Human Rights Group Condemns Tangub Massacre

"It was a massacre, not an encounter." This was the finding of a human rights group after conducting a fact-finding mission last week in Barangay (village) Mangga, Tangub City on the alleged Oct. 9 encounter between Marxist guerillas and government troops. Three persons were killed and four others were wounded in the incident.

BY ELMER D. SAGBIGSAL
Bulatlat.com

According to the fact-finding mission report of Karapatan-Western Mindanao, elements of the Bravo Company of the 5th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army massacred innocent civilians.

Its secretary general, Karen Monasque, said the claims of the military that an encounter occurred are meant only to justify their failed operation against the rebels and cover up its crimes and the violation of International humanitarian law.

The incident

On Oct. 9 at around 5 a.m., platoon-size army troopers strafed the house of the Grado family, whom they believed to be housing six New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.

Killed on the spot were civilian Michael Suelo, 18, and a certain Ka Jack. Ursulo Ongcol, also known as Ka Daryl and believed to be the commanding officer of an NPA under the Front Joji of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in Western Mindanao, later died.

Wounded were civilians Christopher Grado 23, Loida Grado, 25, Virginia Paquit a.k.a Ka Milay and Jessie Casanes a.k.a Ka Jun. The Grados were treated at the Mayor Hilarion Ramiro Sr. Regional Hospital in Ozamis City while Paquit was confined at Dona Maria Tan hospital in Tangub City.

Bishop Warlito Baldomero of the Philippine Independent Church who was the member of the FFM team said that " it is very clear from the revelations of the witnesses and the material evidence we have gathered that a massacre not an encounter ensued as the incident happened in the civilian community, not in rebel camp."

The bishop charged that the soldiers were aware that family members were inside the house but did not make an effort to spare them. Instead, they fired at the house indiscriminately, he stressed.

Earlier, Army Col Eduardo Tardio, commanding officer of the 5th IB PA, told reporters that his men fired a warning shot but the guerrillas fired back so they were forced to fire back.

Tardio also claimed that the operation was successfully carried out without inflicting harm on the civilian population, except for a pig that got hit in the crossfire. Tardio also claims that the military recovered .45 and .22 caliber pistol and an Ingram from the Red fighters. There was no casualty on the AFP’s side, he added.

Survivor’s testimony

A family member of Grado who survived the massacre and who requested anonymity said the four civilians were asleep when the strafing happened. "We hid under the bed until the firing that lasted almost an hour has ceased," she said. The survivor also related that Michael was still sleeping, as shown by his position, when hit by bullets, killing him instantly.

The witness also said that soldiers went close to the house and looked for wounded rebels and finished them off. He testified that he heard two of the suspected NPAs, KA Jack and Ka Daryl, saying separately in their native dialect that “we will no longer fight sir, we surrender” but were shot anyway, at close range.

The source added that a woman NPA who was in the toilet when the incident occurred was shot at the back. Residents who recovered her body said she died instantly and was not even able to pull back her pants before being killed.

More crimes committed

The fact-finding mission also found that aside from the killings, the military also allegedly destroyed private properties, conducted illegal searches and looting. It estimated that a total of P200,000 worth of property owned by the Grados were damaged, aside from the bolos, plants and six chickens that the soldiers reportedly took with them. The neighboring house owned by the Eborda family also claimed P15,000 worth of damage.

Meanwhile, residents of four nearby houses reported harassment and illegal searches. A member of the Suelo family said the soldiers questioned them at gunpoint and then searched their house.

Respect of human rights and international humanitarian law

Members of human rights groups condemned the massacre. "The acts were a gross violation of human rights and the international humanitarian law,” said Rev. Apolinario Salig.

Salig said that the primary responsibility of the military is to protect the lives of civilians. "They  should not fire indiscriminately at civilian houses," he added.

Wounded and captured rebels should be treated humanely, said Bishop Baldomero. He narrated that Ka Daryl’s foot was tied while being treated in the hospital, while Ka Milay was continuously interrogated. Ka Daryl did not survive.

What happened in Tangub was a gross violation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHR-IHL), Baldomero declared.

CARHR-IHL is an agreement signed by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the govermnent in 1998, wherein the NPA and AFP agreed to abide by international humanitarian law and respect human rights.

The massacre victims and Karapatan-Western Mindanao are planning to file formal complaints against 5th IB PA with the Commission on Human Rights. Bulatlat.com

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