Palo, Leyte encounter: Militants seek justice for death of 'farmers'

Leaders of militant groups yesterday condemned the latest killings of farmers in barangay Palo, Leyte and demanded justice for the victims of the incident, which was allegedly perpetrated by the elements of the 19th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Leaders of Bayan Muna, Karapatan and Gabriela accused the military of lying to cover up what they call a "massacre."

Karapatan said that the Central Command, which has jurisdiction over the 19th IB, is also fabricating evidences to make the victims appear as rebels.

In a press statement, the group said that the victims were mere farmers and were members of peasant groups who were gathering for a peaceful protest.

The group said that the farmers were not rebels but were all beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program and were part of the Balik-Uma activity being held in the area when they were "arbitrarily strafed" by members of the AFP.

"It was plain massacre. At least seven protesting farmers and supporters were killed when the 19th IB troops, without warning, opened fire with grenade launchers at the unarmed protesters," the group said.

"Adding insult to injury, the AFP are now presenting the dead, wounded, arrested and missing protesters as NPAs to justify their thirst for blood," Karapatan added.

Meanwhile, Bayan Muna and Gabriela party-list representatives tagged President Arroyo and the AFP as number one terrorists, as they demand for justice on what happened in Palo, Leyte. They added that it is not true that the farmers are NPA members, although some of them are members of Bayan Muna.

Gabriela Women's Party representative Liza Maza tagged the Armed Forces of the Philippines as the "country's number one terrorist."

"This recent incident is a most revolting testament of the Arroyo regime's trigger happy, military posturing. They are sowing terror to evoke fear among the people hoping to quell dissent," Maza said. She added that the incident is a preview of what could happen if the military is given more leeway once the anti-terrorism bill is approved.

Bayan Muna Representative Joel Virador said that it is both unfortunate and enraging that the farmers' clamor for a piece of land to till so they could raise their families "was met by the same viciousness and naked repression" that has characterized the government's response to the peasantry's yearning for genuine land reform."

He also dismissed the statement of the AFP officials that there was an encounter before the incident happened, adding that it is pure "rehash and outrageous" to say that there was an encounter.

Aside from suppressing the farmers' rightful demands for land, Virador said the massacre was connected with the military's heightened campaign to quash all forms of people's dissent in the region. - Wenna A. Berondo