By DOMINIC GUTOMAN
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – The encirclement of 80th Infantry Battalion (IB) to the communities of farmers in San Jose Del Monte (SJDM), Bulacan prompted peasant groups and human rights watchdogs to call for independent investigation on military abuses and the withdrawal of the troops.
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said in a forum on September 20 that at least 20 incidents of human rights violations and of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) were documented in a solidarity mission last August 20.
“These reports included military encampments near the farming communities, coercion to sign documents of disaffiliation, forced surrenders, and the profiling of farmer-residents, who were threatened with arrest and abduction if they refused to cooperate,” said KMP.
Among their major calls is for the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to launch an independent investigation and encourage the general public to support the call for immediate withdrawal of the 80th IB from the affected communities in SJDM.
“The 80th IB also set up camp next to Tungkong Mangga, which has since become the site of military summons. Forced surrenders, coercion, violations of freedom of association, and the military occupation of civilian spaces are all violations of IHL,” KMP added.
Military encampments and terrorist-tagging in the civilian areas blur the line between civilian and military objectives, increasing the risk of harm and unwarranted attacks among the residents, leading to violation of the IHL, particularly Articles 48, 51, and 53 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions.
Bulatlat joined the August mission, interviewing residents of the affected peasant communities. The Bulatlat report focused on the psychological and socio-economic impact of military visits to the civilian farmers, and the red-tagging that the local organization was subjected to.
Read: Crackdown, psywar vs Bulacan farmers intensify
Part of the joint recommendations of the KMP and peasant rights watchdog Tanggol Magsasaka is to address the economic and mental health impacts of military harassment, and ending and retracting the red-tagging against legal personalities and farmers.
The armers are food producers who sell their produce directly to consumers, bypassing the unfair pricing imposed by middlemen. They have also asserted their right to agricultural land against landlords such as Greggy Araneta III, who has been claiming the ownership of the farmers’ lands and the brother-in-law of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“This contradicts the black propaganda of the 80th IB and NTF-ELCAC, claiming that the Bagsakan farmers are members of the NPA [New People’s Army],” Rex Cesora from Tanggol Magsasaka said.
It is also highlighted in the earlier report of Bulatlat that the local government officials are experiencing restraint in exercising their powers to intervene in the plight of farmers because the lands are “privately owned by Araneta” and the military elements are “operating within their legal bounds.”
In the forum, Cecil Rapiz, chairperson of the local peasant group Alyansa ng Magbubukid ng Bulacan (AMB), recounted the military intimidation against her.
“They’re looking for me. If I go out, I know they’ll plant something in my house,” said Rapiz.
This fear was the chilling effect brought when the 80th IB and Bulacan PNP conducted a rogue operation to raid the house of KMP Secretary General Ronnie Manalo during his absence. The raid happened on June 18, without the knowledge of the City Government of SJDM, and KMP said that arms and explosives were planted in the house of Manalo.
Read: Raids, harassment prelude to crackdown – rights group
More than 400 farmers are affected in the latest series of militarization, paralyzing the operations of local peasant organizations Samahan ng mga Magsasaka ng San Isidro (SASAMAG) and Tungkong Mangga Upland Farmers Association Inc. (TMUFAI) due to targeted military visits and terrorist-tagging. The joint report also revealed that the incidents of military intimidation and coercion persists even after the solidarity mission.
“The ongoing military operations have tarnished the reputation of local farmers’ organizations and disrupted their activities. With their movements restricted, agricultural production has been affected. Many farmers, fearing for their safety, are now unable to properly tend to their crops and animals,” the report read. (RTS, RVO)
