ILOILO City – Human rights alliance Karapatan-Panay criticized President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to form a hit squad to neutralize communist rebels or sympathizers.
Reyland Vergara, secretary-general of Karapatan-Panay, warned of massive abuses to human rights.
On Monday hours after declaring a full-scale war against insurgents, Duterte said he would create a team similar to the rebels’ Special Partisan Unit or SPARU, an urban assassination squad which gained notoriety for killing law enforcers, government officials and those who volunteer to help the government.
“What I lack is a SPARU. That’s their (the rebels’) advantage. So I will create a SPARU, too, (a) Duterte death squad against the SPARU. There’s no problem. They are the enemies,” said the President.
According to Vergara, Duterte wanted civilians to be part of the death squad.
“This was what dictator Ferdinand Marcos did during Martial Law,” said Vergara.
He also blasted Duterte’s Memorandum Circular No. 32 deploying more police and military forces to Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Samar, and the Bicol region to suppress lawless violence and acts of terror.
Vergara believed this would eventually be used as reason to declare martial law.
“Madamo sa subong ang biktima sang riding in tandem kag wala gid gani ginaimbestigahan sang Philippine National Police. Kag kon matabo, bisan inosente puede gid biktimahon sang death squad kag hambalon na lang nga NPA or sympathizer,” said Vergara.
He added that the lives of the leaders and members of progressive groups are in danger now.
“Gusto ni Duterte nga ang mga rebolusyunaryo kag aktibista iparehas nya sa kampanya kontra druga nga nagatuga sang lapnagon nga patyanay. Mabaskug gd nga ginapatukan sang Karapatan ang ini nga tikang,” said Vergara./PN
