Karapatan: Special forces are ‘berdugos’

By NITZ ARANCON,
Correspondent

THE Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights (Karapatan-Northern Mindanao), here, lambasted the Aquino government during the launching of its year-end regional human rights monitor in time for the commemoration of the International Human Rights Day, yesterday.

Karapatan secretary general and Iglesia Filipina Independiente priest Fr. Christopher Ablon blamed the rise in human rights abuses among the indigenes in the region to the “First Special Forces Battalion of the Philippine Army.”

“Ang First Special Forces Battalion mga tirador ug mga bangis nga bergudo,” Ablon said.

In 2015 alone, state security forces have violated the rights of some 3,562 indigenes in the region, according to Karapatan-NMR’s monitoring.

“These human rights victims were accused by the military of being either sympathizers of New People’s Army (NPA) or being combatants themselves,” said Ablon.

In the same year-end report of Karapatan shows that there were 18 indigenes killed in in 11 summary killing incidents in Northern Mindanao.

“There have been 35 cases of frustrated murder in 10 incidents of lumads in the region,” Ablon said.

Among the human rights violations Karapatan-NMR reported were:

• 13 victims of torture
• 1,950 victims of forced evacuation
• 77 detained on trumped-up charges,
• 52 illegal arrests and detention
• 454 cases of threats, intimidations and harassment
• 5 cases of desecration of the dead
• 108 cases of indiscriminate bombardment
• 2 cases of physical assault and injury
• 360 cases of illegal search and seizure
• 192 incidents of food and other economic blockade
• 120 cases of trespassing
• 4 cases of coercion by using indigenes as guide or shield
• 6 incidents of divestment of private property
• 6 cases of destruction of private property,
• 144 cases of demolition