalar and Balitostos, also called the Balayan 3.

A certain Lt.Col. Ernesto Teneza filed a complaint against the SENTRA lawyers at the Commission on Human Rights IV-A office despite being responsible for blocking the lawyers’ access to the farm workers.

The NUPL also said the ST youth rights defenders were harassed on two special occasions in the PA’s efforts to prevent them from investigating the killing of 9-year old Kyllene Casao by soldiers of the PA’s 59th Infantry Battalion.

‘As alter ego of the Commander in chief’

In their letter, the NUPL called on Teodoro to exercise his supervision over the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as well as the following demands:

  1. Those arrested, detained and imprisoned are provided opportunities to consult with a lawyer without delay, interception or censorship and in full confidentiality;
  2. Lawyers are allowed to travel and consult with their clients freely and without threats and prosecution;
  3. The military should refrain from filing trumped-up charges of terrorism and terrorism-related offenses against human rights defenders; and
  4. Officers and commanders of the 2nd Infantry Division and the 4th and 59th IBs be investigated for possible liabilities in the incidents mentioned.

“We hope that you will take these calls as a challenged to balance your tasks of guarding the country against security threats with the imperative of fulfilling the Philippine government’s obligations to respect human rights and international humanitarian law,” the NUPL wrote.

The lawyers’ group said 13 Anti-Terrorism Law charges have been filed against rights defenders and other civilians throughout the region.

In her own letter, Lizada asked Teodoro to immediately free Mary Joyce or be transferred without delay to a civilian jail.

There was no immediate response to the letters from Teodoro’s office. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Fausto massacre is latest in AFP’s kill list of Negros children, underground group says

An underground organization of revolutionary women has accused the Philippine government of being unconcerned over the rights and welfare of children in Negros, saying the killing of Ben Fausto (15) and his brother Raven (12) are just two of a long list of victims in the island.

The Makabayang Kilusan ng Bagong Kababaihan – Negros (MAKIBAKA-Negros) said that aside from the massacre that killed the Fausto children in Himamaylan City last June 14, three other minors have been killed by the military since 2021.

MAKIBAKA-Negros identified Aldren Faburada (17 ), Everly Kee Jacolbe (16), and Christopher Montecino (17) as the other victims in the hands of government soldiers.

Focused military operations and the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) in the countryside have brought trepidation for people’s lives and security, particularly for children,” MAKIBAKA-Negros said in a statement dated June 19.

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP)-allied organization said Faburada was severely beaten and killed by the 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB) of the Philippine Army (PA) last March 15, 2021. The child was earlier red-tagged as an NPA member when he was only fetching his school module from their hut near the encounter site at Sitio Kansampo, Brgy. Bagtik, La Libertad, Negros Oriental.

Like the Faustos, Jacolbe was massacred along with her pregnant mother and a relative by the 62nd IB at Sitio Banderahan, Brgy. Trinidad, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental last July 26, the group said.

Montecino was killed with his father Pedro when the 94th IB assaulted locals of Sitio Cunalom, Brgy. Carabalan, Himamaylan City on September 11, 2021, MAKIBAKA-Negros alleged, adding the soldiers red-tagged Christopher in front of the media as an NPA “child warrior” who had surrendered.

‘Justice for the Faustos’

The AFP denied killing the Faustos, expectedly counter-accusing the New People’s Army (NPA) for the massacre instead.

PA’s 303rd IB commander B/Gen. Orlando Edralin said earlier they themselves condemn the Fausto massacre and vowed to “spare no effort to pursue justice for the victims and their families.”

“[W]e will closely coordinate with the Philippine National Police to fast-track the resolution of the crime and bring the perpetrators to justice,” Edralin added.

Edralin claimed it was the NPA that killed the Faustos as it suspected the victims to have become spies for the military.

The general added that accusations the 94th IB brutally killed the family are “nothing but an attempt by the desperate NPA to tarnish the reputation of the Army in the province.”

“[They] quickly blame the Army without proof to mislead the people and to hide their guilty hands,” Edralin said.

An early incident report of the Fausto massacre of the human rights group September 21 Movement however pointed out that Emelda Fausto has reported harassments and attacks by the army unit prior to June 14.

Subsequent statements by church leaders and various organizations also said Roly Fausto had been repeatedly tortured and forced to serve as guide by the soldiers in an all-night military patrol days before they were killed.

‘Even babies are not spared’

MAKIBAKA-Negros said intense AFP operations have been indiscriminately showered bullets and bombs on peasant communities, ransacked houses, illegally arrested innocents, coerced civilians to surrender, and abducted and murdered civilians.

The group said these military strategy causes fear, anxiety, sorrow and anger in the minds and hearts of the people and their children.

“Trauma develops among children upon witnessing the lives of their father, mother, siblings and relatives taken away. In every destroyed home and each family victimized by state fascism, one to a thousand children are deprived of freedom to live as well,” the group said.

The NDFP in Negros monitored 17 cases of human rights violations by military troops on the island directly involving children, mainly by the 62nd IB and 94th IB, the group recalled.

