By CONG B. CORRALES,
Associate Editor
A NEW YORK-based human rights researcher has questioned the latest performance report of the country’s armed forces, recently.
In an emailed statement, Carlos Conde, country researcher for Human Rights Watch, doubts the latest report of Army chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año last week projects the actual situation, specifically in the tribal communities here in Mindanao.
Tuesday last week, Año announced that government troops have killed or arrested some 743 enemies of the state. Año made the pronouncements on the occassion of the Army’s 119th anniversary at Fort Bonifacio.
He also said they have either killed or arrested 595 combatants of the communist New People’s Army, neutralized 82 members of the Abu Sayyaf group, 10 Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, and 56 Maute Group in “almost 300 thousand focused military operations the Army conducted last year till this year.
“While the army is throwing out numbers of alleged belligerents killed and arrested, they should not lose sight of other numbers. How many activists and tribal leaders have been unlawfully killed? How many ordinary people have been unlawfully arrested and detained for months or years,” Conde pointed out.
Conde said the Army should include all “numbers” pertaining to the effects of the military operations the state security forces have launched across the country.
“How many soldiers and officers who took part in serious abuses have been prosecuted for their crimes? You need all of these numbers to tell the full story,” said Conde.
He argued that Año conveniently failed to mention the militarization of tribal communities in Mindanao.
He pointed out that students of lumad school Alcadev in Surigao del Sur had to conduct their commencement exercises in their evacuation center in Tandag City’s sports complex.
It can be recalled that on September 1, at around 4 a.m., members of the Army’s paramilitary group Magahat/Bagani Force/Marcos Bocales group open fired at Dionel Campos and his cousin Juvello Sinzo (earlier reported as Aurello/Bello Sinzo) and a staff member of Alcadev Belen Itallo in the presence of the community members in Km.16, Bgy. Diatagon, Lianga, Surigao del Sur.
The lumads are still staying at the Tandag City Sports Complex until now.
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