ilocos 05-04-24

	NORDIS WEEKLY April 24, 2005
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Ilocos folk deny NPA hostage-taking
Military backlash feared SINAIT, Ilocos Sur (April 20) — Residents of Barangay Nagcullooban, here, fear of another bout of military operations after a fact-finding mission (FFM) found that reports from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on the alleged hostage-taking by rebel forces, as reported in a national broadsheet, are fabricated. On April 6, the Manila Times published a story stating that “seven communist New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels took two children as hostage and used them as human shields to escape government troops…” Same story claimed there was a “30-minute battle with soldiers from the 50th IB Alpha Company”. The report prompted the Ilocos Human Rights Advocates (IHRA) to conduct an independent fact-finding mission from April 15 to 17. Respondents to the IHRA FFM said there was no encounter between the NPA and the 50th IB on April 5. “The rebels had left 5-10 minutes before soldiers arrived,” an unnamed respondent told IHRA interviewers. He also denied that the rebels collected P80,000 from the peasants. Pastor Gerry Arzadon, IHRA spokesperson said that the community is very poor. “No one could get a large sum from the residents,” he said, “The economic condition of the community belies the report that the NPA has taken P80,000 from the tobacco farmers.” According to respondents, the government troops entered their houses without their consent and searched their property. Some belongings were reportedly not returned by the search and seizure teams. Arzadon revealed that some residents were coerced to give false testimonies against the NPA. He said these are gross violations of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect of Human Rights and the International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), to which the Philippines is a signatory. The two children who were reportedly taken as hostage and human shields by escaping rebels turned out to be in the custody of their father and grandmother. The AFP earlier reported that they had saved the children from the rebels. AFP reports also mentioned that the soldiers recovered an M-16 armalite rifle and documents with high-intelligence value. # Abs Austin for NORDIS
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	NORDIS WEEKLY April 24, 2005
Home \| To bottom	Previous \| Next
Ilocos folk deny NPA hostage-taking
Military backlash feared SINAIT, Ilocos Sur (April 20) — Residents of Barangay Nagcullooban, here, fear of another bout of military operations after a fact-finding mission (FFM) found that reports from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on the alleged hostage-taking by rebel forces, as reported in a national broadsheet, are fabricated. On April 6, the Manila Times published a story stating that “seven communist New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels took two children as hostage and used them as human shields to escape government troops…” Same story claimed there was a “30-minute battle with soldiers from the 50th IB Alpha Company”. The report prompted the Ilocos Human Rights Advocates (IHRA) to conduct an independent fact-finding mission from April 15 to 17. Respondents to the IHRA FFM said there was no encounter between the NPA and the 50th IB on April 5. “The rebels had left 5-10 minutes before soldiers arrived,” an unnamed respondent told IHRA interviewers. He also denied that the rebels collected P80,000 from the peasants. Pastor Gerry Arzadon, IHRA spokesperson said that the community is very poor. “No one could get a large sum from the residents,” he said, “The economic condition of the community belies the report that the NPA has taken P80,000 from the tobacco farmers.” According to respondents, the government troops entered their houses without their consent and searched their property. Some belongings were reportedly not returned by the search and seizure teams. Arzadon revealed that some residents were coerced to give false testimonies against the NPA. He said these are gross violations of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect of Human Rights and the International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), to which the Philippines is a signatory. The two children who were reportedly taken as hostage and human shields by escaping rebels turned out to be in the custody of their father and grandmother. The AFP earlier reported that they had saved the children from the rebels. AFP reports also mentioned that the soldiers recovered an M-16 armalite rifle and documents with high-intelligence value. # Abs Austin for NORDIS
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