PESANTE NEWS

October 30, 2009



Military supremacy leading to human rights violations and electioneering in Eastern Visayas

Fr. Santiago "Sanny" Salas

Spokesperson in Eastern Visayas

National Democratic Front of the Philippines

October 28, 2009

Los Angeles-- PESANTE NEWS learned today that the the National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas charged the 8th Infantry Division today of pushing its Oplan Bantay Laya campaign by intimidating the public and dominating the civilian government in the region.

"The military is intimidating the public by coming out with an order of battle or liquidation list, and then going into schools and communities to conduct witch hunts and commit other human rights violations," said NDF-EV spokesperson Fr. Santiago Salas.

"What's more, the military dominates the regional and provincial peace and order councils to bully the civilian government and other institutions into supporting Oplan Bantay Laya despite many complaints of human rights violations. All these show widespread political repression to shore up Oplan Bantay Laya and entrench the Arroyo government beyond 2010."

AFP Order of battle

Fr. Salas noted the recently exposed order of battle in Northern Samar and the plight of the University of Eastern Philippines, as well as that of various communities in Gen. MacArthur, Eastern Samar.

"The 803rd Infantry Brigade, as it admits in a recent statement, summoned and confronted UEP school officials and student leaders last Aug. 20 to conduct a witch hunt against government critics. The brigade is also pressing for a military detachment in the campus, which has several civilian communities.

The 8th ID repeats this witch hunting in various secondary schools as well as in colleges and universities regionwide. Moreover, aside from defending the military's order of battle, the 803rd Ibde is setting the stage for more political killings by linking the leaders and members of Karapatan and other unarmed and peaceful organizations to the armed revolutionary movement.

Many victims of political killings, such as Fr. Cecilio Lucero, were first demonized as supporters of the New People's Army before being murdered by the military's death squads.

"Meanwhile, in Gen. MacArthur, despite being confronted by 600 people in a dialogue attended by several communities, the 14th Infantry Battalion arrogantly refused to be held accountable for various human rights abuses, as well as sign a memorandum of agreement to end such violations.

The villagers complain also that the soldiers do not inform civilian officials of their presence, and also pretend to be members of the NPA while abusing the people. These complaints are likewise true in other areas where there are military operations."

The NDF-EV spokesperson added that the military is also asserting itself over the civilian government, and oblige the latter to bolster Oplan Bantay Laya rather than truly address the people's needs and grievances.

"Gen. Arthur Tabaquero manipulates civilian officials in the regional and provincial peace and order councils to support the military. He also applauds those who support the Social Integration Program for NPA surrenderees, which has actually been for a long time a conduit for corruption by military and civilian officials.

Widespread military abuses

But the real problems of the people are widespread human rights violations, hunger and poverty. The peace and order councils turn a blind eye to the people's plight and go along with the military's abuses that worsen the people's suffering under the present socio-economic crisis.

"If the civilian officials think that they benefit from being in the military's good graces, they should beware. The military resorts to vicious machinations in local politics to push Oplan Bantay Laya.

In a stark example, the NDF-EV is aware that the military was behind the assassination last July 16 of Mayor Carlos de la Cruz of Matuguinao, Western Samar. The military was furious with De la Cruz because he refused their demands to stop his constituents from actively trooping to the media and exposing human rights violations by government forces.

To add insult to injury, the military hypocritically uses the De la Cruz murder to strengthen its influence over the peace and order councils by using the issue of election-related violence. Such maneuvering of the military for supremacy over the civilian government was echoed in Congress last September by Gen. Jovito Palparan.

The former 8th ID chief and now Bantay party-list representative met strong opposition when he called for military control of Calbayog City during the 2010 election because of alleged political violence."

Fr. Salas warned that the 8th ID will be increasingly desperate and emboldened to intimidate the people and even the political candidates as the 2010 election and Oplan Bantay Laya's deadline loom.

"The NPA has been carrying out more and more offensives since 2007, and it is clear even this early that the 8th ID is unable to stop this and will not be able to declare Oplan Bantay Laya a success in 2010.

But the Arroyo government rabidly pursues the military solution by extending the war even against civilians. The people must thus continue to unite, organize and mobilize against political killings and other acts of fascist state terrorism.

Furthermore, they can use their votes to withdraw support from politicians who go along with the military's abuses, and turn instead to those who can really address the present problems of poverty, hunger and repression.

While the people can gainfully use the ballot and other means of parliamentary struggle, the increasingly vicious oppression by the military convinces even many more of the armed struggle as the principal form of struggle towards ending not only the Arroyo regime but the ruling system itself."#