By KIMBERLIE QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — On September 7, church and development workers joined the family and friends of Fidela “Delle” Bugarin-Salvador to commemorate the 10th anniversary of her death and renew their call for justice.

Salvador, known as “Delle” to her loved ones and colleagues, was an engineer who worked with various non-government organizations in the Cordillera, lending her expertise to development projects. She was killed during a military operation conducted by the 41st Infantry Battalion in Lacub, Abra, on September 5, 2014. The military accused her of being a member of the New People’s Army (NPA), a claim her family and colleagues vehemently denied.

In a statement delivered by her son, VJ, the family expressed their ongoing frustration. “We continue to thirst for truth and justice, as the findings from the autopsy report remain contrary to the narrative given by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP),” they said.

“We remain firm in the belief that she was tortured and murdered, and we hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice. We also fervently hope that this barbaric culture of senseless killings is stopped,” the family added.

The Cordillera Disaster Response and Development Services (CordisRDS) and her family said Salvador was in Lacub to monitor CordisRDS disaster response and socio-economic projects when the incident occurred.

An autopsy by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) physician Ronald Bandonil revealed that Salvador had suffered a blunt traumatic injury to the back of her head, indicating possible torture. She also sustained nine gunshot wounds to her back, causing her lungs and heart to collapse.

Another civilian, Noel Vista, a resident of Barangay Poblacion, Lacub, also died in the same incident. Vista was among the 24 civilians who retrieved the body of one of the six NPA members killed in a firefight the day before.

Religious and human rights groups have expressed solidarity with the Salvador family, reiterating their demands for justice and accountability. The Regional Ecumenical Council in the Cordillera, which co-organized the tribute, praised Salvador’s dedication to serving marginalized communities.

“We were inspired to learn about her unwavering commitment to uplift the marginalized and her passion for helping those in unfortunate situations,” the group said. “The challenge now is for the youth and young at heart to continue seeking justice and empowering people for the greater good.”

In a separate statement, Hustisya (United for Justice), an organization of families and friends of victims of extrajudicial killings, echoed the call for justice. They noted that Salvador’s case is emblematic of many others who have suffered from state repression, with justice still out of reach.

The group also criticized the current administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., claiming it is no different from the dictatorship of his father and previous governments. According to Hustisya and human rights group Karapatan, there have been 105 documented extrajudicial killings and 75 frustrated killings as of June 2024. Most of the victims, they said, were civilians falsely accused by the military of being NPA rebels. # nordis.net