“This is not a question of why he was there. The question that we have to ask is, why are you killing people?”
BACOLOD CITY – “The AFP’s [Armed Forces of the Philippines] job is to protect the people and not kill them.”
The Altermidya Network made this assertion at a press conference on April 24 in Bacolod City. The group was among the members of the quick reaction team who responded to the reports that community journalist RJ Ledesma was among the 19 people killed in a supposed encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental.
In a statement, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) claimed that there was an armed encounter in barangay Salamanca in Toboso between the AFP’s 79th Infantry Battalion and the New People’s Army (NPA).
Avon Ang, national coordinator of Altermidya, said that Ledesma was in Toboso to find out the situation of the locals who will be affected by the renewable energy projects. “We also want to know that truth. He was there to verify the report that he received. Even if there was an NPA in the area, journalists are not barred from going to such places and doing their job. This is not a question of why he was there. The question that we have to ask is, why are you killing people?” Ang said.
Journalist for the people
Berlita Ante of Bagong Alyasang Makabayan-Negros was emotional as she condemned the killing of Ledesma who she described as very active and kind person. “Bayan Negros is feeling the heavy weight of losing RJ, “ Ante said in her vernacular.
“In truth, RJ is a very active and kind person who helps the urban poor especially during the time wherein there were already reclamation projects in Banago. RJ was one of the people they turned to report about what was happening to their community,” she said.
Noli Rosales of Kilusang Mayo Uno-Negros said that Ledesma’s life is worth celebrating because he helped communities know what wad happening. He added that he spent more of his time with the marginalized.
“He exposed many activities here in Negros, [including] mining activities, quarrying. His alternative media outfit Paghimutad covers these activities. So it is right and just that we protect truth-tellers and not protect businessmen and corporations,” he said.
He criticized the government for not looking into the effects of destructive projects in the communities. This, he said, was the job Ledesma was doing.
Violence
Rev. Melvin Fajardo of Human Rights Advocates in Negros (HRAN) said that Ledesma’s killing is not an isolated case but is part of a broader pattern of violence fueled by intensified militarization in the province under the Memorandum Order No. 32.
“While MO 32 was justified as a measure to prevent further loss of innocent lives and destruction of property, its implementation has told a different story. In practice, it has enabled the increased deployment of units from the AFP and the Philippine National Police, deepening military presence in communities and heightening the risks faced by civilians, activists and journalists alike,” Fajardo said.
He said that Ledesma’s killing is a “stark reflection of a climate where truth-telling is met with violence and where those who stand with the people are treated as threats rather than protected as citizens. His death demands more than mourning; it demands accountability.”
Progressive groups also called on the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to conduct an immediate, transparent and impartial investigation into the killing of Ledesma and the others.
The quick reaction team has just retrieved the bodies of the five individuals including Ledesma, Alyssa Alano, Errol Wendel Chen, Genevive Balora and Maureen Keil Santuyo.
Reports of foreigners who were killed on April 19 were also confirmed by the owner of the Shekainah Funeral Services.
Rey Gorgonio, chairperson of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), said that the killing of Ledesma and others are a clear violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. “These should have been observed in the internal armed conflict,” Gorgonio said. (DAA, RVO)
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