• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A Philippine Army general challenged the Commission on Human Rights on Wednesday to condemn the killing spree of the New People’s Army in Negros Occidental.
In communicating with Chris Montaño of the CHR-Western Visayas, Brig. Gen. Orlando Edralin, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said they told us “they are not the agency who can conduct investigations into these cases, but they can only provide support for the victims”.
Aside from extending support to the victims of NPA-perpetrated killings, Edralin said they would like the CHR to look into it, on a larger perspective, for them also to condemn these violent and senseless murders of innocent civilians.
Vincent Parra, head of the CHR-Negros Occidental, said they will conduct a motu proprio investigation into the killing of nine civilians in the past four weeks.
In separate statements, NPA remnants claimed responsibility for the killings, accusing the victims as military informants.
Dismissing it as part of propaganda, Edralin said “they just really wanted to present themselves, that they are still there. They can only afford to victimize innocent civilians.”
Edralin said the support of the community, who provided them timely information, led them to engage in armed encounters with the rebel remnants.
Since January this year, they were able to conduct 15 initiated encounters with NPA remnants due to information relayed to them by the people. | GB
