DAVAO CITY – A Barangay Kagawad (councilor) who heads the peace and order committee in Casoon, Monkayo, Compostela Valley Province is facing charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives after he was allegedly arrested illegaly.
Members of the 25th Infantry Battalion of the AFP arrested Armando Bermejo last May 19 for owning 500 rounds of M60 machine gun ammunition and having links to the New People’s Army.
Hanimay Suazo, secretary-general of Karapatan-Southern Mindanao, said the arrest was illegal.
“According to the testimony of the victim, the evidences gathered and accusations of the military were all lies and fabricated,” Suazo said.
Suazo said they condemn the illegal arrest of Bermejo perpetrated by “30 elements under the 25th IB led by a certain 1st Lt. Mana” adding that the there was a warrantless search conducted by the said military unit in the victim’s banana farm.
This makes the number of political prisoners tally to 44 in Southern Mindanao Region alone, said Karapatan.
Bermejo, a member of the Dibabawon tribe, is a father of eight. He is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Monkayo station.
Meanwhile, the military on Monday said two alleged members of the NPA “voluntarily surrendered” to soldiers of the 60th Infantry Battalion in Brgy. Dona Andrea, Asuncion, Davao del Norte over the weekends.
The Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) said as of May 25, there are 65 NPA members who have surrendered since January 1 this year.
However, Suazo said the army makes up for their “poor performance and embarrassing track record by arresting innocent people, forcing them to sign surrender papers, and parading them to the media to say that they are successful in their counterinsurgency campaign.”(davaotoday.com)
“It won’t be surprising if the 25th IB and the whole 10th ID under Maj. Gen. Eduardo Ano continue to terrorize poor lumad populations by encamping the communities resulting to illegal arrests, forced and/or fake surrenders, other forms of harassments, hamletting, and worst of all extrajudicial killings,” Suazo said.
