Militants to Aquino: Scrap Oplan Bantay Laya

MANILA, Philippines -- President Benigno Aquino III should acknowledge the existence of extrajudicial executions of activists and scrap the operation plan behind these murders, militant partylist lawmakers said Thursday.

At the same time, they said they are willing to sit down with Aquino to present their concerns and offer solutions if the President wants to.

“Aquino’s vow to uphold human rights should be measured by concrete political and military reforms he is ready to initiate in his government, starting with the scrapping of Oplan Bantay Laya and its criminal component of targeting activists and civilians,” lawmakers said in a news conference in Quezon City.

Present in the forum were former Representatives Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza, president and vice president, respectively, of the partylist alliance Makabayan, Representatives Teodoro Casino of Bayan Muna, Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis, Luz Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus of Gabriela, Raymond Palatino of Kabataan, Antonio Tino of ACT Teachers, Ferdinand Gaite of Courage, and Arlene Brosas of Akap-Bata.

Seven members and supporters from militant groups -- including a municipal councilor, a human rights lawyer and a teacher -- have been killed since after the May 10 elections. Three of the victims were killed during the first two weeks of the Aquino administration.

Oplan Bantay Laya 2, which started last January 1, aims to “strategically defeat” the New People’s Army by 2010, when then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo steps down from office.

Militant groups have blamed this internal operation plan for the death of their members and supporters who have become its targets as “enemies of the state.”

Early this week, Aquino held a command conference with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, but did not touch on the policy.

Ocampo said they are alarmed over Aquino’s pronouncements toeing the line of the police and the military that some of the incidents were not political in nature, but due to personal grudges.

“We are hoping that President Aquino can be more discerning with regards to the reports submitted to him and must look at the historical facts of the problem so he’ll be guided on the key elements that bring about these killings,” Ocampo said.

Casino said the key issue is the “state policy resulting in the killings.”

“President Aquino has to recognize that and from there, do something to scrap the policy. As commander in chief, President Aquino has the biggest role in stopping the killings,” he said.

Maza said this appears to be a case of “déjà vu” of the Arroyo administration recreated in the current administration of Aquino.

“It feels like déjà vu. Even without an investigation, he believes in the military’s excuse that the killings were due to personal grudges. The military under Arroyo said the same thing before, even without an investigation, they easily absolve themselves and this is worrisome,” Maza said.

Ilagan said Oplan Bantay Laya promotes the “culture of impunity” among state forces.

“It’s the culture of impunity that we are worried about. If the President dismisses these cases as a grudge among the victims then that is tantamount to giving the go-signal that you go on with the killings and that that is what troubles us,” she said.

Ocampo and Casino said they are willing to talk with the President on this concern.

“We are willing to meet with him privately and present our concerns and hopes he hears us out,” Ocampo said.

In 1987 after being released from detention as a political prisoner, Ocampo sought a private meeting with then President Corazon Aquino, but he said this was not allowed by the Aquino’s advisers.

Casino said it is important for Aquino to listen to other voice, not just the police and the military.

“It’s important that he reaches out to the victims of extrajudicial killings so he’ll get a more balanced perspective,” he added.

In a separate statement, the partylist leaders also called on the President to heed the following measures:

* Immediately put a stop to the practice of AFP and PNP of tagging and vilifying legal progressive organizations as communist fronts and state enemies;
* Remove from AFPs counter-insurgency program the policy of “neutralizing” (which include physical elimination) activists and militant organizations; immediately implement administrative measures and sanctions that will enforce command responsibility and ensure the policy of “no harassment, abduction and killings” of activists;
* Stop political persecution, through the filing of fabricated chargers, of leaders and members of legal progressive parties and organizations and instead focus on prosecuting and arresting masterminds and perpetrators of extrajudicial killings of activists including Former Sec. Norberto Gonzales and Former Gen. Jovito Palparan;
* Strongly support the passage of proposed laws on command responsibility, enforced disappearances, and Marcos and Arroyo human rights victims compensation bills.

Source: Inquirer