Militants rally despite new rule versus protests
DESPITE the “No permit, No rally” policy of the City Government of Davao, militant groups still held their protest action along San Pedro Street yesterday to call on the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate the death of a barangay council and militant leader in Baganga town in Davao Oriental.
The victim was identified as Cristina Morales Jose, one of the leaders of Barug Katawhan, a group composed of survivors of the Typhoon Pablo. She was gunned down at around 6 p.m. as she was on her way home from a council session in Barangay Binondo in Baganga on Monday.
Juland Suazo, spokesperson of the Panalipdan Southern Mindanao which also supports Barug Ka--
tawhan, said the victim was shot dead by three unidentified men on board a single motorcycle.
“Ang pinakasakit pa ana, gipatay jud siya mismo sa atubangan sa iyang anak na babae. Human wala’y na recover na mga empty shells didto sa scene of the crime na nagmatuod tinuyuan jud ang maong panghitabo (she was killed in front of her daughter and no empty sheel was recovered from the scene, which means the killing was planned well),” Suazo said.
Some 50 members, including leaders of the Panalipdan, Anakbayan, Bayan, Karatula, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Kabataan Partylist, Gabriela Davao, League of Filipino Students (LFS) and Kadamay appealed to the CHR to create and independent body that would look into the death of Jose.
Juland said even if the City Government had issued a “No permit, No rally” guidelines, their demonstrations will never stop until justice will be served to Jose and those victims of the extrajudicial killings.
“Dili nako gusto patulan pa ng guidelines na gipagula dira. Base sa jurisprudence sa court--dili pwede bawalan ang mga ralisyesta na mag stage ug rally tungod kay katungod namo ipaabot sa tanan among mensahe para sa gobyerno,” Juland said.
Hanimay Suazo, chairperson of the Karapatan, through her facebook, encouraged the CHR 11 to come up concrete evidence that could pinpoint the suspects in the brutal killing of the group leader.
Hanimay said the victim was among those who joined thousands of Pablo survivors who set up a camp outside the regional office of the Depart- ment of Social Welfare and Development 11 (DSWD) in Davao City.
The protesters believed the attacks against the victim clearly manifested the real score of President Benigno Simeon Aquino’s III Oplan Bayanihan, adding that despite of the “No Red Tagging,” still members of the Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division defies the matter.
Mary Ann Sapar, Gabriela secretary general, said Jose is the third woman victim of extrajudicial killings in Davao Region under the Aquino administration. The other two were Florita Caya and Sunshine Jabinez.
Hanimay said this holds true, as just the protesters arrived back in their community from a barricade last week, Jose and those who participated on the picket at DSWD were harassed by the barangay chief of Binondo and 67th Infantry Battalion.
On the other hand, Lt. Col. Lyndon Paniza, 10th Infantry Division spokesperson, in a separate interview, denied the accusation of the activists especially on the red tagging. He added that the 10th Infantry Division never tagged them as members of the communist rebels.
“I don’t believe the army has something to do on the death of their leader. Kami na nga itong nagsasakripisyo makatulong lang sa kapwa, kami pa tong naging masama. Ba’t hindi nila itanong sa New People’s Army (NPA) in which full support sila sa grupong yan,” Paniza said.
Paniza dared the protesters if they are really not members or supporters of the communist, they have to prove it. He added that they must also condemn the atrocities set by the NPA, and not just keep on complaining against the military.