Blaming the gov't. for the Spate of killings is unfair!

IT is unfair to blame the killings of militant organization members and media practitioners to the administration, its military or police forces, Bohol military authorities said. While it may be true that there may be hits by government forces acting in their personal capacities, it should not be made an agenda for militant groups to hype on it, hinted Msgt. Narciso Tabaniag of the Army Civil Relations Service, while refuting the allegations during the weekly Kapihan sa PIA.

Last week, national dailies reported that the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and Amnesty International (AI) warned the government of the rise in killings of media and militant group members. Both CHR and AI cited that more than 300 people, mostly mediamen and militants have been liquidated, with the government apparently not putting a decisive stop on this.

In an internet research conducted by the Philippine Information Agency-Tagbilaran Office over the list detailing the kills since President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's ascent to power, it was noted that those killed included Hugpong sa Mag-uumang Bol-anon (HUMABOL) member and Mabini farmer organizer Nestor Arinque and Gabriela community organizer Liezelda Estorba Cuñado among others. Also reported were alleged rape cases of minors perpetuated by soldiers assigned in Ubay, Trinidad and Mabini.

The rape incidents could did not be validated by Bohol news sources. Arinque was reportedly killed in Mabini, while Cuñado who was shot in Panadtaran Candijay, Bohol was reported erroneously as hit in Tagbilaran City. Taking the Cuñado case, she was shot not by any military asset as falsely reported, nor because she was a Gabriela organizer but because of a common crime of mis-understanding in the community, Msgt. Tabaniag said.

There is also no evidence that Arinque was hit because he was a member of Humabol, in fact, according to military intelligence, Arinque earned the ire of members of the underground movement for his failure to remit revolutionary taxes he collected for the group, according to military sources. As to the government's seemingly allowing the killings for not pressing on the fast resolution of the murder cases, the government authorities during the forum aired over a local station called on everyone for vigilance pressing that crime prevention is not a sole responsibility of government.

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