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Saturday, March 24, 2007
Kin of slain militant leader denies Army behind murders
By Stephen Capillas
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- In what may be described as a "surprising twist," relatives of slain peasant leader Dalmacio Gandinao cleared the military of any involvement in Gandinao's murder and even questioned the intentions of militant groups in the case.
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In a press conference sponsored by the Fourth Infantry Division Friday afternoon, Herminilda Gandinao, daughter of Dalmacio and aunt of slain Siche Gandinao, admitted that they don't know yet who actually killed the two.
This came about even as militant groups held a rally in Divisoria to denounce anew the presence of troops in Salay town and demand its pullout, claiming they are responsible for the deaths of militants in the area.
As this developed, Fourth ID chief Major General Jose Barbieto reiterated that Siche is a government "mole" inside the local communist front, a claim vehemently denied by militant groups in press statements e-mailed to local media outlets.
During the same press conference, Barbieto said they lamented anew the attempts by "certain groups" to move for the pullout of the 8th Infantry Battalion in Salay town due to the deaths of the two militants.
He said the propaganda offensive waged by these groups has been elevated and magnified to induce the attention of other countries abroad.
"These barangay officials and natives voiced their support for continued military presence in Salay town," Barbieto said.
And during the press conference, Gandinao said, "They (Dalmacio's relatives) were confused as to where they would seek help to obtain justice for the murder cases."
She recounted that at the time of her father's death, members of the militant group Karapatan offered to help them.
"We really didn't know who killed him and Siche...They (Karapatan) promised that they will take care of it," she said.
She admitted that their plight may have been used by the groups, adding that at the time of Siche's death she heard stories from neighbors that Siche was killed by communist New People's Army (NPA) rebels.
For his part, Salay Vice Mayor Reynaldo Rafisura said a meeting with Salay residents sponsored by the Municipal Peace and Order Council disproved reports from militant groups of military harassment.
"There were two NPA Amazons who even sent feelers for surrender. During our meeting with the residents, they disproved the charges of these groups, saying these are mere false accusations," Rafisura said.
The Provincial Government recently conducted a peace dialogue with Salay residents concerning the recent deaths and said majority of the residents want the army to be retained in the area. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (March 24, 2007 issue)
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