Internal Refugees

A group of families from the Quezon Province are currently seeking refuge in Manila.

Since 2001, the military have been paying random visits to farmers from this community. The visits consisted of intimidation, interrogations, physical abuse and occasionally toucher. The aim of these visits, were to collect more information about the whereabouts of the ‘NPA – New People’s Army’, a communist group that has been active for the past 38 years. Seen as a threat by the government, the military have been put under orders to erase them from existence. However it is clear to most rural communities that the NPA wishes to commit no harm to the Filipino people, quite the opposite, they long for equality, land reform and for the country to obtain real independence from US without strings attached (not the current situation with the US created Visiting Forces Agreement, widespread knowledge of the corruption in Government and the many trade policies that benefit America and continue to drag the Philippines down). The NPA has been known to offer health care and education to the many rural communities that are neglected by the government, but is still feared by many due to the governments constant stander of "communist forces" and accusations of crimes unrelated to them. A tactic used to take the local and international focus off the countless crimes committed and that continue to be perpetrated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, under the rule of the Arroyo Government.

At the beginning of November 2007, the military set up a detachment in the Barangay Hall (community hall), in the center of town. After setting up the detachment the military conducted a census, visiting every house determining the number of male residents. Some of the farmers were invited to the detachment. These meetings were similar to those in the past, farmers were interrogated and forced to admit involvement with the communist group, that they are supporters or that they are helping the armed group. Some of them even experienced torture and were asked to go back to the detachment several times for the same treatment.

Community meetings were held by military wherein the military declared that those residents who are supporting or helping the NPA would be arrested, as this was one of the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Law enacted by the current president.

This went on the whole month of November 2007, until this group of farmers and their families fled from their homes in the hope of escaping the military. Many feared for their lives, as the amount of political killings and disappearances of civilians perpetrated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other state agents had continued to rise since 2001, in the Quezon Province and nationwide.

According to the statistics given by IBON foundation at a recent Economic and Political briefing, there have been 69 killings and 26 enforced disappearances in the Jan–Oct 2007 period, and a total of 887 killings since 2001 (See 'IBON - Human Rights Briefing' Link on the right of screen).

Many believe these groups of farmers are targeted because they are part of strong and unified communities, often pro-land right reform. It has been a trend of the military to tag members of legal progressive organizations or even ordinary citizens as members of the NPA, making them targets of the Government’s Anti-Insurgency Program. The military is the perpetrator of numerous Human Rights Violations under the rule of the current Arroyo Government, and to date there has been zero rectification for these crimes.

Like many others, this group of Quezon farmers and their families are now internal refugees, currently homeless living in Manila. They have spent many nights camping on the street outside the Government Department of Agrarian Reform, with the hope for land rights, the hope for safety and the hope for change.

A Manila church group has allowed these 69 refugees to sleep in an old house they own, but I am told that offer will soon end. For the first few months food was given from different NGOs, but these groups (CRC being one) are non-profit and have limited resources, so all have stopped but one who still occasionally gives canned goods and candles.

"That is our biggest problem. We don't have rice (for the canned goods), and we don't have money for rice. We are worried. We need food and medicines for the children," one of the mothers said.

There is a massive unemployment problem in the Philippines so finding work has not yet been possible. On our visit today (Thursday 28th Feb '08) we could see that chicken pox has spread through the children and many of those that are not infected are suffering from other illnesses.

We are currently asking for help in the forms of donations, fundraising, spreading awareness, and encouraging others to write to the Arroyo Government.

(Obtain a letter on the link ' Letter to the President)

We are a small NGO trying to help these 12 families as best we can, but are well aware their story is not an uncommon one. There are many more groups who have been displaced in the same manner by the same government.

These stories of oppression need to stop.

Please help us with your support and participation.

Photos of some of the 39 children, taken on 20th Feb '08. Parents encouraged the use of the children's photos, but asked that no photos be used of themselves for security reasons.