The same was experienced by Batolina and Fernandez. In February 2004, they were nabbed by RPA elements in Hacienda Salone 2, Barangay 10, Victorias City. They were forced to walk blindfolded for hours through the sugarcane fields up to upland Barangay Concepcion, Talisay City.

At the RPA’s bivouac, they were interrogated about their areas of organizing, their alleged links with the New People’s Army (NPA), and who their companions are. Before they were released, they were warned to bolt the NFSW and instead join the Democratic Alliance of Labor Organizations (DALO), an organization believed to be backed by RPA, or else they will be executed.

Stephen Paduano (who is also widely known as Lualhati Carapali, national commander of the RPA), denied the RPA’s responsibility in the killings. He insinuated instead that the killings of NFSW organizers stemmed from internal conflicts within NFSW.

Lozande however lambasted Carapali saying “his denial of the RPA’s crimes is nothing but part of diversionary and psychological operations. How can he deny these when they, together with the PNP and AFP, have been engaging in a campaign of threats, intimidations, arrest and detentions of our leaders and members?”

Killing fields

In the past, northern Negros Occidental was tagged as “the killing fields of Negros” not only for the many killings that took place, but also for the brutality in which they were carried out.

Local political analysts said that the land ownership in northern Negros is more concentrated than in other parts of the region. In addition, there is the presence of relatively developed and bigger sugar mills like the Victorias Milling Company. These are said to make the landlords more consolidated in their economic and political interests and more brutal in dealing with the labor movement and insurgency.

Northern Negros has also been known for the presence of death squads, vigilante groups, paramilitary units and criminal syndicates that are known to have been organized, trained and operated by the military and police units, and financed by the big sugar planters.

Most brutal killings and assaults on militant activists in recent years reportedly took place in northern Negros.

Planned and systematic terror campaign

Fred Cana of Karapatan-Negros said that the killings which have reached alarming proportions can no longer be viewed as isolated, but a planned and systematic campaign of terror against members and leaders of the militant organization in the region.

Cana stressed that the militant mass organizations like NFSW and KMP which are among the most outspoken in exposing human rights violations and defending the people’s rights are natural targets of harassment and repression by the hired goons and armed elements of the big landlords.

The fact that there have been no victims from moderate and pro-administration organizations and that the militant organizations have been the government and RPA’s subject of nationwide terror campaign to vilify, demonize and decapitate, are enough proofs that only the RPAs and the military are the chief perpetrators of this terror, Cana added.

The reason why the military and the police appear helpless in getting the perpetrators is that they are part of the entire killing machine, Cana said.

Cana also hit the Macapagal-Arroyo administration for its lack of seriousness in honoring the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP).

CHR alarmed

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Negros expressed alarm over the trend of political killings against the progressive movement, and called on the culprits to “immediately stop the killings.”

“This should be stopped because this only worsens the already highly volatile economic and political situation in the region,” said Romeo Baldevarona, officer-in-charge of CHR-Bacolod.

He also doubted the government’s capability to end political killings since even the government protection program does not appear to give enough assurance to the witnesses in the killings to come out and help solve the killings.

Baldevarona cited the case of an alleged witness to the killing of Bargamento who hesitated to come out in the open because of distrust in the protection of the government and of the CHR. Bulatlat

Bulatlat.com

 Save as PDF