Manila, Philippines – Detained opposition Senator Leila De Lima
is concerned about the series of cold-blooded murder of civilians allegedly
members of the leftist group were the work of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) death squads.
“If there are police death squads for suspected
drug offenders, are there now AFP death squads for red-tagged civilians and
officials roaming around Negros Island?” De
Lima about the increasing number of extrajudicial killings in Negros Island.
For De Lima, the Duterte
regime has become more evident that he is waging a different war, by allegedly
using the AFP to execute red-tagged civilians and public officials and human rights defenders.
De Lima said it has become
more apparent that the Duterte regime was waging a different war, possibly
using the AFP to summarily execute red-tagged farmers, anti-mining advocates, public
officials and human rights defenders.
“Now it appears that Duterte has found a way on
how to involve the AFP in his EJK campaign. He found an enemy and a target for
them – red-tagged civilians and public officials and human rights defenders,” De Lima said.
“If the AFP becomes complicit, Duterte would
have succeeded in turning the entire security forces of the Philippines into a
vigilante force operating outside of the law and with impunity,” she added.
She believes since the
implementation of Memorandum Order (MO) No. 32 on Nov. 22, 2018, which directed
the deployment of additional troops to Samar, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental,
and Bicol Region supposedly to suppress lawless violence, the number of
civilians killed has increased.
According to reports, since July 23, at least 13 people were
reportedly killed in different towns and cities in Negros Oriental. Among them
were human rights lawyer Anthony Trinidad, school principal Arthur Bayawa,
barangay captains Romeo Alipan and Ernesto Posadas, city councilor Ramon Jalandoni,
and former town mayor Edsel Enardecido.
Based on the human rights group Defend Negros Network, at
least 87 individuals have been killed in Negros Island alone since Mr. Duterte
assumed office in 2017, of whom 20 individuals died in 2017, 29 in 2018, and 38
in 2019.
“None of the victims
are combatants. Some of them are actually public officials. The killings of
civilians and officials only became rampant in the area after MO 32,” said
De Lima, the stalwart critic of Duterte’s fake war against illegal drugs.
Source: Politiko
1 Comments
Ayan ka nnman engaging ur mouth before your brain if u have any...Just concentrate on the upcoming "Death Penalty". And reminisce what you have done during in your hay days...Sarap buhay dba? Sayang it ended so soon...
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