DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / July 28, 2012) – Communist rebels have executed two tribal leaders in separate attacks in the southern Philippines, security officials said Saturday.
Officials said New People’s Army rebels killed Datu Causing Ogao, in Davao City’s Marilog district. His companion Rodolfo Latakin, was also gunned down and Ogao’s son, Keem, was shot and seriously wounded by rebels.
Lt. Col. Lyndon Paniza, a spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division, said Ogao was the tribal chieftain in the village of Salaysay. “The three victims were heading home on a motorcycle when rebels ambushed them. They were all unarmed,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said NPA rebels also killed Libontos Impok Ansabo, the tribal chieftain of the village of Ganatan in North Cotabato’s Arakan town. Some 60 rebels stormed the village and gathered all men and lined them up on the road, and picked up Ansabo where he was tortured and murdered in front of villagers and his terrified family.
“We deeply sympathize with the families of the victims. The NPAs are on a spate of murdering tribal chieftains who have expressed their commitment to a genuine peace and development. This is a very clear defiance of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law,” Paniza said.
“We call on all human rights and indigenous people advocates to seriously look into this matter. These incidents are very alarming; our lumads (indigenous tribe) who have been deprived of bigger opportunities are being killed mercilessly by the NPAs. The NPAs are plain and simple murderers, they aggravate the lowly conditions of our indigenous people,” he added.
The NPA, which is fighting for a separate state, did not give any statement, but the rebels have previously warned that it would attack village officials helping the military on it anti-insurgency operations in the troubled region. (Mindanao Examiner)
20