Human rights groups in Negros and Panay yesterday called on the military to honor its vows to respect and uphold civil liberties by answering claims of their alleged involvement in political killings and enforced disappearances.

Representatives from Karapatan-Negros, Selda-Panay, September 21 Movement, Northern Negro Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, and the Promotion of Church People’s Response, made the call as they hit what they called the “rapid militarization” of certain areas in the country, particularly, Negros.

The group said in a press conference that Negros has seen a continuous deployment of military personnel to target organizations like them after being tagged as “legal fronts” of rebels.

They also called the Army’s supposed cooperation for development with the Catholic church, through its recent agreement with the four dioceses in Negros, a form of psychological warfare aimed at covering up it past human rights violations.

Lawyer Ben Ramos of the September 21 Movement, said it is difficult to believe the statements of the military that it is working to protect freedoms because of the numerous extra-judicial killings and abductions tagged to it.

“If they practice what they say, (the public) will eventually believe them but the problem is that while one case has not been solved yet, another one happens,” Ramos said, citing the case of seven farmers who he said, were detained by the Army on vague accusations.

Romeo Tagud, an Iglesia Filipina Independiente priest, said that the military’s involvement in human rights violations could easily be stopped or prevented if they are not part of a systemic policy level attitude sanctioned by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration.

Karapatan-Negros secretary-general, Fred Caña, said that if the military is sincere in its cooperation with the church, it must first stop denying its involvement in human rights violations as it has done even after the findings of international institutions such as the United Nations.

Forge Perez of Selda-Panay asked “Where have their everyday vows to uphold the supremacy of civilian authority over the military gone?”.

Perez noted that until now, the disappearance of activists Ma. Luisa Posa-Dominado and Nilo Arado, who were abducted by armed men in Iloilo City on April 12 last year, have not been solved.

Dominado’s daughter, May Wan, said that even though they think her mother and Arado are already dead, but still hope to see them again, alive.

Maj. Nathaniel Villasor, 303rd Infantry Brigade Civil Military Operations chief, said that it is up to the public to discern who is to be believed in the decades-long conflict between them and the New People’s Army.

He said that while the NPA has repeatedly claimed that it protects the livelihood of people, it has done the contrary through its attacks on industrial installations such as sugarcane fields in Negros.

“The people should see the actions of the military,” Villasor said in a telephone interview.

He also said that they are still open to dialogs with the NPA, and instead of continuously arguing, they should sit down and bring the issues on the table as they are all working for development.*PP

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