CPP/NPA-South Central Negros: Mt. Cansermon Command renews call for justice for Bernardo Guillen, denies claim of a father and child-soldier son surrender

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Oct 13, 2020): Mt. Cansermon Command renews call for justice for Bernardo Guillen, denies claim of a father and child-soldier son surrender

DIONESIO MAGBUELAS

SPOKESPERSON

NPA-SOUTH CENTRAL NEGROS

MT. CANSERMON COMMAND

NEGROS ISLAND REGIONAL OPERATIONAL COMMAND

APOLINARIO GATMAITAN COMMAND

NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY

OCTOBER 13, 2020

 

In a hopeless attempt to deflect the roaring cry for justice for Bernardo Guillen and all victims of human rights violations, the 94th Infantry Batallion is spinning another lie of a father and child-soldier son surrender.

“The 94th IB led by Ltc. Angelo Guzman is desperate to whitewash their cowardly crimes against the people of South Central Negros that they resort to spewing lies and black propaganda in a vain attempt to gain public sympathy. The people is seething with outrage over their barbaric mutilation of Bernardo Guillen, a farmer from Brgy. Tan-awan, Kabankalan City, and they demand for justice,” Ka Dionesio Magbuelas states.

The 94th IB reported that a certain alias Joker and his 16-year old son surrendered on October 9. Ka Dionesio Magbuelas, spokesperson of the Mt. Cansermon Command New People’s Army – South Central Negros, utterly denies this claim.

“All units of the NPA conscientiously study and abide by the Geneva Conventions and Protocol I and II in the conduct of the civil war in the Philippines. There are no child soldiers in the roster of members of the New People’s Army. The AFP, however, has a track record of unbridled human rights abuses. What is certain also is that the AFP forces ordinary civilians to surrender in order to corrupt funds from the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP),” Ka Dionesio Magbuelas said.

This is not the first time that the AFP used and abused the child warrior narrative in order to smear the name of the NPA. On May 4, 2019, operating troops of the 62nd Infantry Batallion captured a 13-year old civilian following an armed encounter with a unit of the MCC-NPA. They then paraded him as a child warrior.

“The people can easily unmask this charade. Together with Duterte, the AFP should be held accountable and be made to answer to their numerous transgressions. The NPA will continue to heed the call for justice for all the victims of state-sponsored violence and will continue to launch all-out offensives to end the reign of terror of the Duterte regime,” ended Ka Dionesio Magbuelas.

https://cpp.ph/statements/mt-cansermon-command-renews-call-for-justice-for-bernardo-guillen-denies-claim-of-a-father-and-child-soldier-son-surrender/