AFP will not be absolved from its responsibilities on political killings

"No matter how hard they try, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will not be absolved from its responsibilities on the unending series of politically-motivated summary executions and crimes against civilians."

The AFP and its death squads cannot cover up their blood tracks by blaming the New People's Army and other enemy organizations of the Arroyo administration," thus said KMU Chairperson Elmer Labog in reaction to the incident of political killing involving sugar worker Sanito Bargamento from the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW).

The number of workers and labor leaders killed since 2001 now reached 63. Bargamento was shot dead last Friday, September 1, at Hacienda Emma, Bgy. Manapla, more than 50 kilometers north of Bacolod City. According to reports, Bargamento was driving his multicab pick-up when his vehicle was blocked and shot by assassins. The pick-up zigzagged for several meters until it stopped. The assassins followed and shot Bargamento in the head and then fled. His wife Estrella who was with him during the incident suffered bruises. Recovered from the crime scene were two empty shells of .45 caliber pistol.

Bargamento is one of the eyewitnesses in the International Labor Solidarity Mission (ILSM) last May. He witnessed the killing of his brother, NFSW leader Edwin Bargamento in April 2005.

NFSW secretary general Butch Lozande, on the other hand, linked the killing to the on-going "all out war of the Macapagal-Arroyo government against leftists and other progressive groups."

"The government's state security forces are our immediate suspects because they have been waging extra-judicial killings against militant organizations. They alone have the capability to do that, and Sanito Bargamento was a member of NFSW fighting for laborers' rights and welfare," said Lozande. Since last year, 13 labor and peasant leaders in Negros had been killed.

Last August 24, labor leader Rudy Paglinawan of the Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng Purefoods Hormel was shot dead inside a fast food restaurant in Cubao. He was a former KMU member.

"Police investigators handling cases of killed labor leaders and unionists are always quick to dismiss political motives behind the killings. They either imply inter union conflicts or emphasize non-political motives when in fact, all the cases are possibly carried out by army death squads and 'liquidation units aimed at neutralizing known government enemies.' Labog said the military is again resurrecting old issues against the Left in desperate attempts to extinguish public outrage over the relentless incidents of political killings.

"The stories of purging and mass graves are part of the orchestrated plan to terrorize the population in order to quell dissents against the Arroyo government," the labor leader concluded.

Yesterday, another militant was killed in Agusan Del Norte, Jovito Pinakilid, 45 years old, a local leader of Lumad organization was shot dead by two motorcycle riding men in Buenavista town. "Even with the formation of various Task Forces and recently, the Melo Commission, political killings continue at an alarming rate. Only the government through the military, has ulterior motives to carry out such dastardly acts of violations against known leaders of progressive people's organizations."