On June 5th,2011 18 year old Renel Jeff Haganas,an NPA Irregular under Front 51,the Magtanggol Roque Command of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC) and a resident of Makilala in North Cotabato paid the ultimate price for having guided the AFP,or Armed Forces of the Philippines,in its search for Front 51's camp last March.As the teenager was walking in Barangay Biangan his fellow NPA guerillas approached him and shot him in the face.Often times,NPA member or not,the AFP will"interrogate"individuals in an extreme manner after which,no matter your convictions,you aren't left with very much choice but to comply with the military's demands.Having co-operated though,young Mr.Haganas made the fatal mistake of assuming his betrayal would remain undiscovered.The camp in question,in Makilala's Barangay New Israel,wasn't that important.In fact,iit wasn't even in use when the AFP"captured"it,but the act of co-operation isn't taken lightly by the NPA and so the young man was made an example of.
On June 11th Front 51 launched an assault under the command of"Ka Enoy"on a temporary post of the 6DRC,or 6th Division Reconaissance Company,under 1Lt (First Lieutenant) Rito Petinglay in Makilala's Purok #6 in Barangay Batasan.The 30 minute firefight ended up killing PFC.(Private First Class) Arnie Agata but the NPA was unable to overrun the post and so withdrew into the jungle on the lower slopes of Mount Apo.
Two days later,on June 13th,in the municipality of Arakan,also in North Cotabato Province,Front 51 launched an assault on a CAFGU post in Barangay Anapolon but withdrew without success as the CAAs repulsed the assault without incurring,nor inflicting,any casualties.CAFGU,or Civilian Auxiliary Force Geographical Unit,is one of four entities that collectively form the CAA (Civilian Active Auxiliary) programme,which is itself the cornerstone of the AFP's counterinsurgency programme.Members,known as"CAAs,"are enlisted from within the community of deployment.Receiving a minimum of military training they are then issued uniforms and AFP weaponry,usually ancient M1s (Garands).They serve under an AFP NCO (Non-Commisioned Officer) who serves as a cadre but are often deployed rudderless into the field.
That same day,June 13th in the municipality of Magpet's Sito Kata Kulo in Barangay Basak,also in North Cotabato Province, the NPA's Front 51 launched an ambush against two 6 X 6 trucks full of soldiers from the 57IB (Infantry Battalion) as it patrolled that sector.Ten guerillas detonated an IED (Improvised Explosive Device,as in"bomb") that disabled the first of the two trucks and then launched a cross-fire barrage that precipitated a 10 minute firefight.Neither side suffered any casualties before the NPA withdrew into the bush.
The next day,June 14th,the 57IB launched an assault on a nine bunker NPA camp in the municipality of Makilala.After a 3 hour engagement that ended just after 9AM the soldiers were able to lay claim to some very minor IED components and not much else.Five of the bunkers were underground showing that it had been a substantial position but as usual the AFP allowed the NPA a clear route of withdrawal as opposed to actually trying to neutralise their enemy.
On June 15th the AFP launched a major push into Makilala.Deploying most of 3 IBs,the 39th,40th and the 57th,they softened the ground with airstrikes by OV-10 Broncos and MG520 helicopters before unleashing the ground assault on June 16th.On June 13th engagements had created 240 IDPs,or Internally Displaced Persons (i.em"Refugees") but by the 16th there were nearly 3000 who as of today,June 27th,remain in limbo.The AFP finished its operation on June 18th and claimed to have killed 4 NPA guerillas,two of whom they fully identified:
1) Alexander Selano
2) Miguel Oscio
The NPA though says that none of its guerillas were killed and that those two names belong to villagers who are neither dead nor NPA members.Moreover,the NPA claims to have killed 7 soldiers.
On June 25th the Mayor of Makilala,Rudy Goagdan,announced that the municipality was implementing a new programme designed to triage AFP casualties in the field.One would imagine that a huge military like the AFP would have trained combat medics but it does not.Those rare soldiers cross trained as medics are not even equipped to deal with snakebite and so those unlucky enough to be wounded critically in the field more often than not don't make it to the landing point for the long helicopter ride to AFP Hospitals which are only found in Division Headquarters and even then do a piss poor job of caring for their wounded.The programme,"OPlan Sagip Buhay,"or,"Operational Plan Lifesaver,"is also being offered to NPA casualties.It seems that Mayor Goagdan is taking a cue from Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of Davao City.
