Probe on rights abuses by 41st IBPA urged

5 MIN READ

By ALDWIN QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

BANGUED, Abra — Human rights advocates, members of various organizations and individuals find the presence of the elements of the 41st Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army (IBPA) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the comunity places the indigenous people (IP) of Barangay Domenglay in an environment of insecurity and fear as they are already being prevented from leading normal lives.

This was the bulk of the findings of the National Solidarity Mission (NSM) which was participated in by 20 organizations on April Four to Seven barely a month after the bodies of Fermin, Eddie and their father Licuben Ligiw were found in a shallow grave near their resting hut in Sitio Sucao, of the said barangay. The three members of the Ligiw family went missing on March 3. Their bodies bore torture marks.

Surviving members of the Ligiw family and their relatives point their fingers to the 41st IBPA as the perpetrator of the brutal murder.

The NSM was held in Sitio Sucao, Domenglay Poblacion, Sitio Mugao of Barangay Domenglay, Licuan Baay; Sitio Manapnap, Barangay Binasaran, Malibcong and Poblacion of Lacub. Participants to the NSM observed that the areas they visited are heavily militarized. They found out that the Bravo Company of the 41st IBPA was even housed in the vicinity of Domenglay Barangay Captain Josephine Carino in Sitio Sucao.

According to Carino, the soldiers headed by Lt. Mark de los Santos prior to their stay in the vicinity of her residence wrote her a letter and asked permission to encamped in her abode. She said they offered their “bayanihan service” to construct a pathway.

Delegates of the NSM held a solidarity program with the community members of Sitio Sucao and other people coming from the neighboring areas in the presence of some soldiers of the 41st IBPA. They noted the soldiers were not even wearing their proper uniforms especially their commanding officer de los Santos in attendance to such public activities. The mission also reported the disrespect and hostility the delegates received from the soldiers and shown towards the people who attended the gathering.

Maria Sol Taule of KARAPATAN (National Human Rights Alliance) said that the soldiers blatantly intimidated the community people and the NSM delegates by taking pictures and videos.

She said the army troopers led by de los Santos even entered the church where the people held a mass purposely to harass them.

They even hit the attitude of the commanding officer of challenging the community people especially the surviving Ligiw family members to a sapata (an indigenous practice of settling cases or feuds within the indigenous community).

The delegates listed human rights violations in the areas where the 41st IBPA was operating. They reported such cases like: sexual abuse among women and children with several cases of abandoned children from soldier-fathers; violations of children’s rights, particularly, cases of threats and intimidations from elements of the 41st IBPA; intensified harassment, threat and intimidation especially those participating in activities organized under Kakailian, Salakniban Ta’y Amin (KASTAN), Abra Human Rights Alliance and Cordillera Human Rights Alliance. Of note is the systematic insinuation of officers of the 41st IB to the effect that the massacre of the Ligiws is perpetrated by KASTAN. Arsenio Ligiw who is the most vocal member of the Ligiw clan is persistently being associated with KASTAN; and soldiers’ encampments in houses and within residential areas during military combat operations under the pretext of “bayanihan.”

Meanwhile, the national formation of IP organizations criticized the administration because of the killings and HRVs against IP communities.

Kakai Tolentino of the Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (National Alliance of Indigenous Filipinos or KAMP) said that they will not just let go the Ligiw massacre case that happened under the present administration of President Benigno Aquino III.

“Ang pagtingin ng Kamp na ang ganitong mga nagaganap na pagpaslang sa hanay naming mga katutubo sa ilalim ng administrasyong Aquino ay hindi na lamang iisang usapin sa aming mga komunidad bagkus ng simula na siya’y maluklok sa Malakanyang at sa loob lamang ng tatlong buwan sa taong ito ay naganap ang limang pagpatay sa mga miyembro ng mga katutubong komunidad,” (We at the Kamp see these cases of killings against us IPs is not only just a lone matter under the Aquino administration but it is after the start of his rule and we already listed five cases of extrajudicial killings against the members of IP communities for the first three months of this year only) she stressed.

The NSM delegates from their observations recommended that a prompt, impartial, independent and competent investigation must be done on the reported human rights violations, with utmost regard to the massacre of the members of the Ligiw family.

They also demand the immediate pull-out of the 41st IBPA from the community as their presence continuously threatens and intimidates the Ligiw family and the community. They said that the encampment of the 41st IBPA within civilian facilities endangers the civilian populace, and is a violation of Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Human Rights Law (CARHRIHL) and Republic Act 7610 and makes the women and children more vulnerable to violations.

RA 7610 is the “Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act”. They call for President Aquino as the commander-in-chief of the AFP and the commanding officer of the 5th IDGen. Felix Brawner where 41st IBPA belongs to initiate the pull-out.

Other recommendations of from the NSM include the following: financial support must be given to the community’s demand for justice and accountability for the human rights violations committed against community members especially in the brutal massacre of the Ligiws.

Lack of direct witnesses to the Ligiw killing should not put an end to further investigation of the accountability of the 41st IB.

Existing circumstantial evidence and continuous developments are sufficient to establish the culpability of the 41st IB; the concerned government bodies/agencies, must conduct immediate investigations on the human rights violations committed in the communities by the 41st IB since the time they were deployed in these areas and hold them accountable for violations of the CARHIHL, other international laws and domestic laws.

The NSM also stated that the government must recognize, respect and consider the current and future efforts and actions of the clans to address their grievances through petitions and resolutions calling for the immediate pull out of the military troops and their demand for justice for the Ligiw family and all victims of human rights violations.

They also asked that Local Government Units should demand for State security agents to abide by human rights and international humanitarian law.

The NSM also recommended that the Oplan Bayanihan which is the current counter-insurgency of the present administration be scrapped as it only breeds abuses and grave human rights violations in the communities.

The NSM was participated by theCordillera Human Rights Alliance, Abra Human Rights Movement (AHRM), Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA), Kakailyan Salakniban tay Ili a Nagtaudan (Kastan-CPA Abra), Bayan Muna Party List, Anakbayan Party List, Kabataan Party List, Dap-ayan ti Kultura ti Kordillera (DKK), Cordillera Women And Children’s Education and Research Center (CWEARC), ChestCore, Cordillera Youth Center, Cordillera Disaster Response and Development Services (CorDis RDS), United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), Karapatan, Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (National Alliance of Indigenous Filipinos or KAMP), KODAO productions and individuals.

They were also joined by the local people of the different municipalities of Abra. # nordis.net