NEWS RELEASE March 21, 2000
In a rally in front of Camp Crame, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights) today denounced the joint use of vigilantism and militarization by the US-Estrada regime’s police and military forces nationwide. The organizations also demanded a halt to renewed military operations and the revival of vigilante and paramilitary groups.
Bayan Secretary-General Teodoro Casiño lamented that “the US-Estrada regime’s sword of war is again marked by the blood of innocent civilians and revolutionary forces in yet another desperate military solution that is sure to fail as shown by past experiences.”
“No thanks to the renewed military operations and revival of barbaric vigilante and paramilitary groups, the flames of armed revolution will be fanned even more due to these atrocities,” Casiño warned. “Behold, this is Oplan Makabayan in action.”
“This is an act of desperation and a symptom of weakness,” Casiño also said, pointing out at the National Security Council’s admission Friday that the US-Estrada regime has failed to solve the root causes of armed revolution especially by the MILF and the CPP-NPA-NDF. “More and more people are rising up in arms because the government has proven to be anti-poor after all, inspite of so much pro-poor rhetoric.”
“Even Sec. Orlando Mercado is engaging in double-talk. First, he orders full-scale attacks against revolutionary organizations. Now, he talks about resolving poverty,” said Casiño. “What is clear is that the US-Estrada regime is reprising the past regimes' failed militaristic solutions that spawned countless atrocities against human rights violations.”
Bayan also scored documented reports of more violations of international humanitarial law by US-Estrada regime.
After a fact-finding mission in Northern Mindanao, Karapatan pointed at the 8th Infantry Batallion and CAFGUs as the culprits behind attacks in Bgy. Sta. Filomena, Quezon, Bukidnon province that caused the life of Victor Baluca, a 23-year old NPA rebel. Upon exhumation, Baluca’s remains were shown to have been burned after being peppered by bullets. Seven civilians, including six lumads (indigenous people) are still missing.
Meanwhile, three people, including two suspected NPA members, were killed by an 11-member CAFGU team in a raid on Feb. 7 at Cabanglasan, Bukidnon. After killing the three and beheading the two suspected NPAs, their bodies were burned and left aside, only to be eaten by wild animals. The third victim is a civilian who owned the house where the two others were staying. #