March 15, 2024
Justice to the Victims of Cotabato and Maguindanao shootings and killings!
End the proliferation of loose firearms!
Retract PNP’s decision that allows civilians to own semi-automatic guns!
Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Karapatang Pantao (AMKP), the Maguindanao and Cotabato City cluster of the Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement (MPPM-MagCot) and the Alliance of Tri-People for the Advancement of Human Rights (ALTAHR) ooppose the Philippine National Police’s recent amendment of the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act No. 10591 (or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act) that now allows civilians to own 7.62 mm semi-automatic rifles and guns with lower calibers. Depending on their make, semi-automatic guns can discharge bullets in rapid succession. They are classified as assault weapons that military and police personnel use in critical operations or when confronting criminal elements who are armed with high-powered guns.
According to the PNP, allowing civilians to own those guns would promote responsible gun ownership because it would encourage those who already own them to have them registered. However, we fear that this action by the PNP would increase cases of armed-violence in the communities contrary to the objective of responsible gun ownership. As if the PNP is already successful in attending the proliferation of loose firearms in the country.
Since late last year, Cotabato City and Maguindanao provinces have recorded an increase of incidence of shootings and killings.
Spate of Killings intensifies
As early as August 2023, Mohammad Hessam Midtimbang, a 32-year-old ustadz (Islamic scholar) who was an active member of the Bangsamoro Darul Iftah, a council that issues legal opinions on Islamic laws, was killed in a shooting incident in front of a fruit stand area along Gov. Gutierrez Avenue, Rosary Heights 9 before dusk of (Monday) August 21. 2023. The victim had anchored the Bangsamoro Darul Ifta radio program on Gabay Radio 97.7 FM. He is also the son of Cotabato City administrator Guiadzuri Midtimbang, and brother of City Councilor Wahab Midtimbang.
Less than a month after Midtimbang’s killing, a fatal ambush of Zeraphi Omar, a barangay councilor hopeful in Biarong, South Upi, and companion, Parato Mudzol, 32, happened on September 17, 2023 a day after motorcycle-riding men shot dead Leonardo Asud De Jesus, Jr., a third-termer barangay councilor in Datu Piang town in the same province.
On October 23, 2023 Police Captain Jemu Remolete reported that civilians were startled by gunfire on Sausa Extension, Rosary Heights 12, Cotabato City, around 9 pm on Monday killing a candidate for barangay councilor Al Farr “Kako” Ayunan, a candidate for barangay councilor in Kalanganan 2, Cotabato City and the son of Edris Ayunan, a candidate for barangay chairman, also in Kalanganan 2. The other fatalities were Nur-Moctaqin Butucan, a candidate for barangay councilor in Rosary Heights 12, and Faisal Abas, a resident of Kalanganan 2, Cotabato City.
A month after, on November 24, 2023 morning, Patrolman Diosdado Mosela, member of the Regional Forensic Unit Bangsamoro Autonomous Region or RFU BAR was wounded after being shot by a riding in tandem along De Mazenod Ave., Barangay RH 5, Cotabato City.
Before the year ended, on December 12, 2023 Rahim Timbangan Arsad died on the spot from bullet wounds in the head while on a motorcycle together with his Wife and two-month-old son along a stretch of a highway in Barangay Tamontaka 4. While a traffic enforcer on-duty Haron Saliao was shot dead with a pistol repeatedly on Friday afternoon of December 22, 2023 by unidentified attackers along Rufino Alonzo Street in the City. A day before this, in Tulingan Street in Barangay Bagua 2, an electrician Rico Eman while riding his motorcycle on his way to work was also shot-dead.
Come 2024 and this kind of incident continues. On January 2, 2024 a police escort of a Maguindanao del Norte mayor was killed during a Moro (Sinsuat) family feud settlement that turned violent, identified as Staff Sgt. Zahraman Diocolano, 39, of the Maguindanao Norte Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC). While records also showed that on the evening of January 28, 2024, unknown motorcycle-riding assailants rained gunfire on the vehicle of Ramil Masukat, a former director of the ARMM Humanitarian and Emergency Assistance Response Team (HEART), while traversing Ramon Rabago Avenue in Cotabato City.
This is followed by the incident that took place on February 3, 2024, where Dr. Sharmaine Ceballos Barroquillo, a 28-year-old public physician in Sultan Kudarat Provincial Hospital was seriously injured after being ambushed along Tacurong-Buluan road in the town of Buluan. On this same route, an Indian moneylender, Laxman Singh, was also killed by gunmen in a daytime heist last November 12.
