HUMAN rights watchdog Karapatan is urging the military to carry out President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to disband paramilitary groups whom they said are mostly responsible for unsolved killings in rural indigenous people’s communities.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Karapatan said, should comply with Duterte’s order to control government-backed paramilitary groups such as Bagani and cease their operation in the communities.
“Finally, a president of the Philippine government recognized and openly admitted that armed groups like the Bagani paramilitary are back by the government,” Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said in a statement.
“There should be no reason for the AFP to deny their links now. Instead, the AFP should follow their Commander-in-Chief’s order and pull out all paramilitary troops out of the communities,” Palabay said.
Karapatan noted that from July 2010 to June 30, 2016, there were documented 94 individuals allegedly killed by militias.
Among the most recent of these killings, Karapatan said, was the attack by the paramilitary group New Indigenous People’s Army for Reform (Nipar) during the traditional wedding ceremony in Barangay Kawayan, San Fernando, Bukidnon, that claimed the life of a pregnant woman last July 30, 2016.
According to Karapatan, at least 25 paramilitary groups operate in the country under the command of the armed forces.
Public funds amounting to at least P5 billion, it noted, were annually allocated for the said groups through the Department of National Defense budget under the then Aquino administration, aside from the funding through the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan principally administered by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process under then Teresita Deles.
In an alternative report submitted to the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights for the 27th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Karapatan cited that the Philippine government has yet to disband paramilitary groups and repeal Executive Order 546, which allows the creation and use of paramilitary forces, despite several UPR recommendations and a European Parliament resolution.
It said under Aquino’s presidency, human rights violations perpetrated by these militias continued with more bodies of indigenous peoples and activists piling up.
“With the unilateral ceasefire declaration of the Duterte administration, we recommend the complete pull-out of paramilitary troops in communities and their total disbandment. There should be no more public funds for these murders,” Palabay said. (JJJ)