OPINION
Tinig Migrante
By E. Maestro
The killers of Sauron came down
to hunt farmers in the three rural mu-
nicipalities in Negros Oriental at the
end of March. The killers wore mili-
tary uniforms and covered their faces
and name tags. They were armed to
the teeth. They broke into the farm-
ers’ homes and claimed that they
had search warrants to justify their
home invasions. The agents of Sau-
ron killed with such cruelty and never
minded that the wives and children
of the famers witnessed the horror of
the execution of their husbands and
fathers. The farmers were unarmed
and did not resist (how could they?)
The killers of Sauron said they were
fighters and supporters of the New
People’s Army, a very popular excuse
to kill in cold blood. The farmers were
shot several times on their faces and
bodies. The 14 farmers were executed
in extra-judicial fashion. It was a mas-
sacre from the hands of the killers of
Sauron.
The wife of Valentin Acobal, the
barangay captain of Candabong in
Majuyod, told the member of the Na-
tional Fact-Finding Mission: “Narinig
ko ang asawa kong sinasabi, ‘Wala
akong kasalanan. Wag ninyo saktan
ang pamilya ko.’ Pito ang tama ng
bala sa katawan. Halos wasak ang
ari, bali ang balikat, may mga galos
sa braso na parang sinasangga ang
hampas ng baril.” (English transla-
tion: “I heard my husband saying, ‘I
am innocent. Don’t hurt my family.’
He had 7 bullet wounds. His genitals
were destroyed, his shoulder was bro-
ken, his arms were bruised as if he
tried to protect himself from blows
from rifle butts.”)
The killers of Sauron killed to
make a point, as evidenced from the
report of the 53-member National
Fact- Finding Mission. The NFFM re-
ported that “Valentin Acabal was shot
in his genital area and his right thigh
was riddled with bullets until it was
completely destroyed. Ismael Abelino
was shot at least eight times causing
his intestines to burst out of his stom-
ach. Steve Arapoc was shot while he
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY April 1 - 15, 2019
Operation Sauron and the Massacre of the
14 Farmers in Negros Oriental
was on the floor, on his back and on
his chest.
A young boy who witnessed
the killing described it thus: “Nakita
ko si Papa na binuhat ng 4 na pulis
sa kamay at paa. Pagdating sa mga
maraming bato, binitiwan ng pulis
iyong kamay, kinaladkad papunta sa
maliit na trak. Nakita kong tumatama
ang ulo ni Papa sa mga bato.” (English
translation: “I saw Papa being carried
by his hands and feet by 4 policemen.
When they reached a rocky area, they
let go of his hands and dragged him
towards their small truck. I saw Papa’s
head hitting the rocks.”)
What happened was Operation
Sauron in action, under the com-
mand of the Philippine National Police
(PNP). This was the PNP’s attempt to
follow President Duterte’s Memoran-
dum Order No. 32 to deploy more
soldiers and police to Negros, Bicol
and Samar to “suppress lawless vio-
lence and acts of terror”. This Memo-
randum also reinforced the guidelines
on implementing a state of national
emergency, a prelude to martial law.
The PNP’s Operation Sau-
ron could not have been more aptly
named. Sauron was the evil Dark
Lord of Mordor who led his armies of
Orcs to rule over Middle-Earth. Police.
Orcs. Very soon, they will mean the
same thing in the Philippines.
The tragedy of all this is that this
is happening, not in mythical Middle
Earth but in Negros where more than
60 peasant leaders in that island
alone, and 205 from across the coun-
try, have already been killed under the
Duterte regime. The use of red-tag-
ging, the favourite excuse of all Phil-
ippine Presidents who have vowed to
crush the resistance, has been the
green light to kill and kill with impu-
nity. Not only peasants and farmers,
but also lawyers, activists, peace con-
sultants, media, indigenous people,
critics of the government policies and
actions.
The International Coalition for
Human Rights in the Philippines
(ICHRP) in its call for a Global Day
of Action (April 10) for Justice for the
Negros 14 said:
“Must
those
who till the land
to feed a nation
be slaughtered
in the night like
sick cows? Must
those who have
suffered from
long years of
neglect
and
who struggle for
land and lasting
peace be meted
with death like
the worst crimi-
nals? NO!” The
ICHRP
asks
that actions be
done, and mes-
sages be sent to
Governments
and Philippine
Embassies and
Consulates
worldwide to de-
mand that the
Duterte admin-
istration
stop
the killings.
Let us re-
member the 14
farmers of Ne-
gros and work
that justice is
done: In Canla-
on City: Ismael
Avelino, 53 ha-
bal-habal driver,
a resident of
Sitio Carmen, Brgy. Panubigan and
a member of Hukom (Hugpong Ku-
sog Mag-uuma sa Canlaon); Edgardo
Avelino, 59, farmer and resident of Si-
tio Carmen, Brgy. Panubigan, Chair-
person of Hukom (Hugpong Kusog
Mag-uuma sa Canlaon); Melchor Pa-
ñares, 67, farmer, a resident of Sitio
Tigbahi, Brgy. Bayog; Mario Pañares,
46, farmer (son of Melchor Pañares);
Rogelio Ricomuno, 52, farmer, a resi-
dent of Sitio Manggata, Brgy. Masu-
log -1; Ricky Ricomuno, 28, farmer;
Gonzalo Rosales, 47, farmer and a
resident of Proper Brgy. Pula; Genes
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Palmares, 54, farmer, a resident of
Proper Brgy. Aquino. In Sta. Catalina:
Franklen Lariosa and Anoj Enojo Ra-
pada, habal-habal driver and peasant
leader. In Manjuyod: Velentin Acabal of
Brgy. Kandabong and Sonny Palagtiw
of Brgy. Pansiao, both barangay cap-
tains in their villages; Steve Arapoc
and Manulo Martin.
To the architects of Operation
Sauron, watch out for the Fellowship.
To the victims of Operation Sauron
and all the victims of extrajudicial kill-
ings under the Duterte administration,
the Fellowship is here.