Story by Chase Ralutin
(UPDATE: This article has been edited on March 7, 2022—a year after the Bloody Sunday raids—to update the status of the investigations on the case.)
Families of the slain activists in the March 7, 2021 ‘Bloody Sunday’ operation in Calabarzon condemned the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) and the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) ruthless attacks and demanded justice for their loved ones in a press briefing March 12, 2021.
Relatives, along with their paralegals, recounted the experience of the simultaneous AFP and PNP raids which resulted in the death of nine individuals and the arrest of six others.
Anna Baez, wife of slain activist (Bagong Alyansang Makabayan) BAYAN – Batangas Spokesperson Lino Baez, recalled how the police threatened to shoot them if they did not open the door but barged in to their home anyway.
“Pinalabas kami ng mga anak ko. Silang tatlo ay pumasok sa loob at nagtagal sila doon nang isang oras bago dumating ang mga barangay,” Baez said.
The operations were conducted by the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the AFP’s Special Action Force and 202nd Brigade. Dubbed COPLAN ASVAL, the Bloody Sunday attacks were part of the state’s anti-insurgency campaigns which targeted legal activists instead.
Santiago Bacasno, father of urban poor group SIKKAD-K3 member Markeny Bacasno, denied accusations that his son was linked to the New People’s Army. Markeny was a construction worker who provided for his family, Santiago added.
“Nagmamakaawa ang anak ko, nanghihingi ng paliwanag kung anong kasalanan niya. Pero wala silang nasabing kasalanan. Walang warrant of arrest, basta lang pinatay,” Santiago said.
The simultaneous attacks were enabled by the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) branches 4 and 174, which claimed that the activists held firearms and grenades. Manila RTC 4 also previously released search warrants which resulted in the death of nine Tumanduk individuals in December last year.
Carl Corcolon, son of leader unionist Ramir Corcolon, asserted that his father was a government employee who had no criminal record and had never possessed an explosive nor a firearm. He added that Ramir was a church leader who only helped people in their community, especially those with problems with their water system.
Volunteer Marife Valdeavilla, who worked with slain activist Elizabeth “Mags” Camoral in BAYAN – Laguna, said that Camoral was only defender of farmers in Hacienda Yulo in Laguna, Calabarzon.
“Wala po kaming ganon sa opisina, kami ay mga volunteer lang po sa #DefendYuloFarmers [campaign] na tumutulong sa panawagan ng mga magsasaka,” Valdeavilla added.
Paralegals said that none of the slain activists owned any firearm. They cited a pattern in the killings wherein “[police] first got to conduct raids before the barangay officials came to witness the searching.”
The PNP guide on human rights-based policing require police to coordinate with barangay officers on human rights activities in the community level including protective services for those whose rights have been violated.
However, families and their paralegals point to ‘questionable tactics’ where police would plant firearms during a raid and call on barangay officials as witnesses. This would implicate the people whose houses were being searched.
“Halos mahigit isang oras bago dumating ang barangay official at hindi man lang hinarap ang biktima,” the paralegal said.
Baez also noticed that the police took P18,000 worth of cash along with two cellphones during the raid.
“Tinanong ko kung bakit nila dinala noon. Ako ay pinapipirma sa katibayan na wala silang kinuha pero kinuha nila ang pera at cellphone,” she added.
The police told Baez that the belongings taken can only be returned once her husband proved to the police that he did not own any firearms.
This bloodshed comes after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered soliders and the police to ‘kill’ and ‘finish off’ rebels in a meeting with the National Task force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict on March 8, 2021.
Families and human rights groups called on national government officials to stop the killings among urban poor activists in the region.
“Imbes na kill, kill, kill ay kilalanin at igalang ang karapatang pantao. Magkaroon ng investigation para kay PNP Debold Sinas na nanguna sa madugong operasyon sa Southern Luzon,” BAYAN – Southern Tagalog said in a statement.
On Mar. 8, Department of Justice-led task force was assigned to investigate the Bloody Sunday killings. Included in their investigation were forensic data on July 2021 which reveal that the activists were deliberately killed, contrary to earlier police reports that the victims resisted arrest.
Murder raps were filed by the National Bureau of Investigation against 17 police officers on Jan. 22 over the death of fisherfolk leaders and spouses Ariel Evangelista and Ana Lemita-Evangelista.
