MANILA – Joint police and military operations in Tarlac and Quezon City on March 11 reportedly violated human rights as 10 individuals were arrested and two went missing.
The 5th Infantry Division claimed that the 10 arrested were members of the “Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Committee.” But the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) stressed that they are unarmed and non-combatants and should be protected under international humanitarian law (IHL).
Arrested in Barangay Baras-Baras,Tarlac City were National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant Gabriel Kennedy Bangibang, Dr. Ana Marie Rilloroza, Theresa Forag, Ranee Francella Tuazon, Renato Ginez, Marc Mendiola and Javar Sugao.
Meanwhile, Jess Gamay Lang-ay, Bobby Calsiyao Yag-ao and an individual whose identity has yet to be confirmed were also arrested and brought to Camp Karingal. Yag-ao remains in custody for an active warrant on frustrated murder.
The two were reportedly “released” by the Fairview Police Station 5 because they had no pending warrants. However, they remain missing as of this writing.
Currently detained in Tabuk City, Kalinga, CHRA said that Bangibang should be protected under the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guaranteed (JASIG) signed between the Philippine government and the NDFP in 1995.
“As used and understood in this Joint Agreement, immunity guarantees shall mean that all duly accredited persons are guaranteed immunity from surveillance, harassment, search, arrest, detention, prosecution and interrogation or any other similar punitive actions due to any involvement or participation in the peace negotiations,” the 1995 JASIG document read.
Rilloroza, meanwhile, is a health worker who led numerous medical missions with the local health group Chestcore Cordillera.
“Being a healer with a heart for the underserved, Doc Ana, or Doc A as she was fondly called, walked unpaved roads to bring health service to the people,” said Chestcore Cordillera in a statement. “She trained hundreds of farmers and members of the community patiently mentoring them to become health workers who will serve their community.”
She was also spokesperson of the Save the Abra River Movement (STARM) that exposed the health impacts of large-scale mining in the province. Chestcore Cordillera denounced her arrest and demanded that her rights be protected under the IHL.
IHL, commonly known as the rules of war, protects civilians or non-combatants in times of armed conflict. The Philippines government ratified the Geneva Conventions of the United Nations and criminalized IHL violations under the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.
According to the 501st Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army, the arrested individuals are facing charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms and explosives. But CHRA said that these are trumped-up charges.
Families and the legal team continue to search for the whereabouts of Lang-ay and the unnamed individual. CHRA and Desaparecidos have conducted a search mission since March 12 where they went to law enforcement agencies. But the offices refused to sign their Enforced Disappearance Whereabouts Form.
CHRA reported that the arrested individuals were verbally abused and physically assaulted, including reports of being beaten in the face, abdomen, and forced to lie face down on the ground.
Human rights alliance Karapatan and CHRA are calling for the surfacing of Lang-ay and his companion. The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines also called for the IHL enforcement in the series of arrests.
“Their rights to have access to their families and legal counsels of their choice must also be respected,” Karapatan said in a statement.
March 16 marks the anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), both signed by the Philippine government and the NDFP in 1998. The peace document bound the two parties to apply IHL and human rights principles on the ongoing armed conflict.
“Violations such as warrantless arrests, torture, enforced disappearance, and fabricated charges run directly contrary to the commitments made under this agreement,” indigenous group Katribu said. “These arrests and the filing of fabricated charges expose the worsening climate of tyranny, repression, and impunity under the Marcos Jr. regime, continuing the same pattern of repression seen under the previous administration of Rodrigo Duterte.” (AMU, DAA)
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