Some might remember how in another recent"NPA Armed Contacts,Second Quarter of 2011"entry I discussed the AFP's Scout Rangers overrunning a huge NPA camp in the municipality of Cateel in Davao Oriental Province in late May.Among the NPA casualties were 3 guerillas extremely critically wounded.Evacuated by the NPA to a friendly hospital in Surigao del Sur Province their commander was still deeply concerned,especially so because the lone female casualty,Vanessa"Ka Eching"Tropico de los Reyes of Davao City's Calinan District is his lover.Having a working relationship with Vice Mayor Duterte he called in a big favour.Duterte then used the city's helicopter and personally rode on the flight to retrieve the three casualties whom he then delivered to Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City.Duterte's relationship with the NPA has unfortunately served as a model for other city mayors on Mindanao.
Back when Duterte was a City Prosecutor in the mid-1980s he began playing both sides of the fence.At the time Davao City was in open warfare with the NPA,the organisation then having a parallel government that controlled large portion's of the island'sargest city.In 1984 there was an upsurge in vigilantism inspired by NPA Surrenderees (NPA Defectors) who formed Right Wing paramilitaries.By 1986 the most powerful of the Right Wing groups,Alsa Masa,or Masses Arise,was enjoying an annual budget of US 9,000,a fortune even now in local standards,courtesy of the Davao City budget.Taking strategems learned from his father,a long serving governor of Davao Province (originally there was 1 province,long since sub-divided into four) and reached out to the NPA's powers that be.Consigning 4 of the city's outlying rural districts to the NPA,he received in exchange a commitment by the Maoist guerillas not to operate in any other part of the city.Having taken a terrible beating in other city districts the NPA cut its losses and agreed.
Duterte capitalised on the deal by riding it into cityhall in the mayoral elections.Not long after other local warlords cum mayors copied Duterte's gameplan and brokered deals of their own and so cities like Cagayan del Oro,Iligan,Butuan and Zamboanga avoided the bloodshed that has continued to soak the countryside.Another mayor who copied Duterte's deal with the devil was Francisco Rabat,a long serving mayor in the municipality of Mati,in Davao Oriental Province.Just as in Davao City Rabat kept the NPA out of the town proper by offering them carte blanche in rural,outlying portions of his municipality.In 2007 his daughter Michelle Rabat won the mayoral election and simply assumed that her father's agreement was transferrae to her administration.
On June 7th,2011 Ms.Rabat discovered,much to her suprise,that it wasn't.At 7PM that evening the town's newly installed CCTV system (Closed Circuit Television) zeroed in on the city's bus terminal.Located between that terminal and the adjoining public market was a small MPO (Municipal Police Office) post.Standing outside the post was PO3 Alfredo Salva,cradling his M16.The cameras watched as six men walked towards the post,four of them spreading out as sentinels.Two of the men continued walking towards the unsuspecting police officer and as one of them suddenly pointed a pistol at him,the other lunged for his M16.The quick thinking police officer instantly raised the barrel and shot both of them but as he did this one of the four sentinels ran over and shot the officer in the face with a 45 caliber pistol,instantly killing him.He then reached down and pried the M16 from his hands and disappeared into the evening with his three companions,leaving behind the other two guerillas,one of whom had already died.
Of the two NPA guerillas shot by Officer Salva,the fatality was identified as Ramil"Ka Bunso"Sallanes and the critically wounded guerilla was positively identified as Ariel"Ka Gary"Manuray,both of Front 18,the Wilfredo Zapanta Command,Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC).Manuray was transported to Davao City where he is being held at the same hospital as the aforementioned three wounded guerillas rescused by Vice Mayor Duterte,the Southern Philippines Medical Center.Guarded by AFP soldiers he also lies in critical condition.Mayor Michelle Rabat broke the virtual code of silence on June 25th and discussed the deal her father made.It is no secret to those dealing in the island's counterinsurgency mileu but the fact that the Mayor actually discussed it openly is a huge shock.That she did so hours before Makilala's Mayor Goagdan offered succor to wounded NPA guerillas does make the latter's offer much more understandable.As humane an offer as it is it is troubling that Government officials blur the lines in an already heavily intertwined dynamic.Battling the NPA is difficult enough without having officials cross the line from adversary to ally,all the while skippin disaffected bystander (as if any official on Mindanao could ever be one).
