Advocates see more human rights violations under Noy

MANILA, Philippines - More human-rights violations will take place as the government’s counter-insurgency program Oplan Bayanihan nears its deadline and President Aquino refuses to sit and talk peace with the National Democratic Front (NDF), a rights advocate said yesterday.

Nineteen NDF consultants are in jail on false charges, Karapatan secretary-general Cristina Palabay claimed.

“Instead of releasing detained NDF consultants as its obligation and as a sign of sincerity to pursue the talks, the regime convicted Emeterio Antalan and Leopoldo Caloza on Sept. 17 for trumped-up charges of murder,” she said.

“In 2013, peace consultant Eduardo Sarmiento was also convicted.”

Eduardo Serrano has been in jail for more than 11 years for charges against a certain Rogelio Villanueva, Palabay said.

“At the very end, the Aquino government continues to violate the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees with the arrest of peace consultants,” she said.

The government-NDF peace talks have been stalled for almost five years now, Palabay said.

“The government is dishing out all kinds of lame excuses that blocked the process,” she said.

Palabay criticized the Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process (OPAPP) for allegedly serving as a conduit of the Armed Forces in the implementation of Oplan Bayanihan, instead of pushing forward the peace negotiation.

“Under the Whole of Nation Initiative of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which involves several civilian government agencies in carrying out Oplan Bayanihan, OPAPP representatives enter militarized communities with pseudo peace and development projects, especially in Mindanao, to complement the combat operations of the Philippine Army,” she said.

The OPAPP receives billions of pesos for the government’s peace process, both from the regular budget and from the Development Acceleration Program, Palabay said.

“OPAPP is not only the regime’s deodorizer but an active machinery in the psywar component of Oplan Bayanihan,” she said. “Definitely, there is no room for OPAPP in the genuine pursuit for justice and peace.” 

Several rights groups yesterday marched from España Boulevard in Manila to Chino Roces (Mendiola) Bridge, across Malacañang, to demand that the administration answer for the dire human rights situation in the country. – With Sheila Crisostomo, Ghio Ong