THE Army’s 10th Infantry Division said Sunday it had submitted 19 complaints against the CPP-NPA for gross violations of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Law signed between the government and the National Democratic Front, which allegedly represents the CPP-NPA in the formal peace talks.
In a statement, the group said 15 of those violations were perpetrated against civilians, including the burning of nine civilian vehicles, the attack and burning of four civilian companies’ equipment and facilities, the murder of a civilian and the harassment of another civilian.
The four violations against soldiers and militiamen were the mutilation of the remains of three soldiers and the killing of three soldiers and a militiaman who were off-duty, unarmed and in civilian clothes.
The group said the civilian vehicles burned by the CPP-NPA included five Yellow Bus Line buses, a Husky bus, one passenger van, an elf truck and a dump truck.
The attacks on civilian companies were the burning of heavy equipment of three construction companies and the packing plant of DOLE-STANFILCO.
The group said the violations were committed from February 2016 to January 2017. The number of violations committed by province were South Cotabato-5, Sarangani-4, North Cotabato-3, Davao del Sur-3, Davao Oriental-2, Davao Occidental-1, and Compostela Valley-1.
Copies of the complaints were forwarded to the Secretariat of the Joint Monitoring Committee of CARHRIHL; Secretary Silvestre H Bello, chairman of GPH-Negotiating Panel; and Fidel V Agcaoili, chairman of the NDFP panel.
The group said it hoped the violations of CARHRIHL would be discussed by the peace panels and appropriate actions would be taken to stop the wanton violations of human rights and international humanitarian laws committed by the CPP-NPA against the Filipino people.
“We likewise urge other government agencies to assist the victims of these senseless violence committed by the CPP-NPA against the Filipino people so that appropriate complaints can be filed not only in the JMC but also in the proper courts,” the group said.
“We call on the CPP-NPA to end these senseless violence against civilians and their properties to show your sincerity in the ongoing peace talks.”