Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Rescued minors claim sexual abuse in hands of NPA rebels

From the Manila Bulletin (Sep 16, 2020): Rescued minors claim sexual abuse in hands of NPA rebels (By Marie Tonette Marticio)

The two minors who were rescued in a clash between troops of the 93rd Infantry Battalion (93rd IB) and alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Kananga, Leyte recently, claimed that women, including minors, were being sexually abused and forced to take oral contraceptives by the Communist rebels.

Seized during the 10-minute firefight in Barangay Rizal of the town were oral contraceptives, together with a caliber-.45 pistol and ammunition reportedly owned by a terrorist leader identified as Juanito Selleza, alias Tibor, Larry, and Jay, cellphones, ID cards, and various subversive documents.

The two minors were turned over to the Municipal Social Welfare Development Office (MSWDO) of Kananga.

The army said that anti-pregnancy pills were also recovered in an encounter by the 20th Infantry Battalion (20th IB) a few months ago in Northern Samar.

Brigadier General Zosimo Oliveros, commander of 802nd Infantry Brigade, condemned the NPA for their abuse, and utter disregard of the rights of women and children.

“This act by the NPA of abusing women including minors is monstrosity at its worst! We hold the NPA and their coddlers accountable against such crimes against the people. Our soldiers will continue to conduct security measures to protect communities from such criminals and we thank the local residents for making sure their own locality is safe from such threats to peace,” Oliveros said.

The army added that the armed men took children and used them as human shields in the middle of the clash. Soldiers were not able to fire their weapons, especially when Sellesa took a child with him in his bid to make good his escape.

Lt. Col. Roberto Beatisula, commanding officer of the 93rd IB, also condemned the “cowardly act of the terrorists in using civilians especially children as a human shield.”

“These NPA terrorists are cowards. To use civilians especially children as a human shield is inhumane, and is a clear violation of human rights. Our troops will do everything necessary to make these NPA terrorists face the bar of justice and pay for their crimes against humanity,” Beatisula said.


The clash stemmed from complaints made to the military by some local residents last Sunday, September 13, about the presence of armed men who were conducting illegal activities together with some minors.

A firefight broke out when government troops encountered about 10 armed rebels that led to the death of Corporal Nicxon Tomenio, and resulted in the arrest of two NPA members.

The members of the group were reportedly the remnants of the same NPA group responsible for the Inopacan Massacre in the 1980s.

https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/16/rescued-minors-claim-sexual-abuse-in-hands-of-npa-rebels/

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