The Tanggol Magsasaka, the human rights desk of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) lambasted the AFP and the government for heaping praises to the Philippine contingent from Iraq for a so-called job well done. According to Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, secretary general of the group that “it is like the affair was arranged by the AFP to pat itself on the back. How can they be heroes when the whole premise of their presence in Iraq was wrong? There were no weapons of mass destruction found as well as no link between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. In essence the war that the AFP through its contingent in Iraq supported was an unjust and immoral occupation of a sovereign nation, is this an act of a hero?”

“Did they forget that the ones who destroyed the bridges or public centers that they consequently built or repaired are their so-called allies in the US Army or the forces of the coalition of the willing? They were the ones who destroyed one of the oldest civilizations on Earth and then have the gall to claim they are helping the people of Iraq?” cried the human rights activist.

The Philippine contingent claimed that in its 11-month long stay in Iraq that they carried out 67 major projects and 24 minor ones-including the construction of footbridges and public health centers-as well as trained 2,266 Iraqis in law enforcement, and distributed relief goods, among other things.

“It is classic US war policy “bomb now send relief and aid later” this is the role of the Philippine contingent, to dupe the Iraqi people that the coalition is helping them, but in reality they are the cause of their misery in the first place. To top it all off, the head of the contingent is Col. Palparan, “The Butcher of Mindoro”, a patent human rights violator who has a lot of blood in his hands, including those of Ka Eddie Gumanoy, chair of KASAMA-TK and Eden Marcellana, secretary general of KARAPATAN-ST, both were abducted and killed in Mindoro when Palparan was still the head of the 204th Brigade,” lamented Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of KMP.

“If it is government policy to praise and honor human rights violators and butchers, then no wonder that Palparan is now a general and is regarded in high esteem by the AFP, DND and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. No wonder also, that soldiers are following Palparan’s footsteps in committing the most heinous crimes in the country sides on the people they were supposed to serve and protect,” ended Ala. # # #  
 

KMP - 5 August 2004