“The brutal tradition of Gen. Palparan and his
protégé, former 4th Infantry Division Major Gen. Ricardo Visaya,
continues as units under the 4th ID rampages on communities of
indigenous peoples in Surigao del Sur. The military operation resulted in the
death of two Lumad and the disappearance of two others on October 24 and the
subsequent evacuation of some 240 families in Lianga, Surigao del Sur on
October 27,” said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan.
“The brutal tradition of Gen. Palparan and his
protégé, former 4th Infantry Division Major Gen. Ricardo Visaya,
continues as units under the 4th ID rampages on communities of
indigenous peoples in Surigao del Sur. The military operation resulted in the
death of two Lumad and the disappearance of two others on October 24 and the
subsequent evacuation of some 240 families in Lianga, Surigao del Sur on
October 27,” said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan.
The combined units under the 4th ID,
now headed by Visaya’s successor Maj. Gen. Oscar Lactao, and its paramilitary
groups “tainted the mountain communities of the Caraga region with the blood of
the Manobos, all in a day”.
“In a command conference of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP) on Oplan Bayanihan, AFP chief of staff Gen. Gregorio Catapang
announced the deployment of two more army brigades to Mindanao. Before this,
there are already, at least, 55 combat battalions operating in areas considered
as NPA stronghold. Expectedly, a rise in the cases of human rights violations
follows. The Commanding Officer of the 4th ID, Maj. Gen. Lactao is
no different from his predecessor as he also promised to continue Visaya’s
Palparan-style of terror,” said Palabay.
On October 24, two Manobo leaders, Henry Alameda
and Aldren Dumaguit where killed in two separate incidents, while six were
victims of frustrated killing when units under the 24th ID conducted combat operations in Lianga, Surigao del Sur and in San
Lorenzo, Agusan del Sur. The specific units involved in the combat operations
were the 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion based in St. Christine, Lianga,
Surigao del Sur under Lt.Col. Jesus Durante, the 36th Infantry
Battalion, the 3rd Special
Forces Battalion under the 401st Brigade, members of the Citizens’
Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu), and of the paramilitary group of Calpit
Egua, a Manobo leader.
Alameda had just finished his
breakfast when three men carrying M14 and M16 rifles went in their house. The
men dragged Henry outside towards the forested area. Refusing to go with the
armed men, Alameda held on to one of the posts when they passed by a waiting
shed. Henry was shot twice on the chest
and once in the head. Henry’s wife and children witnessed the killing.
He was an active council member of Malahutayong
Pakigbisog Alang Sa Sumusunod (MAPASU), a Lumad organization in Surigao
province. He campaigned against the entry of mining corporations in the Andap
Valley complex, against military operations in their ancestral lands, and
recently in the campaign against the pork barrel system.
On
October 23, Jojo Tejero and Elde Martinez went to their farm in the mountain area of
Sitio Kapatagan, San Roque, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur to harvest abaca. That
was the last time they were seen. A day before, the same military units were
seen in these communities. Families of Tejero and Martinez believe that either
the operating troops forced the two to guide the military in their operation or
they were killed.
The six victims of frustrated killing on October
24 were: Bgy. Captain Alejandro Dumaguit, Elejen Dumaguit, Alfredo Undayon,
Victor Undayon, Enggoy and Lynlyn. Enggoy and Lynlyn are both minors.
Members of the CAFGU and Calpit Egua’s group accompanied
the troops. Egua’s group earlier warned they were going to launch a tribal war against
communities perceived as supporters of the NPA. They claimed to have a list of
the individuals targeted for killing.
The first documented case of enforced
disappearance under the BS Aquino government was also perpetrated by the 36th
IB-PA in August 2010 at Brgy. Mahaba, Marihatag, Surigao del Sur. Agustito
Lader and Renato Deliguer were left behind by their families when the community
evacuated during a military operation. When their families came back, Lader and
Deliguer were already missing. Witnesses said they were taken by 36th IBPA.
They are still missing since then. ###