Killing of 14 Negros farmers

Members of the National Fact-Finding and Solidarity Mission that looked into police operations that killed 14 people in Negros Oriental on March 30 will present the complete results and full report of their investigation at a press conference on Thursday.

They said a joint position will also be issued regarding the Palace's statement that the families of those who died should just file cases against police officers involved in the operations.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, UMA, and Karapatan are launching on Thursday, April 4, a national fact-finding and solidarity mission to look into the killings of the 14 people killed in police operations in Negros Oriental last Saturday.

UMA media officer Gi Estrada says the groups will document the killings in Sta. Catalina, Manjuyod and Canlaon and get witnesses' statements.

The Palace and the Philippine National Police have said that those killed were suspected of participation in attacks on military and police personnel. They were allegedly killed while "fighting back" against police officers serving warrants before dawn last Saturday.

Samira Gutoc, a former assemblywoman for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, calls on government to stop labelling farmers and progressives as communist rebels without evidence.

"This red-tagging has got to end. Stop pointing at anyone as communists without sufficient proof! These tokhang-style killings should be investigated independently. These nanlaban narratives should be counterchecked," she says in a statement.

"Sa ating mga kapulisan, please stop from killing the farmers who put food on our table! These killings prove that the culture of impunity being allowed by our law enforcement agencies are worsening," she also says.

The Makabayan bloc of the House of Representatives has filed a resolution seeking hearings on police operations over the weekend that left 14 people dead in Negros Oriental.

LOOK | Makabayan bloc files resolution requesting for an investigation on the death of 14 individuals in police operations in Negros Oriental. (via @News5AKSYON / @zony_corazon) pic.twitter.com/UZsmL5G9fR

— ONE News PH (@onenewsph) April 3, 2019

The police Internal Affairs Service is already looking into the deaths, which the Philippine National Police and the Palace have said were justified because those who died allegedly "fought back" when search warrants were served on them before dawn on March 30. The government said the subjects of the operations were suspected of participation in attacks against the military and police.

The Commission on Human Rights is also looking into the killings but rights groups and farmers' groups have said a congressional hearing is needed to shed light on the deaths of the 14, among them a 67-year-old farmer.

The Makabayan bloc is not part of the either the majority nor the recognized minority bloc of the House and it is unlikely that hearings can actually be conducted.

The Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura is calling for a congressional inquiry into the deaths of 14 farmers and habal-habal drivers in police operations in Negros Oriental last Saturday.

UMA says the Palace has prejudged the deaths as justified even if the police Internal Affairs Service is still looking into the operations. Police General Oscar Albayalde said Monday that the IAS investigates all cases of deaths during police operations.

"[T]his is the second time that the Palace prejudged such dastardly acts in Negros. The first time was when it only re-echoed the police and military’s version of the Sagay massacre which occurred on October 20, 2018, even when its investigation was not yet finished," UMA says in a statement.

"As such, UMA is urging congress to investigate the killing of 14 farmers by supporting Anakpawis Partylist and Makabayan bloc's filing of a house resolution to conduct a Congressional inquiry on the incidents. UMA also welcomes the Commission on Human Right’s pledge to conduct its own probe on these."

UMA says the probe should look into why police served the search warrants after midnight and look into reports that the police and military personnel who served them were "wearing facemasks and other paraphernalia to conceal their identities."

Police General Oscar Albayalde, Philippine National Police chief, says the deaths of 14 people in Negros Oriental should not be called a massacre since the deaths happened across the province.

"Hindi totoong ito ay massacre ito ay nangyari sa ibat-ibang mga lugar," he says, adding the police operations were covered by 36 search warrants.

"There were also 12 people who were arrested, meron naman pong hindi nanlaban at naaresto. Itong mga 14 na ito, ito yung mga sinasabi nilang nanlaban," he says.

The Commission on Human Rights says it has instructed its regional sub-office in Central Visayas to investigate the deaths of the 14 farmers in Negros Oriental.

"At this point, our interest is finding out the truth behind a police operation, which authorities claim to be meant to serve warrants of arrest, but resulted to 14 deaths of farmers and a cop said to be injured," CHR spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia says.

"Even claims of resisting arrest to justify fatalities need to be tried before courts to ensure that there are no lapses and ascertain if the circumstances really warrant the offence from the police, resulting [in] the curtailment of life."

Rights groups are demanding justice for the deaths of 14 farmers in Negros Oriental on Saturday.

Karapatan in a statement Sunday says the killings were allegedly perpetrated by the Philippine National Police in Canlaon City, Sta. Catalina and Manjuyod towns in Negros Oriental.

Eight farmers were reportedly killed in Canlaon City, at least two peasant leaders were dead in Sta. Catalina town and four fatalities were reported in Manjuyod.

According to Antonio "Ka Tonying" Flores, newly elected chairperson of peasant group UMA, the deaths were similar to what happened in Guihulngan and nearby places late last year when six farmers were killed "tokhang style" because they allegedly fought it out with police and military elements.

READ: Killings of farmers on the rise under Duterte

UMA says the latest deaths put the number of peasants killed at 198 since President Duterte took office in 2016.

Karapatan is still verifying reports on at least 12 arrested local peasant leaders in Manjuyod. 

Check here as we monitor updates on this issue.