The Church-based sectoral front organisation"Exodus for Peace"is appealing to Major General Segovia of the 10ID (Infantry Division) to release those three NPA guerillas rescued by Vice Mayor Duterte of Davao City.The group reminded Segovia that the NPA always safely releases its AFP and PNP (Philippine National Police) POWs (Prisoners of War).The group says releasing the three would be a wonderful Goodwill Gesture to which Segovia responded that in fact the Government has accorded the NPA many Goodwill Gestures only to have the group repay the Government with bloody attacks.Besides Major General Segovia said,they were charged by the courts on June 5th with Frustrated Murder so it is now a judicial issue.
Showing posts with label 39IB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 39IB. Show all posts
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
AFP Targeted Killings and Assassinations,First Quarter of 2011:Datu Rody Dejos and Rick Dejos
Unfortunately both the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the NPA both have a long and tangled history of targeted political killings.Unfortunately for the Government it will always end up looking much worse on this issue than the NPA ever will because of its onus as a sovereign power. Though the NPA does run a parallel government in its area of operation,it has never implemented a real justice system.Whenever the NPA assassinates someone it issues grandiose statements to the media about how the victim had been"tried"by a "People's Court"and found guilty,you can guess the rest I'm sure.In reality a member of the NPA,or less often CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines,the political echelon of the organisation) simply hands down an order and says,"Get it done."
On the other hand the Government of course DOES have an actual justice system replete with a court of appeal and even a 3rd echelon,the Supreme Court.Justice then should always be served except that it doesn't work that way.On one hand you have warlords like Vice Mayor Rodrigo"Roddy"Duterte of Davao City who has become iconic to many Mindanowan mayors for his extra-liberal application of extra-judicial execution in his own extremely narrow pursuit of"justice."Employing motorcycle riding assassins who invariably employ 45 caliber pistols,the standard AFP/PNP (Armed Forces of the Philippines/Philippine National Police) issued sidearm (ergo letting us know-wink wink-that the killing was done by the powers that be).Who is killed?Usually very low level drug dealers or street children who have segued into petty theft like pick pocketing or snatching cell phones.
Granted that such people are truly a menace but then that is why prisons were created.Why aren't our benevolent dictators gunning down the people manufacturing 500 kilogram runs of"shabu" (methamphetamine in smokable form)?Why aren't our Big Brothers protecting us from men smuggling 20 tonnes of untaxed sugar?Autos stolen from Manila?Better yet...why not go after illegal loggers?Surely their depredations cause much more misery than some 12 year old homeless boy who steals to eat.
On the other hand there are the killings linked to the AFP...killings of activists,journalists and even clergymen and women who cross the line from taking money out of parishoner's tattered pockets and instead actually begin caring for their fellow men and women.Inevitably those killed are Leftists,members of Sectoral Front Organisations who end up listed on an AFP Order of Battle."Orders of Battle"are lists composed at the brigade level and distriuted to battalion commanders,or COs (Commanding Officers).In well managed militaries these documents aren't"hit lists."They are used to aid rank and file personnel in intelligence gathering and in interrogations and apprehensions.If you are an NCO (Non-commisioned Officer,a corporal or sergeant) commanding a checkpoint and you find a suspicious individual you can rely on the Order of Battle in deciding whether or not that person is a worthwhile apprehension either by the listing of that individual's name or else by judging Sectoral Front membership either by admission or documentary evidence such as a pamphlet in a rucksack.
