Army welcomes CHR probe

The Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) welcomed yesterday the move of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate the November 28 encounter in Nasugbu, Batangas that resulted in the killing of 14 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.

In a statement, Maj. Gen. Rhoderick Parayno, 2ID commander, said that they are confident that the result of the probe to be conducted by the CHR will save the military from unfair speculation.

“We welcome the CHR’s move to investigate said encounter. With all killed wearing their bandoleers and holding their M16s, we are confident that all those who died in the encounter were NPAs,” Parayno said.

Earlier, Brigadier General Arnulfo Marcelo B. Burgos Jr., the commander of the army’s 202nd Infantry Brigade, said the encounter happened while the band of NPA rebels were apparently planning to attack a police station in Nasugbu.

“That’s a possibility. They might be on their way there to the police station prior to being engaged by our troops,” Burgos said. “The direction where they were headed was there,” he added.

The encounter in Barangays Aga and Kaylawan near the Nasugbu-Tagaytay Road resulted in the killing of nine male fighters and five amazons.

After taking all the bodies from the encounter site, the military identified one of the slain amazons as a University of the Philippines-Manila student and member of Gabriela Youth.