Gov. Jose Yap of the GRP Panel must start confidence-building measures in his own turf

National Democratic Front of the Philippines-Central Luzon
June 30, 2003

Tarlac Governor Jose "Aping" Yap, a senior consultant of the GRP panel in the stalled NDF-GRP peace negotiations, is now in The Netherlands for "exploratory talks" with the NDF negotiators.

If Gov. Yap really wants to talk peace, we urge him to start off with confidence-building measures in his own backyard. He must immediately address the intensifying militarization in Tarlac.

In the last two months, military build-up in the province of Tarlac reached new levels as the NOLCOM went on a frenzy of setting up military detachments all over Tarlac. At least 18 new detachments were set up in Bgys. Coral and Pance in Ramos, Bgys. Maasin and Naya in Pura, Bgy. Singat in Gerona, Bgy. Baculong in Victoria, Bgys. Lomboy, Comillas, Mayang and Dumarais in La Paz, Bgy. Talimundoc and Castillo in Concepcion, Bgy. Parang and Balite in the Hacienda Luisita, Bgys. Pinpinas in Sta. Ignacia, and Bgys. Iba, Sula and Moriones in San Jose. In each one of these, 16-20 men of the 69th IB, 70th IB, 48th IB and 21st IB of the Philippine Army are detailed.

Previous to this, detachments of the 48th IB were set up in 8 barangays of Tarlac City in September 2002 and were dismantled only in May 2003.

In a dialogue with barangay captains from the Hacienda Luisita last week, the NOLCOM informed the local officials that more military detachments will be set up in the barangays within the Hacienda Luisita in the forthcoming days.

The new detachments even exceeded the number of the existing ones in Bgy. Papaac in Camiling, Bgys. Nambalan and Vargas in Sta. Ignacia, Bgys. Tala, Labney and Maamot in San Jose, Bgys. Sta. Juliana, Patling and Sta. Lucia in Capas, Bgys. Pando and Texas in Hacienda Luisita, and in the Voice of America site. On top of these are the NOLCOM Headquarters and the HQ's of the 703rd PA Brigade, PA Light Armor Brigade, 69th IB, 70th IB, and the Alpha and Bravo companies of the 69th IB.

Complaints of disrupted peace and order and restricted economic activities in the affected barangays add to the already long list of unresolved cases of human rights violations by the 24th IB and the 69th IB of the Philippine Army since the 1980's. In San Jose, the peasants were not allowed to go to their kaingins during military operations early this year. In other barangays, the peasants cannot do supplementary food gathering like catching frogs and fish at night for fear of being mistaken as NPA fighters. Drinking sprees by soldiers, as well as taking other men's wives are among the cases filed by the masses with the NDF in Central Luzon.

Up to now, the NOLCOM has not sufficiently answered the people's question as to why such number of government troops have to be detailed in the province, making Gov. Yap's backyard the most militarized area in the entire Central Luzon.

We therefore urge Gov. Yap to show goodwill in the "exploratory talks" with the NDF by addressing the heightened militarization in his own turf. ###

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