The Left likes to exaggerate and describe the Order of Battle as a hitlist.The idea is ridiculous and yet there ARE AFP personnel who use those documents for nefarious purposes.A case in point:
The Sectoral Front Organisation KMP,or Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (),is listed on every Order of Battle in the nation.A so called"peasant organisation"it seeks to unite rural small scale farmers in the struggle to achieve better lives for themselves and their families.Yet,there is no denying that the group is a shill for the NPA.Often times KMP leaders provide logistical and even materiel support to local NPA leaders and so in doing so become a very real participant in the life and death struggle taking place on a day to day basis between the AFP and the NPA.This naturally doesn't sit well with local AFP COs who have a difficult time as it is in dealing with an insurgency that holds the advantages tactically,strategically and environmentally.Therefore local KMP leaders end up bearing the brunt of these AFP CO's anger.
One such KMP leader was 50 year old Datu Rudy Yalon Dejos,a B'laan Tribesman from Santa Cruz in Davao del Sur Province,just outside Davao City.Rudy and his 26 year old son Rody Rick Dejos were very well known to LTC (Lieutenant Colonel) Oliver"Bong"R.Artuz of the 39IB (Infantry Battalion),headquartered in that very same town,as well as Artuz's predecessor LTC.Lyndon Paniza (currently Spokesperson for 10ID,the Infantry Division to which the 39IB is sublimated).As far back as 2009 LTC.Paniza had directly warned the elder Dejos to withdraw all involvement with KMP.As the force behind a local chapter of the provincial KMP affiliate,NANADDS,as well as being instrumental in KMP barangay affiliate for Barangay Patulangon,PATUFA (Patulangon Farmers Association) Dejos was then working on the formation of a subsidiary organisation,"ZOFA,"or the Zone-1 Farmer's Association,Rudy Dejos was extremely vocal about his opposition to the landed gentry pulling the strings in his outlying barangay,Zone #1.
As is always the case local landowners form the elite of local society and therefore are propping up the local government or are themselves the government per se.People like Rudy Dejos chafe at the inequities propagated by such people but unfortunately for Mr.Dejos these same well to do few also indirectly control local PNP and AFP deployments.For example,the LGU (Local Government Unit,municipality or province) has the ability to reject a deployment of a CO in their AOR (Area of Responsibility).Ergo AFP and PNP COs do not want to ever get on the wrong side of local powerbrokers.If such a powerful individual finds Mr.Dejos a threat,or even a nuisance,the AFP and PNP will move against Dejos.
When Rudy Dejos refused to stop involving himself with KMP the Dejos Family's problems began multiplying.In late 2009 LTC.Paniza forced Dejos to shut down PATUFA,which immediately led the determined farmer to begin forming a similar group in his own barangay,Zone #1.In June of 2010 the 39IB biouvaced a platoon in the barangay hall and began holding bi-weekly pulong-pulong (propaganda exercises where residents of a given area are forced to attend hours long meetings after long days in the fields.There they are harrangued for allowing NPA infiltration of their community and are bribed,threatened and/or cajoled into giving up names and/or other intelligence).Rudy Dejos refused to attend these long meetings and continued working to form a new organisation.Then,on June 6th,2010 Rody Rick was taken in for interrogation over a close relative whose name had been submitted by a harried villager.Either refusing to co-operate or else simply not knowing anything of value Rody Rick was not much help to the 39IB and so father and son were added to the 39IB Order of Battle.At this juncture most people would pull back and stop their activities,at least until the soldiers pulled out of the area.
As one might expect Dejos did no such thing and even ratcheted up the group's activities.The farmer cum activists chose to do so at a critical juncture.Santa Cruz has an extremely ambitious template for development.Along with an adjacent barangay belonging to Davao City the municipality will soon become home to a huge coal fed electric plant to be built by Aboitiz Power Corporation.The investment for the plant alone tops P25B,as in BILLION.That will be in addition to 2 smaller Aboitiz plants already sitting in Santa Cruz.Likewise the town just gained a huge Korean/Japanese joint venture that manufactures a sweetner manufactured out of coco coir (coconut husk) and lastly is aiming itself to progress from a Class I municipality to Chartered Cityhood.In the Philippine scheme of things this requires another 70,000 residents and a huge increase in revenue.In other words,full speed ahead towards growth and investment.
