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AFP operations upset Abra peasants

BAGUIO CITY (July 20) — The13-day military operations conducted by the 502nd and 503rd Divisions of the Philippine Army-Armed Forces of the Philippines (PA-AFP) in the Abra, Mt. Province and Ilocos Sur tri-boundaries disrupted livelihood activities of residents of Barangay Tubtuba in Tubo, Abra.

Due to the AFP’s aerial bombings and gun battle between AFP and the New Peoples Army (NPA) that lasted for days, Tubtuba rice fields and pasturelands were severely damaged. The said barangay is 5 kilometers away from the bombed area.

According to a resident of Tubtuba Proper, who requested anonymity, one of the bombshells actually landed on his rice field and also damaged other nearby fields.

He added that after the bombings, a 2-day gun battle ensued hindering residents from tending to their already ruined fields and pasturelands. He said the soldiers barred them from going to their fields, swidden farms and pasture.

He further said that they were expecting to harvest around 100 sacks of palay in October. Because of what happened harvest will be sometime in December or January next year. He said they sell their palay at P360 a sack. One sack of palay when milled is equivalent to 10 gantas or 17.5 kilograms.

“Our planting season is delayed because of the bombings and gun battle and the soldiers told us not to go to our farms. We will have a late harvest,” he said in the vernacular.

Dagson Buyagan said that the AFP bombings caused an animal stampede destroying ranch fences and the herd straight to the fields, destroying newly planted rice.

“The cows and carabaos ate the rice plants maybe because they were afraid to go back to the pasture,” he explained in Iloko.

Tubtuba residents rely largely on rice farming to earn a living. Selling wild honey and surplus homegrown vegetables to nearby barangays augments the residents’ incomes. Vegetables are grown mainly for family consumption. Residents also earn extra income tending cows and carabaos.

Human rights violations

Aside from the economic displacement brought about by the AFP bombings, residents testified that soldiers burned a kalapaw (farm hut) and ransacked an agamang (rice granary) in their barangay.

Tubtuba Brgy. Capt. Carlos Daliwag in a separate interview said that the soldiers burned the farm hut because they suspected it to be an NPA shelter.

Moreover, another resident of Sitio Pananuman contradicted the AFP’s pronouncement that the latter were able to confiscate 40 cavans of rice from the NPA guerillas. He said that the soldiers forced open a rice granary and stole 10 gantas of rice (25 kilograms) and 16 liters of honey.

Starting anew

Residents disclosed that they were relieved when elements of the AFP moved out of their barangay on June 21.

“At least we can now tend to our farms and animals. We are now free from fear that we might get hit by stray bullets and bombs,” an old woman said in the vernacular.

During the NORDIS visit to Tubtuba earlier this week, the fields are indeed ready for planting, the fences are back in place and life for the residents is going back to normal. # Kim Quitasol for NORDIS

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