Soldiers shoot at houses of residents in Isabela, Cagayan provinces

Soldiers shoot at houses of residents in Isabela, Cagayan provinces

“Why are you shooting at us? We are civilians!” the residents shouted but their pleas were ignored.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – On December 15, 2011, at around 2:00 p.m., Dominador Martinez, 28, heard gunshots. He, along with his wife Eliha and mother Mercolina were clearing a portion of the forest for planting (kaingin).
Having lived in Purok 2 Sitio Palaspas, Brgy. San Jose, San Mariano, Isabela for years, Dominador and the residents knew another encounter between the New People’s Army and soldiers of the 51st DRC of the Philippine Army was happening. To avoid being caught in crossfire, the three decided to go home.

Dominador went to the house of his aunt, Teresa, while the two women went straight to their house.

In a sworn statement submitted to the House Committee on Human Rights, March 13, Dominador said when gunshots coming from the direction of the NPA guerrillas stopped, he saw soldiers going up the hill while several men in uniform moved toward their houses and started to fire in their direction.

Outside the Congress, members of human rights groups hold a picket calling on the Aquino administration to junk its counterinsurgency program Oplan Bayanihan. (Photo by Macky Macaspac / bulatlat.com)

“For more than an hour, the soldiers fired their M16, M14 and M203 rifles at the direction of our house,” Dominador said in his statement. “At that time, I, my uncle Robert Wania and his seven-year-old daughter Jenny (not her real name) were sitting in front of the house…My left foot was hit by a bullet. Jenny was hit on her right leg. We went inside the house,” he said.

“I shouted at the soldiers, ‘Why are you shooting at us? We are civilians!’” Dominador said. His pleas were ignored.

Meanwhile, Mercolina was washing her feet at the well beside her house when soldiers started firing at her. She ran and heard one of the soldiers say, “There is another one, a woman!” Fifty empty shells were recovered from the site..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/03/15/soldiers-shoot-at-houses-of-residents-in-isabela-cagayan-provinces/