Press Statement
Reference: Vince Casilihan
November 19, 2014
Karapatan-Bikol joins the delegates of Manilakbayan 2014 and
the militant organizations of Southern Tagalog region in condemning the Armed
Forces of the Philippines – Southern Luzon Command’s attempts at sabotaging
today’s picket protest at the gates of SOLCOM headquarters. Utmost denunciation
is directed at SOLCOM Spokesperson Major Angelo Guzman, for taking the lead in
disrupting and disrespecting the people’s legitimate mobilization.
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| SOLCOM Spokesperson Maj. Angelo Guzman taunting protesters. |
Delegates of Manilakbayan, together with the people of
Southern Luzon, held a picket protest to have the AFP hear the people’s demands
for respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. Instead, they were responded with blaring Christmas
music, with Major Angelo Guzman foolishly clapping and taunting the protesters.
Such act of the SOLCOM Spokesperson reveals the true face of
Oplan Bayanihan’s psywar in Southern Luzon. The AFP’s purported reform in
methods concerning respect for people’s rights proves to be empty, as demonstrated
by Major Guzman’s unreserved display of contempt of the masses.
Karapatan-Bikol takes particular notice of this event
because SOLCOM, being the chief implementer of Oplan Bayanihan in the regions
of Southern Tagalog and Bicol, exposes its obstinacy in keeping true to being
mercenaries of plunderers, big landlords, and pork barrel kingpins. Today’s
incident at the gates of SOLCOM headquarters only tells the public that the
brutalities of Oplan Bayanihan will continue in Southern Luzon, and that the
AFP has at its charge Major Angelo Guzman to spread deceit, as was his
erstwhile role with the 9th Infantry Division. And also with his strutting, the SOLCOM
Spokesperson attempts to divert the people’s minds away from the root causes of
the people’s dissent.
We ask Major Guzman: What peaceful Christmas is there when
your senior officers order the distress of our families through abductions,
death squad assassinations, and destruction of livelihoods? What joyous Christmas
will the people have when you can still afford to clown around amidst the
people’s condemnation of your organization’s brutalities and deception?
On the other hand, the AFP should retain buffoons with the likes of Major Angelo Guzman, and have him proceed with his clowning. This only inflames further the indignation of a people against poverty and oppression.
But mind you, Major Angelo Guzman, the people’s outrage is
not a laughing matter. ###
