Military, police assail rape raps
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday expressed dismay over reports alleging that Marawi women are scared of being raped by government security forces.
In a statement, Lorenzana said that while the nation continues to suffer from the havoc wrought by the ongoing rebellion in Marawi and atrocities in various parts of Mindanao, some factions obviously have a lot of free time on matters other than helping improve the situation.
“I question the motives and credibility of certain leftist groups and individuals in coming up with a dubious report that Marawi women residents allegedly fear that they will be raped by soldiers in the ongoing military operations in Marawi City,” Lorenzana said.
According to Lorenzana, soldiers have undergone a series of gender sensitivity trainings under their Gender and Development (GAD) program. He said these trainings focus on participation, empowerment, equity, respect for human rights, freedom from violence, and actualization of fullest human potential not just of soldiers but the communities where these soldiers operate as well.
“Lilinawin ko lang po: Ang ating kasundaluhan at kapulisan ay nasa Marawi upang labanan ang mga teroristang gustong gawing pugad ng kasamaan ang siyudad, at upang pigilan na lumawak pa ang kaguluhan. Ito ang kanilang sinumpaang tungkulin (I just want to make it clear: Our soldiers and policemen are in Marawi to fight the terrorist who want to make the area their evil lair and to stop the spread of the conflict. This is what they were sworn to do),” Lorenzana said.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) dared its critics to lodge complaint or file charges against its personnel who are being accused as behind cases of rape threats on some women evacuees in Marawi City.
PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos denied the allegation and insisted that they have not received any cases of abuse of their personnel in areas where they are deployed inside or outside Marawi City.
“They should file complaint, present evidence, and prove the allegation,” said Carlos when asked to comment on the allegation made by a militant group.
To this day, Lorenzana said close to 70 soldiers and policemen have already paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of Marawi City and our people, with many more wounded and in need of serious medical attention.
He said the groups who made the report have just exposed their obvious ulterior motives – for the government’s failure in the fight against evil in order to advance whatever selfish reasons they have.
“Hindi po ba ang mga grupong ito ang mga grupong patuloy na nagbubulag-bulagan sa mga krimeng ginagawa ng mga kabaro nila sa CPP-NPA? (Isn’t it that these groups who continue to turn a blind eye on the crimes committed by their comrades in the CPPNPA?). The same groups who conveniently forget that their communist-terrorists colleagues continue to loot, murder, rape, and destroy private and public properties in the countryside,” Lorenzana said.
Lorenzana challenged the organizations where the information originated to present their evidence and lodge a complaint before the proper authorities if they can, and not just throw away accusations like they are reading lines from their same old propaganda for almost five decades now which the Filipino people have grown tired of hearing.
“Alam ng taumbayan na makapapagkatiwalaan nila ang ating Sandatahang Lakas, ang kaisa-isang Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas, at nakikita naman ito sa mga survey (The Filipino people knows that they can trust the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the one and only AFP and this is shown via surveys),” Lorenzana said.
Carlos said that all their personnel deployed in Marawi City and nearby areas are too busy protecting the local residents and guarding against the Maute gunmen to even think about committing infractions of the law.
He said that aside from setting up checkpoints and chokepoints, both policemen and soldiers are working together to flush out the remaining Maute Group fighters holed up in Marawi City.