Worsening human rights violations in Eastern Visayas
Human rights violations in Eastern Visayas continue to worsen due to unbridled militarization in the countryside.
In Eastern Samar, three innocent civilians were killed by fascist soldiers conducting operations in June and July.
The most heinous case involved the summary killing of Rogelio Nurcio, 32, a peasant from Barangay Tangbo, Maslog. His decomposing body was found inside the village chapel on July 2 by peasants who had returned to the barangay after having evacuated due to military operations conducted in their area by the 14th IB Charlie Company. Nurcio was shot in the temple and sustained hack wounds on his head. His eyes were gouged out.
He was killed simply because he had a brother who is known to be a member of the New People�s Army (NPA).
Two days after, elements of the same unit mercilessly killed Bernardo Amado, a peasant from Sitio Baynag, Barangay Canilay, Can-avid. Amado, who is mentally challenged, was arbitrarily accused of being an NPA member when he failed to answer the soldiers� questions.
On June 12, a soldier of the 14th IB by the name of �Garcira� and two CAFGU elements summarily executed Freddie Rebato, a peasant from Barangay Tugas, Maslog. Rebato was found with his arms stretched out and firmly bound to a tree trunk, his head bashed in and his body riddled with wounds.
In Samar, soldiers of the 34th IB and the 7th Scout Rangers Coy abducted and illegally detained eight people from Barangay Sto. Ni�o, Motiong this July. The victims include a peasant family and a barangay captain, a councilor and two barangay sentries who proceeded to the military camp to look for the missing family.
Thrty-nine year old Artemio Lazarra�s family was working on their farm when some 20 soldiers conducting operations arrived on July 4. They trained their guns on Lazarra and forcibly took him and his children Josephine, 13; Jocelyn, 12; and Jonathan, 9, with them. A certain Lieutenant Pensona and a Sergeant De Guzman were identified as among the members of the military unit.
The following day, at around 2 pm, Barangay Capt. Leonario Gabane and three others looked for the Lazarra family, but they too were detained by the military.
The AFP held the victims for five days without having charges filed against them. They were released only when the incident was reported to Katungod (the KARAPATAN chapter in Eastern Visayas) and the Bayan Muna provincial chapter.
Prior to this, elements of the 34th IB also seized Liberato Racab, a peasant from Sitio Tar-as, Barangay San Miguel, Jiabong. He remains missing to date.
In Leyte, 19th IB troops led by 1Lt. Onofre Nelmida opened fire with machine guns and M14s for three minutes on 13 peasants who were on their way to their huts to rest in Dinawanan, Ormoc City on March 27.
Seven of them � Marcelo Custodio, 20; Orteliano Dador, 55; Reynaldo Dador, 33; Christopher Muya, 22; Macario Tumampo, 22; Crispin Tumampo, 25; and Mario Cabacoy�were abducted and forced to serve as guides in the 19th IB�s operations. The soldiers also mauled Cabacoy and the elder Dador. The six others were able to flee.
That same day, soldiers from the same military unit also took three other peasants�Jonie Polenio, Avelino Evan and his wife�and forced them to serve as guides.
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