Press Statement
9 April 2013
Members of the 10th Infantry Division-AFP were responsible for the spate of civilian killings in April, in the areas of Mabini, Comval; Baguio District, Davao City; and Dalisay, Panabo City. To cover up its culpability for these recent gross human rights abuses, the AFP has not only accused the New People’s Army for these criminal acts; it lambasts, time and again, the NPA for using command-detonated explosives against its troops.
On April 6, at 9:30 pm, Nomer Ogaw, a vigilante Blackfighter and member of the military intelligence battalion shot and injured a civilian, Gary Rautraut, 32, and other unnamed civilian, near the packing house of Dole Philippines banana plantation in Brgy. Baguio, Baguio District, Davao City. Ogaw was with the 84th Infantry Battalion Special Operations Team.
In a separate incident, the 69th Infantry Battalion-AFP shot to death Elias Acero, a civilian, and wounded an unnamed other civilian on 7:20 am, April 8 in Brgy. Dalisay, Panabo City. Despite killing Acero in full view of the masses in the area, the Army was quick to heap the blame on the NPA by alleging that the latter injured and killed the civilians following a supposed NPA action. For the time being, Red fighters have held back from conducting any attritive action against the 69th IB troops currently deployed in the civilian-populated villages. Thus, it could not accused of hitting the civilians.
The AFP’s barbaric acts this month started with the earlier reported killing by the 71st IB of 8-year old Roque Antivo and wounding of two other boys in Sitio Kidaraan, Brgy. Anitapan, Mabini town, Compostela Valley on April 3.
No matter how the 10th ID attempts to deflect attention from these civilian killings, the crimes occur as part of the AFP’s conduct of TRIAD operations under the Oplan Bayanihan. Not only are civilians killed by the AFP’s combat forces, as in the killing of the child Antivo, civilians are also killed by intelligence and psychological warfare units and by Peace and Development Teams under Civil Military Operations.
The AFP is fascist, barbaric through and through in every aspect of its TRIAD operations under the Oplan Bayanihan. Its pretext of dispersing human rights conscious troops in peasant villages falls flat in the face of mounting atrocities. Failing to put a leash against its own fascist fangs, Army’s spin doctors and propaganda machine concoct wild stories as cover-up and occasion to depict the NPA as criminals. When it fails to stem the tide of increasing NPA strength, it cries foul as command-detonated explosives hit its troops. When it fails to frustrate the rising discontent and anger of the masses, it goes berserk in anger and brands civilians as enemies and legitimate targets.
(sgd.) Ka Simon Santiago
Political Director
Regional Political Department
NPA-Southern Mindanao
