Sitio Canonghan, Barangay Osmeña, Palapag, Northern Samar is being plagued by soldiers of the 74th IB. Since April 2023, when the butcher unit invaded the sitio, repeated human rights violations have been recorded in the area.

On June 2, 74th IB soldiers opened fire on 11 farmers, including seven minors, while they were in their koprasan (coconut silo) in the sitio. The soldiers later arrested and brought them to their headquarters.

The 74th IB claimed that an encounter with the New People’s Army (NPA)-Northern Samar occurred that day. The military even maliciously declared that they “rescued” the minors who had been “food couriers” of the people’s army. The children experienced torture from the soldiers.

They are being treated as “hostages” or “bait” to pressure their parents to “surrender” despite the fact the they are merely civilian farmers in the community. They are also forced to train as spies or assets of the fascist soldiers. This is a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

Apart from this, the arrest of five individuals was also recorded in February and May including a 4-year-old child. The butcher soldiers also fired artillery near the agricultural part of the sitio in March.

It was also recorded in Barangay Osmeña that soldiers repeatedly summoned farmers’ families to “clear” their names. The 74th IB also brazenly imposed a “lockdown” in the barangay.

Farmers are forced to sign “logbooks” on a daily basis to have their activities “monitored”. The military even imposed time limits on work hours on farms. They also forbid residents to bring uncooked rice to their farms. Even stores are required to list down the villagers’ purchases of food or any material.

Lt. Col. Jose Roy Manuel Dizon heads the 74th IB. The unit was deployed in Eastern Visayas only last February 2023 as part of the Marcos regime’s plan to finally “defeat” the NPA in the region. They are among the 22 military battalions under the 8th ID currently in the region.

Causing famine

The 74th IB’s terrorism is causing hunger and poverty in the sitio. Before the 74th IB’s deployment to the area in 2023, coconut farmers had just begun to recover from the effects of Typhoon Tisoy in 2019 and the cocolisap pest.

In a study, the sitio residents’ harvest from their coconut farm fell by 70% due to the impact of the typhoon. From 330,100 coconuts every three months, they now only harvest 99,220. This is equivalent to losing 76,960 kilos of copra with a value of ₱1.5 million.

Poor peasants, who comprise 67% of the families in the sitio, are the most devastated. Their coconut production fell by 83%. The presence of the 74th IB, the lockdown it enforces, limiting their time in the copra shed and farms, all add to their suffering.

Many coconut fruits just go to waste because they are not promptly processed. In one case, coconuts were already unhusked but were left uncooked and rotting due to military operation and repression. The soldiers also restrict the planting of rice, root crops and vegetables in farms and fields.

A family of five in the sitio needs one and a half sacks of rice a month for consumption. Since there are no root and rice crops, they get money to spend from the capital of the koprasan.

From experience, a family produces only 100 kilos of copra at a cost of ₱25.00 per kilo (a total of ₱2,500) in a month. This is grossly insufficient even for sustenance. The family needs an alternative source of income which the military impedes.