FINAL REPORT - Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

At around 5 a.m., the farmers were already up and about preparing food and
having coffee when, without any warning, they were peppered with a volley of gunfire.
The farmers shouted they were unarmed civilians but the shooting continued. Five
grenades were also hurled at them. Seven farmers died on the spot, including a
woman who was seven months pregnant. More than ten farmers were seriously
injured. Mr. Margallo himself sustained severe gunshot wounds on his legs and was
rushed to a hospital. In fact, he had to be wheeled to the witness stand on the day
that he gave his testimony.
Mr. Margallo stated that when the firing stopped, the perpetrators moved
towards the “kamalig.” They were in military uniform and combat boots, apparently in
full battle gear. Their faces were concealed by bonnets. They were members of the
19 th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army (IBPA). When they got inside the hut, they
ordered the farmers to lie face down and then started kicking their backs with their
boots. They were trying to extract an admission from the farmers that they are
members of the NPA.
When the farmers belied the accusation, a soldier brought in and emptied a
sack full of firearms and subversive documents and insisted that these belong to the
farmers. They [originally: “The military men”] also refused to provide immediate
medical aid to those injured. Worst of all, Col. Louie Dagoy, while admitting that the
attack was committed by elements of the 19 th IBPA, nevertheless claimed that it was
not a massacre but a legitimate encounter between the rebel group and the military.
Despite the long list of political killings, the massacres, abductions, torture,
forced disappearances, and other forms of human rights violations under the present
administration, Ms. Arroyo has done nothing to address the intensifying attacks by
the state’s armed forces, the police and paramilitary units under their supervision
upon the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Filipino people.
Bicutan Siege
Two more witnesses testified on the carnage of detention prisoners, the
infamous Bicutan siege, at the Metro Manila District Jail in Camp Bagong Diwa,
Bicutan, Taguig City on 14-16 March 2005.
MIKHAEL ABDUL ASIS narrated that in the morning of 15 March 2006, he
stood outside the gate of the jail with Congressman Mujiv Hataman, whom Kosovo
(describe who he is) and his group of detainees had demanded to act as one of the
negotiators to end the siege. At 9 a.m. on that date, he saw numerous elements of
the police inside the district jail, all in full battle gear, and thereafter heard successive
thunderous bursts of gunfire. He saw then DILG Secretary Angelo Reyes, together
with Generals Avelino Razon, Arturo Lomibao and Gregorio Aglipay, clapping. Reyes
was even shouting “Banat, bata!” (“Fire, my men!”). The shelling went on until about
noon time. At around midnight, cadavers started to be brought out of the jail. Mr.
Asis helped transport 22 dead prisoners to Barangay Maharlika in Bicutan. He also
helped take photos of the victims. He said he saw that the victims’ skulls were
smashed and their bodies bore numerous bullet wounds.
190