Militants demand release of 71 Kidapawan farmers

MANILA, Philippines – Militant groups stormed the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday to call for the immediate release of 71 detained farmers in Kidapawan City in North Cotabato after the violent police dispersal of protesting peasants that resulted in the death of two persons and scores injured last April 1.

Members of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) questioned the arrest of the farmers and slammed the DOJ for recommending P12,000 bail for each farmer charged with direct assault for allegedly beating up some police officers.

“Each day that they spend in jail is an injustice. They were arrested without any warrant. They were charged with direct assault and blamed for the violence that the police inflicted on protesting farmers,” said Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr.

Reyes said among those arrested were three pregnant women, six senior citizens and several minors.

“They came to Kidapawan to ask for rice. Now they are being made to pay for their bail. They don’t even have money for food,” he lamented.

He said that the arrest was illegal.

Reyes cited findings in the recent Senate inquiry that many of the farmers were deceived by the police before they were arrested.

“They were promised a ride back to their communities and were even given food. It was only later that they were brought to a gym and a school where they were placed under arrest,” he stressed.

Last Monday, government prosecutors recommended P12,000 bail for each farmer and even opposed a move to lower the bail of the detained farmers to just P2,000 each.

They said such amount was too low and that the farmers could easily jump bail.

At the hearing yesterday, the court lowered the bail to P6,000, according to Reyes.

“We call on the people to continue to stand with the farmers of North Cotabato. Let us press for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained farmers and the dropping of the trumped-up charges against them,” he appealed.  

Bayan said the farmers have been detained for 13 days following the violent dispersal of protesters.

The minors have since been released from detention. Seven of the arrested were hospitalized for various injuries including gunshot wounds.

Volunteer nurses who were only trying to provide help for the farmers were also arrested. They have since posted bail, according to human-rights groups.

Bayan said that the charges against the farmers have no basis and the arresting officers violated their rights.

Lawyers from Manila are flying to Kidapawan today to provide legal assistance to the detained farmers and discuss the possibility of filing counter-charges against officials involved in human rights violations.

Sen. Francis Escudero lamented reports of government underspending of about P50 billion in Quick Reaction Funds (QRF), which would have helped minimize the ill effects of the El Niño dry spell on the farmers in Kidapawan.

Escudero, former Senate finance committee chairman, noted that the QRF was created and then placed into the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) to ensure that these funds can easily be tapped and disbursed during emergencies.

He said the government has been preparing for the impact of El Niño and La Niña for the past two years.

He said the violent police dispersal of the farmers’ protest in Kidapawan could have been prevented had the executive branch been doing its job. – With Rhodina Villanueva, Christina Mendez