On the way to a peace consultation, shouting matches

DAVAO CITY—What was supposed to be an event about the prospects of talking about peace turned into a series of shouting matches after a group of soldiers intercepted and held for some time the participants of a peace consultation near a guerrilla zone in Marihatag town, Surigao del Sur province, on Friday.

Attended by at least 10,000, the peace consultation, which coincided with the 46th anniversary of the reestablishment of the Communist Party of the Philippines, aimed to initiate efforts to jump-start the stalled talks with the communists. It was attended by National Democratic Front negotiator Fidel Agcaoili and government representative Hernani Braganza.

Jumping from the bushes as if an enemy had been sighted, heavily armed Scout Rangers barred convoys from proceeding to the venue in a remote area of Marihatag, Surigao del Sur.

Among those held were the vehicles that bore Surigao del Sur Vice Gov. Manuel Alameda, who represented Gov. Johnny Pimentel, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, former Bayan Muna Rep. Joel Virador and representatives of other local officials.

Security

One of the soldiers, who introduced himself only as the team leader, explained that they were instructed to hold the convoy “for security reasons” and that the instruction was to arrest anybody, including government officials, should they try to cross the line.

After more than an hour of heated argument, the first batch in the convoy of more than 20 vans, buses, trucks and jeeps decided to resist the blockade and proceeded by hiking the remaining 5 kilometers, leaving behind their vehicles as soldiers would not let go of them.

Literally overwhelmed by the number of people going beyond the checkpoint, the soldiers decided to stand down and later held the next batches of vehicles, including a truck carrying the lunch allocated for 8,000 people.

Suspicious object

In a press statement sent a day after the event, Eastern Mindanao Command spokesperson Maj. Ezra Balagtey claimed that the checkpoint was established after civilians allegedly reported the presence of a suspicious object and New People’s Army (NPA) snipers in the area.

“The discovery came after a civilian reported the presence of a suspicious object along the side of the mentioned road and NPA snipers within the vicinity, which prompted them, the 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion and the Surigao Sur PNP, to institute a checkpoint and other security measures to preempt untoward incidents [that can] happen to commuters and motorists passing by,” Balagtey said.

Balagtey said the soldiers were able to recover a 5-kilogram explosive in the area.

The soldiers, he said, decided not to engage the alleged NPA snipers because of the presence of civilians in the community.

But Dante (not his real name), a resident in the area where the soldiers manned the checkpoint, told the Inquirer that the soldiers arrived in the village on Friday dawn.

“Since their arrival, I have not seen them check the road going to the venue of the NPA. They just stayed here and waited for the vehicles,” Dante said.

The checkpoint was manned and the bomb scare was set to deliberately delay the participants, Zarate said.

And the delay, the participants protested, did not only happen on their way to the event but also on their way out.

Several vehicles, including the media’s, were prohibited from leaving the area because the soldiers were instructed to inspect the passengers.

The soldiers, who refused to identify themselves and with their name patches covered, just jeered as the journalists, who were held, tried to show their press IDs and appealed that they be allowed to leave because they have to deliver the news before their deadlines.

After more than 30 minutes of argument with the soldiers, the journalists were finally allowed to leave.

Zarate, a veteran human rights lawyer, said the Marihatag incident was an attack on civilian supremacy and reminiscent of the martial law days. “They would not even respect the media. The military’s deliberate disregard of the assertion and presence of Vice Governor Alameda is also a big slap and insult to civilian supremacy, which is like martial law,” Zarate said. Karlos Manlupig, Inquirer Mindanao