From the Daily Tribune (Jul 9): AFP quizzes rights abuses’ veracity
As the military leadership continued to question the veracity of a scathing report on human rights in the country, the Armed Forces office yesterday challenged Karapatan to provide evidence if it indeed documented hundreds of human rights abuses in the first half of the Aquino administration.
“Karapatan must prove the veracity of (its) claims. (Its) records are not accurate, and these purported human rights violations are only allegations which have not been filed to the proper authority,” Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, AFP-Public Affairs Office chief, stressed.
“They should engage other agencies concerned particularly the AFP to once and for all verify and reconcile their records with ours, and with the CHR (Commission on Human Rights),” he added.
According to Karapatan, from July 2010, or the start of the Aquino administration, to April 30, 2013, it has documented 142 victims of extra-judicial killing, 164 cases of frustrated killing, 16 victims of enforced disappearance, 293 persons arrested and detained, 16 children with ages ranging from four to 15 killed during encounters that mainly involved paramilitary groups under the command of AFP units.
Zagala said if Karapatan is really advocating human rights, it should coordinate with the AFP-Human Rights Office (HRO) and the CHR to resolve the issues.
“We urge Karapatan to coordinate with the AFP-HRO or the CHR. If they are really advocating human rights, they should work with us in finding out remedies, the courses of action to solve the issues,” he added.
“As far as the AFP is concerned, our efforts in upholding International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights and Rule of Law in all our security operations have been effective,” Zagala stressed.
Karapatan also reiterated its call for the dismantling of all paramilitary groups in the country and the revocation of Executive Order (EO) 546.
According to Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay, EO 546 spurred the use of paramilitary groups and private armies by political warlords such as the Ampatuans.
Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo’s EO 546 allowed local officials to employ members of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Units (Cafgu) and Civilian Volunteer Organizations (CVO) to purportedly address insurgency in the country.
The group said Aquino, instead of revoking the order, expanded and strengthened the EO by creating the Special Cafgu Auxiliary Action (SCAA) to protect operations of mining firms.
Palabay also cited the appointment of Brig. Gen. Aurelio Baladad as commanding general of 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army as an “exemplary display of impunity under the Aquino government.”
Baladad is among the military and police officers currently facing civil and criminal charges of torture and illegal detention of 43 health workers known as the Morong 43.
The 43 health workers were illegally arrested in February 2010. They were handcuffed and blindfolded for two days.
Army chief Lt. Gen. Noel Coballes, however, defended the appointment of Baladad, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1982, which took effect June 20 upon the retirement of Maj. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr.
“General Baladad will not be given a key position if he is not upright... there is no result yet on the case,” he said.
Coballes added that opposition to Baladad’s appointment was expected from the “enemy.”
“You don’t expect any positive statement from the enemy,” he stressed.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/16433-by-mario-j-mallari-as-the-military-leadership-continued-to-question-the-veracity-of-a-scathing-report-on-human-rights-in-the-country-the-armed-forces-office-yesterday-challenged-karapatan-to-provide-evidence-if-it-indeed-documented-hundreds-of-hum
KARAPATAN is the main CPP umbrella human rights front organization in the Philippines with chapters active nationwide. KARAPATAN is in the business of discrediting state security forces, especially the military, and by extension whatever civilian government administration is in power. The group frequently manufactures allegations of human rights abuses, claiming that NPA killed in battle are just innocent peasants or farmers. Standard KARAPATAN operating procedure is to assert that captured CPP/NPA cadre are victims of mistaken identity or have been illegally arrested/detained and have been the victims of torture. Many of the witnesses cited in KARAPTAN reports are family members of CPP/NPA cadre or come from the underground movement's mass base. The problem is that the Philippine military and police still commit occasional human rights violations and that tends to add legitimacy to all of KARAPATAN's HR claims.
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