Karapatan decries arrest of rights workers as rebels

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — At least 11 human rights workers in the provinces have been arrested in what rights group Karapatan calls a crackdown on activist organizations.

 

The group reported that nine human rights workers in Batangas and two in Western Mindanao have been illegaly arrested and detained since last Saturday.

 

Karapatan Secretary-General Cristina Palabay decried a seeming trend in the "brazen and arbitrary" arrests of activists, which, she said is becoming a trend.

 

She said the human rights workers were arrested for allegedly being members of the communist New People's Army, which she described as "among the oldest tricks in the [Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines'] 'how to get away with illegal arrest and human rights violations' rulebook." 

 

According to Chief Inspector Jay Pineda, police chief of Nasugbu in Batangas, nine suspected NPA guerrillas were arrested on Monday night after a clash with soldiers. Those arrested had been identified as involved in an ambush on Air Force personnel earlier that day.

 

READ: 9 NPA rebels arrested in Batangas

 

But, Karapatan said, those arrested were members of the quick reaction team of the affiliated Batangas Human Rights Alliance.

 

Karapatan said the nine are members of Batangas farmers' groups Habagat and the Samahang ng Pinagkaisang Damdamin ng Barangay Quisumbing. The group said the team was on the way to Barangay Utod to monitor human rights violations when they were arrested.

 

The ambush on Air Force personnel happened in Barangay Utod.

 

Karapatan said that Senando Jacutin of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas in Western Mindanao and Rosario Tabanao of Karapatan Western Mindanao were also illegally arrested in Pagadian City on November 18 by police and Army personnel.

 

Palabay said arrests have intensified since the creation of the Inter-agency Committee on Legal Action of the PNP and AFP.

 

According to a PNP release on the committee, the move is meant to "strengthen the intelligence gathering and cooperation, investigation, prosecution and monitoring of cases against threat groups through IACOLA by establishing stronger coordination of ongoing and future efforts of the government in addressing these cases." 

 

Palabay said that the arrests of human rights workers hampers them from doing their jobs.

 

"How then can human rights and humanitarian organizations function and aid civilians amidst armed conflict when rights of human rights workers are being curtailed?  Human rights workers, in the conduct of their work, have already one foot in the grave," she said.

The arrests come as President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly said he will declare the NPA, which has been fighting to establish a revolutionary government since 1969, a terrorist organization.

 

"I told (presidential peace adviser Jesus) Dureza and (government chief negotiator Silvestre) Bello: ‘You tell the guys there in Netherlands, I am no longer available for any official talk. Giyera na lang tayo (let us just wage war)," Duterte declared on Tuesday, November 21. 

 

Duterte said on November 19 that he is “not anymore inclined” to continue the peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA.

 

"I'll be issuing a proclamation. I will remove them from the category of a legal entity or at least a semi-movement which would merit our attention, placing them pareho sa (like) Amerika, terrorist," Duterte said.