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 7th 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 7th Infantry Division
(ID).
Polintan said that 27
of the 41 killed were executed after Palparan took command of the 7th
ID in September. Bulatlat
BACK TO
TOP ■
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION ■
COMMENT
© 2005 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications
Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided
its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
