Army slams group over NPA ‘child warriors’

THE Philippine Army yesterday deplored the report released by the international group Human Rights Watch (HRW) over 13 “child warriors” captured in engagements with the rebel New People’s Army (NPA) in Davao and Surigao recently.

Acting Army spokesman Major Harold Cabunoc yesterday insisted that the 13 minors were indeed members of the communist NPA, and said that they have strong evidence that they are NPA recruits.

“In fact, the 10 minors were arrested in a firefight in Davao while the three minors in Surigao were arrested while in the act of detonating a land mine,” Cabunoc pointed out.

The acting spokesman also said that the information was not fabricated and the arrested minors took part in the encounter in Davao.

“The three had in their hands IEDs (improvised explosive device), and they are being used in warfare. They are being brainwashed, which is against the provisions of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL),” Cabunoc added.

He also belied the statement of the HRW that the children were “paraded” before the media, but instead said that the arrested minors were quickly turned over to the local Social Welfare Office.

Cabunoc assured the public that they are willing to launch an investigation on the allegations of harassment by Army personnel.

“If there is basis, we will not hesitate to conduct a thorough investigation and punish perpetrators if there are indeed any,” he said.

Cabunoc also urged HRW not to be swayed by “propaganda” from the rebels.

“The CPP-NPA wants to get back at us after they were condemned by HRW for their kidnapping. They are feeding information to Ms. Pearson,” Cabunoc said, referring to Elaine Pearson, the deputy director for Asia of HRW.

Last week, HRW released a report denouncing the NPA for its killings and detention of civilians.

“The rebel NPA in the Philippines should immediately end unlawful killings and detention of civilians,” the group said in an earlier statement. “For four decades the New People’s Army has offered excuses for cold-blooded killings of civilians,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Recent attacks show that there has been no real departure from this illegal practice.”

The NPA has claimed that these killings were the result of their own investigations through a so-called “people’s court,” which Pearson denounced. “Any claim that people who are tried by the NPA’s ‘people’s courts’ are receiving a fair hearing is ludicrous,” she said. “The NPA’s ‘revolutionary justice’ is not just – it is simply old-fashioned murder.”

She added that “both the NPA and government forces have committed numerous atrocities in more than 40 years of armed conflict,” Pearson said. “Each claims to have the interests of the ordinary Filipino at heart, but neither seems to show it.” –RAFFY S. AYENG CORRESPONDENT, Manila Times