Translated Statement of the Barangay Officials of Bangilo District on the recent AFP Bombings in Malibcong Abra

We, the indigenous peoples of municipality of Malibcong, Abra, especially the people of Bangilo District (Barangays Umnap, Buanao and Lat-ey), strongly condemn the indiscriminate bombings that took place at the Pugo rice field in Barangay Lat-ey on May 31, 2013 at 9:05 AM. We confirm this data as true and against the radio DZPA live interview of Brig. Gen. Hernando DCA Iriberri on May 31, 2013. Iriberri is the AFP’s commanding officer of 503rd Infantry Brigade. There is no truth to his statement that the bombed area is 500 meters away from the residential area. The fact is the bomb exploded 40 meters from the hut of Matilde Sacgragon where, at that time, (name withheld), 14 years old and (name withheld), 17, were gathering escargot at the nearby rice field. Barangay Council Antonio Ambalneg, who was at the area, helped the shocked and fearful victims. The bomb exploded 170 meters from the Hydro-Electric Power House and residential houses is 170 meters. It was 60 meters from Ponciano Culangan’s rice granary and 120 meters away where Rommel Teneza was plowing is 120 meters based on the measurements made by the officers of the three barangays. We have in our possession the “bomb shells” that we found in the area as proof.

Because we believe in the integrity of life, that people have rights to peaceful society based on justice. It is our duty to value and protect life that is the most important gift to us from God and our land that we nurture and our source of our livelihood and where God had set as forth. Our painful experience here in 2010 wherein the people were harassed, especially the elderly and children when indiscriminate bombings, strafings and this second experience of bombings strengthened our resolve to fight for our right to seek justice. We do not like this incident to happen again in the future as well as we do not like the military to get used to these abuses and wrong doings.

We would like to inform the perpetrators and all right- and Christian-minded people that this incident is in violation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), an agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). The violations of the AFP led by BGen. Hernando Iriberri, commanding officer of 503rd IB and Col. Danilo Domingo, commanding officer of 41st Infantry Battalion is a clear violation of this agreement as stated in the following:

A. CARHRIHL Part III – Respect for Human Rights – Article 2, No. 15 that states, “the right not to be subjected to forced evacuation, food and toher forms of economic blockades and indiscriminate bombings, shellings, strafing, gunfire and the use of landmines.”

B. CARHRIHL Part IV – Respect for International Humanitarian Law – Article 4, No. 4 that states, “Civilian populations and civilians shall be treated as such and shall be distinguished rom combatants and, together with their property, shall not be the object of attack. They shall likewise be protected against indiscriminate aerial bombardment, strafing, artillery fire, mortar fire, arson, bulldozing and other similar forms of destroying lives and property, from the use of explosives as well as stockpiling near or in their midst, and the use of chemical and biological weapons.
Because of this, we, the civilians, have the right to demand accountability and for disciplinary actions against the party to the armed conflict that has perpetrated non-implementation of the principles and guidelines of the International Humanitarian Law as stated ni Part IV, Article 4, No. 5.

Therefore, the entire municipality of Malibcong, including its officials in the three barangays (Umnap, Buanao, and Lat-ey), as well as the indigenous peoples concerned, elders of Gubang Tribe, we affirm and solemnly swear the truthfulness of this statement. Also, we express and affirm that there was no encounter with the NPA and AFP on May 31, 2013, and there were no members of NPA here in our community. Farm clearing of community folks in preparation for planting is ongoing. We affix our signatures as affirmation.