By DOMINIC GUTOMAN
Bulatlat.com

The killing of JP Osabel, 14, and Redjan Montealegre, 18, by alleged elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on December 27 in Uson, Masbate, calls for an immediate, thorough, and impartial investigation, according to child rights group Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC).

Osabel and Montealegre were Grades 9 and 10, respectively. They were killed while on their way home from a Christmas party.

“These heinous acts constitute a blatant violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and grave child rights violations identified by the United nations (UN) Security Council, affront to the fundamental rights of the children and youth, who deserve protection rather than victimization, especially in times of conflict,” CRC said in a statement.

Under Article 77 of the Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions, the international agreement that binds nations like the Philippines to the IHL, children shall be the object of “special respect and shall be protected against any form of indecent assault.”

Osabel and Montealegre were also civilians and should have been protected in the IHL’s general principle. CRC said that combatants are required to distinguish between civilians and hostilities at all times.

“The killing of JP Osabel underscores a grave failure to uphold this principle. Even in the presence of legitimate military objectives, actions must not cause disproportionate harm to civilians,” CRC said.

The Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity (RA 9851) also gives special protection to children as a vulnerable sector. The law states, “The Philippine court shall take appropriate measures to protect the safety, physical and physiological well-being, dignity and privacy of victims and witnesses. In so doing, the court shall have regard of all relevant factors, including age, gender and health, and the nature of the crime, in particular, but not limited to, where the crime involves sexual or gender violence or violence against children.”

In the past, some civilians were also reportedly killed in Uson, Masbate. In November 2024, Bulatlat reported the filing of a complaint of a family with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). Lolita Abril urged authorities to conduct an independent investigation after her husband Ronel Abril and another coconut farmer, Roger Clores, were allegedly killed by the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA) in an “armed encounter.”

Read: Kin urge CHR to probe killing of 2 coconut farmers in Masbate

International human rights organization Asia Pacific Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (APCHRP) said that the recent killings bore a pattern in Masbate. Last year, 17-year-old farmer Rey Belan was killed in an “alleged encounter,” accusing him as part of the New People’s Army (NPA).

According to accounts gathered by human rights groups, Rey Belan and four companions were on their way home after hunting in the hilly area of Purok 1, Barangay Balantay, Dimasalang, Masbate when they encountered troops from the 2nd IBPA. The soldiers allegedly opened fire, killing Belan instantly and wounding one of his companions. The remaining members of the group managed to escape and reported the incident to the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Banahao, Dimasalang.

“The fate of these three Masbateño teenagers is the grim reality of the Filipino people in the countryside, who are finding themselves terrorized by the AFP’s bloodlust, misguided and counter-insurgency campaign against the NPA,” said APCHRP.

CRC stressed that the practice of the AFP of branding children as “child soldiers” must be stopped as it stigmatizes them, exposes them to further harm, and even trauma. Moreover, the Additional Protocol to Geneva Conventions also said that children— whether they are civilians or have taken a direct part in hostilities— shall benefit from the special protection under the IHL.

“This incident is not isolated but part of a broader pattern of militarization that continues to endanger children and communities across the country,” CRC said.

Both human rights groups called for accountability and justice, standing with the families of the victims. (RTS, DAA)