CHR on Calling NPA Rebels as Terrorists, “They Have Human Rights, Too”

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) seems to not be in favor of President Rodrigo Duterte’s tagging the New People’s Army (NPA) as a terrorist group. In fact, a CHR official insisted that even terrorists have their human rights, too, emphasizing that no one especially the soldiers and policemen have the license to kill them without due process.



“There is also the International Humanitarian Law and the principle of commensurate force to observe, as human rights exist whether during peacetime or wartime.” Rex Guevarra, regional CHR director for Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon (Calabarzon), said in a statement on Thursday, December 7, as quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Apparently, this was CHR’s response to President Duterte’s signing of Proclamation No. 374 last Tuesday, declaring the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) as a terrorist organization. The president’s declaration came more than a week after he formally terminated the peace negotiations with the communist group.

"It's a proclamation declaring the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army a designated, identified terrorist organization under Republic Act (RA) No. 10168." Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said during a press briefing in Malacanang that time. Nevertheless, the said declaration still needs a court order.

Roque noted that declaring CCP-NPA as terrorists would have an impact on United Nations Security Council resolutions, aside from domestic policies. He added that based on RA No. 10168, which defines the crime of financing terrorism, authorities also have the right to arrest members of communist "legal fronts" that are financing the CPP-NPA.

Meanwhile, Guevarra added that the CHR continues to conduct its own investigation on the encounter between communist rebels and government forces last November 28 in Nasugbu, Batangas, where 15 NPA members were killed. Five of them were women, including Josephine Santiago Lapira, who was identified as a student of UP Manila.



“We want to find factual basis if it was a legitimate encounter. Was necessary force used or could they (government forces) have forced the rebels to surrender instead?” he said, referring to the two encounters between the joint elements of the 730th Combat Group of the Philippine Airforce, Batangas and Nasugbu police, and the NPA rebels last November 21.

Contributed by Renato Pasayao