Monday, February 19, 2007 Army group open to slay probes
THE Fourth Infantry Division of the Philippine Army welcomed over the weekend Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno's call to create special courts to hear cases of unexplained killings of an ideological nature.
"This step of the Chief Justice is a solid step towards ending the culture of violence and violation of human rights by extremist elements, which will hopefully open a new window of cooperation from all affected parties and sectors," Fourth ID chief Major General Jose T. Barbieto said.
Barbieto issued the statement amid the recent murder of militant leader Dalmacio Gandinao at his home in Salay town, Misamis Oriental.
Militant leaders have roundly condemned the murder of Gandinao, leader of the militant left-leaning Misamis Oriental Farmers's Association (Mofa).
In a recent visit to Cagayan de Oro by Bayan Muna partylist Representative Satur Ocampo, militant groups pledged to elevate Gandinao's murder before the United Nations (UN) special commission tasked to investigate alleged summary killings in the country.
The Fourth ID denied being involved in any summary killings and said it supports an investigation into the murder of Gandinao and other militant leaders and members killed in the province or Northern Mindanao.
It also dismissed a call by militant groups to have its 38th Infantry Battalion withdrawn from Salay town, saying this would only allow the total occupation of the communist New People's Army (NPA) of the area.
Salay town is one of several areas plagued by the communist insurgency in Misamis Oriental, the others being the towns of Balingasag and Lagonglong and the component city of Gingoog.
For his part, Barbieto said the creation of the special courts shows the National Government's sincerity in solving militant murders in the country.
He said the international community is beseeched to provide support for capacitating such courts.
Barbieto said all institutions of the government are committed to getting to the bottom of all the extrajudicial killings and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
He also called on the relatives of the victims, the witnesses, and even militant groups for their help in laying down the evidence. (Stephen Capillas with a report from Trends)
