Baguio progressives say PNP, AFP accountability better than dialogue
January 13, 2022
By KIMBERLIE QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — Multi-sectoral alliance Tongtongan ti Umili (TTU) turned down the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) invitation to a dialogue with the police and military as part of the government’s counterinsurgency program.

In their January 10 letter, TTU said it would be more productive for the people if the government made erring police and military personnel accountable for their actions.

The group said state forces have a long list of human rights violations committed against their members. Recorded incidents include threats, harassment, intimidation, political vilification, and red-tagging.

TTU said it finds the notion of partnering with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) “abhorring” with the continuing rights violations with impunity and lack of accountability.

“As such we cannot be in this dialogue with the perpetrators of human rights violations, unless accountability measures are set in motion,” the letter stated.

TTU was responding to the invitation sent by the Joint Task Group – Community Support Program (CSP) on December 20, signed by City Police Chief Colonel Glenn Lonogan. Recipients of the notice were TTU leaders who were victims of red-tagging by the PNP, including the group’s chairperson and veteran Baguio urban poor leader Geraldine Cacho.

“The leading focus of the dialogue is the issues affecting the urban poor and AFP-PNP in Baguio City,” the invitation said.

The letter said the January 14 activity is part of their CSP-White Area Operation with the military. Guidelines on the conduct of CSP from the Department of Interior and Local Government said the operation is a program of the AFP under the country’s counter-insurgency Oplan Kapayapaan.

“(It) is a multi-stakeholder and community-based peace and development effort aimed to establish and protect a conflict-affected community,” the guidelines said.

TTU also urged the police to discontinue the Dumanon Makitungtong strategy and heed the regional office of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR Cordillera) advisory to stop red-tagging dissenters.

Dumanon Makitungtong was patterned after the dreaded Oplan Tokhang. The Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee proposed the measure adopted by the Cordillera Regional Peace and Order Council in July 2021.

In its December 22 advisory, CHR-CAR urged the government to protect victims and reiterated the dangers of red-tagging.

The country’s human rights body advised the AFP and PNP to file charges instead if they have sufficient proof linking individuals to the CPP-NPA. It also reminded law enforcers to differentiate activists from rebels who opted to take up arms to overthrow the government.

“Resorting to red-tagging would imply that they have no evidence at hand to indict the person,” the advisory said.

TTU also reminded the PNP and AFP to respect the decisions and proceedings of the petition for a Writ of Amparo lodged at Branch 3 of the Baguio City Regional Trial Court.

On March 24, 2021, the court ordered the PNP to stop tagging activists as rebel recruiters and supporters, and granted the Amparo petition the following day.

The Writ of Amparo is a legal remedy for individuals whose rights to life, liberty, and security are threatened or violated. It was instituted in 2007 to address the rampant extra-judicial killings of activists during the presidency of Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo. # nordis.net

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