KARAPATAN Negros together with Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) in Negros Occidental continued to seek justice for the deaths of leaders and members of the peasant organizations.
Clarizza Singson-Dagatan, secretary general of Karapatan Negros, in a press statement, said they condemned the series of killings and reported numerous cases of harassment and threats, particularly in Salvador Benedicto in Negros Occidental and Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental.
In the statement, they mentioned the killing of NFSW organizer Alexander Ceballos last January 20, and the slay of a village councilman in Barangay Igmaya-an, Salvador Benedicto last July 21.
The groups also said that other leaders, including Christian Tuayon, secretary general of Bayan-Negros, received death threats and a village councilman in Barangay Kumaliskis was even attempted to be killed last February 7.
The groups also claimed that leaders and members of Kaumag-on-KMP in Guihulngan City have been targeted for harassment, fabricated charges, vilification and extrajudicial killings (EJKs) by the military and other state forces.
After the Guihulngan ambush incident perpetrated by the New People's Army last July 21 that killed a police chief and five other police officers, a series of killings happened committed by unidentified men on motorcycles.
They believed that the killings happened from July 23 to August 30 were cases of EJKs.