(Alex D. Lopez/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines— A group of national minorities filed cases against the Armed Forces of the Philippines and President Rodrigo Duterte for allegedly violating provisions under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).
Sandugo on Monday said that a string of complaints was filed before the Philippine government section of the GRP-NDFP Joint Monitoring Committee on CARHRIHL.
CARHRIHL was signed between the government and the National Democratic Front in 1998.
“Pres. Duterte has driven the peace talks down the drain by insisting on a ceasefire ahead of the agreement on social and economic reforms and in total disregard of the CARHRIHL,” Jerome Aba, co-chairperson of Sandugo, said in a statement on Monday, September 18.
Among the cases filed were violations allegedly committed in relation to the Marawi siege and the government’s implementation of all-out war and Martial Law in Mindanao.
The group also cited the killing of Lumad student Obillo Bay-ao who identified the suspects as members of the paramilitary group Alamara and CAFGU on September 5.
Forming part of the complaint is the case of political prisoner Marcos Aggalao, 74 of Kalinga province. Aggalao died while in detention on September 12.
Aggalao was arrested on September 2016 and suffered stroke thrice while in jail. Sandugo said at the time of his arrest, Aggalao has dementia, pneumonia and hypertension.
Aba said they also filed complaints for 14 cases of extra-legal killings, 10 cases of illegal arrest and detention, harassment, threat and intimidation, and cases of violation of domicile, physical and mental torture. He said Duterte failed to stand by its commitment to implement CARHRIHL.
“Duterte’s war against the national minorities and the poor majority of the people does not address the root causes of the armed conflict but only adds fuel to the ongoing people’s war,” Aba said.(davaotoday.com)