“These were cases of extrajudicial killing, harassment and threat, indiscriminate firing and bombing, attempted abduction, forced surrender, and illegal detention,” MAKIBAKA-Negros said.

“Military troops occupying schools also cause intense fear as children and their teachers function as human shield for chicken-hearted soldiers. It disturbs the children’s education and places the community in danger,” the group added.

The women’s group also reported that 3rd Infantry Division troops also targeted and attacked babies and children they suspect are sons and daughters of NPA fighters, such as the 79th IB’s kidnapping of Baby Marx Cairo Salino, a two month old infant of guerillas taken from his caretaker on January 13, 2021.

The baby is reportedly currently with the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) of Escalante City, Negros Occidental.

“Despite the rights of Baby Marx’s family to claim and care for him, the fascist and merciless personages of the CSWD and military stubbornly insist that the freedom of Baby Marx depends on their decision,” MAKIBAKA-Negros said.

Last May 14, the 11th IB arrested a couple and their one-month old baby in Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental over suspicions they were NPA members, the group said.

It added that 94th IB also chased after and attempted to abduct four children, aged one to two years old, in different barangays of Himamaylan City in 2022.

MAKIBAKA-Negros also expressed concern over reports that the 11th IB placed a P50,000 bounty on a two year old child of a Red fighter couple under the NPA’s Rachelle Mae Palang Command in Southeast Negros. The soldiers wish to use the child as hostage to coerce the parents to surrender, it added.

“This [3rd] Division of the Philippine Army is notorious for employing similar dirty tactics in warfare wherein children are used as bait to force the surrender and capture of their parents or relatives,” MAKIBAKA-Negros said.

The group said it welcomes the announcement of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to hold an investigation of the recent killings. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

NPA: Military massacred civilian family in retaliation for camp raid

The massacre of a family in Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental was carried out by the 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) and the citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) in retaliation for an attack on the local paramilitary camp, the New People’s Army (NPA) said.

The NPA’s Mt. Cansermon Command (MCC) said Rolly and Emelda Fausto and their two minor children were killed by the soldiers and the paramilitary the day after a “harassment operation” was conducted against the local CAFGU camp last June 13.

“[The operation] resulted (in) several casualties on the side of the military troops within the camp. This was the reason behind their brutal retaliation on civilian farmers who they suspected as NPA supporters,” NPA’s South Central Negros Guerilla Front spokesperson Dionesio Magbuelas said.

Magbuelas said that the 94th IB has in fact been planning and preparing to butcher the Fausto family for some time.

He revealed that the MCC had received complaints from other residents in the area about threats to their personal safety after the military broadcast names of suspected NPA supporters on radio.

The military list included Rolly Fausto, Magbuelas said.

The military’s radio program, hosted by a Johnrey Hilado, also often insinuated that Rolly fed and supported the NPA.

“This was a form of red-tagging that put Rolly Fausto and others at risk,” Magbuelas said.

History of threats against the victims

A month ago, the Fausto family has been subjected to harassments and threats, and their home was ransacked by the 94th IB, mainly soldiers assigned to the Hilamonan and Mahalang detachments, the MCC said, a report corroborated by initial reports by local human rights group after the massacre last Wednesday, June 14.

The NPA unit was also notified by other residents that three suspicious persons, including a military asset who was a rebel returnee, also previously spied on the Fausto house.

Meanwhile, 303rd Brigade commander B/Gen Orlando Edralin denied government troops massacred the Faustos, claiming Roly was their asset.

Edralin alleged that it was the NPA who killed the family.

Magbuelas however laughed off Edralin’s allegations, adding the general only humiliated himself before reporters when he made the denials.

“How can one be a military asset when an individual was repeatedly threatened and tortured, and his house was ransacked just recently?” Magbuelas asked.

Human rights reports said that Emelda complained to their farmers’ organizations of the soldier’s ransacking of their house.

READ: IFI Bishop, groups denounce massacre in Negros

“The people know the dirty record of killings and the various forms of abuses perpetrated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), particularly the 303rd Brigade,” Magbuelas said.

“The people will be the judge. Due to the consecutive extrajudicial killings, such as the case of Crispin Tingal Jr. and now the Fausto family massacre, (the military) can no longer deceive the public even if they shed buckets of crocodile tears to get the sympathy of the very people who are victims of their atrocities,” the MCC spokesperson said.

More denouncements

Meanwhile, activist groups held a condemnation rally in front of the Commission on Human Rights in Quezon City last Friday, demanding swift and impartial investigations of the massacre.

Human rights defenders call for justice for the victims of the Kabankalan Massacre and a stop to the killing of civilians. (Photo by Jek M. Alcaraz/Kodao)

The groups said accusations and reports of the military’s hand in the gruesome murders must be looked into.

The national alliance for women Gabriela said the massacre is a gross violation by the AFP as it targeted non-combatants.

The group also pointed out that the military committed a grave violation of the United Nations General Assembly’s Declaration on the Protection of Women in Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict.

In a separate statement, the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) said investigating authorities should also look into human rights violations under the lock down imposed by the military in nearby Himamaylan City.

UMA said the military imposed a media blackout on the status of 15,000 evacuees, downplaying their assault on seven farm workers, strafing of 15 Tumandok households, and looting of civilian homes.

