A MILITARY commander yesterday said he is “not happy” that the Commission on Human Rights has launched an investigation into the alleged extra-judicial killings of a National Democratic Front (NDF) consultant and his companion in Negros Occidental last week.
Nevertheless, Maj. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and acting commander of the AFP Visayas Command, said he is confident they will come out clean at the end of the probe.
“We cannot prevent them to do what they have to do but we definitely deny that there is human rights violation in that operation,” said Arevalo, referring to the November 30 encounter that led to the death of Ericson Acosta and Joseph Jimenez.
The military earlier claimed that Acosta and Jinenez are both members of the communist New People’s Army. It said Acosta is a “ranking leader” of the rebel group, being a member of the Komiteng Rehiyon Negros-Cebu-Bohol-Siquijor.
Officials earlier said Acosta and Jimenez died during a firefight with troops from the Army’s 94th and 47th infantry battalions in Sitio Makilo, Barangay Kamansi in Kabangkalan City. Seized from them were three firearms, two hand grenades and other war materiel.
But the National Democratic Front-Negros said Acosta was a consultant of the NDF consultant working with the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms before peace talks with government was terminated in 2017. It said Jimenez was a “peasant organizer.”
It said the two were “captured” by soldiers” and, a few hours later, tagged them as “casualties of a fake encounter.”
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary general Renato Reyes also claimed that Acosta, his friend, “was captured alive but later killed.” He said “there was no firefight that took place, adding the manner of killing is consistent with many summary executions made to appear as ‘encounters’ and ‘firefights.’”
Last Wednesday, the CHR, through its Central Visayas office, said it is conducting a probe into the alleged extra-judicial killing of Acosta and Jimenez. It said it was “expedient to probe the truth and deliver justice in all allegations of arbitrary killing that desecrate the right to life.”
“Of course, we are not happy to hear that…. But in the end, I think we will be proven right,” Arevalo said, insisting that Arevalo and Jimenez are members of the NPA.
Armed Forces spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar said “we welcome the initiative of CHR. CHR is our partner in many activities like seminars to inculcate among our soldiers our duties to protect human rights.”
Aguilar said it is the CHR’s “job” to look into the incident, adding “our people (soldiers) will understand” why the commission is conducting the investigation.
He also maintained that Acosta and Jimenez died in an encounter and were not victims of extra-judicial killing.
“We trust our soldiers. They are risking their lives in the performance of their duties,” he said, adding: “I see no reason for our soldiers to lie.”