By October of 2010 the 39IB had formed a BDS in Zone #1 with 22 local men.The BDS,or Barangay Defense System,is a component in the AFP Force Multiplication component."Force Multiplication,"in this sense refers to any innpvation that increase the counterinsurgency capabilities of the AFP.Though there is sometimes a very poorly armed component to a BDS element the bulk of the protocol revolves around an"Eyes and Ears"programme.Denoted individuals are tasked with carefully svrutinising members of their communities and of course any unfamiliar faces as well.Naturally the Dejos Family ranked very high on thr list of people to watch.As Rudy Dejos moved to form a barangay chapter of the aforementioned NAMADD the BDS began focusing on him more and more.
By December the local point man for Barangay Zone #1's BDS,or BDS-1,was a man surnamed Arman.Arman had never liked Rudy Dejos and certainly liked him a lot less as Dejos stepped up recruitment for his new organisation,tenatively called"ZOFA."ZOFA,or Zone One Farmers Association,struch a popular chord in the community despite the best effort of the 39IB,by now commanded by LTC.Artuz.That same month saw a sniper take potshots at the elder Dejos.Though Dejos accused the 39IB and not BDS-1 it led to even more friction between him and Arman.Then,on January 19th,2011 Rudy Dejos took the plunge and formally founded ZOFA,the barangay's KMP affiliate.
As one might reckon,NPA activity,even NPA-associated activity is anathema to a powerbase seeking rapid,deep investment and new residents.Noone wants to live in a warzone and even less people want to sink their cherished money into one.Obviously the AFP has had precious little in the way of tangible success in the way of victories vis a vis the AFP-NPA dog and pony show.Guerillas launch murderous ambushes and mely back into the jungle,usually indistinguisable from civilians.When one is assured that members of Sectoral Front organisations are cogs in the NPA struggle it is oh so simple to cross what should be a very resolute line and take aim at Sectoral membership.After all,these organisations are the effective bridge between the NPA and its valued Mass Base of Support (civilian support network).
On February 26th,2011 the 39IB operated in Barangay Zone #1.The next morning,February 27th,Mrs.Dejos,Mercy,took their meager harvest to the barangay market in Sitio Central.Father and son spent the morning labouring in their field.By lunch they were at home where Rody busied himself preparing both their lunches.Indeed,when Mercy Dejos returned at 4PM that evening she found the table set and the food ready for serving.It had not been served because both Rudy and Rody Rick Dejos were savagely assaulted and killed.With clear signs of torture,with all finger tips having been crushed to the degree that ever single finger nail had shattered,both had been repeatedly stabbed and beaten before finally succumbing to gunshots.The bodies were found when upon entering her home,Mrs.Dejos eyes imediately spotted a trail of blood on the floor.Hurrying outside she saw both bodies crumpled underneath their stilt home.
Adding insult to injury LTC.Artuz then had a huge funeral boquet sent to the home.The Dejos' daughter Marilyn promptly burned it.Then,following tribal custom the widow had both bodies brought back to the house for a 3 day long vigil.Again LTC.Artuz couldn't leave well enough alone and deployed several soldiers in full combat gear to the home.Questioned about this Artuz offered that his men were"sad"and wished to"pay their respects."On March 9th more than 500 people turned out for a boisterous rally to condemn the brutal murders.rudy's daughter Marilyn,the woman who burned Artuz's boquet deplored the gall of the AFP and men like Artuz who felt so little shame and absolutely no compunction about showing their faces even as their victims laid in state.Egged on by another Sectoral Front organisation,Karapatan,Mercy Dejos then filed a formal complaint with the Davao City branch of the CHR (Commission on Human Rights,a governmental agency).In her complaint Mercy explained how she personally told AFP representatives that they weren't welcomed at her husband's vigil and subsequent funeral.
LTC.Artuz however says that Eudy Dejos' mother and brother personally allowed the 39IB to pay its respects.Interestingly Artuz didn't apologise for upsetting a bereaving widow.Nor did he acknowledge that maybe,just maybe that Dejos' mother and brother might have been just a tad bit intimidated at the sight of men in full combat gear,carrying M16s and"asking" to attend.In fairness to the 39IB and the AFP in general,noone has been charged in the deaths,least of all anyone in uniform.Of course this is the PhiliPpines and men in uniform are rarely charged for anything,if ever.
