From the Daily Tribune (Dec 21): Solons decry arrest of child rebels
Lawmakers have called for a congressional inquiry into the reported arrest of children accused of being rebels by the military. Reps. Emmi de Jesus and Luzviminda Ilagan, both of Gabriela Women’s Party, filed House Resolution 2936 urging the House committee on human rights to investigate various cases of arrest of children who were falsely branded as child soldiers. De Jesus cited the case of Elmer Desuyo, 20, Reynaldo de los Santos, 17, and Rey Rodrigo, 16, all residents of Sitio Tagbakan Barangay Pansoy, San Andres, Quezon who were arrested by the military on March 22. “The armed men introduced themselves as members of the 74th Infantry Battalion based in Sitio Malamig, Sto. Niño, San Andres, Quezon Province,” she said. De Jesus said the three boys were taken to be interrogated in a battalion detachment in the town of San Andres.
“The military kept insisting that they were caught in an encounter between them and the New People’s Army (NPA). Moreover, Lt. Col. Dennis Perez, commanding officer of the 74th IB issued a statement that the boys are NPAs extorting money from the residents,” she said. De Jesus said two of the boys are still detained at the Quezon Provincial Jail on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives and frustrated murder, while De los Santos was transferred to the National Training School for boys in Tanay, Rizal without the knowledge of his parents.
Citing a report of the Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights or Karapatan, she said eight other children who were arrested and branded by the military as rebels are still in jail. “Human rights violations committed by the government armed forces against these children clearly go against strongly etched tenets of democracy and smacks of fascism,” De Jesus said. She said that under Section 6 of Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, children above 15 years but below 18 years of age are exempt from criminal liability and are subjected to an intervention program, unless he/she has acted with discernment, in which case, he/she shall be subjected to the appropriate proceedings under the law.
De Jesus said Article III Section 2 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution declares the inviolability of the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures of whatever nature and for any purpose. She also cited Article 40 of the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child which urges State Parties to recognize “the right of every child alleged as, accused of, or recognized as having infringed the penal law to be treated in a manner consistent with the promotion of the child’s sense of dignity and worth.”
http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/nation/item/8415-solons-decry-arrest-of-child-rebels
Why not condemn the NPA for recruiting and employing "child soldiers" in their frontline combat units in the first place? If the NPA would stop recruiting vulneable adolescents and teenagers, the Philippine military would not be put in the position of having to detain young people that are wounded or captured following encounters with NPA elements. Oh, that's right Ilagan and De Jesus are members of the CPP-associated party list Gabriela Workers Party. They will seldom, if ever, criticize the CPP/NPA. What was I thinking? These folks don't really care about the welfare of Filipino youth. They are just interested in scoring propaganda points against the Philippine military.
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