Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) students again urged its administration to revoke its signed Declaration of Cooperation with the Armed Forces of the Philippines in a protest held on January 8. This followed recent reports of bombing and terrorism by the AFP in Sitio Mamara, Barangay Cabacao, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro on January 1.

According to One Big Fight for Human Rights and Democracy (OBFHRD), the AFP’s campaign of fascist repression against the people, especially in rural communities, has only intensified since the agreement was signed. The group said that no good can come from ADMU’s partnership with an institution that bombs indigenous communities and kills civilians in the countryside.

The group had earlier criticized the declaration of cooperation, calling it contrary to the principles of democracy and academic freedom. According to OBFHRD, this military intrusion into ADMU is clearly part of the Marcos regime’s National Action Plan for Unity, Peace, and Development (NAP-UPD), which is closely linked to the counter-insurgency campaign.

Military terrorism in Mindoro

On January 1, the AFP mobilized four battalions of soldiers and used four helicopters to bomb and attack Abra de Ilog. Human rights groups reported that it killed three Mangyan-Iraya children and injured their mother.

At the height of the bombing, young researcher Jerlyn Rose Doydora also died after being stricken with her illness. Doydora was with a group of youths who had expressed interest in interviewing indigenous people and farmers in Mindoro, and the Red fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA). They sought to understand the concrete conditions of the masses, the root of the armed conflict, and the genuine solutions to achieve peace. Doydora was a student of Pamantasan ng Lunsod ng Maynila.

Meanwhile, another young researcher, Chantal Anicoche, went missing after being separated from her companions during the bombing. On January 8, the 203rd IBde announced that it had “found” Anicoche after persistent pressure from human rights groups to surface her, confirming suspicions that she was being held by the military. Anicoche is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in the US and a former leader of the Filipino American Student Association, an organization of Filipino students at the university.

According to OBFHRD, AFP’s terrorism in Mindoro is not a new tactic on the island and nationwide. The group said that these fascist attacks are carried out under the Marcos regime’s orders with the support of major mining and real estate corporations that seek to seize the indigenous peoples’ ancestral lands.

In the protest, the group called for justice for the victims of the massacre and the AFP’s intensified militarization in Abra de Ilog and the whole of Mindoro.