Civilian survivors dismiss Salas’s statements as total lies

By CMO Battalion, 8ID PA
December 23, 2010

CAMP LUKBAN, Catbalogan, Samar  –  Civilian survivors dismissed the statement of Santiago Salas, a discharged priest turned spokesman of the National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas (NDF-EV) as a total lie for making a story far apart from what really transpired when soldiers and civilians were brutally and mercilessly murdered by the terrorist New People’s Army (NPA) in two separate incidents in Las Navas on December 8 and 14, respectively that claimed lives not only of the soldiers but of the innocent civilians. [AFP troops killing, torturing and using civilians as human shields]

As what is expected, the NDF-EV made a total denial and washes their hands after intentionally waylaying soldiers who were not in the offensive mode despite of civilians around.  Two (2) civilians were killed in the first ambush while one (1) in the second.  Two among the three who were killed were minors.

These lies were challenge by the angry survivors who saw for themselves how ruthless the NPA terrorists were.  According to them, despite of their beggings, the rebels kept on firing on them.  One survivor even dramatized how he and his companions waved their arms widely open while shouting, “Tama na! Tama na! Mga sibilyan kami!” (Enough! Enough! We are civilians!). He was already slightly wounded that moment when he was shouting for mercy at the rebels.  The father of the murdered minor, the operator of motorized banca said that he saw his son banished under the river’s current after falling over board when his boat was indiscriminately fired upon by the terrorists.

The victims are crying for justice.  Justice from the inhuman and dastardly acts of the NPA who profess to be the protector of the masses.  But the truth is crystal clear.  They (NPA) are the tormentor and oppressor of the people.  Salas, is truly a master of black propaganda and deception aimed at misleading the masses of the real truth.

"Salas should thank the AFP's serious protection and preservation of the people’s rights so he can enjoy freedom of expression.  Sad thing is, Salas uses this right to steal the truth from the people and has been committing grave offense to the people by suppressing their rights to know the truth."

Salas is also being hooked up his tongue when he claimed that the troops forcibly boarded the motorized banca owned by Julito Casio.  Salas obviously didn’t know what is happening in the ground.  Casio, in behalf of the residents of Brgy. Poponton, was the one who sought assistance from the troops for the conduct of Barangay Peace and Order Council (BPOC) meeting in reaction to the threat posed by the NPA after they mercilessly murdered a local resident Torib Diaz, and dumped his dead body in Hinaga river in Poponton.

When the communist terrorists open fired at the approaching banca, Casio was one among the passengers who was hit by the first burst of fire and died instantaneously.  One soldier was killed and two others were wounded because the terrorist kept on firing them even though they have already jumped into the river which is a total violation of Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) signed between the government and communist rebels particularly the provision in Part IV, Article 4, Section 2 which states that, “the wounded and the sick shall be collected and cared for by the party to the armed conflict which has them in its custody or responsibility”.  Moreover, Article 3, Section 4 which states that, “desecration of the remains of those who have died in the course of armed conflict or while under detention, and breach of duty to tender immediately such remains to their families or to give them decent burial,” was also violated when the ten soldiers killed in a landmine ambush in adjacent of Brgy. Perez, Las Navas, were looted and left behind like slaughtered animals by the rebels.

With these inhuman acts, Salas as well as his brutal cohorts is guilty of violating the peoples’ rights.

The people are no longer passive component in an insurgency problem.  They are intelligent enough to see what is the real face of the CPP-NPA NDF. Especially now that the people of Northern Samar cries for justice for the countless violation of human rights perpetrated by the terrorist NPA.  Noteworthy to mention are the policemen who were busted by landmines in Imelda, Catarman while responding to a security problem in the barangay, the killing of unarmed soldiers bathing in the water fall in Las Navas by NPA snipers, the river-line ambush of unarmed soldiers and civilians in Brgy. Taylor also in Las Navas, and the treacherous landmine ambush of ten soldiers whose only intention is to secure the people in the far-away barrio against the oppression of the rebels.