After criticism over 'trophy' photos, Lorenzana says AFP told to treat fatalities with dignity
MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has told the Armed Forces of the Philippines to ensure that casualties in clashes are accorded dignity regardless of what group they are from.
In an interview with state-run PTV Monday morning, Lorenzana said that he directed the AFP to “see to it that all casualties, either [New Peoples’ Army], Abu Sayyaf or everything, should not be published where they are lying helpless.”
“They should at least fix it. Let us give some dignity to fallen fighters even if they are from the other side,” he added in a mix of English and Filipino.
Cullamat: Slain daughter not a trophy, respect the dead
Rep. Eufemia Cullamat (Bayan Muna party-list) accused the military of parading the body of her youngest daughter, Jevilyn, who was killed in an encounter with the Philippine Army last weekend in Surigao del Sur.
“She is not a thing, she is not a trophy to be paraded for military propaganda. You did not respect the dead, you are also disrespecting our family’s grief,” she said in a statement in Filipino.
The Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives also called for accountability for those who circulated the photos of Jevilyn where they said her body was “obviously posed” as if she was still carrying a rifle and with troops displaying her body with seized paraphernalia.
“We demand that all these photos be immediately withdrawn from government websites and those responsible for circulating them held accountable,” the opposition lawmakers added.
One photo from the Philippine Army’s 3rd Special Forces Battalion, as posted by state-run Philippine News Agency, showed Jevilyn’s body laid down with weapons that the military seized, while the soldiers posed in the back while holding up a captured banner.
PNA has since taken down its tweet showing the photo.
But Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, spokesperson of the AFP, denied that they used Jevilyn’s body as a trophy, and said the photo was taken as part of reporting and documentation.
“It was not meant to scoff at the dead or demean the remains whose identity is not known to the soldiers,” he added.
Arevalo also said that “it was not an AFP policy to pass a photo like that” and is deemed a violation of their guidelines. He added that the matter is now under investigation and sanctions will be given to the personnel who shared the photo.
CHR also looking into Jevilyn’s case
The Commission on Human Rights also said it will look into Jevilyn's case, saying it is a “cause for concern” when the government treats the death of another Filipino as victory.
CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said in a statement they have time and again “condemned armed conflict because in the end, nobody wins, especially when it leads to ruined lives and communities.”
De Guia said that when instances of “armed atrocities are inevitable,” they trust that all parties uphold the international humanitarian law.
“We cannot find good reason in posing for photos with the lifeless body of Jevilyn Cullamat, alongside sized firearms and communist flags,” she added.
De Guia noted that Lorenzana has already instructed the AFP to ensure that Jevilyn's remains are treated with dignity.
She continued: “At the same time, we continue to encourage government to genuinely respect the human rights of all—at all times, in all places—as it has claimed to do so in different domestic and international platforms.”
Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc urged the government to address the root causes of armed conflict such as poverty, massive landlessness, low wages and lack of jobs, which may be done through peace talks.
“Jevilyn’s death is a stark reminder instead to government that people continue to embrace armed struggle because of the continuous failure to address the root causes of the rebellion in our country,” they added. — Kristine Joy Patag
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