NEWS | EJKs and illegal arrests by state forces continue
By The News Team
State forces ended 2020 and started 2021 with a series of reported attacks on Indigenous Peoples (IP) leaders, human rights advocates, and activists. The public continues to condemn extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and illegal arrests attributed to the Duterte administration’s goal of getting rid of what it deems as insurgency and terrorism.
Militarization of land in rural areas
The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) aims to redistribute land to small farmers and landless agricultural workers, but activists revealed that government officials accepted thousands of fraudulent claims and that only 44% of the lands distributed are public.
“Thirty years after the law was passed, land has not been given to peasant farmers who have tilled the land for generations,” Lito Lao, Chairperson of the agricultural workers’ union in Mindanao, stated. “Instead, farmers are getting killed for demanding their right to land, and dummy beneficiaries have been settled by landlords on land meant for the landless.”
On December 20, 2020, nine Tumandok leaders were killed and 17 others were illegally arrested by the combined forces of the 12th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA) and the Philippines National Police (PNP) in Panay Island.
According to the testimonies of their relatives, the arrested Tumandoks were tortured and that the law enforcers planted the firearms and explosives which were allegedly recovered in their homes. They also maintained that the slain and arrested were unarmed and noncombatants, contrary to the claims of the authorities.
“Those killed were recognized indigenous community leaders in their respective baranggays. They were civilians and not arms combatants. They have consistently opposed militarization and human rights violations in their communities as they upheld their rights as indigenous people,” Panay Alliance Karapatan stated.
The nine Tumandok leaders were active in opposing militarization, land grabbing, and the construction of the Jalaur Mega Dam in Calinog, Iloilo.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo “Dodoy” Paña, former officer of the Hugpong sa Mag-uuma Dapt sa Kasadpan (HUMANDA KA), a district formation of the Hugpong sa Mag-uumang Bol-anon-Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (HUMABOL-KMP), was gunned down in Baranggay Borol, Balilihan, Bohol last December 30, 2020.
Paña was on his way to bring lunch to his child who was working in a construction site nearby when he was shot by an unidentified individual on a motorcycle.
Paña has long been harassed by the state for being a farmer-activist. In 2018, a warrantless search was conducted in his house of almost 30 members of Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT).
Crackdown on activists
Activists and human rights defenders continue to be red-tagged by the Duterte administration, branding them as communist-terrorists and putting their lives at risk.
Senator Grace Poe warns the public of the detrimental effects of the reckless tagging done by state forces as that will damage the tagged individual’s reputation and put them in danger. Poe said that this is something that needs to be prevented.
Despite public condemnation of the red-tagging, the attacks continued and last December 30, 2020, Philip Alcantara, son of National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant Tirso “Ka Bart” Alcantara, was arrested by Malolos police in Guiguinto, Bulacan.
Alcantara was flagged by three men that introduced themselves as Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) operatives and arrested him for charges of multiple murders. They arrested Alcantara with a warrant that did not have his name, then planted a gun and grenade in a bag that did not belong to him inside his vehicle.
While on January 6, 2021, Aldrin Lagdaan Enriquez, member of the Camarines Sur People’s Organization (CSPO), was shot right behind his house in Favorito 1, Sagrada, Iriga City.
Thirty armed personnel from PNP Camarines Sur surrounded Enriquez’ home. After asking for his name, they ordered him to turn around to handcuff him only for one of them to shout “Positive!” followed by a gunshot.
The PNP brought Enriquez’ body inside their vehicle without his children knowing, who were all inside the house at that time.
Furthermore, Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) Chairperson Windel Bolinget is facing yet another trumped-up case of murder filed by a police officer in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.
“Since before Christmas, Bolinget’s residence and home towns have been put under visible surveillance, with members and assets of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police swarming around in search for him. Based on information gathered by the CPA, the manhunt intensified just before the New Year.” CPA released in their statement.
They also maintained that Bolinget is not guilty of murder or physical harm against any individual, urgently calling to drop the trumped-up case.
Killings, arrests condemned by HR groups
These killings and arrests continue to draw attention to the human rights violation record of the Philippines military and police, who have killed suspected drug personalities and activists.
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) took note of the report by the UN Human Rights office which stated that based on court and police records, interviews with victims and witnesses, and government input, human rights abuses have worsened under Duterte’s term. The President’s encouragement to police and military to use lethal force are one of the main reasons for the increasing number of cases.
Human rights groups and mass organizations continue to condemn these abuses, calling for accountability for the human rights violations committed and to prosecute those responsible to bring justice to the victims.
“You accuse us of being recruiters of communist rebels. Let me ask you, why do people rebel? The continuing injustice, oppression, fascism and tyranny pushes people to rebel, and we, activists are not the ones perpetrating these,” Christian Dave Ruz of Kabataan Partylist said. “On the contrary, we want to end these and push for genuine social change because we want our children to inherit a better society.”
Moreover, Anakbayan Laguna stated that the recent attacks are effects of the state’s intensified fascism.
“Tunay na tuluy-tuloy ang teroristang estado sa pagpapalaganap ng pasismo kahit pa kumakaharap ang bansa sa krisis at pandemya. Patuloy ang pamamasista ng estado na instrumento ang teroristang AFP-PNP. Isang manipestasyon ito na ang reaksyunaryong estado ang siyang nangdudusta sa sibilyang mamamayang Pilipino,” Anakbayan Laguna concluded.
