Military blames a farmer and his sons for landmine explosion

By GRACE S. UDDIN
Davao Today

DAVAO CITY— A farmer and his sons said they’ve been beaten and forced to admit they were members of the New People’s Army by soldiers who picked them up near the landmine explosion site in Paquibato.

“Bisan unsaon mi og kulata, wala mi ikatug-an kay dili mi NPA (No matter how they beat us, they could not get anything from us because we are not NPAs),” said Mateo Molato, 57, who, along with his sons Jimboy, 21 and Richard, 18, were turned over to the Mintal police station where they are currently detained.

Molato said they were tilling their farm in sitio (subvillage) Salagunting in Paquibato at 3 pm on November 23, when they heard a loud explosion, followed by exchange of gunfire. Later, they learned that the blast came from a landmine planted by NPA guerillas to target passing soldiers.

Mateo Molato (center) and his sons, Jimboy (left) and Richard (right) have been detained at the Mintal police station after they were picked up by soldiers in Barangay Fatima in Paquibato. They said soldiers forced them to admit they were NPAs responsible for a landmine that exploded in the area. (davaotoday.com photo by Jose Hernani)

When the firing stopped after two hours, Molato and his sons came out from where they were hiding and followed the narrow road from their farm to join other fleeing civilians from their community.

But he said soldiers belonging to the 69th Infantry Battalion led by 2nd Lieutenant Ryann Velez blocked them on the road. The soldiers beat them and forced them to admit they were NPAs. Molato said the soldiers were very angry because four of their members were wounded from the explosion.

In a statement, Maj. Gen. Carlos Holganza, commanding officer of the 10th Infantry Division, said that aside from the four soldiers, the bomb explosion also hit a 66-year old woman. He said the NPAs ignored the safety of civilians. But Kelly Delgado, secretary-general of human rights group Karapatan in Southern Mindanao, said the woman was not hit by a landmine, but by the soldiers’ firearms.

Delgado said 100 families fled their communities, as a result of the soldiers’ indiscriminate firing in the area. Karapatan also reported that soldiers have restricted the movements of people in the area and limited the delivery of rice and other commodities for fear that these might be supplied to the NPAs.

He said that aside from the Molatos, a certain Lt. Rosalejos, also of the 69th IB, also beat a certain Leo Sagittarius, also a farmer in the area.

| Page 1 | Page 2

One Comment to “Military blames a farmer and his sons for landmine explosion”

1. Jerry Singkoy Jr. says:

   December 17, 2009 at 5:02 am

   What happened to our justice system in the Philippines. You stupid Soldiers not allowed to arrest people unless you have a reasonable grounds to believe that a certain person committed a crime. YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE LAW, NOT ONLY BECAUSE YOU CARRY THOSE DEADLY ARMALITE RIFLES AND BANDOOLERS OF BULLETS ON YOUR BACK, YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT? Sa atong batakang balaod by virtue of Police Power or Citizens Arrest pwede bisan kinsa ang modakop sa tawong nakasala bisan walay Warrant of Arrest and turn over to the right authority basta nakita lang lang gyod sa acto nga nagahimo sa krimen.

   Ani nga sitwasyon wala gani mo kakita nga kaning mga tawhana ang nag-switch sa bomba. By doing these types of breaches you were not only violating the constitution or the law but you were also violating the human rights of these POOR FARMERS. Mao nay inyong e-present sa Court ang mga sundang/bolos nga inyong nakuha sa mga mag-uuma nga ilang gigamit para sa ilang umahan para ebidensya?

   BUT SOLDIERS, HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY THIS?….”Richard was asked to stick out his tongue, while a soldier holding out a blade threatened to cut it”

   SOLDIERS, HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY THIS?…..”The soldier hit Jimboy on the chest and struck him on the face several times. He was made to open his mouth, where a soldier pointed an armalite”

   SOLDIERS, HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY THIS?…”The three men spent the night sleeping on the ground, with their clothes and bodies full of dirt.”

   Soldiers stopped beating them only when it was already dark. The three men spent the night sleeping on the ground, with their clothes and bodies full of dirt.

   All of the above, If someboby did those abuses to your own parents, brothers or sisters, would you be laughing?. Maybe our government will start thinking about making the law compulsory to our POLICE and MILITARY to be a ELEMENTARY GRADUATE before they can be hired as a members of the law enforcement agencies.

   But how can we do these if our governments, members of congress and members of the judiciary themselves are not even acting like an educated ones.

   ARE THESE AN IGNORANCE OF THE LAW?

   Sabagay, sakit na gyod siguro nato ning mga pinoy, ug wala nay kaayuhan. Ngano man sa mga progresibo nga nasud dili man ingon ani sila. Ang maayo unta ug tunawon sa Ginoo ning Pilipinas, pagawason usa ang mga maayong tawo unya ibilin ang mga sindikato or demonyo, unya ibalik nalang sab ang nasud ug mahuman nag tunaw…….

   Salamat DAVAO TODAY sa inyong comments section!!!