Drones To Kill Filipino Civilians Too

News Release

December 16, 2013

Reference: Vince Casilihan

Cellphone number: 09481390488

“It is despicable for a government to scurry on beefing up its fangs in the face of grinding poverty, injustice, and discontent.” This is what Vince Casilihan of Karapatan-Bikol has to say in reaction to the Aquino government’s plan on purchasing unmanned aerial vehicles or drones to be used in intelligence and combat operations.

The Aquino government has provided P684 million to the Department of National Defense for the acquisition of six drones for the Philippines Marine Corps. The human rights group Karapatan-Bikol believes that no later will the other branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines follow suit in employing drones in it’s counterinsurgency campaign. To this, Casilihan criticizes Aquino’s “crooked” concept of addressing armed conflict. He said, “Here is a warfreak of a government buying more weapons, instead of allocating public funds to education, health, agricultural subsidies, and other social services – whose dearth are among the legitimate grounds for waging armed opposition.”

Karapatan-Bikol likewise censures the AFP’s bid to downplay the combative intent of the drones, with Navy spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Gregory Gerald Fabic saying that the UAVs will also be used for “search and rescue”.  Karapatan-Bikol’s Casilihan casts doubt that while the Navy spokesperson pertains to utilizing drones for disaster response, the Aquino government’s dismal record on this arena proves the duplicity in the military’s statement.

“An honest disaster management is not in the Aquino government’s recipe, what with its ineptitude on Yolanda. On the other hand, Aquino’s zeal in Oplan Bayanihan attests to his enlisting of drones primarily for his wicked counterinsurgency,” Casilihan said.

“Worst of all,” added Casilihan, “what the Aquino government plans to acquire is a war machinery widely condemned internationally for being certified civilian killers.” Casilihan points to the unpopularity of drones among the peoples of the world for not discriminating between civilians and suspected enemies.

With the US wars of aggression targetting those it perceives as “terrorists”, its drone attacks have already killed thousands of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen, among others. Recently, a suspected US drone attack on December 12 in Yemen has killed at least 15 wedding guests mistaken as “terrorists”. Damning reports also hold US drone strikes responsible for killing 900 civilians in Pakistan from 2004 to September 2013. It is estimated that for every “suspected terrorist” killed by drones, 50 civilians are likewise slain.

“With the planned purchase of these deadly drones, Aquino is without a soul in not heeding international clamor to stop drone operations,” Casilihan laments.

In ending, Casilihan urges the people to condemn and fight the Aquino government’s plan of furthering its attack on civilians. “While drone strikes attack legitimate struggles of the Filipino people, Aquino’s “matuwid na daan” is being paved to facilitate the nation’s plunder by no less than Aquino and his imperialist masters.”