ILOILO City – The Police Regional Office 6’s (PRO-6) Regional Internal Affairs Service (RIAS) is set to investigate the Dec. 30, 2020 synchronized police and military operations in Tapaz, Capiz and Calinog, Iloilo which resulted in the death of 13 individuals and arrest of 17 others.
The probe would revolve around possible violations of the Philippine National Police’s standard operating procedure in serving search warrants to respondents.
RIAS would also look into the alleged unlawful aggression of indigenous peoples (tumadok) whom the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region 6 which staged the raids alleged as New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.
“Everything here will be investigated,” said RIAS chief Police Colonel Roger James Brillantes.
According to Brillantes, he is waiting for CIDG-6’s report, including the names of police officers involved in the raids.
“We assure the public that there will be no biases in our investigation,” Brillantes further said.
Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant Colonel Gervacio Balmaceda, chief of CIDG-6, maintained that the coordinated operations were conducted after a thorough intelligence investigation, involving 28 search warrants “based on information from civilians about the presence of personalities with high-powered firearms and explosives.”
He also insisted that the tumandok who died were rebels.
Police Colonel Ross Alvarado, PRO-6 deputy director for operations, presented the names of the slain suspected rebels and their roles in the underground movement. They were the following:
* Roy Giganto alias “Allan” – village chief of Lahug, Tapaz, Capiz; secretary of the section party committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) responsible in the recruitment into the NPA of peasants in Barangay Lahug and peripheral barangays. In the 1990s he was an NPA platoon leader and participated in various ambushes against government forces, particularly in Tapaz. He was also involved in the ambush of the Re-engineered Special Operations team, which killed at least five soldiers.
* Reynaldo Katipunan – village councilman of Barangay Lahug; intelligence officer of the NPA in their barangay and had direct contact with key leaders of the NPA, Igabon platoon, Central Front Committee and was active in organizing the NPA’s Milisya ng Bayan with Roy Giganto
* Mario Aguerre – village councilman of Barangay Lahug; member of CPP-NPA in charge of food supplies. He had direct access to the CPP-NPA in Tapaz and Calinog towns.
* Rolando Caspillo Sr. from Barangay Tacayan, Tapaz – a trusted operator of the CPP-NPA underground organization and in armed operations in their barangay; intelligence officer providing information to the CPP-NPA
* Maurito Diaz Sr. of Barangay Tacayan – in charge of foods and logistics; his house was used as bahay bagsakan of rebels’ supplies and personal mobilization
* Eliseo Gayas Jr. of Barangay Aglinap, Tapaz – one of the leaders of the CPP in their barangay; in charge in gathering food, ammunition, firearms, and medical requirements of rebels. His house was also a bagsakan of rebels’ explosives and firearms
* Artilito Katipunan of Barangay Acuña, Tapaz – local leader of the CPP who actively organized NPA unit, Milisya ng Bayan and provided support to various armed atrocities
* Jomar Vidal of Barangay Daan Sur, Tapaz – recruiter; also served as intelligence officer of the rebels in their barangays where he monitored government troops’ movements
* Garson Catamin – village chief of Barangay Nayawan, Tapaz – part of the CPP-NPA armed support network; a facilitator of the rebels’ supplies, ammunition, explosives, components and among other NPA war supplies
How these men supposedly resisted arrest and fought back during the serving of search warrants was unclear.
“Hindi ko pa nakausap ang mga raiding team leaders. Basta ang sabi nila lumaban,” Balmaceda said.
Families of these dead men and those of the arrested persons claimed they were sleeping when law enforcers arrived.
In an earlier interview with Panay News, Marilyn Chiva, one of the arrested tumandok in Calinog, denied owning the recovered weapons from her house. They were planted, she claimed.
Ruice John Gayas, a resident of Barangay Ahlinag in Tapaz told local radio stations his father was shot while sleeping.
In Tapaz, village council member Ludovisa Catamin of Barangay Roosevelt alleged that policemen and soldiers entered their house and arrested her son Rolen based on a search warrant.
She said they were ordered out while a policeman entered their house and later went out saying firearms had been found.
Catamin denied that the firearms were theirs.
Most of the targets were indigenous peoples who have been red-tagged by the military for their vocal opposition to militarization in their communities and in recent years the construction of the Jalaur mega dam, according to the Commission on Human Rights in Western Visayas.
The commission started its own investigation via motu propio initiative last week./PN
