CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission (BHRC) said it is committed to continuing the fight for justice for the nine Moro civilians who were murdered in a gun attack in Kabacan, North Cotabato three years ago.
On August 29, 2020, at around 12:20 pm, five suspects opened fire on nine Moro farmers near a granary along Aringay Road within University of Southern Mindanao (USM) campus in Kabacan, Cotabato.
Eight victims died on the spot while one victim survived and was taken to a hospital.
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament adopted a resolution strongly condemning the said massacre and requesting the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to fast-track the conduct of their investigation so that justice will be brought and that perpetrators of the heinous crime will be immediately punished.
“We are with you until the end, we will never abandon your case,” BHRC Chairperson Atty. Abdul Rashid Kalim told the bereaved families of the victims in a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Bobby Lagsa
Kalim added that the BHRC will not will not abandon the Bangsamoro people who live outside BARMM. “BHRC, in collaboration with the NBI and other sectors, has already filed a case to the Office of the Provincial Prosecutors of North Cotabato,” Kalim said.
Eight families of the victims each received P36,000.00 from the BHRC, while two families also received P10,000.00 each. The cash assistance was intended to support the livelihood of the bereaved families.
“I am grateful to BHRC because this financial assistance is a big help to us, especially to me who is a single parent. I will make it a business investment and also for my son’s education,” said a 22-year-old mother whose husband was slain in the incident.
Atty. Allanuddin Hassaan, Legal counsel of the victims, assured the families that the suspects will be held accountable for the murder “They will have a place in prison,” Hassaan said.