MEMBERS of progressive groups hit the Philippine Army's 10th Infantry Division following the alleged threats and harassments from army members to the civilians in Palma Gil village, Talaingod, Davao del Norte.
Save Our Schools (SOS) Network spokesperson Rius Valle said the recent incident involved the Salugpongan Community Learning Center head Ronie Garcia of the same village.
Valle said Garcia was on his way to attend a moving up ceremony of the center on Friday, March 24, when he and his group were held by “plain-clothes soldiers” in Sto. Niño.
He added Garcia was reportedly asked if he is part of the contingent.
“The group denied to avoid the school director from being singled out and interrogated. Garcia has been subjected to harassment and that suspected state agents were tailing him in the past two months,” Valle said.
Valle said there were already 87 cases of harassments that were reported since June 2016, including harassment of teachers, military encampment in school premises and vilification of schools.
Bayan Muna in Southern Mindanao Secretary General Sheena Duazo and Tony Salubre, of the Farmers' Association of Davao City, also reported suspected intelligence officers have been monitoring their activities.
Duazo said she is even being monitored by the intelligence in her residence.
She added she has been asked many questions about the movement and encouraged to report the whereabouts and the activities of the other members.
“The man introduced himself as intelligence member of the Army's 10th Infantry Division, Sergeant Patrick dela Cerna. Someone also introduced himself as a police intelligence officer named Romeo Sumuya,” Salubre said in vernacular.
Duazo and Salubre questioned the motives of the members of the intelligence unit who are monitoring their activities which include engaging communities on the prospects of peace talks and consulting constituencies on peace agenda.
10th Infantry Division spokesperson Rhyan Batchar, in a separate interview, said the division has not received any complaint similar to the claim of the three leaders of the progressive groups.
He added they will look into it.
Batchar also encouraged the three groups and those who were allegedly harassed to file a proper complaint to local government units, police stations and/or military units, to be fair and so they can also immediately act on the matter.
“We will gladly accept and help them. We will not tolerate harassments if there is any. So, I encouraged them to file a formal complaint so we can look into it and discipline those military involved in human rights violations,” Batchar said.