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One group said Thursday that the nine deaths in the previous day’s military operations in Tapaz, Capiz, were members of an indigenous peoples group (IP), contrary to claims by government forces that they were communist rebels.
In a Facebook post, the Pamanggas group said the nine were Tumandok IPs who were “unarmed” and “non-combatants.”
The group identified eight of the murdered individuals as:
- Eliseo Gayas, Jr. of Barangay Aglinab, a council of TUMANDUK
- Mauro Díaz from Barangay Tacayan;
- Arcelito Katipunan from Barangay Acuña;
- Mario Aguirre de Barangay Lahug, member of the Barangay council;
- Roy Giganto from Barangay Lahug, Barangay council member, former Barangay captain and current president of TUMANDUK;
- Jomer Vidal from Barangay Daan Sur;
- Dalson Catamin from Barangay Nayawan, a Barangay captain;
- Reynaldo Katipunan from Barangay Lahug, member of the Barangay council
The group said Gaas was “tortured before he was killed.”
According to Pamanggas, Gayas’ relatives were ordered to leave their home before armed agents entered and shot him four times.
“The houses of Mario Aguirre and Roy Giganto, meanwhile, were forcibly entered and the operatives shot them dead inside while they slept, in the presence of their families,” he added.
Meanwhile, 17 members of IP were arrested in the same operation from different Barangays in Calinog, Iloilo and Tapaz, Capiz. The group identified 11 of them as the following:
- Marilyn Castor Chiva
- Luisito Bautista, Chief Tanod of Barangay Garangan in Calinog, Iloilo;
- Glen legario
- Wilsie Chiva, 60 years old;
- Marivic Aguirre, former president of TUMANDUK and municipal government employee
- Marilou Sumaria Catamin, 54 years old
- (Rolen Caro Catamin, 21 years old
- Jucie Katipunan Caro, 44 years old
- Eleutricia Calbo Caro, 62 years old
- Rolando Caspillo, 56 years old
- Aileen Catamin, former secretary general of TUMANDUK, former captain of Tacayan Barangay and current employee of the municipal government
The group said Catamin’s family claimed that Aileen was tortured when they took her to the Tapaz police station.
Marevic Aguirre and Raúl Catamin disappeared, according to the group. Citing witnesses, the group said Aguirre was captured by military forces in a helicopter.
According to Raúl’s family, he was also subject to a search warrant and an operation by the police and the army that morning.
“The identified victims were respected intellectual property leaders in their respective barangays and were not armed,” the group said.
In November, the group said that a community leader from Barangay Lahug sought the help of the Human Rights Commission for alleged threats made by members of the Philippine Army and National Police against residents.
GMA News Online has reached out to the Philippine Armed Forces spokesperson, Major General Edgard Arévalo, and PNP spokesperson, Police Brigadier General Ildebrandi Usana, for comment.
They have not responded as of press time.
According to Western Visayas Police Chief, Police Brigadier General Rolando Miranda on Wednesday, all nine were killed during a simultaneous execution of search warrants against suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels on the island of Panay, particularly in Tapaz. and Calinog.
A report from Super Radyo dzBB said the suspected NPAs resisted arrest. –with Joviland Rita / KBK, GMA News
