MASSACRE OR NANLABAN? PNP asserts legitimacy of Rizal Day raids

By Jennifer P. Rendon

 

Dawn of Dec 30, 2020, hundreds of government forces inched through the alleged lairs of suspected New People’s Army (NPA) members and their sympathizers in Calinog, Iloilo and Tapaz, Capiz.

Hours later, the simultaneous raids that were supposed to target personalities keeping unlicensed firearms and explosives led to the arrest of 16 persons – six in Calinog and 10 on Tapaz – while three others remain at large.

But the bigger news was that the raids had left nine persons dead.

For the slain men’s families, they were simply killed pointblank – while for government authorities, it was a legitimate police operation where necessary force was applied.

On Sunday, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Western Visayas assured that its operations were legal and valid amid allegations of massacre by certain quarters.

 

“Massacre? It’s not a massacre. Hindi na kami mag-se-secure ng search warrants at combat operations na lang ang gagawin. Sundalo ang gagawa nyan,” Lieutenant Colonel Gervacio Balmaceda, CIDG-6 regional director, said.

 

Balmaceda said they were armed with search warrants and had no plans other than implementing it.

 

“Our ultimate goal is to search the items indicated on the search warrants. ‘Yun ang hahanapin. At of course, yung occupant ng bahay,” he said.

 

Balmaceda stressed that they followed police operational procedures – knocking on the door, asking the occupants of the house, and making sure they searched the right abode as indicated in the search warrants.

 

LEGITIMACY

The families of those who were killed or arrested in the Capiz operations claimed innocence in the allegations labeled against them.

But the CIDG-6 and the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) claimed they have proofs to show that the subjects are keeping unlicensed guns and explosives, thus, the issuance of search warrants.

But earlier, Ruice John Gayas, a resident of Barangay Aglinab, Tapaz told Bombo Radyo-Roxas that they were sleeping when the police operatives arrived.

Gayas claimed that the operatives wanted them to sign the search warrant. When he refused, they were ordered to go out of the house, except for his father, who was sleeping.

His father was then shot while asleep, he claimed

Rosana Capillo of Barangay Acuña, Tapaz said they were roused from their sleep as the raiding team suddenly kicked their fence.

Rosana is the wife of Barangay Kagawad Ferdinand Capillo, one of the subjects of the search operation.

Rosana claimed that government troops who entered their house poked a gun at them and told them to duck.

She was asked where they allegedly sleep while other operatives went inside their room with a firearm, ammunition, and a hand grenade.

Rosana alleged they even turned over their homemade firearm and repeatedly told authorities that they are not NPA members.

She later pleaded not to physically harm them.

Meanwhile, Barangay Captain Julie Catamin of Roosevelt village in Tapaz lamented that the search operation was never coordinated with local officials.

He claimed that the subjects of the search were not rebels as he knew their constituents and most of those who were arrested were ordinary farmers and innocent elderly.

Following questions on what really transpired during the operations, the CIDG-6 said they stressed that all nine persons killed in the raids allegedly fought back.

When asked if they anticipated a bloody encounter, which could have been justified had they used body cameras, Balmaceda said, “hindi naman tayo ganun ka high tech. Kasi ni-require ‘yung body cams sa illegal drugs, nagsimula na, the PDEU (Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit) has their issued body cams.”

He further claimed, “required lang samin, for ordinary law enforcement operations, are photographs during the operation for documentation.”

 

Balmaceda said the PNP has not yet reached that point where it could afford body cameras to all its operatives.

 

“It is on the level of the legislation how they would beef up the fund of the PNP para lahat ng pulis magkaroon ng body cams,” he said.

 

Balmaceda justified the PNP’s effort to send personnel from CIDG offices at the National Capital Region and Region 4-A to join the operations.

He said it was needed to maximize their personnel, especially in securing warrants of arrest from an NCR court.

 

EVACUATION

Days after the incident, several residents in Tapaz villages (some claimed to be members of the indigenous group Tumandok) evacuated from their homes out of fear.

When asked if they have foreseen such scenario, Balmaceda said these villages were instigated by the NPA and left-leaning organizations.

“Kasi ginagatungan yan. Alam namin ginagatungan ‘yan ng mga NPA at ng mga left-leaning organizations. Parang binibigyan sila ng false information na may mangyayari pa ring iri-raid sa inyo, hulihin, at baka mamatay. Magsibaba kayo. Madadamay kayo dyan ganyan,” he said.

Relative to that, Balmaceda said that various government agencies will conduct information dissemination efforts to assuage the people that there’s nothing to fear.

The Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) has assured that the government is doing its best to address the issue and proper attention should be given to these people, Balmaceda said.

 

CALL FOR PEACE

Meanwhile, the Panay Indigenous Culture Advocacy Group (PICAG) called for peace in central Panay following the deadly raids by state forces in Capiz and Iloilo provinces last week.

PICAG is a group of professionals, academic scholars, researchers, and cultural workers who seek to preserve Panay’s indigenous knowledge and culture.

In a statement, PICAG said “the residents of our research sites and the communities where we have conducted knowledge-building since the late 1980s have become concerned with their safety and well-being. The loss of a maaram (learned) culture bearer is irreplaceable. Amidst being scared for the loss of more lives, the scholars are disturbed by the trauma that the recent events have brought to the children, women, and respected magurang – the elder members of the community who are the cultural bearers and keepers of indigenous traditions. Their communities have made Panay a repository of rich traditional culture which is unequalled in other parts of the world e.g. sugidanon or epics of Panay, binanog dancing, and panubok or Indigenous Embroidery, among many others.”

 

“The efforts of the scholars in lifting the Panay Bukidnon culture with the IP professionals, who are now proud to forward the above-stated traditions, have taken almost a lifetime to accomplish for several of us. The dignity generated from their unique culture was fostered because of the initiatives in the publication of the sugidanon of Panay as well as the revival of other significant traditions that were lost because of past issues and unprecedented events that dominated the areas during the ’80s until the ’90s. We do not want another setback to this advancement and have these important cultures and practices be buried again repeating the dark era for Panay culture in the ‘80s.”

 

“We are making an urgent and serious request now to value life, peace, and trust for the indigenous peoples to cultivate and safeguard the cultures and traditions which we have labored so hard to uplift as culturally-concerned and peace-loving individuals.”

 

PART OF ISO

Since the areas where the operations were conducted were alleged NPA-influenced barangays, Balmaceda said the CIDG-led operation is also partly geared towards ending the local armed conflict in the area.

But did the incident boost the government’s anti-insurgency efforts?

 

“Naka in line sa gusto ng government to end insurgency. It shows the government’s seriousness to address in ending armed conflict, na magbalik loob at surrender,” he said.

 

“But in the meantime na ginagamit nila ang tao na na involve lang sa kanila, we need the information, campaign against loose firearms,” Balmaceda said.

 

But whether what happened would bolster the government’s campaign to end the 52 years of local terrorism, only time will tell.