Bayan to 303rd IB: dismantle your death squad now and stop lying!

Christian Tuayon, Spokesperson | Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Negros
Cellphone number: 0921.785.9554 |   The umbrella of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Negros (Bayan Negros) today militantly and surprisingly protested in front of Major Nelson L. Gerona in Brgy. Minuyan, Murcia  making to protest the existence of Armed Forces of the Philippines’ “death squad” that killed 41 activists in Negros including Benjie Bayles, an Aglipayan human rights activist and Bayan Muna member. Last Thursday, Department of National Defense (DND) Sec. Voltaire Gazmin during DND budget deliberation in the House of Representatives admitted that the two arrested murder suspects of Bayles are members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.     
 
“We demand the 303rd Infantry Brigade to officially dismantle their death squads that killed 41 political activists in Negros since 2001 under the Oplan Bantay Laya  counter insurgency program. They must also stop lying just to cover-up their criminal activities,” said Christian Tuayon Bayan Negros spokesman.  
 
The militant group is accusing AFP of operating death squads since 2001 because of the same pattern of killings of the victims. The creation of death squads is part of Oplan Bantay Laya for the purpose of selective elimination of activists. The case of Bayles is only one of its kind cases because two suspects were arrested with .45 caliber pistols after the murder last June 14 in Himamaylan City. Philippine National Police conducted checkpoint in Brgy. 1 of Kabankalan City after receiving  an information of the direction of the perpetrators and arrested Pfc. Regine Laus aka Roger Bahon and Pfc. Ronnie Caurino but the AFP was quick and repeatedly denied that the two suspects are in their roll.
 
“Now that Sec. Gazmin admitted the suspects  affiliation with the AFP, this automatically confirmed our conclusions of the existence of AFP “death squads” since 2001. After ten (10) years of lying and misleading the public, we finally find the  hidden fire of  the AFP because of the smoke,” Tuayon added.
 
Bayan challenges  Pres. Noynoy Aquino and Justice Sec. Leila de Lima to conduct immediate investigation of the leadership of the 3rd ID and 303rd Infantry Brigade who planned, lie, mislead and cover up the identities of  Laus and Caurino for almost four months and to make them accountable to the killings in Negros.
 
“Col Caro and Sumagaysay,  including past and present Civil Military Operation officers of 11th IB and 61st IB must be investigated and suspended because they lie and mislead the people just to hide the identities of Pfcs. Caurino and Laus. They must be held liable for the killings too,” Tuayon added.
Karapatan records show that there have been 1,207 cases of extra judicial killings nationwide since 2001, including 41 cases of killings in Negros and 16 cases of killings under the administration of Pres. Benigno Aquino III.
BAYAN believes that AFP officials prefer to call themselves inutile in their long overdue investigation  than admitting that they are involved in extra-judicial killings.###