Armed men on violent viral video may not be soldiers –Army chief

From GMA News (Sep 9): Armed men on violent viral video may not be soldiers –Army chief

The armed men shown on a viral video repeatedly shooting a man may not be members of the military, contrary to the findings of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Army chief Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri said Tuesday.

At the budget briefing of the Department of National Defense at the House of Representatives, Iriberri appealed to lawmakers “not to immediately jump to the conclusion,” saying the military is conducting its own investigation on the matter.

Iriberri said that while the shooters in the video were seen wearing military uniforms, a closer inspection would reveal that they were wearing an outfit different from the ones worn by soldiers in the battlefield.

The patches on the armed men’s uniforms were also sewn on the wrong side, he said.

“If this happened recently, [consider that] our soldiers are now wearing armored vests and helmets, which you cannot see in the video. There are indications that would project that this could be done by another group but we still have to identify it,” he said.

The four minute-long video showed several uniformed personnel shooting two victims in cold blood. It was posted in Facebook last June.

CHR findings

According to the CHR, the shooters were from the 6th Infantry Division based in Maguindanao. CHR Commissioner Jose Manuel Mamauag said the two victims were supposedly members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

Iriberri, who assumed command of the Philippine Army last February, said he has yet to be notified by the CHR about the results of its investigation.

He, however, maintained that those responsible for the shooting will be punished if it is proven that they are members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

ACT-Teachers’ party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio questioned the Army chief’s statements about the military’s possible non-involvement in the shooting incident, saying, “no one was jumping to conclusions because it was based on CHR’s findings.”

The lawmaker’s claim was refuted by Iriberri, who said the AFP has created a Board of Inquiry to investigate the incident.

“Hindi kami naghuhugas-kamay. Nakikisa kami sa inyo sa paghahanap kung sino man ang salarin. Kung sila man ay mapatunayang miyembro ng kasundaluhan, makakaasa kayong hindi namin ito palalampasin,” he said.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/378372/news/nation/armed-men-on-violent-viral-video-may-not-be-soldiers-army-chief