Various Rights groups and activists condemned the killing of at least nine activists and the arrest of six others in police operations in Calabarzon on Sunday, March 7.
According to Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay, this is not the first time that operations against activists occurred.
“[L]ike the Gestapo-esque police raids in Negros which led to the mass arrests of activists and progressive leaders through search warrants manufactured from the government’s factory of lies, the Duterte regime is now unleashing the unbridled horrors of fascism and the crackdown on dissent upon the Southern Tagalog region using the same dirty tactics,” she said.
“Nothing could be more apt than calling this day a ‘Bloody Sunday.’ The fascist Duterte regime spares no day in its murderous campaign of State terror with the arrests and killings of labor leaders, organizers, activists, and human rights workers in tokhang- style raids Southern Tagalog today along with peddling the same lies and dirty tactics, from the bogus search warrants, the ‘nanlaban’ narrative to the tanim-ebidensiya scheme to justify these arrests and killings,” she added.
Progressive groups claimed that the deadly crackdowns came after President Rodrigo Duterte announced during the joint meeting of the National Task Force – Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in Northern Mindanao (NTF-RTF-ELCAC X) in Cagayan de Oro City to kill suspected rebels.
Right groups denounce killing of 9 activists in CALABARZON
“We hold President Duterte and General [NTF-ELCAC spokesperson General Antonio] Parlade directly accountable for the killing and illegal arrest of these unarmed activists, as well as the brazen weaponization of search warrants and planting of evidence that were done to justify such actions. This adds to the long long list of atrocities committed by Duterte and his tyrannical, fascist regime,” said Bagong Alyansang Makaban (Bayan).
Bayan also said Bayan Cavite coordinator Manny Asuncion was shot dead in a raid at the Workers Assistance Center in Dasmariñas City.
“The Commission on Human Rights must investigate these raids and ensure that justice and accountability is served for the victims of State terror and fascism. We will not be silenced, and we call on all Filipinos to condemn these raids and to stand with us in the struggle for justice and in defending people’s rights,” she added.