National
Bureau of Investigation have been ordered to prosecute and order the disarming
of the alleged militia groups and identify supporters who foster their criminal
and violent acts.
Such militia forces, which are trained and armed by an
over-stretched military to guard far-flung rural villages, have been linked to
rights abuses and criminal acts. The military says paramilitary forces with a
current strength of about 20,000 men have played a crucial role in helping
fight a decades-long communist insurgency, adding that abusive militiamen have
been prosecuted and punished."Our goal must not be limited to prosecuting
the offenders and disarming these groups, but must extend to a conclusive probe
on their supporters who fuel their criminal operations and acts of
violence," de Lima said in a statement."Even as we condemn these
paramilitary groups and their benefactors, all parties must go beyond and show
resolve in putting an end to their reign of terror" in tribal communities,
she said.
Human Rights Watch accused the Philippine military
last week of standing aside while paramilitary forces attacked tribal villages
and schools accused of supporting Marxist guerrillas in at least three southern
provinces.
A paramilitary group allegedly killed an educator and
two tribal leaders in a school in remote Surigao del Sur province in a Sept. 1
attack that caused a few thousand residents to flee their homes. Another
militia force has reportedly staged violent assaults against tribesmen since
last year in the provinces of Bukidnon and Davao del Norte, particularly
students at tribal schools accused of promoting the communist ideology,
according to the U.S.-based rights group.
Military spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla said the
military would not condone any rights abuses. The military, he says, welcomes
any investigation of its commanders, who oversee the militiamen linked to the
attacks.
De Lima said her department has been following the
reported attacks against tribal communities "with great concern,"
adding that initial reports she got suggested "that the transgressions
which resulted in the death and injury of members of indigenous peoples'
communities and the destruction of their property involved paramilitary groups."Tribal
communities, de Lima said, have been caught in the middle of the insurgency war
and most likely forced to take sides and pitted against each other in the
conflict by communist New People's Army rebels and "some elements of the
state's security forces.""The state's mandate to preserve peace and
enforce law and order in the affected communities must continue while ensuring
that non-combatants are not caught in the crossfire," she said.
"Violators will be held to account."The 46-year Marxist insurgency is
one of the longest-running in Asia and talks to end the fighting have stalled.
The military says years of battle setbacks, infighting and factionalism have
weakened the insurgents, who have survived by extorting from mining and
agricultural companies, mostly in the country's south.
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