THE Army’s 58th Infantry Battalion (58IB) slams anew the New People’s Army (NPA) for allegedly violating the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) after government troops recovered landmines and several explosives during a renewed clash in Claveria, Misamis Oriental last week.
In a statement, the military said the recovery of the landmines manifests the continued violation of the communist rebels of the provisions of Geneva Conventions and IHL.
58IB commander Lieutenant Colonel Roy Anthony Derilo said the recovery of this weapons during the encounters was also a violation of the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and other Crimes Against Humanity.
“Weapons, projectiles and material and methods of warfare which are of the nature to cause superfluous injury and unnecessary suffering or which are inherently indiscriminate in violation of the international law of armed conflict,” Derilo cited provision of the law.
In the recent firefights in Misamis Oriental, the 58IB recovered several improvised explosive device (IEDs), grenades, firearms, magazines and ammunition along with the personal belongings, medicines and subversive documents.
An army soldier was wounded in the Claveria clash while undetermined number of NPA fighters were injured, according to the military.
“This is a total disregard of the laws of armed conflict and international humanitarian law by the NPA terrorists. Their manufactured IEDs inflict excessive damage and suffering to their victims,” Derilo said.
“I urge the communities in MisOr and whole Philippines as well to support the programs of our government to bring peace and end local communist armed conflict and stop these NPA terrorists from further conducting atrocities that inflict unnecessary suffering,” he added. (Alwen Saliring)