Rights group KARAPATAN condemned the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for “keeping the dead hostage” by withholding the remains of three individuals reportedly killed in a military operation in Abra, and demanded their immediate turnover to their families.
More than 24 hours after their reported deaths, the remains have yet to be turned over to their families. The fatalities have been identified as Eugene Hilaus and Enrique Dayandante, while the third remains unidentified. Their families have sought assistance from the Ilocos Human Rights Alliance (IHRA) and Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) in retrieving and properly caring for their remains.
“The families have the right to retrieve, care for, and properly lay their loved ones to rest. Prolonging their ordeal by making them wait for hours without clear information or explanation is cruel and unacceptable. The AFP does not have a single reason or justification not to turn over the remains. They must not turn this into a public relations stunt,” said KARAPATAN secretary general Cristina Palabay.
KARAPATAN said the continued delay smacks of the AFP’s non-compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL), particularly its obligations concerning the retrieval, handling, and humane treatment of the dead. Photographs released by the AFP reportedly showed the bodies lying exposed in a barren portion of the mountains, making these vulnerable to fast decomposition and desecration.
Meanwhile, reports reaching KARAPATAN said that the large-scale military operation has severely disrupted the livelihoods of communities in the area. Rice farmers have been unable to tend to their rain-fed fields despite the recent rains, after months of drought. Hunting activities have likewise been affected by the blockade and military presence of two AFP battalions, while small-scale miners have also been unable to carry out their livelihood activities.
“After months of drought, the people should be able to return to their farms now that the rains have come. Instead, the continuing military operation prevents them from farming, hunting, and earning a living. Militarization is putting both lives and livelihoods at risk,” Palabay said.
KARAPATAN also denounced the 5th Infantry Division’s call for “localized peace talks,” stressing that militarization, blockades, and the effective control of communities do not constitute a genuine peace process.
“Localized peace talks cannot be used to justify the militarization and hamletting of communities. Genuine peace requires addressing the root causes of the conflict—including landlessness, the encroachment on ancestral lands, poverty, and widespread human rights violations,” Palabay said.