NPA violated human rites’

From the Visayan Daily Star (Apr 4): ‘NPA violated human rites’

The Army’s 3rd Infantry Division yesterday charged the leadership of the Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros of tolerating violations of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law when members of its Special Partisan Unit gunned down a policeman and a civilian Monday night in Escalante City.

Last month, an unarmed member of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit was also shot dead by suspected NPA assassins in Toboso, Negros Occidental, military records show.

Maj. Gen. Jose Mabanta, 3rd Infantry Division commander, said yesterday that priest-turned-rebel Frank Fernandez, KR-Negros secretary, and released rebel leader Romeo Nanta, alias Juanito Magbanua, commander of KR-Negros Regional Operations Command, both have direct knowledge, and supervision over the latest SPARU operations in Escalante City.

Killed in the latest SPARU attack were Police Officer 1 Bejein Tanguan and Joseph Lutrago, a former CAFGU member-turned police asset. A year ago, the brother of Lutrago was also killed by suspected NPA assassins in Negros Oriental.

Mabanta, who is joining Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista today at the 5th founding anniversary of the Church-Military Advisory Group at the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City, said, “The CPP-NPA continues to violate human rights in its highest form while its leadership who have direct knowledge, continue to tolerate such act. This is another inhumane act committed by the CPP-NPA which also violated the CARHRIHL which the communist group is a signatory.”

CARHRIHL states that parties involved in the agreement should affirm and apply the principles of international humanitarian law in order to protect the civilian population and individual civilians, as well as persons deprived of their liberty for reasons related to the armed conflict and also guarantees the right against economic and food blockades and indiscriminate bombings, shelling, strafing, gunfire and the use of landmines.

Mabanta said the CARHRIHL is the first of four agreements in the substantive agenda of the formal talks between the government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National democratic Front of the Philippines which was signed Hague, Netherlands in 1998.

While he condemned the atrocious attack by the NPA, Mabanta said he is still calling on the ranks of the CPP-NPA who are being used by their opportunistic leaders in executing innocent civilians, to abandon the armed violence, live a peaceful life, and join them in bringing peace and development to the communities.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2013/April/04/topstory7.htm