Folks hit ‘militarization’ of Besao by army troops

Some houses ‘forcibly occupied’ by gov’t soldiers 

By Gina Dizon  

BESAO, Mountain Province – Residents here assailed the military for restricting their movements saying government forces militarized this town after recent clashes with New People’s Army guerillas resulting to casualties on army soldiers.

This, even as some houses of residents here have reportedly been forcibly occupied by army troops without their consent, locals said, adding they were living in fear.   

Elder and leader Mario who asked for anonymity said he and villagers are not free to move around with the presence of the military soldiers in this far flung village of Dandanac in this town.

This when this writer and other members of a multi-sectoral group from  Sagada, Bontoc and Baguio City visited this war torn village located within barangay Tamboan on August 9.

Military elements from the 81st Infantry Battalion had been stationed at Besao for some months now particularly at the center of the town at Kin-iway and at Dandanac. 

At Dandanac, military men scour mountains daily towards adjacent Tubo, Abra for NPA guerillas.

At Dandanac, a firefight between the Leonardo Pacsi Command of the NPA and the Philippine Army resulted to the death of three government soldiers last July 14 and 15 this year.

Dandanac is and has been a pathway of NPA elements to get inside and outside Besao and Abra.

NPAs who use the trail reportedly often drop by to rest and eat in some of the villagers’ homes.

Caught in the conflict between NPA elements and government armed forces, villagers have had to bear with the situation since the 1980s.  

Dandanac resident Pedro who requested anonymity, said a group of five men believed to be NPA surrenderees and assets told villagers last week they wanted to recover their guns they claimed were given to folks here for safekeeping in 2012.

Some folks questioned why they didn’t recover the guns for six years.

Resident Pacita who asked not to be identified said her family was terrorized by the acts of the suspicious looking men who claimed to be NPAs, particularly led by a certain Ka Tapaw who goes around in some villagers’ homes asking for guns they gave to villagers for safekeeping.

With the presence of government military men staying in the village, the multi-sectoral group members asked credibility of the so called “NPAs” walk around the village in broad daylight.     

Government soldiers are currently housed in seven dwellings within the residential area and some of these dwellings are not occupied by the owners.

Government soldiers who are housed here said they asked permission from the owners.

 Though some did not ask permission so one owner who is not a regular occupant of her house told the military soldiers  to move out from her dwelling.     

Another elder said he with other villagers were prevented from attending the wake of a dead relative at Tamboan.

Requesting anonymity, he said an unidentified soldier in uniform insisted on linking him as an NPA. 

He said soldiers interrogated them insisting they were NPAs but they released them afterwards.

“We are not free to move. It is best they  (referring to the military soldiers) leave” Mario said.

The right to life, freedom to mobility and property  is enshrined in the Philippine Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights where the Philippines is a signatory.

Mario questioned why there is a need for a safe conduct pass in moving around one’s own village as one regularly does.

Nevertheless, with the given situation, Mario said the safe conduct pass lets the villagers tend to their farm and pasture their animals and not to be interrogated.

Human rights worker Fr Joe Requino, one of the visiting group members who visited Dandanac asked the soldiers stationed at the village why a cedula is not good enough a proof that they are residents of Dandanac and Tamboan and told soldiers that it must be that the safe conduct pass is for them (PA) and not for the villagers.

Villager- farmers of Dandanac and Tamboan has farming as their main source of food has rice, root crops, legumes and bananas to grow in their backyard as main source of food along with chickens and pigs raised.

Since the July 15 armed conflict, farmers here have been scared to harvest their over- matured rice plants from rice fields located some distance from two encounter areas. 

Resident Pedro said the supposed harvest of their over grown rice plants which was not done in July reduced their harvest by half.

The grains have either been carried away by birds or have dropped to water level and sprouted. That would mean they have to buy commercial rice to augment their lost rice harvest supposed to be their food for the year.  

After the firefight, two resident-villagers of Dandanac went to Sitio Amboague to tend to their chickens and pig and supposed to bring them home when they were arrested and charged for multiple murder and illegal possession of firearms by elements of the 81st IB.  

The two, brothers Satur and Edmund Dazon are sick and frail, one suffering from chest pains and the other has a limping condition.

A safe conduct dated August 6, 2018 was issued by Lt Col Charlie Castillo. Commanding Officer of the 81st Infantry Brigade of the 7th Infantry Division of the PA and conformed by Mayor Bantog and barangay chairman Emerson Mangallay of Tamboan. It shows the names of 55 residents of Dandanac and Tamboan who have to show said document to authorities in order to attend to their farms and animals.

Bestang Dekdeken from Besao, a human rights worker from the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) and one among the group members who visited Dandanac told elements of the 81st IB that it is a human right to move around freely in their own home village with no need for a safe conduct pass.

Roda Dalang also a resident of Besao and works with the Cordillera Development Program (CDP) said Dandanac is one of the areas of CDP and they are not be free moving around since a safe conduct pass is required.

The safe conduct pass shall be applied as long as the military are deployed in the village. This is indefinite, said 1st Lt Jade Lyzterdan Padinas Gavino of the Alpha Company of the 81stIB stationed at Dandanac.

Gavino said they have a community program where they facilitate activities such as dental and medical missions of the government.

Meantime, infrastructure road projects are currently being implemented along the Kin-iway- Tamboan road and Besao-Abra via Tamboan.

A P40 million road project for 2018 is funded from regular funds of the Department of Public Works and Highways is being implemented to connect missing links and open new roads along the Besao- Tubo Abra via Tamboan road.  A P50 million road project covering Besao-Abra via Tamboan is proposed for 2019 under the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Peace Process (OPAPP) funds.   

OPAPP funded projects are meant to be implemented in areas where armed conflict has occurred or is occurring.  

1st Lieutenant Gavino said an executive order has been signed by Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan facilitating and accepting partnership of PA groups stationed in Mountain Province in the implementation of government programs and projects.  

The PA have their own engineering units and been observed that they implement infra projects where they are assigned.

This, as fears and threats to any firefight between the two armed groups linger with the safe conduct pass definitely not a security to any armed firefighting between the two armed groups.

Villagers subjected to ‘collateral damage” in eventualities of firefights between the two armed groups inside or outside near the village is a threat.

Roda Dalang told the soldiers to move out from the village and stay outside of residential areas.