By ILOILO – In three different press releases sent to various media outfits and dated December 26, the Jose Percival Estocada Jr. Command of the New People’s Army (NPA) Central Front-Panay denounced the continuing harassment and attacks perpetrated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in line with the 56th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on December 26.
The group underlined the most recent and prominent series of attacks by the state on revolutionary groups, especially in remote peasant communities in the provinces of Panay.
ABUSE OF ‘PROTOCOLS OF WAR’
The group pointed out the continuous violation by the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division of ‘protocols of war’ by placing communities under focused military operations. The NPA also claimed that elements of the AFP are violating the protocols of war by killing their enemies who are already hors de combat. The group cited the case of Alvin Panoy, alias Ka Benmar, who was captured alive during the alleged encounter that took place in Sitio Hilwan, Brgy. Manika, Libacao, Aklan, on October 31, 2024.
According to Panoy’s companions, they heard Panoy’s last cry, followed by an order from a military official to tie him up. They also heard him scream before he was shot, with the military shouting “take your dead body here” followed by “advance Happy New Year.” The military claimed that a subsequent encounter occurred on November 1, although this was not confirmed.
A similar situation occurred with Jeryl Katipunan, alias Ka Jason. According to the NPA statement, Katipunan was wounded during the encounter in Brgy. Tacayan, Tapaz, Capiz, on December 9, 2024, and he died while his unit was retreating. The NPA claimed that on December 10, the military found Katipunan’s body, shot it again, and claimed there was a second encounter.
The group also highlighted the killings of Concha Araneta-Bocala, Vicente Hinojales, Aurelio Bosque, and eight others in different areas of Calinog, Lambunao, and Antique in August of this year. They claimed that said personalities were captured when they could no longer fight, tortured, and then killed.
According to the group, these events represent blatant and serious violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the Geneva Convention, and are proof of the “brutality and bloodthirstiness of the military.”
“It shows the severity of the crisis that the people are suffering, as the US-Marcos II regime fails to address the people’s problems through peaceful means, which pushes them to resolve this through armed resistance. While militarization continues in the countryside, the military’s violations of the people’s rights will persist,” the group added./PT
