ILOILO City – The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)-Aklan slammed the Philippine Army’s 301st Infantry Brigade (301IB) for its “witch hunt” targeting its leaders .
“They vilify and slander us. But our long history of dedicated service to the people – especially to the poor, exploited, marginalized, and oppressed – speaks for itself. We are not terrorists and we are not in the habit of spreading fake news,” according to BAYAN-Aklan in a statement.
It also hit Brigadier General Marion Sison, 301IB commander, for denying the Army’s surveillance of BAYAN-Aklan leaders Kim-Sin Tugna and George Calaor.
“….(H)is denial is an insult to the credibility of the information confirmed to BAYAN by Punong Barangay Neil Candelario of Poblacion, Kalibo himself. In fact, our pictures were first shown to him (Candelario) when the Army was investigating our persons to the Punong Barangay,” the group pointed out.
“They described it as a Civil Military Operation – Competency Enhancement Training (CMO-CET). What’s in a name, indeed? A military operation by any other name still stinks the same. What is alarming here is the witch hunting,” according to BAYAN-Aklan.
The cause-oriented group feared this would lead to warrantless searches and arrests, and possibly, extrajudicial killings.
“We are alarmed. With the military’s vilification of BAYAN and its leaders…our lives could be ruthlessly taken as receipts for the billions of funds that the military are hard up to justify how and where this vast amount of money from the people’s coffers were spent,” BAYAN-Aklan added./PN
