INQUIRY. Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Arlene Brosas says she, along with members of the Makabayan Coalition in Congress, will be filing a resolution calling for an inquiry on the alleged human rights violations committed by the military in Barangay Dominga, Calinan district in Davao City. Brosas made the announcement in a press conference at the United Church of Christ in the Philippines Haran compound in Davao City on Monday, May 21. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Progressive lawmakers are planning to file a resolution to probe on the alleged human rights violations committed by the military against the residents of Barangay Dominga in Calinan district, this city.
Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas said she, along with the other members of the Makabayan Coalition in Congress will file the House resolution next week.
“We want to investigate how innocent civilians, particularly farmers are affected by militarization,” she told reporters in a press conference on Monday, May 22 at the United Church of Christ in the Philippines Haran compound
Brosas said the inquiry will be in aid of legislation with the intention of crafting laws that will help residents affected by the ongoing clash between government troops and communist rebels.
The Makabayan Coalition is composed of militant group, namely: Bayan Muna Partylist, ACT Teachers’ Partylist, Gabriela Women’s Party, Kabataan Partylist, and Anakpawis Partylist.
On May 20 to 21, human rights group Karapatan along with with non-government organizations and church groups conducted a fact finding mission in the vicinity of Baranggay Dominga, Calinan.
The mission came in the wake of a series of clashes between the military and the NPA guerrillas belonging to the 1st Pulang Bagani Company from May 6 to 9.
Read related story: HR group reports harassment, bombing in Davao City.
Jay Apiag, secretary general of Karapatan Southern Mindanao Region, said residents reported cases of indiscriminate aerial bombing, harassment, and one strafing incident that resulted into the death of Rodolfo Dagahuya, Jr.
Dagahuya, 33 died on May 9 in his own house, with residents pointing at elements from the 3rd Infantry Battalion of the Joint Task Force Haribon as the perpetrators, according to a previous Karapatan report.
Apiag said Dagahuya is the 31st victim of extrajudicial killings in Southern Mindanao Region under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
Based on information sourced from provincial social welfare offices, Apiag said some 6,000 families were affected by militarization in the region alone.
Karapatan also reported that the military dropped a total of six bombs in the community on May 10.
Apiag said there have been 19 documented incidents of aerial bombing in Southern Mindanao alone, Baranggay Dominga being the latest, since Duterte came into power.
In a previous interview, 10th Infantry Division Spokesperson Capt. Rhyan Batchar said Karapatan should “go beyond mere propaganda” by filing cases to the proper courts.
Batchar said they will not be tolerating erring personnel among their ranks. (davaotoday.com)
