NPA hits execs, lawmen for death of 12 Kalinga farmers

RIZAL, Kalinga -- The Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples Army provincial command assailed ex-Mayor Marcelo "Bebot" dela Cruz, his son, the newly-elected Mayor Chris Mark "Kyzz" dela Cruz, and police and military elements who “attacked the peasants in Barangay San Pascual,” here on June 25 which resulted to the death of 15 peasants.

“Combined elements from the 77 th IB, 21st IB, 501st Brigade, the PNP Provincial Mobile Force and the Cagayan Regional Mobile Force went there to demolish the houses of the peasant masses,” said Ka Tipon Gil-ayab, spokesman of the NPA’s Lejo Cawilan Command in the province.

“Almost all the peasant families in the 15 barangays of Rizal have long been considered as "squatters" by the big and despotic landlords from the Madrigal Hacienda, the Romualdez Hacienda and the merciless dela Cruz family,” he said.

Lawmen reportedly started surrounding the peasant community at about 7 a.m. that day and while Philippine Army troopers continued enclosing the community, police forces moved forward and began burning the houses of the peasant masses, as well as bombarding the houses with a V-150 armored personnel carrier, a PALAR, five machineguns and other high-powered rifles.

“The people pleaded for the arsonist mercenaries to stop; but the fascist troops continued their inhuman and criminal acts,” Gil-ayab said. “Thus, the people had no recourse but to fight back in order to defend themselves and their properties.”

Gil-ayab said confirmed information reached the NPA-Kalinga that 12 peasants were killed, five others were wounded, and 30 houses were burned down. “On the side of the AFP-PNP troopers, only 6 were wounded.”

The names of the 12 peasant masses, who were killed, were: five from the Mabaca tribe, namely, Lakay Ulliba, Pedro Ulliba, Felimon Ulliba, Delfin Madayag, and Johnny Gaspar Cayabo; also five from the Butbut tribe, namely, Bangi Bakkay, Agyao Sabawil, Abok Tayaan, Say-at Addawi and Alib Baklas; one from the Poswoy/Ab-abaan tribe, namely, Juan Attang; and Conrado Ordonia, an Ilokano migrant.

“We vehemently condemn Supt. Provincial PNP Director Severino Cruz who maliciously declared that the victimized peasant masses have links with the NPA,” the NPA spokesman said. “The AFP-PNP even invented figures of their casualties and projected 9 policemen as "killed" and 10 others as "wounded" in order hide their criminal acts.”

There are reportedly about 5,000 hectares of land in Rizal owned by the Madrigal estate (this alone has more than 2,000 hectares), the Romualdez estate and the dela Cruz family.

In 2006, Rizal had been eyed for the plantation of cassava and Bt Corn under Dy and San Miguel Corp.

Areas directly affected by the projects reportedly encompassed more than eight barrios including Barangays San Pascual, Bagbag-Bulbol, Macutay, and San Quintin.

Most of the families who have tilled these lands for a long period reportedly came from the various tribes of the municipalities of Tabuk, Tinglayan and Balbalan due to scarcity of land to till in the interior municipalities.