NPA ambush suspects charged; Karapatan may also be held liable

BACOLOD CITY , Philippines -  â€” The Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) La Castellana announced the other day that it will amend the nine counts of murder charges filed against the suspects in the La Castellana ambush-massacre, and to include a case for violation of Republic Act 9851 against them.

RA 9851 is the “Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity”.

Senior Supt. Celestino Guara, Jr., SITG commander and acting director of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), said they have considered the recommendation of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) to file a case for violation of Republic Act 9851.

“Based in our assessment, RA 9851 is more appropriate,” Guara said, adding that “It will be the first case filed for violation of this law.”

Last Tuesday, NOPPO filed nine counts of murder and 14 counts of frustrated murder against 20 members of the New People’s Army suspected to be involved in the January 27 massacre, with a certain Magno Flores being the main respondent. Flores, who was from Moises Padilla town, was allegedly the commander of an NPA squad operating in central Negros Occidental.

Guara said the list of respondents was not complete yet. They only listed the “actors” or “executioners” but later on, the “planners” and “helpers” will also face charges when their identities will be revealed while the investigation continues.

In a related development, Maj. Gen. Jose Mabanta, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division based in Iloilo, issued a press statement on Wednesday that the human rights group Karapatan may also be “liable” for the bloody ambush in La Castellana that left eight civilians and a policeman dead, and 12 others wounded.

Mabanta said Karapatan may be partly liable for bailing out earlier Romeo Nanta, a top NPA leader, who is now the suspect in the planning of the ambush-massacre.

In February last year, Karapatan-Negros secretary general Fred Caña paid for the P100,000 bail to free Nanta from detention for robbery-in-band charges, said Mabanta, adding that Karapatan has been spending donated money to bail out jailed NPA rebels instead of helping the community and the affected people. So, in a way, Karapatan is liable for the La Castellana massacre, he said.

“Records show that, since 2006, Karapatan-Negros has bailed out NPA members for the tune of P2.4 million. The cases of these bailed out suspects  range from frustrated murder, attempted murder, robbery in band and arson,” the 3rd ID statement said.

Karapatan’s move in bailing out NPA suspects who are facing charges against the people must be stopped, said Mabanta because this implied that the group was never serious about its human rights advocacies and instead tolerates criminal acts of the armed rebels.

After bail, these NPA suspects return to the jungles to commit offenses again similar to the recent La Castellana massacre, said Mabanta, adding that this only showed that Karapatan maintained links with the NPA and protecting the latter.

Families of the fatalities and those wounded in the ambush have been calling out for the NPA and Karapatan to facilitate the surrender of the perpetrators.

Human rights group Akbayan-Negros has joined Bayan Muna, Peace Advocates of Negros and the Diocese of Bacolod, among other sectors of the society, in condemning the La Castellana ambush.

Akbayan-Negros spokesperson Edwin Balajadia said the ambush and slaying, mostly of unarmed civilians, were gross violations of the basic humanitarian law and human rights principles enunciated especially in conditions of internal armed conflicts.

Akbayan-Negros also called on members of the NPA not only to mete appropriate disciplinary actions to the erring members involved in the ambush, but also to fully observe and strongly enforce strict adherence to the basic humanitarian tenets so that such incidents will not happen again.  (FREEMAN)