It isn't often that a Mindanowan peasant's death raises concern in Manila but the death of the 2 Mr.Dejos led to congressman Rafael V.Mariano (ANAKPAWIS-Party List) and Congresswoman Luzviminda Calolot Ilagan (Gabriela-Party List) penning House Resolution #1046 which asks Congress to have the House Committe on Human Rights investigate the whole sordid affair.Of course the sad truth is that both these Representatives are themselves members of Sectoral Front organisations so that anything they touch is immediately deemed worthless by the Philippine mainstream.At least the Dejos had their names mentioned and so perhaps someday,when the Philippines finally manages to form a society which respects the value of all its citizens-a society in which the NPA is an uncomfortable memory and the AFP actually acts like a real army-these sad events will finally seem like pulp fiction than the daily goings on of a nation in the 21st Century.
On the other hand the Government of course DOES have an actual justice system replete with a court of appeal and even a 3rd echelon,the Supreme Court.Justice then should always be served except that it doesn't work that way.On one hand you have warlords like Vice Mayor Rodrigo"Roddy"Duterte of Davao City who has become iconic to many Mindanowan mayors for his extra-liberal application of extra-judicial execution in his own extremely narrow pursuit of"justice."Employing motorcycle riding assassins who invariably employ 45 caliber pistols,the standard AFP/PNP (Armed Forces of the Philippines/Philippine National Police) issued sidearm (ergo letting us know-wink wink-that the killing was done by the powers that be).Who is killed?Usually very low level drug dealers or street children who have segued into petty theft like pick pocketing or snatching cell phones.
Granted that such people are truly a menace but then that is why prisons were created.Why aren't our benevolent dictators gunning down the people manufacturing 500 kilogram runs of"shabu" (methamphetamine in smokable form)?Why aren't our Big Brothers protecting us from men smuggling 20 tonnes of untaxed sugar?Autos stolen from Manila?Better yet...why not go after illegal loggers?Surely their depredations cause much more misery than some 12 year old homeless boy who steals to eat.
On the other hand there are the killings linked to the AFP...killings of activists,journalists and even clergymen and women who cross the line from taking money out of parishoner's tattered pockets and instead actually begin caring for their fellow men and women.Inevitably those killed are Leftists,members of Sectoral Front Organisations who end up listed on an AFP Order of Battle."Orders of Battle"are lists composed at the brigade level and distriuted to battalion commanders,or COs (Commanding Officers).In well managed militaries these documents aren't"hit lists."They are used to aid rank and file personnel in intelligence gathering and in interrogations and apprehensions.If you are an NCO (Non-commisioned Officer,a corporal or sergeant) commanding a checkpoint and you find a suspicious individual you can rely on the Order of Battle in deciding whether or not that person is a worthwhile apprehension either by the listing of that individual's name or else by judging Sectoral Front membership either by admission or documentary evidence such as a pamphlet in a rucksack.
The Left likes to exaggerate and describe the Order of Battle as a hitlist.The idea is ridiculous and yet there ARE AFP personnel who use those documents for nefarious purposes.A case in point:
The Sectoral Front Organisation KMP,or Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (),is listed on every Order of Battle in the nation.A so called"peasant organisation"it seeks to unite rural small scale farmers in the struggle to achieve better lives for themselves and their families.Yet,there is no denying that the group is a shill for the NPA.Often times KMP leaders provide logistical and even materiel support to local NPA leaders and so in doing so become a very real participant in the life and death struggle taking place on a day to day basis between the AFP and the NPA.This naturally doesn't sit well with local AFP COs who have a difficult time as it is in dealing with an insurgency that holds the advantages tactically,strategically and environmentally.Therefore local KMP leaders end up bearing the brunt of these AFP CO's anger.
