Altermidya
By SHERWIN DE VERA
Northern Dispatch
BAGUIO CITY — Military airstrikes along the Ilocos Sur-Abra border have sparked widespread condemnation due to concerns over violations of international humanitarian law and the disproportionate use of force.
The bombings happened on April 2 in the boundary of Barangays Baballasioan, Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, and Nagcanasan, Pilar, Abra, and have raised concerns about the displacement of civilians and the disruption of their economic activities.
Indigenous groups and rights organizations protested in front of Camp Emilio Aguinaldo, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) headquarters, on April 5, criticizing the bombings and urging the immediate cessation of such actions, and the reassessment of government strategies to address the armed conflict.
“These bombings, described by locals as overkill, are not only a gross violation of human rights but also a reckless display of force… They should uphold CARHRIHL and international humanitarian law,” Beverly Longid, the national convenor of Katribu-Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas said.
The Comprehensive Agreement on Respect of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, or CARHRIHL, is a landmark agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the revolutionary forces represented by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. It results from the first substantive agenda of the peace negotiations between the parties.
The military reported that troops from the 50th Infantry Battalion clashed with New People’s Army guerillas on April 2 in the mountainous areas of Nagcasan. The sporadic battles, which started just before noon, lasted until around 7:00 in the evening. Officials said the aerial bombardment was to support their troops on the ground and ensure the safe retrieval of a wounded soldier from the area of the firefight.
Despite the military’s claims, indigenous peoples’ rights advocate Panaghiusa said, “The intense, indiscriminate bombings put the lives of innocent civilians in grave danger, compelling them to flee their homes and disrupting their livelihoods. They had to evacuate their homes, and their economic activities had to be disrupted.”
The Office of Civil Defense and the local government of Santa Maria recorded 140 families, composed of 493 individuals, evacuated for their safety. These include 58 families (201 individuals) in Nagcanasan and 34 families (118 individuals) in Brgy. Gapang in Pilar, and 21 families (83 individuals) from Sitio Paring in Babalasioan, and 27 families (91 individuals) in Gusing in Santa Maria. Authorities said the evacuees had returned to their homes as of the afternoon of April 4.
Meanwhile, Ilocos farmers’ group Solidarity of Peasants Against Exploitation (Stop Exploitation) pointed out the government could have used the funds for bombs to support drought-stricken farmers.
“Habang binabaha ng bilyun-bilyong pondo ang AFP na siya nitong ginagamit sa pambobomba, nananatiling tigang ang kinabukasan ng mga magsasaka sa rehiyon na sinalanta ng matinding tagtuyot,” the group said.
(While the AFP receives billions of funds, which it uses for the bombings, while the future of farmers in regions devastated by severe drought remains bleak.)
Abra and Ilocos Sur were among the provinces the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) identified to take a hit from the El Niño. The latest situation report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed damage from the weather phenomenon has already reached P1.23 billion, with the Ilocos region incurring P54.4 million.
“The military operations in these peasant communities have severely hindered local farmers from tending to their tobacco, corn, and rice crops. The AFP’s armed and psywar attacks are an added burden on the residents who are already reeling from the effects of the drought brought about by El Niño,” human rights group Karapatan said.
They called for an immediate halt to military operations to allow affected residents to access relief and medical assistance.
“Human rights organizations and other concerned sectors must be allowed access to the affected communities to ascertain the extent of IHL violations and other violations of human rights in the course of the AFP’s operations,” Karapatan said. # nordis.net/ Photo from Katribu
