Bayan Muna slams shoot-to-kill order vs chief of Cordillera People’s Alliance

Windel Bolinget, chair of the Cordillera People’s Alliance. (Photo from his Facebook account)

MANILA, Philippines — Party-list group Bayan Muna denounced on Wednesday the shoot-to-kill order issued by the police against Windel Bolinget, chair of the Cordillera People’s Alliance, if he should resist arrest.

All three Bayan Muna lawmakers — Reps. Carlos Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite, and Eufemia Cullamat — condemned the shoot-to-kill order allegedly issued by Brig. Gen. Rwin Pagkalinawan, chief of the Cordillera Police Regional Office.

“Again the militarists are operating with trigger happy fingers with this kind of order.  They are now trying to condition the minds of the people that Windel will most likely resist arrest or ‘manlaban.’ Thus, such an order is justified,” Zarate said in a statement.

Opposition groups like Bayan Muna and the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives have chided the government several times for allegedly pushing a “nanlaban” narrative — a claim that rose during President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war despite authorities insisting that drug suspects really fought it out with law enforcers.

“Why is there a shoot-to-kill order? Has the police really junked principle of presumption of innocence?” Gaite said partly in Filipino.

“It’s absurd enough that they filed fake charges. Now there’s also this threat on the life of Windel,” he added. “This is outrageous and we vehemently condemn this order to murder an innocent man. This order of General Pagkalinawan is so barbaric.”

In a message to reporters, Pagkalinawan confirmed that he issued the order, which the Cordillera People’s Alliance has denounced.

Zarate and Gaite urged Pagkalinawan to retract his order and await Bolinget’s action on the cases filed against him. Zarate pointed out that Bolinget had already started pursuing legal remedies.

According to Bayan Muna, Bolinget is facing murder charges for an incident that happened in Davao del Norte.

“The PNP should immediately revoke this illegal shoot to kill order against Windel,  who is charged with clearly trumped up charges. […] Thus, if any untoward incident will happen to him, his family or associates because of such an order,. then we will hold the PNP squarely accountable,” Zarate said.’

“Bayan Muna remains united and will stand by the call to drop the trumped-up case against Windel Bolinget and to stop the continuing attacks of the state against critics and activists,” Cullamat said in Filipino.

[atm]