One such KMP leader was 50 year old Datu Rudy Yalon Dejos,a B'laan Tribesman from Santa Cruz in Davao del Sur Province,just outside Davao City.Rudy and his 26 year old son Rody Rick Dejos were very well known to LTC (Lieutenant Colonel) Oliver"Bong"R.Artuz of the 39IB (Infantry Battalion),headquartered in that very same town,as well as Artuz's predecessor LTC.Lyndon Paniza (currently Spokesperson for 10ID,the Infantry Division to which the 39IB is sublimated).As far back as 2009 LTC.Paniza had directly warned the elder Dejos to withdraw all involvement with KMP.As the force behind a local chapter of the provincial KMP affiliate,NANADDS,as well as being instrumental in KMP barangay affiliate for Barangay Patulangon,PATUFA (Patulangon Farmers Association) Dejos was then working on the formation of a subsidiary organisation,"ZOFA,"or the Zone-1 Farmer's Association,Rudy Dejos was extremely vocal about his opposition to the landed gentry pulling the strings in his outlying barangay,Zone #1.
As is always the case local landowners form the elite of local society and therefore are propping up the local government or are themselves the government per se.People like Rudy Dejos chafe at the inequities propagated by such people but unfortunately for Mr.Dejos these same well to do few also indirectly control local PNP and AFP deployments.For example,the LGU (Local Government Unit,municipality or province) has the ability to reject a deployment of a CO in their AOR (Area of Responsibility).Ergo AFP and PNP COs do not want to ever get on the wrong side of local powerbrokers.If such a powerful individual finds Mr.Dejos a threat,or even a nuisance,the AFP and PNP will move against Dejos.
When Rudy Dejos refused to stop involving himself with KMP the Dejos Family's problems began multiplying.In late 2009 LTC.Paniza forced Dejos to shut down PATUFA,which immediately led the determined farmer to begin forming a similar group in his own barangay,Zone #1.In June of 2010 the 39IB biouvaced a platoon in the barangay hall and began holding bi-weekly pulong-pulong (propaganda exercises where residents of a given area are forced to attend hours long meetings after long days in the fields.There they are harrangued for allowing NPA infiltration of their community and are bribed,threatened and/or cajoled into giving up names and/or other intelligence).Rudy Dejos refused to attend these long meetings and continued working to form a new organisation.Then,on June 6th,2010 Rody Rick was taken in for interrogation over a close relative whose name had been submitted by a harried villager.Either refusing to co-operate or else simply not knowing anything of value Rody Rick was not much help to the 39IB and so father and son were added to the 39IB Order of Battle.At this juncture most people would pull back and stop their activities,at least until the soldiers pulled out of the area.
As one might expect Dejos did no such thing and even ratcheted up the group's activities.The farmer cum activists chose to do so at a critical juncture.Santa Cruz has an extremely ambitious template for development.Along with an adjacent barangay belonging to Davao City the municipality will soon become home to a huge coal fed electric plant to be built by Aboitiz Power Corporation.The investment for the plant alone tops P25B,as in BILLION.That will be in addition to 2 smaller Aboitiz plants already sitting in Santa Cruz.Likewise the town just gained a huge Korean/Japanese joint venture that manufactures a sweetner manufactured out of coco coir (coconut husk) and lastly is aiming itself to progress from a Class I municipality to Chartered Cityhood.In the Philippine scheme of things this requires another 70,000 residents and a huge increase in revenue.In other words,full speed ahead towards growth and investment.
By October of 2010 the 39IB had formed a BDS in Zone #1 with 22 local men.The BDS,or Barangay Defense System,is a component in the AFP Force Multiplication component."Force Multiplication,"in this sense refers to any innpvation that increase the counterinsurgency capabilities of the AFP.Though there is sometimes a very poorly armed component to a BDS element the bulk of the protocol revolves around an"Eyes and Ears"programme.Denoted individuals are tasked with carefully svrutinising members of their communities and of course any unfamiliar faces as well.Naturally the Dejos Family ranked very high on thr list of people to watch.As Rudy Dejos moved to form a barangay chapter of the aforementioned NAMADD the BDS began focusing on him more and more.
By December the local point man for Barangay Zone #1's BDS,or BDS-1,was a man surnamed Arman.Arman had never liked Rudy Dejos and certainly liked him a lot less as Dejos stepped up recruitment for his new organisation,tenatively called"ZOFA."ZOFA,or Zone One Farmers Association,struch a popular chord in the community despite the best effort of the 39IB,by now commanded by LTC.Artuz.That same month saw a sniper take potshots at the elder Dejos.Though Dejos accused the 39IB and not BDS-1 it led to even more friction between him and Arman.Then,on January 19th,2011 Rudy Dejos took the plunge and formally founded ZOFA,the barangay's KMP affiliate.
