Karapatan-Negros has already recorded illegal arrests and torture of seven farmers. There are also reports of livestock being stolen and slaughtered by the military.
BY ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Pull out military troops.
This is the call of human rights groups on the reported humanitarian crisis in Himamaylan town, Negros Occidental as a result of continuing military operations in the area.
Human rights group Karapatan condemned the crisis, saying that “heightened military operations by the Armed Forces of the Philippines will do nothing to address the roots of armed conflict.”
She joined Karapatan-Negros in enjoining “all peace-loving citizens, church people and all sectors to stand by the citizens of Himamaylan” and demanding the immediate pull-out of military troops from the affected areas.
It was on Oct. 6 when a unit of New People’s Army Mount Cansermon Command clashed with the elements of the 94th Infantry Battalion in sitio Sig-ang, barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City.
The military has conducted operation, which Karapatan Negros said, compelled residents to flee from their communities.
On Oct. 9, Karapatan-Negros reported that the area was placed in one week lockdown.
The group has already recorded illegal arrests and torture of seven farmers. They were later released after the village officials intervened on their behalf. There are also reports of livestock being stolen and slaughtered by the military.
Ailing NPA Spokesperson Juanito Magbanua, who was reportedly captured alive as hors de combat, was summarily executed while taking refuge in a peasant’s hut.
Read: NPA-Negros regional spokesperson Juanito Magbanua dies
Meanwhile, a report from Paghimutad said that there are more or less 15,000 individuals who are staying in 14 evacuation centers.
Karapatan-Negros has warned of more unreported rights violations as it there is difficulty in gathering information in the lockdown areas which they said are virtually under martial law.
Even bringing in aid for the affected families was reportedly challenging. A report by Rappler said that according to Himamaylan City Mayor Raymond Tongson, they could not enter and cover everyone on the ground as they are following protocols of the AFP.
Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura meanwhile condemned the restrictions against journalists who were barred from entering evacuation areas to interview the evacuees.
“What is the military so scared of journalists uncovering that they’ve imposed a media blackout?” asked UMA spokesperson John Milton ‘Ka Butch’ Lozande.
“Are they worried that residents would share stories of how they’ve been abused? Or that the broader public would know what they are militarizing the island for?” he added.
They also called on different sectors to stand with Himamaylan and Binalbagan and demand an end to the lockdown and militarization.
Karapatan-Negros fears that the “real motivation behind the unrelenting military operations in the upland villages of Himamaylan is to pave the way for the entry of corporate interests bent on exploiting the resource-rich area.”
The group said the hinterland areas of Himamaylan are rich in natural resources and a home to impoverished indigenous communities, farm workers, and peasants.
They added that government and business entities also eye possible mining extraction in Himamaylan and nearby Tayasan, Negros Oriental.
The group said that the previous government project, Ilog-Hilabangan River Basin Project (IHRBP) has affected Himamaylan and other nearby cities and municipalities and displaced many communities and disadvantaged small farmers. Logging company, Mosser, is also currently operating in Himamaylan, they added. https://riverbasin.denr.gov.ph/river/iloghilabangan
“With their relentless attacks on Himamaylan, the AFP is clearing the way for these corporate interests to step in,” Karapatan Negros said. (RVO) 
