Military disowns group behind killing of 3 civilians

From Malaya Business Insight (Sep 3): Military disowns group behind killing of 3 civilians

THE military yesterday disowned an armed group, called Mahagat/Bagani Force, tagged by the human rights group Karapatan as a paramilitary group that burned a cooperative and other structures in a barangay in Lianga town, Surigao del Sur last Tuesday.

 

The incident left three civilians dead, including a cooperatives official.

Karapatan alleged that the Mahagat/Bagani Force and the 36th Infantry Battalion have been saying that the Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture and Livelihood Development Cooperative in barangay Diatagon is a school of the New People’s Army.

Karapatan is demanding the pullout of the 36th IB from the barangay.

Capt. Joe Patrick Martinez, public affairs officer of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said the military does “not maintain such group.”

 

“The only troops that we have are the Cafgus and the typical (military) units,” he said.

Martinez challenged Karapatan to file charges against members of the group for the killing of Emerito Samarka, executive director of the Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture and Livelihood Development Cooperative, and the two other civilians.

 

“If they have such allegations, then we urge them to file charges against these people…But to allege that we are their handler, we’ll have a problem because we do not know them,” said Martinez.

Martinez said authorities have yet to establish the identities of the people involved in the “gruesome killing” and their group affiliation. He said the military and the police are conducting a joint investigation on the matter.

The military currently treats the suspects as “lawless elements” in the area, he said.

At least 20 men, wearing bonnets and carrying high-powered firearms, swooped down on barangay Diatagon around 5:30 a.m. last Tuesday and burned the cooperative and other structures in the barangay.

The Caraga regional police office said Samarka was later found with stab and slit wounds in his neck. It identified the two other fatalities as Dionel Campos and Orellio Senso (identified by Karapatan as Bello Sinzo, Campos’ cousin), who were reported to have been shot.

Karapatan said Campos is the chairman of the Malahutayong Pakigbisog Alang sa Sumusunod. 

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