As one might reckon,NPA activity,even NPA-associated activity is anathema to a powerbase seeking rapid,deep investment and new residents.Noone wants to live in a warzone and even less people want to sink their cherished money into one.Obviously the AFP has had precious little in the way of tangible success in the way of victories vis a vis the AFP-NPA dog and pony show.Guerillas launch murderous ambushes and mely back into the jungle,usually indistinguisable from civilians.When one is assured that members of Sectoral Front organisations are cogs in the NPA struggle it is oh so simple to cross what should be a very resolute line and take aim at Sectoral membership.After all,these organisations are the effective bridge between the NPA and its valued Mass Base of Support (civilian support network).
On February 26th,2011 the 39IB operated in Barangay Zone #1.The next morning,February 27th,Mrs.Dejos,Mercy,took their meager harvest to the barangay market in Sitio Central.Father and son spent the morning labouring in their field.By lunch they were at home where Rody busied himself preparing both their lunches.Indeed,when Mercy Dejos returned at 4PM that evening she found the table set and the food ready for serving.It had not been served because both Rudy and Rody Rick Dejos were savagely assaulted and killed.With clear signs of torture,with all finger tips having been crushed to the degree that ever single finger nail had shattered,both had been repeatedly stabbed and beaten before finally succumbing to gunshots.The bodies were found when upon entering her home,Mrs.Dejos eyes imediately spotted a trail of blood on the floor.Hurrying outside she saw both bodies crumpled underneath their stilt home.
Adding insult to injury LTC.Artuz then had a huge funeral boquet sent to the home.The Dejos' daughter Marilyn promptly burned it.Then,following tribal custom the widow had both bodies brought back to the house for a 3 day long vigil.Again LTC.Artuz couldn't leave well enough alone and deployed several soldiers in full combat gear to the home.Questioned about this Artuz offered that his men were"sad"and wished to"pay their respects."On March 9th more than 500 people turned out for a boisterous rally to condemn the brutal murders.rudy's daughter Marilyn,the woman who burned Artuz's boquet deplored the gall of the AFP and men like Artuz who felt so little shame and absolutely no compunction about showing their faces even as their victims laid in state.Egged on by another Sectoral Front organisation,Karapatan,Mercy Dejos then filed a formal complaint with the Davao City branch of the CHR (Commission on Human Rights,a governmental agency).In her complaint Mercy explained how she personally told AFP representatives that they weren't welcomed at her husband's vigil and subsequent funeral.
LTC.Artuz however says that Eudy Dejos' mother and brother personally allowed the 39IB to pay its respects.Interestingly Artuz didn't apologise for upsetting a bereaving widow.Nor did he acknowledge that maybe,just maybe that Dejos' mother and brother might have been just a tad bit intimidated at the sight of men in full combat gear,carrying M16s and"asking" to attend.In fairness to the 39IB and the AFP in general,noone has been charged in the deaths,least of all anyone in uniform.Of course this is the PhiliPpines and men in uniform are rarely charged for anything,if ever.
It isn't often that a Mindanowan peasant's death raises concern in Manila but the death of the 2 Mr.Dejos led to congressman Rafael V.Mariano (ANAKPAWIS-Party List) and Congresswoman Luzviminda Calolot Ilagan (Gabriela-Party List) penning House Resolution #1046 which asks Congress to have the House Committe on Human Rights investigate the whole sordid affair.Of course the sad truth is that both these Representatives are themselves members of Sectoral Front organisations so that anything they touch is immediately deemed worthless by the Philippine mainstream.At least the Dejos had their names mentioned and so perhaps someday,when the Philippines finally manages to form a society which respects the value of all its citizens-a society in which the NPA is an uncomfortable memory and the AFP actually acts like a real army-these sad events will finally seem like pulp fiction than the daily goings on of a nation in the 21st Century.
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