Relatives and the human rights group September 21 Movement South Negros demand justice following the 94th IB’s illegal detention and beating of two farmers on March 9 at 7:00 PM. The group reported that soldiers of the 94th IB stopped and arrested Alberto Piaduche and his brother while they were riding a motorcycle in Sitio Tuyuman, Barangay Caradio-an, Himamaylan City, accusing them of being members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

The siblings were on their way to their jobs in Hinigaran when they were apprehended by the soldiers. The September 21 Movement added that they were forced into a pick-up truck and taken to a headquarters in the said barangay.

While in the 94th IB’s custody, soldiers forced Piaduche to admit that he was an NPA Red fighter and that armed rebels visit him at home. When he denied the accusations, soldiers wrapped his head in a plastic bag and repeatedly kicked him, severely injuring and making his eyes bleed.

Piaduche’s brother was made to wait and sit inside the pick-up truck to witness the 94th IB’s brutality. Soldiers only released them around midnight and threatened to kill their family if they disclosed or reported their ordeal. On top of this, the 94th IB butchers ransacked the victims’ house in Sitio San Juan.

Out of fear, Piaduche’s family decided to file a blotter report about the incident. They also took him to a doctor for a check-up, who recommended a CT scan due to the severity of the beating. The family called on the local government to investigate the brutal crime and help their relative obtain justice.

“The military has long subjected civilians to their brutality. This shows their lack of mercy and their being butchers, all just to cover up their failures in addressing insurgency,” September 21 Movement stated. Instances of the 94th IB’s arbitrary and baseless accusations against civilian farmers as members of the NPA to justify their crimes have happened several times before.