KARAPATAN decries increased attacks vs peasants

Peasants are increasingly being subjected to fascist attacks as the Marcos Jr. regime steps up its counter-insurgency war.

In the early morning of September 26, 2024, two farmers were extrajudicially killed by soldiers in Masbate. According to field reports from human rights organizations in Masbate, the farmers – Pitot Clores and Onel Camposano – were taken from their homes by elements of the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA). The soldiers dragged Clores and Camposano towards the river in Barangay Simawa, Uson, Masbate and shot them to death. To cover up their crime, the soldiers concocted the story that they had allegedly encountered eight members of the New People’s Army (NPA) and engaged them in a gunbattle, killing Clores and Camposano. Residents of the locality, however, aver that no encounter occurred.

In Cavite, about 100 police and military forces under Task Force Ugnay of the 202nd Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army attempted to intrude into and encamp on a community of organized farmers in Lupang Ramos, Dasmariñas City on September 26, 2024. For weeks, the military has been resorting to various forms of subterfuge to justify its entry into and occupation of the community, including alleged inspections of livestock for possible Asian swine fever infection.

The military has long been red-tagging the leaders and members of Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid-Lupang Ramos (Kasama-LR) because of the organization’s staunch defense of the farmers’ right to the 372-hectare estate that was seized by the family of landlord Ramos in 1965. Since then, the Ramos family has been trying to violently evict the farmers and subject the estate to land-use conversion.

Karapatan stands solidly behind the peasantry as they resist mounting fascist attacks on their ranks and demand justice for farmers who fall victim to human rights violations.