PNP list targets 300 in Cordillera for ‘bloodless’ visits
BAGUIO
CITY – A progressive block in the House of Representatives has sought
congressional investigation into the plan of Cordillera government agency
directors and police to conduct tokhang-like operations against “left-leaning”
individuals including the media.
The
city council here is also set to probe the matter and asked human rights
lawyers Jose “Jomol” Molintas and Rene Cortes and the Baguio Correspondents and
Broadcasters Club headed by its BCBC president Aldwin Quitasol as resource
persons.
The inquiry was set March 8 during the regular session of the city council with proponent-councilors Art Allad-iw, Isabelo “Popo” Cosalan Jr. and Mylene Yaranon.
The inquiry was set March 8 during the regular session of the city council with proponent-councilors Art Allad-iw, Isabelo “Popo” Cosalan Jr. and Mylene Yaranon.
This,
after national and local media groups assailed Cordillera Regional Law
Enforcement Coordinating Committee (RLECC) Resolution No. 4, series of 2021 signed
by 45 government regional directors including the regional police command and
National Bureau of Investigation stipulating government teams will visit
"left-leaning personalities," including government personnel and
members of media, as part of counterinsurgency campaign.
The Cordillera regional police command reportedly listed around 300 “left-leaning” persons from government, media and groups in the region targeted for “tokhang” to dissuade them from “supporting leftist groups.”
This was bared in a radio report which quoted Cordillera police director Brig. Gen. R’win Pagkalinawan as saying the “bloodless tokhang” would be finished this March.
According to the report, government officials would visit homes of those targeted for “tokhang” to ask them to stop supporting the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army and support government programs instead.
The list of persons targeted for ‘tokhang’ was not released.
This, as the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives filed House Resolution No. 1607, condemning the RLECC resolution saying “it could open the floodgates for another wave of widespread rights violations and extrajudicial killings, this time against activists and critics.”
“Even before the resolution, activists have been subjected to intense vilification, illegal detention, and even extrajudicial killings,” the resolution read.
“The implementation of the already controversial and notorious Oplan Tokhang to ‘dissuade’ activists and dissenters from airing otherwise legitimate concerns poses a threat to the country’s democracy.”
The Makabayan bloc is composed of Reps. Carlos Isagani Zarate, Eufemia Cullamat and Ferdinand Gaite of Bayan Muna; Arlene Brosas of Gabriela; Sarah Elago of Kabataan and France Castro of ACT Teachers.
In the resolution, the RLECC said “tokhang” (knock and plead) will be used “to convince left-leaning personalities to return to the folds of the government and dissuade them from further supporting the Marxist-Maoist inspired rebellion and its known front organizations.”
The bloc’s members said activists in the Cordillera region have been subjected to trumped-up charges, harassment, and threats to their life by state armed forces.
“Activists have also been red-tagged by officials, and this often lays the ground for further rights violations such as illegal detention and even extrajudicial killings,” the group said.
Citing data from rights group Karapatan, lawmakers said there have been 328 victims of EJKs and 463 victims of frustrated EJKs under the Duterte administration as of August 2020.
National media organizations like the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and BCBC, the biggest media group in Cordillera have assailed the RLECC resolution.
The NUJP dubbed the resolution “anathema to democracy. Not only does it violate basic civil rights by arbitrarily judging people sans due process, it also poses a real danger to life and limb given the trail of bodies tokhang has left in the drug war,” the NUJP said in a statement. It called on the RLECC to junk it.
“The latest resolution of the RLECC enjoining members of law enforcement agencies together with representatives of local government units to conduct tokhang to known "left-leaning" personalities in the government, media, and other entities is sending a chilling effect to the people who believe in the freedom of expression and who have still faith in democracy,” the BCBC said in an earlier statement.
Among others, the BCBC said the intent of the resolution was unconstitutional.
The BCBC issued another statement Friday urging the police to release the list of those targeted for tokhang even as the media group urged the revocation of the RLECC resolution.
The BCBC urged the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) to junk it.
In a separate statement, human rights alliance Karapatan pointed out that the “tokhang operations have been bloody, prompting relatives of victims to file a complaint before the International Criminal Court against President Duterte for crimes against humanity”. – With a report from Maricel Cruz
The Cordillera regional police command reportedly listed around 300 “left-leaning” persons from government, media and groups in the region targeted for “tokhang” to dissuade them from “supporting leftist groups.”
This was bared in a radio report which quoted Cordillera police director Brig. Gen. R’win Pagkalinawan as saying the “bloodless tokhang” would be finished this March.
According to the report, government officials would visit homes of those targeted for “tokhang” to ask them to stop supporting the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army and support government programs instead.
The list of persons targeted for ‘tokhang’ was not released.
This, as the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives filed House Resolution No. 1607, condemning the RLECC resolution saying “it could open the floodgates for another wave of widespread rights violations and extrajudicial killings, this time against activists and critics.”
“Even before the resolution, activists have been subjected to intense vilification, illegal detention, and even extrajudicial killings,” the resolution read.
“The implementation of the already controversial and notorious Oplan Tokhang to ‘dissuade’ activists and dissenters from airing otherwise legitimate concerns poses a threat to the country’s democracy.”
The Makabayan bloc is composed of Reps. Carlos Isagani Zarate, Eufemia Cullamat and Ferdinand Gaite of Bayan Muna; Arlene Brosas of Gabriela; Sarah Elago of Kabataan and France Castro of ACT Teachers.
In the resolution, the RLECC said “tokhang” (knock and plead) will be used “to convince left-leaning personalities to return to the folds of the government and dissuade them from further supporting the Marxist-Maoist inspired rebellion and its known front organizations.”
The bloc’s members said activists in the Cordillera region have been subjected to trumped-up charges, harassment, and threats to their life by state armed forces.
“Activists have also been red-tagged by officials, and this often lays the ground for further rights violations such as illegal detention and even extrajudicial killings,” the group said.
Citing data from rights group Karapatan, lawmakers said there have been 328 victims of EJKs and 463 victims of frustrated EJKs under the Duterte administration as of August 2020.
National media organizations like the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and BCBC, the biggest media group in Cordillera have assailed the RLECC resolution.
The NUJP dubbed the resolution “anathema to democracy. Not only does it violate basic civil rights by arbitrarily judging people sans due process, it also poses a real danger to life and limb given the trail of bodies tokhang has left in the drug war,” the NUJP said in a statement. It called on the RLECC to junk it.
“The latest resolution of the RLECC enjoining members of law enforcement agencies together with representatives of local government units to conduct tokhang to known "left-leaning" personalities in the government, media, and other entities is sending a chilling effect to the people who believe in the freedom of expression and who have still faith in democracy,” the BCBC said in an earlier statement.
Among others, the BCBC said the intent of the resolution was unconstitutional.
The BCBC issued another statement Friday urging the police to release the list of those targeted for tokhang even as the media group urged the revocation of the RLECC resolution.
The BCBC urged the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) to junk it.
In a separate statement, human rights alliance Karapatan pointed out that the “tokhang operations have been bloody, prompting relatives of victims to file a complaint before the International Criminal Court against President Duterte for crimes against humanity”. – With a report from Maricel Cruz
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