Various progressive groups gathered in Liwasang Bonifacio on Tuesday, August 20, to protest the continuing spate of killings in the Negros region. Protests were held in different provinces in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao as part of the ‘National Day of Mourning’ for killings in Negros.
To date, 87 individuals were killed in Negros since the Duterte administration came into power; 82 were killed after the implementation of Duterte’s Memorandum Order 32 (MO 32).
From grief to protest
Simultaneous protests were held by various progressive groups in several assembly points in Metro Manila to condemn the continuing killings in the Negros island since the implementation of MO 32. The Day of Mourning was spearheaded by Defend Negros, a multi-sectoral alliance which consists of different peasant, cultural, youth, and church groups who are standing against the escalating violence in Negros.
Individuals from Negros also arrived in Manila to personally share their experiences in the island while under the implementation of MO 32, the declaration of state of national emergency on account of lawless violence in the provinces of Samar, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental and the Bicol region.
“October 20 ng umaga nagprotesta kami dahil sa maliit na sahod. Pagdating ng gabi, pinagbabaril kami. Pumunta ako sa Manila para idulog ang totoo na noong may pinatay sa Negros, may tumulong sa amin na abogado pero pinatay nila. Nagpunta kami sa PNP para humingi ng tulong pero binaliktad [kami]. Sabi nila, kami ang nagpatay pero hindi iyon totoo. Pumunta kami sa PNP pero kami ang finile-an ng kaso. Mapapatay ba namin mga kamag-anak namin?” says Raymond, a peasant from Negros.
[“We protested on October 20 because of our low wages. When nighttime came, we were shot at. I went in Manila to speak of the truth that there really is rampant killings in Negros, we had a lawyer who went to help us but he too, was killed. We went to the PNP to ask for help but they went against us. They said that we were the killers but that is not true. We went to the police for help but they filed charges against us. Do they really think we could kill our own kin?”]
The spate of killings in Negros primarily took the lives of peasant organizers and farmworkers, who were campaigning for better wages and rights to till their own land.
Police elements, however, have claimed that some of the killings were part of ‘punishment’ activities of the New People’s Army to its former members or its turncoats, a claim that peasant organizations and the individuals from Negros vehemently denied.
Solidarity in action
The Day of Mourning was also attended by several progressive groups based in Manila to campaign against the escalating violence not only within Negros, but also in the National Capital Region and other parts of the country.
For Millie Fernandez, a member of Rise Up, an alliance for the families of the victims of extra-judicial killings (EJK), the grief and rage felt by the Negrenses are not lost on the bereaved families of the EJK victims.
“Nararamdaman ko po ang nararamdaman ng mga taga-Negros dahil masakit yung dinanas ko,” Fernandez said.
[“I’m feeling what the Negrenses felt because even I experienced the same suffering.”]
Fernandez’s son and husband were among those killed in the spate of killings during the anti-drug war operations in Manila. Her husband was a barangay tanod, while her son was a tricycle driver.
“Dumating ‘yung anak ko galing sa byahe. Pag-upo ng anak ko biglang may pumasok tapos diretso sila sa kwarto. Sabi ko, “Sir, ano ‘yan?”, pero diretso lang sila, hindi umiimik. Pero may baril sila. ‘Yung isa, sa pinto naiwan. Tapos tinawag si Weslie, ‘yung anak ko. Tapos pinadapa anak ko. Sabi ng anak ko “Wala akong kasalanan.” Ang ginawa ni Weslie, hindi siya dumapa. Lumuhod siya sa kanila at sinabing, “Sir, matinong tao ako. Naghahanap-buhay ako.” Mga kalahating oras ‘yun, tapos binaril ang anak ko at ‘yung asawa ko rin,” Fernandez recounted.
[“My son came after making his rounds. As he sat down, police have entered and went straight to his room. I asked them what they are doing but they went straight ahead and did not answer me. They had their guns with them. One was stationed by the door. They called Weslie, my son. Then they made my son drop on his stomach. My son pledged innocence. He did not lie on his stomach. He kneeled in front of them and said, “Sir, I’m a decent person. I have a job.” Half an hour has passed, they shot my son and even my husband.”]
Schools communities from the University of the Philippines System and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines staged rallies in solidarity with the ‘National Day of Mourning’ amid their call for ‘National Day of Walkout and Action” against the proposal of military and police presence in campuses.
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