“NOT A MASSACRE”
“The military operations carried out by the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion … warrant an urgent investigation,” Philippine Congresswoman Leila de Lima said on Apr 25.
She pointed to the deaths of a young student and a community journalist in the raid.
In a separate statement, local rights monitor Karapatan said the “sheer number of those killed triggers significant questions and conclusions on the conduct of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) operations”.
The Philippine military, which handed out medals to a number of soldiers involved, said the raid was “a legitimate armed encounter, not a massacre” – noting the seizure of 24 firearms.
Addressing a probe launched by the country’s Commission on Human Rights, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala told reporters on Apr 26 that the military was “open to investigation and the evidence will speak for us”.
The military told AFP last week it had been fighting “remnants” of the NPA near the Toboso municipality.
Col Dema-ala said the area was “one of the more active remnants of the (guerrilla) front in the central Philippines”.
The military estimates the rebel group has fewer than 2,000 armed members left.
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