Group claims Army harassing humanitarian mission members in Davao

MANILA, Philippines - Rights group Karapatan on Monday called on Malacañang to take concrete steps against the soldiers of the Philippine Army's 67th Infantry Battalion based in Davao Oriental for the alleged harassment of the delegates of a national fact-finding and humanitarian mission.

Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said that they got reports via SMS from members of the mission saying that 69 participants of the humanitarian mission were prevented by elements of the 67th IB from leaving the mission area in Sitio Cabuyao in Barangay Binondo, Baganga town.

She said that the Army personnel have set up blockades and they have resorted to harassing the drivers of the humanitarian mission's participants, who were using rented vehicles.

Palabay said that the drivers were forced to leave the mission members. The group has been trapped in the mission area for days and their food and water supplies are already running out, she added.

Karapatan blamed the military for delaying the mission, last April 18 to April 19.

"The military's act shows the government's desperation to cover up the situation of the victims of typhoon Pablo-- the neglect of the victims' needs, the corruption in its relief and rehabilitation efforts, and worst, the harassment of people who exposed these, leading to the killing of Cristina Jose, the leader of the Pablo victims' organization," Palabay said.

She said that at the start of the mission last April 18, the delegates had to clear the roads from the stack of lumber dumped, in an apparent move to delay them from entering the mission area.

The mission, with delegates from Manila and nuns from the Sisters’ Association in Mindanao, was set to distribute relief goods, materials for the rehabilitation of the target communities and to document the numerous cases of human rights violations in the area, including the killing of Jose.

"If the government cannot do what it should for the people and would rather engage in PR spins, then it should stop read tagging and harassing and killing the people, who by their collective action, are taking steps to better their situation," Palabay said.