AJLPP-USA Denounced AFP Indiscriminate aerial bombing in Davao Del Norte, Mindanao

AJLPP-USA Denounced AFP Indiscriminate aerial bombing in Davao Del Norte, Mindanao

San Francisco- The Alliance for A Just and Lasting Peace (AJLPP) vehemently condemned the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) for indiscriminately dropping bombs at Barangay Manay in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, in the island Mindanao, damaging homes and banana fields and endangering the lives of residents who had to evacuate to safer grounds.

AJLPP learned through media sources via internet that around 700 residents of the barangay had to run out of their homes and seek shelter at a local school gymnasium as Philippine Air Force OV-10 bombers and helicopter gunships bombed their village and surrounding fields. According to residents, at least 20 bombs were dropped in the bombing raid that started at around 10 am on April 11.

Military officials said that the bombings were conducted to flush out the New People's Army (NPA) unit that hauled away 101 firearms from the Davao Penal Colony (Dapeco) and was suspected to have proceeded to that barangay.

OV-10 Bronco bombers were military planes supplied by the U,S government to the Philippines to be used for its counter-insurgency campaigns.

This special type of American bomber turbo propellered planes were designed for counter-insurgency close combat air support operations.

It was fist used in Vietnam during the end years of the war and was extensively used by the Indonesians in East Timor in 1975 and the Philippines during martial law and after the Marcos era during the Oplan Lambat Bitag and in Mindanao against the MILF during the Estrada regime's offensive against the MILF bases in 1999.

Revolutionary Forces condemned AFP Bombings.

Meanwhile Philippine revolutionary forces spokesman Roger Rosal also condemned the AFP and PNP for the bombing of the barangay.

"There is absolutely no justification in indiscriminately bombing a populated community, endanging the lives of hundreds of residents and destroying their homes, fields and crops. This is naked terrorism and fascist brutality!"

Rosal added, "To add insult to injury, the AFP even blurted out the total absurdity that they bombed the barangay because the NPA hostaged the barriofolk. It is nothing but a big lie that no sane person would believe."

Rosal cited local media reports quoting barangay officials who said that there were no NPA guerrillas in their area nor was there any encounter between the military and the NPA in the vicinity. Barangay residents denied the claims of the military that they were 'hostaged' by the NPA.

Local media reports said the harassed and ruined barriofolk could not understand why the military had to bomb their community and endanger them all the more if there was any bit of truth in the military's spin that they were hostaged by the NPA.

Rosal said "obvious slips of untruth and illogic cannot but show in the AFP and PNP's vain efforts to cover up of their fascist crimes."

Rosal also derided the military and police for carrying out "blind pursuit operations" against the NPA. "The NPA fighters that carried out that Dapeco raid AFP are highly adept at guerrrilla tactics and simply became 'invisible.' The incompetent and highly embarrased AFP, who absolutely had no idea where the raiders 'disappeared,' just hit with wild abandon the nearest suspected NPA mass base ."

Rosal reported in his internet message that : "The truth is, the Red fighters of the NPA-Merardo Arce Command had already safely withdrawn. The so-called pursuit operations were only for show at the expense of the people of Barangay Manay."

The AJLPP believed that the AFP and PNP "are culpable for violating the Geneva Conventions that stipulate the rights and protection of civilians in the midst of war."

The AJLPP urged both Filipino and international human rights organizations to initiate a fact-finding mission in the area to determine the culpability of the military and violations of international humanitarian law and rules of war.

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