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601 activists killed under Arroyo's version of Oplan Bantay Laya - solon


MANILA, Philippines - Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo on Monday alleged that the Arroyo administration's campaign against communist insurgents tagged as "Oplan Bantay Laya" has resulted to the death of at least 601 political dissenters and hundreds more activists tortured and missing. During the House Justice Committee hearing on the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Ocampo said that under Oplan Bantay Laya, 601 political dissenters were slain, 176 went missing, and 245 were victims of torture. Oplan Bantay Laya, which first saw implementation in 2002, was re-launched in 2007 after the government's target of crushing insurgents by 2006 was not met, said Ocampo. The government has since gave the military until 2010 to end the communist insurgency in the country. Ocampo said part of the Oplan Bantay Laya campaign was to gather information on leaders and members of legal organizations. "Sa pamamagitan ng Oplan Bantay Laya, ginampanan ng Armed Forces of the Philippines sa utos ng commander in chief, si Presidente Arroyo, yung isang target research program upang mag-ipon ng datos, impormasyon... sa mga pinuno at aktibista ng legal organizations na kanilang itinakdang i-neutralize (Under Oplan Bantay Laya, the AFP under President Arroyo who is the commander in chief began a target research program wherein information about leaders and activists from legal organizations are gathered)," Ocampo said. "Una ang pag-warning, kung hindi titigil ay aarestuhin, ikukulong. Kung hindi maaresto ay kasunod na po either dukutin o kaya patayin (First they will issue a warning, then if the activists don't stop the military will make arrests. If arrests are not made, activists will either be abducted or slain)," he added. Aside from Oplan Bantay Laya, Ocampo likewise scored Executive Order 493 issued on January 17, 2006, which he said was the government's "legal offensive" by allowing the creation the Inter-Agency Legal Action Group or IALAG that will undertake the preparation and filing of cases involving national security. Ocampo was one of the pro-impeachment panel's speakers, taking on the alleged human rights violations under the Arroyo administration which is one of the bases of the 93-page impeachment complaint against President Arroyo filed by Jose de Venecia III and other civil society leaders. - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV
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