The group reported at least 21 farmers have been victims of extrajudicial killings under the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government.

“[We are] worried the Fausto massacre marked the beginning of another spate of killings on the island,” UMA chairperson Ariel Casilao said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

IFI Bishop, groups denounce massacre in Negros

Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) Bishop and former Obispo Maximo denounced the massacre of a farmer’s family last Wednesday, June 14, in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.

Bishop Rhee Timbang said the brutal murder of Roly Fausto (55), his wife Emelda Fausto (50) and their two children Ben Fausto (15) and Ravin Fausto (12) is “horrendous beyond measure,” adding the massacre must be condemned and the perpetrators be brought to justice.

Citing reports by human rights groups in Negros, the prelate said the alleged perpetrators are soldiers of the 94th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army.

He added that the Faustos had been victims of incessant red-tagging and other human rights violations in the past months.

 Timbang revealed that the victims were active IFI members whose leaders have been similarly subjected to red-tagging by state security forces and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

 The Faustos were also members of the Baclayan-Bito-Cabagal Farmers and Farmworkers Association (BABICAFA).

Long victims of Philippine Army’s atrocities

Alternative media group Paghimutad first reported about the massacre last Thursday, quoting human rights group September 21 Movement as saying the massacre was the culmination of a series of incidents involving the victims and the soldiers.

The Fausto family’s ordeal began on March 22, 2022, when Emelda, while returning from doing the laundry, encountered a group of armed men both in military uniforms and civilian clothing around their house, Paghimutad reported.

Around 12 individuals, purportedly soldiers, subjected her to intense interrogation and even brandished a knife in front of her. The soldiers then ransacked the house and slaughtered their chickens. Emelda later discovered that P5,000 of her family’s money, hidden in folded clothes, had vanished, it said.

Later that day, Roly, upon returning from work on the farm, was also subjected to relentless interrogation and coercion.

In a vacant hut 500 meters away from their house, Roly was tied ordered to confess his alleged affiliation with the New People’s Army (NPA).

Roly was kicked on the shoulders and held until 7 PM before being transferred to a military detachment in Barangay Hilamonan, Kabankalan City.

At the detachment, Roly was slapped and was forced to accompany the soldiers in a nighttime patrol, the report added.

On May 15, 2023, Emelda sought assistance from the group September 21 Movement to report two instances of their house being forcibly opened and ransacked.

Emelda told the group their hut was broken into last May 4 where their belongings were scattered, the Paghimutad report further revealed.

More condemnations

Other groups also condemned the bloodbath and called for accountability.

“It is inhumanity and savagery in modern society in a country that is signatory to international instruments on human rights,” the group Human Rights Alliance of Negros (HRAN) said in a statement. 

“Under Marcos rule the Philippine Army [has] become the murderers of the people in the countrysides reminiscent of the brutal rule of his dictator father,” HRAN added.

Enviromental group Kalikasan said the killings were “savage” that violated both human rights and international humanitarian law.

“The killing of farmers who defend their rights and welfare undermines their crucial role as environmental defenders. We demand justice for the victims and urge the Commission on Human Rights to investigate,” Kalikasan said in a statement. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Reds in Masbate report successful attacks ahead of NPA’s 54th anniversary

GENEVA, Switzerland—The New People’s Army (NPA) in Masbate said its successful military operations in the towns of Placer and Dimasalang are its contributions to the celebrations of their 54th founding anniversary tomorrow, March 29.

The NPA’s Jose Rapsing Command (JRC) in the province said its coordinated guerilla actions last Wednesday, March 22, in Barangay Locso-on in Place and Barangay Gain in Dimasalang resulted in the deaths of 10 government soldiers and the wounding of not less than seven others.

The fatalities belonged to the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, augmented by troops from the Philippine National Police (PNP).

JRC-NPA spokesperson Luz del Mar in a statement said they belie Joint Task Force Bicolandia’s claims the government soldiers were ambushed near communities and civilian spaces, in turn accusing government troops of attacking schools “in a desperate attempt to cover up their defeat.”

Del Mar said JRC-NPA their offensive was a reaction to the ongoing focused military operations of their enemies using many drones, helicopters and soldiers.

She added that their coordinated attacks were meant to punish the Philippine Army for its attempts to recruit Masbate students to join the paramilitary Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU).

In a post on its Facebook page, the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army said only two soldiers and two police officers were wounded in the firefights.

In a statement by Acting Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Isidro Purisima subsequently posted on the same military social media page, he said that a government soldier was killed while two others were wounded.

Meanwhile, the Inquirer reported that another soldier was killed in a firefight with the NPA in Masbate Monday, March 27.

Corporal Antonio Parreno Jr. was killed after the 2nd Infantry Battalion figured in a five-minute exchange of gunfire with some 12 communist rebels in Barangay Villahermosa in Cawayan town, the report said.

Del Mar said their series of attacks against government troopers is in defense of Masbate citizens suffering from the intense militarization of their province.

“These tactical offensives prove that the claims by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, PNP and CAFGU of their strategic victory against the revolutionary movement are false,” del Mar added. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)