Opposition lawmakers want Albayalde’s head over Negros deaths

Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao

Updated (3:09 p.m.)

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde should be fired following the death of 14 farmers in Canlaon City and two towns in Negros Oriental province in police operations last Saturday, members of the House Makabayan opposition bloc said Wednesday.

READ: Probe urged into Negros Oriental killings

“We call on the immediate, hindi lang po ‘yung pagtanggal ng mga local police chief, kundi maging ang pagtanggal dapat kay General Albayalde,” Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao said in a press briefing. 

READ: 14 killed in PNP, Army operations vs loose firearms in Negros Oriental

The opposition lawmaker stressed that Albayalde should be held liable for the deaths even if he had relieved the director of the Negros Oriental police, and the chiefs of police of three cities and municipalities involved in the operations against loose firearms.

READ: Negros Oriental police chief, 3 other officials relieved over ops that killed 14

Duterte most responsible’

Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas backed Casilao but said that President Rodrigo Duterte was ultimately responsible for the local counter-insurgency operational plan “Oplan Sauron” that resulted in the killing of the 14 farmers.

“Tama lang na manawagan na magbitiw sa pwesto ang ganitong berdugo… Pinakamatindi pong paniningil sa Pangulo mismo. Bakit niya pinapayagan ‘yung ma ganitong pangyayari? Nasa kamay niya yung kaligtasan ng mga tao,” Brosas said.

“We hold President Rodrigo Duterte ultimately responsible s the atrocities in Negros Oriental are a direct implementation of his order to shoot farmers asserting their right to land: ‘My orders to the police and the soldiers, shoot them. If they resist violently, shoot them. If they die, I do not care’,” the Makabayan bloc said in a separate statement.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate for his part dubbed the operations as an “extrajudicial operation conducted by the PNP,” while ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio called it a “crime against humanity.”

Casilao said the killings resembled “tokhang killings” where the farmers were killed “summary execution style.”

But Albayalde said the operations were “very far from a tokhang operation” because these were “covered by search warrant(s).”

READ: Albayalde: Negros Oriental operation ‘very far from tokhang’

The Makabayan bloc also filed on Wednesday House Resolution Nos. 2533, 2534 and 2535 to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation into the Negros Oriental killings, to demand the immediate release of 12 peasant activists and residents of Negros Oriental who were detained, and to scrap the “Oplan Sauron” of the PNP, respectively.

The group said Oplan Sauron has “resulted in the deaths of at least 20 peasants and activists and the political persecution of 28 individuals in Negros Oriental, in a span of three months.”

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