HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Samar Villagers Want Soldiers Out Due to Abuses
HR violations are committed where troops are – CHR official

Children terrorized. Farms destroyed. Houses illegally searched. Residents of a heavily-militarized village in Samar province have had enough. In a dialog with local town and military officials, they asked the soldiers to immediately leave their village. An official of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) concurs: Human rights violations occur whenever the military is present.

BY MAUREEN JAPZON
Bulatlat

TACLOBAN CITY - More than 200 residents of the town of Basey, Samar, a Visayan province south of Manila, have signed a petition asking for the cessation of military operations in their town.

The petition was submitted during a Municipal Peace and Order Council (MPOC) meeting held Aug. 23. Attending the meeting were Basey Mayor Vicente Labuac along with Basey councilors, Brig. Gen. Anastacio Salud, commanding officer of the Army’s 801^st brigade, Col. Manuel Ramos, commanding officer of the 46^th IB PA, Basey residents, cause-oriented groups and members of media.

The Basey MPOC meeting was called in the wake of complaints brought to the office of the Municipal Council of Basey by farmers over alleged military abuses during military operations in their villages. 

The council then acted to help the victims file their complaint to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and air it over a local radio station.

It was when the complainants failed to meet earlier with lawyer.Paquito, Nacino director of CHR Eastern Visayas, that they went to the offices of the Samahan han Gud-ti ngaParag-uma-Sinirangan Bisayas (Alliance of Small Peasants in Eastern Visayas or SAGUPA-SB) and the Promotion of Church People’s Response-Eastern Visayas in Tacloban to seek assistance.

The groups also decided to hold a fact-finding mission, composed of their representatives and the Basey town officials. They presented the results of the mission during the MOPC meeting.

Fact-finding

The fact-finding mission was held Aug. 20 in the interior barrios (villages) of Basey. Gathered were several affidavits by victims, which verified the presence of the military under the 46^th IB PA led by a Colonel Ramos. According to the residents’ petition, the soldiers have been in the area as early as July.

In a sworn statement, Rodrigo Lagucay, 51, of Sitio (sub-village) Ogbok, Brgy. Villa Aurora, Basey, Samar, recounted his 13-year old son’s ordeal. On Aug. 7, at around 10 a.m., a group of soldiers approached their house and suddenly started firing their guns. This caused his son to be frightened and ran, looking for a place to hide. The soldiers followed him and, upon reaching his location, trained their guns at him. They asked him if he knew a certain “Dondon” and where the trail they pointed to was leading.

“My child answered but his body shook out of fear of the soldiers,” said Lagucay.

Another resident, Rogelio Amba, 45, of Brgy. Bulao, Basey Samar, said his daughters were alone in their house around 10:30 a.m. last Aug. 10 when soldiers came Two soldiers in full battle gear entered without warning and without showing a search warrant or asking permission searched the house. Witnesees identified the soldiers as a certain Encalyado and one Lt. Romeo Duran. Two days later, the soldiers returned and encircled their house, Amba said.

Meanwhile, Delia Dagumay, 45 of Guinpungduan, Brgy. Cogon Basey, Samar also complained that on Aug. 17 52 soldiers under the 46^th IB PA came and spent the night at their village. They walked over her plants when they left the following morning. She said in local dialect, “They walked on my farm, trampling my banika (upland rice) and mariguso (vegetable). They were so damaged as if pests attacked them.” Anacias Palermo, another resident, supports this statement.

Meanwhile, Eva Palermo complained that soldiers slept that same night in their house without their knowledge. The Palermos were away attending a fiesta in another town. In her sworn statement, Palermo complained that her chicken was missing. This was supported by a statement made by Dianito Dagumay, 44 also a resident of the same sitio.

Another statement, signed by Paz Padoc, Adriano Germo and Danny Emberso, all of Sitio Guinpunduan, stated that on Aug. 17 around 2:30 p.m., 26 armed soldiers encircled their house. The soldiers claimed that three New People’s Army guerrillas ran toward their house. The complainants however said that it was three children whom they identified as Jayson Obis, 8, Ben Palermo, 11, and Genalyn Dagumay, 7, who ran to their house when they saw the soldiers. The complainants said the children were frightened of the soldiers because they were armed with M-16 rifles.

All the sworn statements were presented during the MPOC meeting. One after the other, the complainants were called to affirm their affidavits by town councilor and committee on human rights chairperson, lawyer Tabao during the meeting.         

MPOC meeting

Around 300 farmers from Basey attended the MPOC meeting, which was held in the municipal gymnasium. After Ms. Diana Ragub, SAGUPA information officer, presented the results of the fact-finding mission, Mayor Labuac, the presiding officer, received questions and clarifications from those present.

Geneneral Salud clarified they have no ill intentions for the town of Basey. He said the 46^th IB PA was there to protect the town.  “Kami ay taga-serbisyo sa inyo, binabayaran kami para magbigay ng serbisyo…nandito kami para hanapin ang armadong grupo… kailangan naming ang inyong suporta” (We serve you, we are paid to give service to the public… we are here to look for armed groups… we need you support.).

The mayor himself did not hold back his reservations over the troop incursions without first asking the permission or even just informing the Local Government Unit (LGU). 

In an interview with Bulatlat, Mayor Labuac said: “I even had a heated argument with Col. Ramos because I asked him ‘Why did you make a courtesy call only now when there are already problems, had you conferred with me earlier (before the incursion of troops) we could have ironed out whatever the problem was because we are here to protect the people.’”  It was learned that it was only on Aug. 20 that Col. Ramos talked with the mayor regarding their presence in Basey.

When asked by Bulatlat, Col. Ramos answered apologetically. He admitted that they made a mistake in entering the town without informing the LGU. On the complaints by the villagers, he said it was first time he heard of them and that they promise to correct the abuses and, if necessary, have the soldiers pay for the damages.

He clarified that the intention of the national government is to make Basey peaceful and that the order was to clear Basey of insurgents.

Both Salud and Ramos cited the series of NPA attacks in the island.

After the petition and affidavits were submitted, the MPOC decided to invite in its next meeting the soldiers who are allegedly responsible for the abuses. Salud and Ramos promised to present the suspects.

CHR’s side

Later, in an interview with Bulatlat, CHR’s Atty. Nacino admitted, “There are many abuses because there is military presence in an area, kaya nagkakagulo.”

He said that based on the CHR’s record, complaints of human rights violations occur because of the presence of the military. “Kaya ang military ang number one na violator dahil sila ang in-contact sa civilian,” he said.

“Kung nanduon sana ako (in the MPOC meeting) at walang permit ang 46^th IB, at gusto ba ng local government na paalisin ang military, …[I will tell them] na pack-up now,” he added.

Nacino requested for a copy of the petition so he could “endorse it strongly to the higher-ups (because) the LGU has the sole authority to allow the presence of the military.” Bulatlat

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