Church leaders described the militarization of urban communities as a “nail hammered on the flailing limbs of freedom in this country.”

BY AUBREY MAKILAN
Bulatlat
ELECTION WATCH
Vol. VII, No. 14 May 13-19, 2007

Militants welcomed the order of AFP chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. for the complete pull out of the 260 soldiers deployed in 26 “depressed communities” in Metro Manila. Since November last year, the AFP has deployed troops in 26 slum communities in Quezon City, Caloocan, Manila, Taguig, Parañaque and Marikina.

The Inter-Faith Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Network, together with sectoral groups, criticized Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. for his declaration that soldiers will likely return to the communities after the elections if the residents request them to do so.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr. said that the current order for the withdrawal of troops in Metro Manila is just a “short term victory” and called for a “permanent ban on the deployment of soldiers in Metro Manila.”

“There is no war or invasion that merits the stationing of troops in heavily populated city centers. Even after the elections, the AFP should just stay in their barracks,” Reyes said.

On May 7, militant party-lists Bayan Muna (People First), Anakpawis (Toiling Masses), Gabriela Women’s Party, Kabataan (Youth), and Suara Bangsamoro (Voice of the Moro people), and a certain Roberto Corbes, petitioned the Supreme Court to order the AFP to pull out its troops in Metro Manila. The 20-page petition also asked the High Court to nullify the AFP’s order to deploy over 250 soldiers around the metropolis.

Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo said that the pullout of military troops in Metro Manila villages is a “tactical victory” for the Filipino masses. Despite the pullout order, Bayan Muna still called upon the Supreme Court to decide on their petition regarding the matter.

“The pullout of troops in Metro Manila is a tactical retreat. It is AFP chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr’s attempt to pre-empt the Supreme Court ruling on the Bayan Muna petition questioning the constitutionality of his orders,” Ocampo said.

They have also sought the help of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to order the pullout of troops in the metropolis. According to the party-list groups, the military deployed in urban areas are urging the public not to vote for them and are accusing them of being communist front organizations.

The petitioners said that aside from the fact that the AFP could not unilaterally decide to deploy troops in the metropolis, the order clearly violated the principle of civilian supremacy over the military as enshrined under Section 3, Article III of the 1987 Constitution.

Campaigning against party-list groups

Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, military commander of Manila, said that the pull out was to “dispel accusations” that the soldiers’ presence was intended to influence the elections. He said that the deployment in urban poor communities was part of the military’s “internal security operations” to prevent terror attacks.

But the Supreme Court petition was based on reports received by progressive party-list groups that AFP soldiers were intimidating and interrogating their members.

Luzviminda Sulayaw, 53, and four other Bayan Muna members in Isla Puting Bato, Tondo, Manila, also filed a complaint against the military this time with the Commission on Human Rights.

Sulayaw said the military was reportedly asking about her whereabouts and her affiliation with Bayan Muna. When the soldiers first arrived in the area in December, she said, they accidentally asked her about a certain Luz Solano. She believed the soldiers were actually looking her but misspelled her surname. She also complained that the soldiers stayed in front of her house almost everyday. The soldiers even asked her son about her activities and why she was always out of the house.

Sulayaw said her neighbors advised her to temporarily leave their place for fear that something bad could happen to her. But she refused because she has not done anything wrong. She has lived in Isla Putting Bato for more than 30 years now.

Marie Casas, 30, is a witness to the harassment against Sulayaw, and a victim and one of the complainants as well. During their dialogue with Col. Ricardo Visaya, Civil Military Operations (CMO) chief, at the CHR, she said soldiers took pictures of them. The soldiers accused Bayan Muna of recruiting for the New People’s Army. The residents argued that this was not true. In fact, Sulayaw and Casas said, ever since a fire razed their houses in 2006, Bayan Muna has been helping them.

But in some parts of Parola, Tondo, residents favored the deployment of soldiers in their area. They said the military helped them renovate their barangay (village) hall, build comfort rooms, and restore peace and order in their area well-known as “pugad ng mga masasamang loob.” (nest of criminals)

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