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First Posted on Inside Mindanao (www.insidemindanao.com) on December 9, 2008
Mission team reports tales of rights abuses in Mindanao
By Antonio M. Manaytay
ZAMBOANGA CITY—Mohalidin Mandi's family together with their neighbors fled their homes in Barangay Tee, Datu Piang town of Maguindanao province early morning of Sept. 8, this year. As the two boats that carried the villagers composed mostly of children negotiated a treacherous river of the village that lead to town site, a fighter plane droned above and dropped a bomb near them killing instantly eight—six of whom were children—and wounding four others.
Mandi's wife, who was five months pregnant, and his father–in–law were killed in the attack. His son, Jamalubin, was wounded.
In Nalapaan village of Pikit, North Cotabato, several families who took shelter in a house were awakened by violent knocking at the door at around midnight of Oct. 15. The uniformed men, who were identified later as government troopers, threatened to strafe the house if the occupants will not open the door.
Fearful, the owner of the house opened the door. The bolo–wielding soldiers entered the house and ordered those inside to lie face down on the floor. Some of the men were allegedly beaten up and were locked up in a room.
The soldiers then asked the women if there was anyone upstairs to which the women replied in negative. According to the owner of the house, she was dragged by the soldiers to accompany them upstairs where they found a certain Rakman Suleik.
Witnesses said Rakman and his 17–year–old son, Samsudin, were beaten up by the soldiers. When the owner of the house pleaded not to hurt them, the soldiers allegedly inserted a flashlight into her mouth.
Rakman and his son were brought to the local police station in Aleosan town where the former learned that he was facing charges. His son was released after three days but Rakman remains in detention until now.
These are among the documented cases by the National Interfaith Humanitarian Mission (NIHM) in Maguindanao and North Cotabato last Oct. 23–25 convened by Kalinaw Mindanao which conducted human rights documentation, psycho–social and medical treatment, and relief operations for evacuees in these two municipalities.
The NIHM was composed of human rights groups, relief workers, church–based groups, doctors, nurses, students, business groups, human rights advocates, peace advocates and various cause–oriented groups.
In its six–page report released on the occasion of the 60th
International Human Rights celebrations, Dec. 10, Kalinaw Mindanao alleged that "the Arroyo administration would have the public believe that the renewed skirmishes in North Cotabato broke out following the Supreme Court's issuance of a temporary restraining order on the Aug. 5 signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MoA–AD) between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)".
Based on media reports, the NIHM report said, an encounter between the rebels and government forces in Sitio Maligaya of Malamote village in Kabacan took place as early as June 30. Another encounter reportedly between the MILF's 105th Brigade under Umbra Kato and the government forces took place in Sitio Tubak of Pagangan village in Aleosan.
These clashes resulted to the evacuations of civilians to Bagolibas village in Aleosan and Bualan and Nalapaan villages in Pikit.
The report noted that "before these incidents, there was already massive military deployment to North Cotabato, purportedly to secure the province for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) elections on Aug. 11."
Three days before the aborted signing of the ancestral domain agreement, 84 houses were razed to the ground in several villages of Aleosan town allegedly perpetrated by Moro rebels under Commander Kato.
Troop movements and military offensives intensified in the towns of Pikit, Aleosan, and Midsayap, the report noted.
"While the government claims that these offensives are directed against Kato and his group, civilians have not been spared from the effects of the military's attacks… the civilians have suffered various human rights abuses, ranging from violations of the right to life to violations of economic, social and cultural rights," Kalinaw Mindanaw in its report said.
The report warned of a looming humanitarian crisis. Most of the displaced families are still languishing in the different evacuation centers.
"The AFP's offensives have led to mass evacuations. In the evacuation centers, the displaced persons suffer from inadequate facilities. Most of them have set up tents in whatever public place available. With heavy rains and flooding now common at this time of year, many child evacuees are sick with cough, cold, fever, and diarrhea. A number of evacuees have died of disease. There is also the trauma experienced by the evacuees, particularly the children," it said.
The report, however, did not indicate the number of deaths in the evacuation centers.
Based on its investigations, the NIHM report concluded that "the military offensives in North Cotabato and Maguindanao are carried out under the pretext of pursuit operations against Kato and his group, but these in reality fall within the context of an all–out war."
It made swipe of the government's new policy of disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation (DDR) in the peace process after the Aug. 5 fiasco.
The new policy, it said, shuts the door to peace and leaves all–out war as the main option as it fears that the government is spawning a climate of impunity with its failure to have the concerned military personnel "to account for the atrocities against human rights."
The report urged "the government to immediately put a stop to military offensives and allow the evacuees to return home; and the issues being blamed as the reason for the escalating conflict be instead addressed in the proper forum, in particular the Coordinating Committee for the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH)."
On the occasion of the International Human Rights celebrations, the NIHM report called on the Arroyo government to investigate the alleged human rights violations and their perpetrators be made accountable as it called for the conduct of an independent probe to fully take into account the wide range of human rights abuses that have so far taken place since renewed fighting broke out.
Peace negotiations between the government and the MILF must be resumed, the NIHM also recommended.
END