Terror in Southern Tagalog
Gov’t crackdown on activists in Calabarzon costs at least nine lives, multiple arrests
By Vince Julius Balaga and Angela Vanessa Manuel
The intensified clampdown against labor unions and progressive individuals mounted by the police and military in Southern Luzon already claimed nine lives, according to police reports, but only five individuals were identified. Synchronized arrests were also conducted in the areas of Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, and Rizal using identical charges of alleged possession of firearms and explosive materials.
Silencing political dissenters
Manny Asuncion, the coordinator of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) chapter in Cavite, was killed in a police operation at the Workers’ Assistance Center in Salitran, Dasmariñas this morning. Labor union Pamantik-Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) released graphic images that showed the brutal killing where a pool of blood was scattered on the floor of Asuncion’s office.
Michael “Greg” Dasiago and Mark Lee “Makmak” Coros Bacasno, members of San Isidro Kasiglahan, Kapatiran at Damayan para sa Kabuhayan, Katarungan at Kapayapaan (SIKKAD-K3), were also killed today in Montalban, Rizal.
Meanwhile, Chai Lemita-Evangelista and Ariel Evangelista, staffers of a Batangas-based environmental group Ugnayan ng Mamamayan Laban sa Pagwawasak ng Kalikasan at Kalupaan (UMALPAS KA), were confirmed to have died, according to Pamantik-KMU. Their bodies were found in John Paul Funeral, a funeral parlor in Nasugbu. Raymart, their 10-year-old son, who witnessed the initial arrest of his parents during the dawn, was able to escape from the police operation.
Karapatan said that the state forces employed “tokhang-style” police raids during these separate incidents.
“The fascist Duterte regime spares no day in its murderous campaign of State terror peddling the same lies and dirty tactics, from the bogus search warrants, the ‘nanlaban’ narrative to the tanim-ebidensiya scheme to justify these arrests and killings,” Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay stated, dubbing this day as “Bloody Sunday.”
Arrested on trumped-up charges
In Rizal, Karapatan Timog Katagulagan (TK) reported that the police raided the house of two peasant leaders, certain Tatay Moises and Dodong “Bagsik,” planted evidence of firearms, and afterwards arrested them. Lino Baez of BAYAN-Batangas encountered the same situation when the police arrived at his residence in Sto. Tomas, Batangas.
Subsequently, Organized Labor Associations in Line Industries and Agriculture-Kilusang Mayo Uno (OLALIA-KMU) Executive Vice President Steve Mendoza, BAYAN-Laguna Spokesperson Elizabeth “Mags” Camoral, paralegal Nimfa Lanzanas in Laguna, and Eugene Eugenio of Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) in Rizal were also arrested. The COURAGE National Office reported that as of press time, no one knows the whereabouts of Eugenio.
On March 4, state forces previosuly arrested labor leaders Ramir Corcolon, Sec-Gen of Water Systems Employees Response (WATER), and Arnedo Lagunias, former Lakas Manggagawang Nagkakaisa sa Honda (LMNH) in San Pablo, Laguna and Sta. Rosa Laguna, respectively.
According to the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) official report, a total of nine individuals were killed today, which means that four more persons are yet to be identified. Alongside them, nine individuals were arrested while another six allegedly escaped.
State forces, too much
An indignation protest was staged at the Commission on Human Rights this afternoon to condemn the tokhang-style operations carried out by state forces. Bayan Muna party-list representative Ferdinand Gaite emphasized that ordinary Filipino citizens, activists, and unionists are the main target of the Duterte administration’s counterinsurgency tactics.
“Hindi dapat tayo matitigil sa mga resolusyon ng pang-iimbestiga na hindi pinakikinggan sa Kongreso. Marami sa Kongreso ang pikit-mata sa inhustisya. Sinisingil nila ang Makabayan bloc na wala nang makitang tama sa rehimen. Ang tanong, may ginawa na ba si Duterte na tama?” Gaite asserted.
Furthermore, Charm Maranan of Karapatan-TK explained how hellbent the administration is to silence its dissenters. She said that this is Duterte’s de-facto martial law, which is also evident in Negros where the Synchronized Police Military Operations (SEMPO) is currently in place.
“Sabi niyo [PNP], you “serve and protect.” Pero kaninong interes ba ang pinagsisilbihan ninyo? Malinaw na [ang PNP] ay mga bayaran ng naghaharing-uri dahil kaya ninyong pumatay at umaresto ng kababayan ninyo. Silang pinatay at inaresto ninyo ay ang mga tunay na naglilingkod sa mamamayang Pilipino. Ang pagkamatay nila at pagka-aresto ay hindi magpapatigil sa amin. Inspirasyon sila sa mamamayan ng Timog Katagalugan at buong Pilipinas na kumilos para patalsikin ang papet, pabaya, at pasistang diktador sa Malacañang, ” Maranan lamented.
Moreover, they called for the immediate release of those illegally arrested, justice for the lives lost, to defund and abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), and to hold the Duterte regime accountable for all the atrocities they committed. The protesters further reiterated that state forces are the real terrorists.
This crackdown was among the brutal results that progressive groups fear with the enactment of the Terror Law. During the meeting of the NTF-ELCAC in Cagayan De Oro City, two days ago, the President gave a go signal to the police and soldiers to kill armed individuals in all encounters.
