
By DOMINIC GUTOMAN
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Coinciding with the filing of its complaint with the Commission on Human Rights, Negros-based development organization raised alarm over the surveillance activity in their compound on January 17.
Two men on board a motorcycle arrived outside the compound of Paghida-et sa Kauswagan Development Groun (PDG) in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental, at approximately 9:30 a.m. One of them took photographs of the vicinity using a mobile phone, while the driver remained on standby.
“When approached by a PDG staff member, the back rider exposed a pistol tucked in his waistband, a clear violation of the current election gun ban. The men immediately left the area without providing any explanation about their actions,” said PDG in a statement.
The remaining PDG workers in Kabankalan were able to identify one of the men. PDG found out that he was involved in a previous incident of harassment against Joselito Macapobre, a peasant leader and key witness in the defense of Perla Pavillar last year.
Pavillar and Federico Salvilla are PDG development workers who were arrested last January 2 over alleged violations of the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA). PDG believes that these charges are baseless and politically motivated.
“The continued harassment on individuals associated with this case, including witnesses and PDG staff, is deeply concerning and must be addressed immediately by the concerned government authority,” said PDG.
Land rights watchdog Tanggol Magsasaka also condemned the consecutive attacks against the workers of PDG.
“Such harassment and violence are blatant attempts to suppress the organization’s critical work in promoting agrarian reform, sustainable agriculture, and the protection of the rights of small farmers and fisherfolk,” Tanggol Magsasaka said in a statement.
Both organizations called for immediate and thorough investigation on the surveillance activity and the strict enforcement of the election gun ban. They also emphasized that there should be concrete steps to guarantee the safety and security of PDG, its workers, and its partner-communities.
PDG has a total of 36 partner-peoples’ organizations all throughout the Visayas region. Aside from the surveillance activity and potential harm to the community, they also called for the immediate release of Pavillar and Salvilla.
“Intimidation and threats will not deter our commitment to serve the poor communities,” PDG ended. (RTS, RVO)