Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 18) – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Region VI has launched an investigation into the killing of farmer Roly Fausto, his wife Emelda, and their two children in Negros Occidental.
On June 14, Roly was found dead near their hut, while the lifeless bodies of his wife and children were discovered inside.
Roly and Emelda were members of the Baclayan, Bito, Cabagal Farmers and Farmworkers Association (BABICAFA).
“All possible angles will be pursued in the course of CHR’s independent investigation,” the agency said Saturday in a statement.
Rights group Karapatan said the couple were allegedly harassed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) months prior to the killings.
In separate occasions, the AFP allegedly interrogated Roly and Emelda, and searched their house unauthorized. Rolly was also reported to have been physically assaulted and was forced to confess that he is a member of the New People’s Army (NPA), Karapatan said.
In a text message, AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said they have yet to receive a report on the AFP’s involvement in the alleged harassment.
“They (Karapatan) probably heard it from the NPA unit there,” Aguilar told CNN Philippines Sunday.
“We protect our people. That is our constitutional mandate,” Aguilar added.
Aguilar also said the CHR has yet to reach out to the AFP regarding the investigation.
Karapatan also urged Congress to investigate the case of the slain Fausto family.
“While investigations on the murder of former Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo are ongoing, numerous cases involving peasants and farmworkers in Negros are left unaddressed,” Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said Friday in a statement.
