BACOLOD City – Human rights groups will conduct a “multisectoral independent investigation” into the attack that led to the death of nine sugar workers in Barangay Bulanon, Sagay City, Negros Occidental.
Karapatan-Negros chairwoman Clarissa Singson-Dagatan said international human rights groups – like the International Committee of Red Cross – will participate in the probe.
The investigation team will also have members from Karapatan National, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and the Commission on Human Rights Region 6.
Singson-Dagatan said the team will have forensic experts who will conduct a separate post-mortem examination on the bodies of the victims who were shot and burned.
“We are calling for a fair and credible investigation from all agencies of the government and to make sure justice will be served to all victims,” she added.
Singson-Dagatan blasted Police Regional Office 6 director Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao for “quickly blaming” the New People’s Army over the attack despite pending results of the investigation by the Sagay City police.
Citing statements from some of the survivors, Singson-Dagatan said the armed men who attacked the sugar workers did not fire indiscriminately.
She said the suspects employed “selective shooting.”
Bobstil Sumicad, Reneboy Manlangit and Junior Arquillo – who were among the 30 sugar workers who joined the bungkalan on Oct. 20 – said the shooting happened minutes after they left their makeshift shanty in the middle of the field.
They said they heard simultaneous gunshots from different directions first, then a series of single gunshots.
The survivors said the armed men made sure that all the sugar workers were dead that was why the three who tried to escape were burned.
They also stressed that the lot they were cultivating that day is covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
They added that they have been fighting for their rights to own the land since 2001. (With Adrian Stewart Co/PN)
