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DAVAO City – Militant groups from Southern Mindanao protested in front of Camp Felix Apolinario in Panacan on Saturday to decry the appointment of General Eduardo Año as new Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief.
The groups held the protest on Human Rights Day as it described Año as the “berdugo” or executioner of militant and peasant leaders.
Año was implicated in the disappearance of activist Jonas Burgos in 2007, when he was chief of the Philippine Army’s intelligence service group.
Though Año was cleared of charges, the Court of Appeals ruled that the AFP was indeed accountable for Burgos’ disappearance.
At least seven peasant leaders have likewise been killed by unknown assailants amid the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs, Karapatan Southern Mindanao secretary general Jay Apiag said.
Aside from Año, the protesters likewise slammed the military for allegedly harassing Lumad communities.
The Mindanaoan militants also echoed the call of protesters in the capital to release incarcerated political prisoners, including 83 who are detained in Davao.
Thousands of Filipinos marked Human Rights Day on Saturday with street protests against the administration’s bloody war against illegal drugs.
Around 400 protesters gathered in Mendiola, Manila to call on President Rodrigo Duterte to put a stop to the killings in the Philippines.
The Philippine National Police reports that a total of 5,882 people have been killed across the country since Duterte launched his drug war.
Mendiola protesters used creative signs to vent their anger at the prevalence of alleged extrajudicial killings and the pending congressional proposal to revive the death penalty, among other issues.
Some signs read, “Heal, don’t harm,” “Bigas, hindi bala” and “Buhay, hindi bitay.” (ABS-CBN News)
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