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Feb
20
2008
| A CRY FOR JUSTICE, A CRY FOR PEACE |
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| Written by Amron Rashed P. R.S. Alim | ||||||||
| Wednesday, 20 February 2008 | ||||||||
Page 2 of 3
A CRY FOR JUSTICE, A CRY FOR PEACE SOLIDARITY STATEMENT OF THE CBCS ON THE MASSACRE OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS IN BGY. IPIL, MAIMBUNG, SULU BY MEMBERS OF THE SWAG OF THE PHILIPPINE NAVY AND LRC OF THE PHILIPPINE ARMY IN THE PRESENCE OF U.S. TROOPS FROM THE BALIKATAN EXERCISES The massacre perpetrated against innocent civilians in Brgy. Ipil, Maimbung, Sulu on February 4, 2008 by members of the Special Warfare Group of the Philippine Navy and Light Reaction Company of the Philippine Army, in the company of US soldiers who are part of the Balikatan Exercises under the Visiting Forces Agreement, is viewed by the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society as a truly barbaric and gang-like act that is unworthy of the assertions of the Philippine Military Institution that it is the protector of the people. It is indicative of inhuman behavior and is a clear culpable violation of what the Philippine Government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines has sworn to uphold. It is also a gross infringement of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights of which the Philippines and the US are co-signatories. To recall, elements of the Navy Special Warfare Group and Army Light Reaction Company (PN-SWAG, PA-LRC) of the Philippine Navy conducted a military operation in Brgy. Ipil, Maimbung at 2:30 o’clock in the morning of Monday, February 4, based on an information given to them by one of their assets that the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) who had kidnapped and hostaged Tawi Tawi-based Chinese businesswoman Rosalinda Lao was in the vicinity. However, the hostile situation imagined by the PN-SWAG, PA-LRC was indeed fictitious, as Brgy. Ipil is a flat and open islet filled with mangroves situated near the mainland of Maimbung, with no trees and dotted only with thirty (30) houses. Not even a rookie kidnapper in his right mind would bring his hostage in such a non-ideal location. As per recounted by survivors of the incident, these so called “soldiers” of the people forced the residents out of their houses, threatening all of them that they would be indiscriminately fired at if they did not do so. One of the residents, an MNLF integree of the 40th IB of the Philippine Army assigned at San Mateo, Cotabato City who was on the 3rd day of his official leave, Cpl. Ibno Wahid, came out of his house and identified himself, calling back, “Papa Alpha” to inform the soldiers that he was of the Philippine Army. Despite showing all the paraphernalias to prove his identity, Cpl. Wahid was harassed and accused of being a member of the ASG. He was hogtied with plastic handcuffs and made to lie flat on his stomach. They then kicked his back with their heavy boots and stepped on it. After that, an M-16 rifle was pressed on his back and a full magazine of bullets was emptied to his spine, in front of his pleading wife. At the time when the shots were fired, three families composed of eleven (11) individuals from nearby houses fled towards the shore and rode on a small wooden boat or banka to get away. They were intercepted by a rubber naval boat and at about two meters distance, they were strafed at without let up. In the process, seven more civilians were killed. One was a four year old girl, Marisa Failan, another was a nine year old boy, Rismin Lahim, and yet another was a four-month pregnant woman, 24 year old Nasriyah Bin Akub. A Barangay kagawad, Eldhisim Lahim, was also killed. His eyes was mutilated and his right pointer finger was cut out. One of those who had survived from the banka, Saida Failan, mother of Marisa Failan, shouted at the soldiers on the naval boat and pleaded not to fire at them because they were all civilians. But their pleas were not heeded. Another survivor said that someone from the boat shouted “fire” right before the carnage began. In the middle of the carnage, two of the survivors dove into the water and steered the banka away from the naval boat towards the direction of another islet, Mahika. Luckily, a two year old baby survived the massacre, because a fifteen year old teen managed to drop herself over the baby on the banka floor. The widow of Cpl. Wahid, Rawina Wahid, who was also handcuffed, was later brought to the naval boat together with the body of her husband. Inside, she saw at least four (4) US soldiers. She also saw some of her properties and livestock onboard, apparently looted by this very same group. The presence of the US soldiers was later confirmed by vendors along the wharf of the Jolo port, because they saw them go off-board along with Rawina Wahid, the body of Cpl. Wahid, and the PN-SWAG, PA-LRC soldiers after it had docked. What is amazingly horrible to this sorry scenario is that no ASG was found in the area. No Rosalinda Lao was found and rescued either. And instead, there was a massacre of innocent civilians, a summary execution of a member of the Philippine Army, massive looting attributed to elements of the PN-SWAG, PA-LRC, and shockingly, to add insult to injury, medals were awarded to the very perpetrators of this heinous crime and Task Force Comet Commanding Officer, BGEN Ruben Rafael only said, “Sorry” to Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan for the gruesome incident. These facts are more than enough to refute and debunk the earlier claims of Task Force Comet that it was a legitimate AFP-ASG encounter. There seems to be moral erosion within the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This state of unreliability on their part as front liners of the government does not bode well at a time when the separate peace processes with the MNLF and the MILF are fluid and volatile at best. This insanity must end and it must end now! It is in this context that we, the undersigned leaders of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society, vehemently condemn in the highest terms the terroristic, merciless and senseless mass killing and summary execution done by the PN-SWAG, PA-LRC to the innocent civilians of Bgy. Ipil whose main reason for living in that islet was to ekk out a meager income derived from the seaweed and mangrove products in the area. We also condemn the obvious presence of at least four US soldiers from the Balikatan Exercises during the incident and in their act of condoning and/or aiding and abetting such a massacre to happen. This substantiates the general apprehension and fear of many sectors that the VFA and the Balikatan Exercises are nothing but clear and present dangers to the peace and security of the people in Mindanao, especially to the Bangsamoro. We are one with the families of the victims of the Bgy. Ipil Massacre as they mourn the untimely and tragic death of their loved ones in the hands of alleged defenders of the people. We also pray for the eternal repose of their soul. May Allah (S.W.T.) keep them in His infinite bosom and give them everlasting succor and bliss. Let not the culture of impunity perpetuate within the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Let us be reminded that sovereignty resides in the people and all government authorities emanate from them. Let us uphold that civilian authority is always supreme over military authority, not the other way around. We, therefore, call on all national and local leaders in the government, in the military and in the private sector, as well as civil society organizations, concerned agencies, institutions and individuals here and abroad who are true servants of the people to join us in strongly urging the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Administration to sincerely act on the following, post haste:
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