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Makabayan Bloc urges Absalons' kin to file complaint over deaths


Makabayan Bloc urges Absalons' kin to file complaint over deaths

The Makabayan Bloc on Wednesday urged the families of Kieth and Nolven Absalon, victims of a land mine that went off in Masbate, to file a complaint before the Joint Monitoring Committee over their untimely deaths.

The said committee accepts complaints on the non-compliance of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army, or the government and its security forces on the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), the bloc said. 

Kieth, a football player of the Far Eastern University, and his cousin Nolven were killed by an improvised explosive device blast on Sunday morning. 

The communist group has taken responsibility for the incident as it also apologized to the bereaved families of the victims. 

The progressive lawmakers have extended deep sympathies to the Absalons and slammed the said blast. 

"We condemn the military action by a unit of the NPA in Masbate City that caused their death and injuries to others for violating international humanitarian law," the bloc said. 

"Filing a complaint with the JMC will serve as an important reminder on the need for both the signatories to the CARHRIHL — the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) that represents the CPP-NPA —  to always abide by the laws of war: all non-combatants, civilians and civilian populations should be spared and protected, so that there will be no more Absalons to be needlessly lost," it added. 

The lawmakers also welcomed the statement of the CPP-NPA expressing its remorse on the untimely demise of the two victims. 

"We look forward to a full and impartial investigation into the incident, and to the CPP-NPA’s response to any complaint to be filed against them with the JMC," the Makabayan Bloc said. 

" The Absalons’ deaths and the rising number of CARHRIHL violations by the PNP-AFP should compel the government and the NDFP to fully reactivate the JMC and to reopen the formal peace negotiations and to fully address the root causes of the raging armed conflict," it added. 

State security forces have announced that they are conducting a manhunt operation for the suspects behind the blast. 

The Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday also said it had begun investigating the incident. —KG, GMA News