Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 11) — The Philippine National Police claims the victims of the so-called “Bloody Sunday” operations last weekend were members of the New People’s Army “hiding behind the facade of being activists.”
PNP Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana said while being a communist is not a crime, he clarified that authorities are running after members of the NPA not because of their affiliation but because of the supposed illegal acts they have committed.
“And what are these acts? These are acts of violence, destruction of property, child trafficking, extortion, killings, illegal drugs, and maybe, even financial crimes,” Usana said.
Nine persons were killed and six were arrested during simultaneous police operations in the provinces of Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, and Rizal early morning on Sunday. Illegal possession of firearms complaints were also filed against the arrested.
But human rights groups slammed police allegations that the victims were armed and had fought back. They said the weapons were planted by state forces and that the whole operation was part of their crackdown against critics of the Duterte administration.
“There is already the presumption of guilt, regardless of whatever crime they concoct against them,” said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of human rights group Karapatan.
Karapatan also said most of those targeted by the police operations belong to activist organizations and were red-tagged prior to the incident.
The international group Human Rights Watch also said the PNP’s explanation was disturbingly similar to claims frequently used to explain the killing of alleged drug suspects in the government’s war on drugs.
The watchdog explained that many of these allegations, according to independent investigations, had no factual basis.
“The Southern Luzon raids were apparent politically motivated killings that the police and military have sought to justify with unconvincing justifications that echo ‘drug war’ claims,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch.
It can be recalled that no less than the Department of Justice revealed that the police failed to follow protocols or even check the ownership of weapons used in the drug war killings.
Legitimate activists
Karapatan said five of the nine persons killed were members of progressive organizations:
-Emmanuel Asuncion was from the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan in Cavite;
-Michael Dasigao and Mark Lee Bacasno were from the urban poor group SIKADD-Montalban;
– Couple Ana Marie and Ariel Evangelista were from the fisherfolk group UMALPAS-KA in Batangas.
Meanwhile, Karapatan said cousins Puroy and Randy dela Cruz were Dumagat leaders in Tanay, Rizal, while Abner and Edward Esto were farmers from Teresa, Rizal.
The group pointed out that the order to kill came directly from President Rodrigo Duterte himself.
“There is no other mastermind behind these gruesome murders but Duterte himself — who, just a few days ago, gave the go signal for this appalling carnage,” said Palabay. “Duterte’s red-tagging and public incitements to violence, especially against activists and human rights defenders, are undeniably translating to massacres, murders, and other forms of abominable violations of people’s rights.”
Unreleased bodies
The group also suspected that the police and the military were behind the Antipolo Memorial Homes’ refusal to hand over the remains of Dasigao, Bacasno, and the Dela Cruz pair to their families and lawyers.
“State forces already killed their loved ones and now they can’t even properly grieve their deaths,” said Palabay.
On Thursday, Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, AFP Southern Luzon commander and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict spokesperson, posted a video of persons supposedly demanding the release of the remains of the activists outside the funeral parlor.
“This is what Karapatan is doing to harass the funeral services being given to Communist Terrorist Group members who resisted arrest during the conduct of law enforcement operations in Rizal last Sunday,” Parlade said in a Facebook post.
Just a day before, the Senate recommended the removal of Parlade as spokesperson of the anti-communist task force, citing laws that prohibit active military officers from holding another government post.
Aside from activists and human rights workers, Parlade had red-tagged personalities like celebrities Catriona Gray, Liza Soberano, and Angel Locsin, whom he accused of supporting communist rebels — a claim they have previously denied.
