Palace condemns rising atrocities of NPA

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang condemned yesterday what it said was the increasing atrocities of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) against civilians and communities.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who chairs the Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC), said “we are deeply concerned that the government’s work on human rights promotion and protection is impeded by the surge in the number of atrocities committed by the NPA on innocent civilians and communities.”

“We condemn these acts in strongest terms, knowing their cruel toll on the lives of our people,” Ermita said in a statement.

Data gathered by the PHRC from various sources revealed that from January 2008 up to May 2009 alone, there were 235 cases of atrocities committed by the armed communist group, broken down into 171 cases in 2008 and 64 in the first quarter of 2009, he said.

These figures are further broken down into 120 cases of summary execution and murder of suspected government informers, non-payers of so-called revolutionary taxes, and civilian non-sympathizers; 64 arson incidents involving buses, trucks, bulldozers and other construction equipment, and cellular phone sites; 21 cases of forced disarmament of military, police, and security personnel; 18 cases of extortion and harassment of small businessmen and professionals; and 12 cases of abduction of military and police personnel, and civilian non-sympathizers.

He cited some cases of NPA atrocities for the first quarter of 2009, including the massacre of the Suarez family of Kamanikan, Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental last April 9 (which included their three children and a two-month old baby) accused by the rebels to be government informants and the killing of Panabo City, Davao del Norte residents Roger Narvasa last Feb. 9, Macky Estremo last March 28, Marcelino Payot last April 14, Bobong Gambula last April 21, and Ruben Bitang last May 3.

All killings in Davao del Norte were admitted to by the NPA and form part of the 30 cases of summary executions and murder attributed to the group this year alone, Ermita said.

Other incidents for the year include the abduction and killing of a retired army engineer Dante Villa last May 14 in Matanao, Davao del Sur. Villa’s abduction is the ninth perpetrated by the NPA for 2009, he said.

Rebels also attacked a Department of Public Works and Highways office in Gubat, Sorsogon last May 25, demanding that all DPWH projects in the area be stopped unless the group gets a five percent share of the total project costs.

They also ambushed a medical mission in Magpet, North Cotabato, last May 7, resulting in the wounding of two civilians, and attacked a coconut plantation in Dinalugan, Aurora province.

They also torched some 14,000 coconut seedlings and attacked a poultry farm in Tagbina, Butuan where they briefly held hostage farm workers, burning all farm structures and killing 8,000 broiler chickens.

Meanwhile, the PHRC said that from 2005 to 2008, there were 112 attacks by the armed local communists on cell sites of the Globe telecommunications company.

The highest number of incidents was recorded at 46 attacks in 2008, it said.

“It is lamentable that while some non-government and civil society groups have been heavily criticizing government for its alleged human rights violations, such as Karapatan and its ilk, most of which are mere allegations and unsubstantiated, these same organizations, for their own reasons, have obviously ignored the fact that groups fighting the government are far worse violators of human rights themselves,” Ermita said.

“And we challenge these organizations critical of government to look into and validate these cases which are now with the PHRC even as we reiterate our call to these same organizations to likewise substantiate their own list of cases of alleged human rights violations and formally present these to the government instead on going straight to media and to international bodies,” he said.

He called on all local government executives to institute measures “to ensure that these atrocities are put to a halt, and that information on the whereabouts of the perpetrators that will lead to their swift apprehension can be secured.”

Ermita also urged “objective, non-partisan, and reliable NGOs and CSOs concerned to use their advocacy network to relay appeals to these rebel groups to refrain from their actions that imperil the lives of our people.”

He asked law enforcement organizations, particularly the police and the military, to investigate the growing number of atrocities and resolve the matter as expeditiously as possible.  –Paolo Romero, Philippine Star