Palace urges kin of slain militants to cooperate in probes

Malacañang is appealing to the families of murdered militant activists to trust in the government and cooperate with investigations to bring the perpetrators of such crimes to justice.

"We stand for the supremacy of the rule of law and abhor all forms of violence, politically-motivated or otherwise," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a statement.

"We appeal to victims’ families to keep their faith in our institutional and democratic processes and help the authorities ensure that justice prevails through the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of these heinous crimes," he said.

On Wednesday, Bayan Muna Isabela chapter secretary-general Elena Mendiola, along with her husband, Ricardo Balauag, who was also a Bayan Muna leader, were gunned down by automatic rifle fire in Echague town in Isabela.

Militant activists fear more killings and accused the military of marking leaders of left-leaning party-list groups nationwide for "liquidation," two days after the leaders were shot down.

Robert de Castro, Bayan Muna secretary-general, accused the military of placing left-leaning activists in its "order of battle."

"Leaders of progressive party-list groups and organizations in Central Luzon, including barangay officials, are in the order of battle of military intelligence units of 7th ID under Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan," De Castro said.

"Bayan Muna’s Central Luzon coordinator and other peasant leaders are being hunted down by military intelligence unit operatives for liquidation," he said.

Palparan, commander of the Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry Division, has been accused of human rights abuses and killings in the past.

In October last year, leftist activists accused Palparan of involvement in the killing of labor leader Ricardo Ramos, who led striking workers of the Tarlac sugar estate owned by the family of former President Corazon Aquino.

Palparan was reassigned twice after human rights advocates, local officials and lawmakers accused him of grave human rights atrocities. He was assigned to Central Luzon in September.

Palparan was bypassed for promotion last year after opposition from leftist legislators.

At the time, Ramos’ murder was the latest in a series of killings of left-wing activists that leftists and human rights advocates charged was part of a military-backed campaign.

Bayan Muna leader Nathaniel Santiago said they had gathered the names of those supposedly being targeted for assassination from police and military officers.

"Concerned military officers are very worried that they were obliged to conduct case operations against personalities of organizations, as if they were given a quota for liquidation," Santiago said.

The list is part of a five-year plan, dubbed "Oplan Bantay Laya," to carry out "target research" on sectoral organizations, he added.

In Ilagan, Isabela, Army Maj. Victor Tanggawohn Jr., Army 5th Infantry Division spokesman, denied the claims and said the victims’ families could file charges in court to anyone thought to be responsible for the murders of Mendiola and her husband.

Mendiola, 56, and her 64-year-old husband were shot dead inside a hut around 9:30 p.m. last Wednesday. The couple sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head and other parts of the body.