BASED ON THE tally of Ang Bayan, there have been at least 24,638 (or 135 per day) victims of various human rights violations from January 1 to June 30 this year. The figure excludes the tens of thousands of civilians whose rights were arbitrarily violated for purportedly violating lockdown protocols imposed during the pandemic.

Within six months, 46 activists and civilians fell victim to political killings, while 425 others arrested and detained. Majority of those killed (32) and arrested (280) are farmers. Fourteen of the victims were killed in Bicol, while 140 were arrested in North Central Mindanao Region.

Since March 15, Ang Bayan monitored various forms of military attacks in at least 625 barangays, 247 towns and cities, and 54 provinces across the country. The attacks were perpetrated simultaneous to the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic. At least 17 cases of bombing, strafing at artillery shelling were reported during the said period, 15 of which were perpetrated in Mindanao. These attacks resulted in the forcible evacuation of at least 15,768 civilians. Majority of the evacuees are from Western Mindanao (11,810).

The intense offensive against the people during the first half of 2020 is a direct result of the regime’s counterinsurgency campaign which is led by its armed agents and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC)