BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Human rights monitors raised alarm Friday over the reported presence of more than 45 alleged Scout Rangers from the Philippine military’s 15th Infantry Battalion near residential homes in Sitio Manambol, Barangay Tuyom, Cauayan, Negros Occidental.
The troops reportedly arrived around midnight and remained in the community, where they were allegedly positioned about 30 meters from residents’ homes. Rights monitors said soldiers were also questioning young children about alleged New People’s Army members who may have passed through or been seen in the area.
The report comes less than a week after a May 16th military operation in Cauayan killed five NPA members, including former UP Cebu student leader Vince Francis “Dingding” Dingding. Human rights groups have called for an investigation, citing concerns over the conduct of the operation and its impact on nearby communities.
It also follows the April 19th Toboso operation, where rights groups said 19 people were killed in what they described as a massacre. The military has maintained that its operations are legitimate actions against the communist rebel group.
Rights advocates said the questioning of children and encampment near civilian dwellings could place communities at risk.
Paghimutad 