AFP officials must be held accountable and bring to the hall of justice! Stop the militarisation in the countryside!

The Asia-Pacific Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (APCHRP) strongly condemns the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) 88th Infantry Battalion for the brutal shooting of a Lumad couple on June 15, which resulted in the death of Lumad Indigenous woman Nenita Buscada and the wounding of her husband. This incident constitutes yet another blatant and reprehensible violation of International Humanitarian Law and fundamental human rights, where even civilians become victims of the state’s bloody and repressive counterinsurgency campaign.

The couple was mercilessly fired upon by state armed forces after being falsely identified as members of the New People’s Army (NPA), an accusation that was later proven to be entirely baseless. The 88th Infantry Battalion itself admitted its mistake on June 17, while Lt. Col. Arnold Bautista, the unit’s commanding officer, publicly issued an apology.

However, a simple apology is not enough to cover up a crime. Cases of arbitrary accusations, red-tagging, and the killing of innocent civilians are far from new. The shooting of Nenita Buscada and her husband was not merely a “mistake” but part of a systematic culture of impunity and violence within the AFP.

Under its counterinsurgency, ordinary citizens are treated as enemies and turned into legitimate targets of military operations.
We are likewise reminded of the massacre in Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19, where 19 individuals were brutally killed. Among the victims were civilians who were merely conducting research on the conditions of farmers in the region. These incidents reflect the deepening culture of impunity and state terror in the countryside.

Justice cannot be achieved through statements of apology alone. Those directly responsible for this crime must be held accountable – from the soldiers who pulled the trigger to the officers who orchestrated, authorized, and implemented policies that enable such violations. The administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as Commander-in-Chief of the AFP, must also be held accountable for the continuing militarization, human rights violations, and attacks against civilians throughout the country.

The presence of the military in rural communities does not bring peace; it brings fear, harassment, and violence. Rather than addressing the root causes of poverty and social unrest, the armed forces are being deployed to protect the interests of big businesses, foreign corporations, and land-grabbing projects that threaten the ancestral domains and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and poor rural communities.

Drive the military out of communities and the countryside!
Hold the 88th Infantry Battalion accountable for the killing of Nenita Buscada!
Hold Ferdinand Marcos Jr. accountable for militarization and human rights violations!
Justice for Nenita Buscada and all victims of state terror!
End militarization in the countryside.