PNP insists IPs killed in police-military ops in Capiz part of terrorist group

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Sunday insisted that the indigenous people who were killed in a police-military operation in Capiz were part of a terrorist group.

Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV, PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Ildebrandi Usana said the operation was conducted after a thorough intelligence investigation.

“Ito po 'yung sinasabi natin na na-infiltrate po kasi ng communist terrorists ang mga grupo ng mga indigenous peoples,” Usana said.

“Kahit sa kanilang mga pagpapahayag [na] sila'y mga tribal leaders, when in fact, mismo 'yung mga witnesses na nakakakilala sa kanila [ang nagsasabi] na sadya talagang nasa panig sila ng mga kalaban, mga communist terrorist,” he added.

According to Usana, the police applied for a search warrant in court to conduct the operation as their witnesses were saying that an armed terrorist group is operating in the area.

“From there, nakapag-initiate na po ng operation ang ating kapulisan together with the Philippine Army. Nakita naman po natin 'yung resulta, meron pong mga naaresto,” he said.

“Meron pong hindi siguro sumang-ayon doon sa mga supposed na pagse-serve ng search warrant sa kanila. As a result, meron pong encounter at meron nga pong namatay po,” he added.

On Wednesday, Western Visayas police chief Police Brigadier General Rolando Miranda said at least nine suspected members of the New People's Army were killed in Tapaz, Capiz during a simultaneous serving of search warrants against suspected communist rebels in Panay Island.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Gervacio Balmaceda, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region 6 chief, said 17 other suspected members were arrested in Calinog and Tapaz.

On Thursday, the group Pamanggas said the nine fatalities were members of an indigenous people's (IP) group, contrary to the claim of government forces that they were communist rebels.

In a post on Facebook, the group said the nine were Tumandok IPs who were "unarmed" and "non-combatant."

Detained Senator Leila de Lima on Saturday called for an immediate investigation into the killing of the nine IP members and the arrest of 17 others in Calinog, Iloilo by police units.

“If the reports I received were accurate, the killings were done 'tokhang' style, with State forces barging into their homes at dawn, under the pretext of serving warrants, and eventually killing them because they allegedly resisted arrest,” De Lima said in a statement. —KG, GMA News