The most recent incidents are for this month. On March 1, 2024 evening, the Cotabato City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Jose Raymond “Choco” Marquez was gunned down near a gas station along Sinsuat Avenue of the City. Another victim fell prey to the unknown assailant early morning of March 10, 2024 identified as Michael Jan Mangulamas, a working scholar and a 3rd year Marketing Management student of Notre Dame University – Cotabato.
In the same week (March 13) PFC Roberto Dela Cruz Desierto Jr, 23 years old and Eugenio Lamoste Gurang were wounded after being shot while on-board in a motorcycle along the National Highway of Barangay Galakit Pagalungan Maguindanao del Sur. The following day, a body of a dead person on its state of decomposition was also found by the residents in Purok Wakap, Bagua 2 in the City on Thursday morning (March 14) and was identified as Zajeed Lidasan Dicay, 34 years old and a resident of the same Barangay. While on the same date a beheaded body was found along the riverside of Barangay Solon, Sultan Mastura, Maguindanao del Norte.
Meanwhile, inside the Ancestral Domain claim of the Non-Moro Indigenous People Teduray and Lambangian tribes have reported and recorded displacements due to armed conflict, armed occupation, killings and shootings which particularly targeted NMIP leaders earlier than July 2023.
Since July to December 2023 displacements are reported in Biarong, South Upi; Blanting, Talayan; borders of Talayan and Daru Odin Sinsuat; Tubaran, Libungan, Datu Odin Sinsuat; Tuwayan, Datu Hoffer; and many more. Ambushes and attempts to murder an Indigenous People Mandatory Representative and other tribe leaders were also reported.
BARMM BTA Member Froilyn Mendoza reported that at least 24 Teduray families initially evacuated out of fear of getting caught in the crossfire between warring clans in Datu Hoffer on September 11, 2023 that tragically a one-month-old baby boy died in an evacuation center after his family’s stressful ordeal.
Timuay Justice and Governance, the duly recognized by the National Commission of Indigenous People Indigenous Political Structure of the Teduray and Lambangain tribes recorded more than 60 murders unsolved since 2018 and the red-tagging continues.
And the latest threat is the extractive and aggressive development projects inside the Ancestral Domain opened for by the Philippine and Bangsamoro regional governments and the delayed establishment of a Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples Code.
This unstable peace and order situation would hamper people’s activities and progress. It seems that killings and violence have been normalized in the communities and the rule of justice is far from reach.
We fear that the PNP’s decision to liberalize the ownership of high-powered guns will even intensify the shooting and killings. In effect, allowing civilians to arm themselves to justify self-defense and tantamount to encouraging more violence. In fact the latter’s objectives might have the opposite result – that is more gns will be available in the hands of the civilians.
We are worried that, as the Philippine midterm and BARMM regional elections come closer, violence would intensify and complicate the situation and will become even more worse before it becomes better.
Law Enforcement under the rules of law
We call on the authorities and agencies concerned like the BARMM-Ministry of Interior and Local Government, BARMM-PNPO, BARMM-Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission and others to seriously deal with the peace and order mechanisms by involving communities and other stakeholders with utmost observance and fulfillment of the fundamentals of democracy and human rights.
AMKP, MPPM-MagCot and ALTAHR join the bereaved families and communities of the victims of these senseless killings in their call for justice.
AMKP, MPPM-MagCot and ALTAHR also call on the public to remain vigilant, calm and stand against the shootings, killings and intimidations to be the norm in our communities.
Further, we call on the local and regional authorities to seriously and fairly investigate these murders and shooting incidents and bring the culprits before the hands of the law.
We reiterate the call to retract the issuance of the PNP allowing civilians to own semi-automatic rifles or allowing civilians to arm themselves.
Thus, we denounce the statements of political figures and government personalities boasting that Mindanao people love and normalize gun-owning. For the common people that are usually the victims of violence, this is untrue and totally unbecoming for public officials justifying their list for guns and dominance.
We call on the Tri-People communities and organizations to strengthen our solidarity and collectively defend and push for our democratic collective rights.
Contact Persons:
Fatima Lintang-Ali / MPPM-MagCot / yan_012700@yahoo.com / 09177201486
Bong Fenis / AMKP / fenisbong@gmail.com / 09556424756
Romilyn Cruz / ALTAHR / bst26.rcruzgal@gmail.com / 09675075998
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AMKP and ALTAHR are tri-people human rights network and alliance and MPPM-MagCot is a tri-people grassroots peace movement.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=829439652561633&set=a.482440487261553
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