Human Rights

Hundreds of civilians have evacuated from their homes earlier this week as the Armed Forces of the Philippines conducted airstrikes in two Maguindanao towns, a Moro group said.

Human rights group Karapatan slammed the recently revealed directive of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to compile a list of alleged New People’s Army (NPA) associates as an attack on rights defenders.

An airstrike in Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao has displaced thousands of families, wounded three persons and left one civilian casualty in a bid to run after the rebels behind the twin bombings in Isulan town, Sultan Kudarat, an official of a Moro group said Tuesday.

A union leader in Compostela Valley who survived an attempted slay try by men wearing ski masks and riding in tandem last September 4 lambasted the attack as part of the harassment against union members, who are being tagged as members of the communist group, because they have been fighting for workers’ rights.

School children, studying in Lumad schools in Talaingod, Davao del Norte, were traumatized after the military conducted an aerial strikes, earlier this week, while pursuing communist rebels, a spokesperson of the Lumad group said.