NPAs charged with human rights violation for Negros ambush

BACOLOD City, Philippines – Charges for violation of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) were slapped against New People’s Army (NPA) rebels suspected to be behind the ambush-slay of eight civilians and a policeman in La Castellana town last Jan. 27.

Senior Superintendent Celestino Guara Jr., acting Negros Occidental police director, said they have amended the charges filed against about 20 NPA rebels, who were earlier charged with nine counts of murder and 14 counts of frustrated murder. 

Republic Act 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity, punishes violations of the IHL, noting that civilians should not be harmed by either the military or rebels.

Guara said this is the first time that charges for violation of RA 9851 were filed against NPA rebels.

The respondents are members of the Casimba Platoon of the Larangan Guerilya 1, headed by Magno Flores.

Jaime Arroyo, secretariat head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, recommended the filing of charges for IHL violation following a visit to Barangay Puso La Castellana last Feb. 5.

 â€œWhat we have seen is a case against rebels, having ambushed a truck of civilians and a few police officers,” Arroyo said. 

He said the admission by the NPA that they were responsible for the ambush and the statement of witnesses that the victims were shot at close range confirmed their suspicion that the rebels violated the IHL.

“This is an attack on civilians which is specifically prohibited under the International Humanitarian Law,” he said.

RA 9851 imposes a penalty of reclusion temporal and a fine ranging from P100,000 to P500,000 to violators.