AFP Bombards Tumanduk Land in Tapaz, Capiz, civilian homes destroyed

June 30, 2009

The Coronacion "Waling-waling" Chiva Command condemns the shelling of Tumanduk ancestral land by the 3rd Infantry Division, Philippine Army, last June 29, 2009, and the massive militarization of the upland barangays of Tapaz, Capiz.

Earlier, the NPA had launched a series of successful ambushes against the widescale military operations of the AFP in Tapaz. The first was on June 27, 7:50 AM at Mt. Cabagol, Brgy Aglinab. The second was at 10:15 AM on the same day at Karatagan, Katipunan. The third was on June 29 at 8:25 AM at Mt. Garu, Acuna. The results were at least two 47th IB soldiers killed and four wounded, with no casualties on the NPA side. In all these skirmishes, the NPA used rifles and command-detonated explosives aimed precisely at military targets.

But at 12:00 noon on June 29, long after NPA troops have withdrawn and were safely resting kilometers away, the AFP, without warning the nearby households and in utter disregard for civilian lives and property, started bombarding Mt. Garu with 105mm howitzers. Mt. Garu is a major pass connecting upland barangays to the lowlands. Some shells hit Ganga in the Pan-ay River, the main waterway used by tumandok farmers in transporting their products to the town center. Another hit the house of a family in Sitio Badas, Brgy Tacayan. Until now, productive activities of indigenous farmers in Tapaz have come to a halt as hundreds of government soldiers occupy barangays and helicopters hover overhead.

From the harassment and psywar of peasant activists who did not want to join the charade of fake surrenderees, to coerced recruitment to the CAFGU, to sustained military operations and forcing the establishment of RSOT detachments, the 3ID, PA, has stepped up its OBL 2 campaign to include the use of howitzers and heliborne operations to further dislocate the lives and livelihood of the people.

The militarization of the indigenous people of Tapaz is only natural from a government and a military institution that treats them with such contempt that its own battalion commander, Lt. Col. Tyne Bañas, 47IB, tells the media that IPs are deceived by the NPA because "dali lang sila intu-intuon" (they are very gullible).

Bañas further insults the intelligence of the listening public by saying on air that they were giving away vegetable seedlings when they are actually landgrabbing the tumanduk ancestral land and establishing occupation forces there named RSOT.

On the other hand, the NPA respects the indigenous people of Panay and is one with them in the struggle to reclaim their ancestral lands from the 3ID, PA.

If what Bañas means by the seedlings are the armalites, machine guns and howitzers his men were carrying, it is but natural that they will harvest firefights in return.

Stop The Shelling Of Tumanduk Land!

Continue The Struggle Against The Militarization Of Tapaz!

Julian Paisano
Spokesperson
Coronacion "Waling-waling" Chiva Command
Panay Region