Palparan's Men Disperse Tarlac Rights Rally

Before soldiers violently dispersed the rally commemorating human rights in Tarlac, they told the marchers that they were soldiers under Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, chief of the army’s 7^th Infantry Division, and “they have the license to kill.”

BY ABNER BOLOS
Bulatlat

SAN MIGUEL, Tarlac City – Soldiers violently dispersed some 500 marchers in front of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) headquarters in Camp Servillano Aquino in San Miguel, Tarlac (120 kms north of Manila) at 4 p.m. Dec. 10.

The soldiers hit the marchers with water canons and truncheons before the latter could hold a program to commemorate International Human Rights Day. The marchers were chased for one kilometer toward Barangay Paraiso, same city.

Sr. Cecilia Ruiz, chair of human group Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of Peoples’ Rights)-Central Luzon, was about to light a candle to start an ecumenical mass when a fire truck from inside the Nolcom sprayed them with water and chased and hit the protesters with truncheons.

The protesters came from provinces within Central Luzon.

Some 20 people were hurt including human rights worker Emil Paragas who suffered a bruise on his left arm.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan-CL or New Patriotic Alliance) chair Roman Polintan condemned the violent dispersal. “It is ironic that it occurred on the very day that human rights day is commemorated,” he said.

He said that in this year alone, 41 individuals were killed while eight were victims of frustrated murder. Six others have been abducted.

He added that soldiers told village officials before dispersal that the soldiers “are Palparan’s men and they have the license to kill.” They were referring to Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, chief of AFP’s 7^th Infantry Division (ID).

Polintan said that 27 of the 41 killed were executed after Palparan took command of the 7^th ID in September.  Bulatlat

© 2005 Bulatlat ■  Alipato Publications

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