State forces kill two abaca farmers in Catanduanes

Abaca farmers Lito Aguilar, 33, and Christopher Abraham, 31, were gunned down by 83rd IB and PNP Catanduanes Provincial Mobile Force Company elements in Barangay Taopon, Panganiban, Catanduanes in the early morning of September 22. Civilians Jimmy Sierra, Joseph Torado and Jomarie Calderon were also wounded during the incident.

After commiting crime, the soldiers placed rifles alongside the cadavers to make it appear that the two are members of the New People’s Army. Barrio residents vehemently denied this claim. The barangay captain said that the five victims were related to each other and were only fishing on the river for Aguilar’s wedding celebration.

In Agusan del Sur, operating troopers of the 29th IB and Scout Rangers gunned down Datu Carlito Anduhuyan at Sitio Dandanon, Barangay Kolambugan, Sibagat on September 14. His companion, Jhonny Boy Dandanon, survived the shooting. Soldiers also purportedly confiscated a rifle as evidence and declared the victim a member of the NPA.

Contrarily, his relatives and barriofolks asserted that Anduhuyan is a civilian. The victim only went to the mountain to cut timber.

Illegal arrest. Seven activists were illegally arrested in an AFP-PNP checkpoint in Puerto Princesa, Palawan on October 4 at 8:30 p.m. Among those arrested was former Karapatan-Southern Tagalog spokesperson Glendyhl Malabanan. He was arrested using a warrant listing several aliases, but did not include his name.

Malabanan was arrested after their group conducted an investigation on the human rights violations perpetrated by the AFP against the peasants of Taytay.

In Navotas City on September 22, police operatives illegally arrested, detained and mauled Nardric Poras, 17, a member of Kadamay-Metro Manila. This was after rushing his friend, who sustained a gunshot wound during an “anti-drug” police operation, to the hospital. Poras was acccused of peddling illegal drugs.

In Northern Samar, 20th IB troopers arrested Christian Sabado, Anton Manoso and Edson Piczon on October 2 at 11 a.m. in Barangay San Francisco, Las Navas. The three are members of the Northern Samar Small Farmers’ Association, and were conducting a research on the pest problem which has adversely affected farmlands in the province, particularly those in Catubig and Las Navas.