In a span of 12 weeks, from mid-August to early November, the Armed Forces of the Philippines have been dropping bombs, rockets and artillery shells in various villages in the Philippine countryside. There is at least one bombing operation every two weeks. Despite AFP claims that these are aimed at killing New People’s Army members and destroying NPA camps, many of the bombs land in villages and kill the civilian population.
On 3 November, AFP Blackhawk helicopters dropped no less than four bombs on a community in Los Angeles village, Butuan City, and spewed hundreds of .50 caliber bullets over the fields and farms.
Earlier on 30 October, a village in Dumalaguing village, Impasug-ong town, Bukidnon was bombed and strafed. At least six large bombs and dozens of rockets were fired by the AFP during that incident. Again on 2 November, at least three tons of bombs were dropped by four OV-10 bomber planes. These included four each of 250-lb and 500-lb bombs. The explosions shook the ground and razed a large section of the forested mountains.
In a statement on 7 November, the Communist Party of the Philippines said, “The amount of bombs dropped, rockets, bullets and artillery bombs fired by the military is excessive. These powerful weapons, typically used to destroy tanks and buildings, cause too much death and destruction of the environment. Even more heinous, the AFP attaches a ‘proximity fuse’ to make the bomb detonate a few meters before hitting the ground to cause more widespread damage.”
Despite the AFP’s use of drones against suspected NPA camps however, they often miss their targets and instead damage and spread poison in agricultural fields, mountain farms and gardens, affecting the sources of water, food and livelihood of the peasants.
On 8 November, the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform also expressed its concern over the escalation of violence. The PEPP appealed to the Duterte government to “stop aerial bombings as these result to massive destruction and collateral damage. The bombing of communities is almost always indiscriminate, and the victims are more often non-combatants and innocent civilians. This goes against provisions in International Humanitarian Law and has long-term implications for the traumatized communities.”
They called on the Duterte government to “heed the call of the international community to prioritize the country’s healing instead of further escalating the armed conflict.” They reiterated their conviction that “lasting peace in our nation will not be won by the power of war, but by addressing the root causes of the armed conflict through formal peace talks.”
The PEPP is a constituency of bishops, priests and nuns advocating for peace talks between the Manila government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.