A dialogue between progressive party-list groups, people’s organizations, church groups, city officials, the local office of the Commission on Human Rights, and the Philippine Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion came to naught when Col. Norma Flores merely denied that they are engaging in electioneering and even claimed that the dialogue was muddling the harmonious relationships between the Army and the villagers.

BY KARL G. OMBION
Bulatlat
Vol. VII, No. 13 May 6- 12, 2007

BACOLOD CITY — Candidates and their political ward leaders and propagandists have shifted their campaign to high gear. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) could hardly be approached as the commissioners seem immensely overwhelmed by all sorts of electoral complaints as well as requests for clarifications from different political camps.

Unfortunately, only few have seemed to notice, much less taken action, on the intensifying systematic campaign waged by the military in hinterland villages here against militant and progressive party-list groups.

Systematic campaign vs party-list groups

The Philippine Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion under the command of Col. Norman Flores has again been accused by several people’s organizations and party-list, this time of waging a “systematic campaign” against militant party-list groups and village organizations sympathetic to progressive groups.

Several peasants from Barangay (village) Bolinao and other upland barangays in Kabankalan and neighboring border towns complained that they were allegedly harassed by the members of the 61st IB, threatening them not to campaign and vote for party-list groups such as Bayan Muna (People First), Anakpawis (Toiling Masses) and Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP), searching their houses without warrants and openly declaring that the said party-list groups along with several other organizations are “legal fronts” of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance)-Negros secretary-general Felipe Gelle Jr. accused soldiers of the 61st Infantry Battalion Special Operations Team (SOT) of intimidating and harassing members and organizers belonging to southern-based Mapisan farmers federation who were campaigning for Bayan Muna and Anakpawis in the rural villages in this city and neighboring towns.

He said that elements of the army’s SOT have been roaming around the villages of Tan-awan, Oringao, Hilamonan and Orong of this city identifying and tagging members and organizers of the Mapisan as supporters of the CPP-NPA; and preventing them from campaigning for the militant party-list groups.

“The army even occupied mountain health clinics, chapels and even barangay halls as their temporary barracks and prevent villagers from using the facilities of these halls; the presence of the Army’s SOT group created a tense and terror climate among village folks and many are afraid to move around because they could either be caught in the crossfire of armed encounters, or framed up so they could not campaign for the party-lists,” Gelle said.

He also said that the same cases are taking place in central and northern interior villages of the island, but people are just afraid to come out and speak.

Even in Bacolod, the police have been trying to raise the specter of terrorism and infiltration of the city by what they call terrorist front organizations and party-list. “In effect, they are engaging in some form of electioneering,” Gelle said.

“We don’t campaign, we educate people”

Colonel Flores reiterated that they are not campaigning against or for any political group but is just educating the people of the dangers of the CPP-NPA along with their allied organizations or legal fronts.

He insisted that there is nothing wrong and it is not partisan-politics for the Army to “educate” the people on the “dangers of communism.”

Colonel Flores said the CPP-NPA has infiltrated the rural and urban communities and deceiving the people to engage into protest rallies against the government, and therefore the Army has the duty to expose them.

“The Army today is already reformed and aware of the rights of the people, so people have nothing to worry,” he added.

Dialogue

Last April 30, the Paghidaet Development Group (PDG), a southern Negros-based non-government organization (NGO) working with the farmers’ and fisher folk groups arranged a dialogue between the people of remote villages in Kabankalan City and neighboring border villages and the 61st IB, at the Cultural Center of the city. The dialogue was mediated by Commission on Human Rights (CHR) commissioner Vangie Laguardia.

 Save as PDF