A unit of the New People’s Army (NPA)-Rizal ambushed troopers of the 80th IB operating in Lukutang Malaki, Barangay San Isidro, Rodriguez, Rizal on January 31, at 5:10 in the morning. One soldier was killed, while two others were wounded. The said unit secures the destructive Wawa-Violago Dam project in Rizal.

According to the report, the 80th IB’s intense and relentless focused military operations in Rodriguez have been going on for nearly a year. Apart from serving as guards of the dam being built, the unit also protects the interests of the ruling big land grabbers like the Aranetas, Villars and Robles, in Lukutang Malaki.

The AFP unit is involved in multiple human rights violations including the illegal detention of indigenous people and peasants defending their right to livelihood. Since January 31, the 80th IB intensified and tightened surveillance on the residents’ entry and exit in the community. Soldiers set up checkpoints and went door-to-door intimidating residents and subjecting them to illegal interrogations.