Philippine Army kills three Lumad-Manobo
- Published: 30 June 2021 30 June 2021
Elements of the 3rd Special Forces Battalion of the Philippine Army fired indiscriminately on 15 June at a group of six unarmed farmers heading towards the town center of Lianga, Surigao del Sur in southern Philippines, killing three, Willy Rodriguez, Lenie Rivas, and 12-year old girl Angel Rivas. The three others were able to flee the bloodbath.
ICC Prosecutor pushes for investigation of crimes against humanity in the Philippines
- Published: 30 June 2021 30 June 2021
The Prosecutor of International Criminal Court Fatou Bensouda announced on 14 June that she was closing the preliminary examination of the Philippine case and requesting the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber for a judicial authorization to proceed to an investigation of crimes against humanity of murder against the Duterte government. Ms. Bensouda declared that there’s reasonable basis to believe that these crimes have been committed between 1 July 2016 and 16 March 2019 in the context of the Duterte government’s ‘war on drugs’ campaign.
Read more: ICC Prosecutor pushes for investigation of crimes against humanity in the Philippines
Philippine Human Rights Act reintroduced in US Congress
- Published: 30 June 2021 30 June 2021
US Representative Susan Wild reintroduced the Philippine Human Rights Act to the US Congress on 15 June, calling for a suspension of US security assistance to the Philippines until “violence against dissidents cease and accountability against the perpetrators commences.”
Read more: Philippine Human Rights Act reintroduced in US Congress
Human rights groups: Stop the killings!
- Published: 15 June 2021 15 June 2021
A total of 103 civil society, religious organizations and concerned individuals signed a joint open letter on 7 June addressed to the Philippine Supreme Court and Department of Justice, expressing “profound and urgent concern on the recent extrajudicial killings, judicial harassment, arbitrary arrests and detention and threats through red-tagging against human rights defenders, human rights lawyers, trade unionists and public sector unions, and organizers of community pantries in the Philippines.”
Revolutionary forces to investigate accidental killing of two civilians
- Published: 15 June 2021 15 June 2021
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines on 11 June expressed its sincere condolences to the family of Kieth Absalon, 21, and his uncle, Nolven Absalon, 40, who were killed in Masbate City on 6 June by an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated by the New People's Army. The Communist Party of the Philippines in a June 8 statement admitted the error of the military action and expressed deep remorse over the deaths of the two. Both were unarmed civilians not taking part in the armed conflict.
Read more: Revolutionary forces to investigate accidental killing of two civilians
Fake NPA surrenders source of military corruption -- CPP
- Published: 15 June 2021 15 June 2021
The Communist Party of the Philippines on 2 June denounced the “farcical numbers” reported by the Duterte government’s National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) of New People’s Army rebels who have surrendered. CPP Chief Information Officer Marco Valbuena said the report is a “desperate bid to make the public believe Duterte is winning the war against the revolutionary movement, in the hope of securing billions upon billions of pesos more funds for the military.”
Read more: Fake NPA surrenders source of military corruption -- CPP
AFP soldiers abduct 4-year old boy
- Published: 31 May 2021 31 May 2021
Four-year old MJ was forcibly abducted by armed elements of the 203rd Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on 12 May in Rizal town, Occidental Mindoro. About 10 soldiers broke into the home of the Fernandez family, guardians of MJ, at around 7:00pm, aimed their guns at family members and forcibly grabbed the boy. The soldiers overpowered the Fernandez family and hastily drove away, almost running over the guardians.