Legal activists target of Esperon’s dirty war

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PUBLISHED ON February 3, 2008 AT 12:17 PM

The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today scored Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon for setting the stage for more extrajudicial killings and abductions of activists.

“When Gen. Esperon says the next 100 days will be bloody, he’s not only referring to the war with New People’s Army. The AFP counter insurgency program has been known to target unarmed activists. Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and 2 have been the overarching program responsible for the death and disappearances of hundred of activists since 2001,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.

“With Esperon’s declaration of war, we should be ready for more human rights abuses. We should all remember that it was Esperon who was in a constant state of denial regarding the role of the AFP in the killings. As such, there can be no accountability among officials under his watch,” Reyes said.

Bayan also believes that the declaration of all out war is meant to unify a fractured AFP. “Esperon knows that there is disgruntlement within the AFP because of his term extension. The decision of Mrs. Arroyo to extend Esperon’s term is bound to cause division among the officers. The declaration of war is meant to rally and unify the AFP against a common enemy,” Reyes said.

“Esperon is desperate to unite the AFP. He knows the dire consequences of his term extension,” the Bayan leader added.

Reyes said that there have been renewed cases of extrajudicial killings in the island of Eastern Visayas, particularly in Leyte. Killed in January were a former rebel and a Protestant pastor from the United Church of Christ in the Philippines.

Bayan also cited the cases of escalating militarization in provinces like Quezon and in areas in Mindanao wherein civilians are being forced to flee because of combat operations.

“The next 100 days will be bloody according to Gen. Esperon. Unfortunately, those who will be worst hit are the civilians. They are usually the first casualties of war under Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and 2,” Reyes added.

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