At the onset of 2021, the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines terrorized national minorities of Cordillera. A total of 39 bombs have already been dropped in territories and communities of the Igorots.

The Christians for National Liberation (CNL) in Northern Luzon has already called on local government units in Cordillera to demand from the AFP the halt of these attacks. “We vehemently condemn these aerial bombings as clear violations of the rules of war declared in the International Humanitarian Law,” CNL-Northern Luzon said in a statement.

The most recent of the string of aerial bombings is the incident in Barangay Tamboan, Besao, Mountain Province last February 11, 2021. Nolcom dropped two bombs and strafed pasture lands and farmlands of residents despite no report of armed encounter between the AFP and NPA in the area.

The Cordillera People’s Democratic Front-Mountain Province earlier condemned the attack on the community. It underscored that the Duterte regime should cease its dirty war against the people and instead focus on facing the pandemic.

The earlier incidents of bombing were in Barangay Buneg of Lacub and Barangays Pacgued and Mataragan of Malibcong in Abra which lasted for three successive days from January 5 to 7. Residents accounted about 23 bombs dropped in the forests and their production areas.

Fourteen bombs were then dropped from January 24 to 25, in forested boundaries of Tubo, Abra and Besao, Mountain Province.

Apart from these, joint combat and focused military operations are still being carried out by the 54th 1B, SAF, RMF and the 69th IB in the six municipalities of Tubo in Abra; Besao, Sagada, Bauko and Tadian in Mountain Province; and Quirino in Ilocos Sur.

The series of attacks and operations of the Nolcom are retaliation to three tactical offensives mounted by the New People’s Army in January resulting in 16 fatalities of the fascist troops (11 killed-in-action and 5 wounded-in-action).