BAGUIO CITY – President Benigno Aquino was urged by a human rights group to order the military to pull out their troops from communities in the Cordillera where they allegedly committed human rights violations and be held accountable for the crimes.
The Cordillera Human Rights Alliance aired this call to the President after a recent congressional inquiry bared human rights violations allegedly committed by the military in the region.
During the investigation, the CHRA urged the Lower House to cause pullout of the military from these areas.
Jude Baggo, CHRA secretary-general and Bede Sheppard, senior children’s rights researcher Human Rights Watch said recent cases particularly in Tubo, Abra cited need for immediate response against military
abuses.
They said the congressional inquiry was a response to the cases of human rights violations submitted by the CHRA to the said committee and to the Commission on Human Rights.
The cases reportedly included harassment cases against members of the Community Health, Education, Services and Training in the Cordillera Region.
Harassment cases against Kalinga and Ifugao scholars of the progressive party lists Kabataan and Gabriela were also bared during the inquiry.
Last year, the 503rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army reportedly conducted a municipal-wide operation in Tubo, concentrating on “Red Areas” of the municipality.
These areas included barangay Kili and Tabacda; SitioBatayan of Barangay Alangtin and, SitioPananuman of Barangay Tubtuba.
On March 28, 2011, unidentified military elements from the 50th Infantry Battalion headed by certain Col. NoliAnquiliano reportedly encamped in SitioBatayan for three days.
They positioned Howitzer cannons in front of the church. This only sowed fear among the citizens and disrupted their economic activities.
The animals such as dogs and carabaos were also afraid every time they fired the cannon.
Military elements reportedly also threatened, harassed and intimidated and physical assaulted innocent civilians, some of whom were minors.
On May 22-29, last year, they reportedly redeployed the Howitzer cannons within the barangay hall ground of Kili.
The hall is a few meters away from the elementary school.
State security forces in the region were reported violators of children’s rights.
During an eight-day investigation in the region last December, New York-based organization Human Rights Watch found five cases in which “the military, in violation of Philippine and international law, had used parts of functioning schools as barracks or bases for military detachments since 2009.”
The HRW said use of schools by the military lasted for periods ranging from three months to more than a year, a violation of Republic Act No. 7610.
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