CPP-NPA hit army for digging remains of slain Red fighter
>> Friday, February 5, 2021
BAGGAO, Cagayan -- The
Communist Party of the Philippines said soldiers of the 501st Infantry Brigade
dug up the grave of Justine Bautista, a Red warrior who died at 25 years of age
, here in Sitio Kapanisuwan, Barangay Bitag Grande, Baggao last Jan. 23.
“Violating international laws that prohibit the desecration of the dead, was an attempt at scoring media points, but which exposed the Philippine military's disrespect for the remains of an adversary in an armed conflict,” said Marco Valbuena, information officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
“As if digging up the grave was not severe enough, photographs of the exhumed remains, as well as soldiers parading the cadaver, were publicized on social media and were also distributed to news organizations,” he said.
Refuting the military's claim of an improper burial, Guillermo Alcala of the New People's Army (NPA)-Cagayan Valley said that it may be bereft of adornments, but one typical of a poor man's interment.
He added that Red fighters of the NPA take joy in serving the people and offering their lives when circumstances warrant. "They do not seek any reward, much less a 'fine' burial," Alcala said.
Alcala also lambasted the 501st IB for “digging up Bautista's remains and violating the person's dignity by displaying the body as a trophy.”
He said in most civilized societies and cultures, exhuming the dead is done with circumspect, as this offends the basic moral premise of allowing the dead to "rest in peace."
Also, public health concerns on the potential transmission of disease from decaying corpses are considered.
“These types of inhumane treatment are the subjects of the Geneva Conventions protocols and other instruments on international humanitarian law and international criminal law.”
Reports meanwhile said soldiers from the 501st Infantry Brigade (501st IB) and police personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Region 2 were led to the burial site of Bautista, alias Aira, by a former comrade, who surrendered to authorities.
Aira, a former student of Cagayan State University and former member of the Kabataan party-list and College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), was a reportedly medical officer and political guide of the Northern Front Region-Cagayan Valley Committee.
The informant revealed that Aira’s comrades hastily buried her body in a shallow grave after she was killed in an encounter on June 25, 2017 in an NPA raid on a military camp in San Jose, Baggao.
The military and police were also trying to locate the remains of Aira’s mother, also an NPA rebel, who was killed in an encounter last year.
According to Division Public Affairs Office Chief Maj. Jekyll Julian Dulawan, Aira’s mother was identified only as “the wife of Edgar Edra Bautista, active commander of the West Committee”.
“Dahil sa mga lumalabas na kwento na may mga nawawalang bata/estudyante nakonsensiya ang dating rebelde kung pano nila basta nililibing mga kasamahan nila (With the reports of missing children or students, the former rebel said his conscience bothered him on how they hastily buried their comrade),”Dulawan said.
“Kaya siya ay nagbigay ng impormasyon regarding dito para malinawan ang mga tao sa totoong nangyayari sa mga kagagawan ng CPP-NPA (That’s why he gave the information to show what is being practiced in the CPP-NPA),” he added
Last November 2020, soldiers reportedly took photos of themselves with the dead body of martyred Red fighter Jevilyn Cullamat. – With a report from Liezle Basa Inigo
“Violating international laws that prohibit the desecration of the dead, was an attempt at scoring media points, but which exposed the Philippine military's disrespect for the remains of an adversary in an armed conflict,” said Marco Valbuena, information officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
“As if digging up the grave was not severe enough, photographs of the exhumed remains, as well as soldiers parading the cadaver, were publicized on social media and were also distributed to news organizations,” he said.
Refuting the military's claim of an improper burial, Guillermo Alcala of the New People's Army (NPA)-Cagayan Valley said that it may be bereft of adornments, but one typical of a poor man's interment.
He added that Red fighters of the NPA take joy in serving the people and offering their lives when circumstances warrant. "They do not seek any reward, much less a 'fine' burial," Alcala said.
Alcala also lambasted the 501st IB for “digging up Bautista's remains and violating the person's dignity by displaying the body as a trophy.”
He said in most civilized societies and cultures, exhuming the dead is done with circumspect, as this offends the basic moral premise of allowing the dead to "rest in peace."
Also, public health concerns on the potential transmission of disease from decaying corpses are considered.
“These types of inhumane treatment are the subjects of the Geneva Conventions protocols and other instruments on international humanitarian law and international criminal law.”
Reports meanwhile said soldiers from the 501st Infantry Brigade (501st IB) and police personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Region 2 were led to the burial site of Bautista, alias Aira, by a former comrade, who surrendered to authorities.
Aira, a former student of Cagayan State University and former member of the Kabataan party-list and College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), was a reportedly medical officer and political guide of the Northern Front Region-Cagayan Valley Committee.
The informant revealed that Aira’s comrades hastily buried her body in a shallow grave after she was killed in an encounter on June 25, 2017 in an NPA raid on a military camp in San Jose, Baggao.
The military and police were also trying to locate the remains of Aira’s mother, also an NPA rebel, who was killed in an encounter last year.
According to Division Public Affairs Office Chief Maj. Jekyll Julian Dulawan, Aira’s mother was identified only as “the wife of Edgar Edra Bautista, active commander of the West Committee”.
“Dahil sa mga lumalabas na kwento na may mga nawawalang bata/estudyante nakonsensiya ang dating rebelde kung pano nila basta nililibing mga kasamahan nila (With the reports of missing children or students, the former rebel said his conscience bothered him on how they hastily buried their comrade),”Dulawan said.
“Kaya siya ay nagbigay ng impormasyon regarding dito para malinawan ang mga tao sa totoong nangyayari sa mga kagagawan ng CPP-NPA (That’s why he gave the information to show what is being practiced in the CPP-NPA),” he added
Last November 2020, soldiers reportedly took photos of themselves with the dead body of martyred Red fighter Jevilyn Cullamat. – With a report from Liezle Basa Inigo
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