The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday, February 26, maintained that lawyer Hannah Jay Cesista and her four comrades in the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed in an encounter with the military in Bilar, Bohol.
Interviewed on DZRH Magandang Umaga Pilipinas, AFP Spokesperson Francel Padilla said military forces conducted a joint enhanced military-police operation to serve an arrest warrant against the remnants of the dismantled Bohol party committee.
"Nangyari ito noong February 23 sa Matin-ao 2, Barangay Campagao, Bilar sa Bohol. Meron tayong lima na na-neutralize sa kabilang panig. Ito ang mga remnants ng Bohol party at ang nagle-lead dito ay si Domingo Jaspe Capco o 'Ka Silong'. Siya yung commanding officer ng Sandatahang Unit ng Propaganda o tinatawag natin na SYP," she said.
Col. Francel Padilla, AFP Spokesperson: Nagkaroon tayo ng joint enhance military operation na mag-implement ng warrant of arrest sa Bohol. #MagandangUmagaPilipinas #SamaSamaTayoPilipino
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) February 25, 2024
WATCH: https://t.co/9khFPk9JIy pic.twitter.com/S4Wgd7SbFN
The National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUJP) - Cebu Chapter first falsified the report that Hannah and four other individuals, namely Domingo Compoc, Perlito Historia, Marlon Omosura, and Alberto Sancho were killed in an encounter.
NUJP - Cebu Chapter said testimonies of witnesses can prove that military forces had ordered the five slain individuals to vacate the house they were staying in and forced them to undress their shirts.
"Along with Cesista, they were forced to roll in the mud. The witnesses narrated that they were pleading with state forces to stop their inhumane acts but to no avail," it said.
But as per Padilla, an encounter occurred during the joint enhanced military-police operation that resulted in the death of Cesista, alias "Maya" or "Lean", who was a former member of Anakbayan Cebu before joining the CPP-NPA Bohol party committee in 2020.
Cesista is said to be the party wife of Parlito Segovia who also died in the same operation.
In an X (formerly Twitter) post, Anakbayan Cebu called on the Bohol Province Office and 47th Infantry Battalion to be accountable for the five deaths, which they said is a violation of International Humanitarian Law and Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.
"Evidence from a human rights group and testimonies from residents show that the revolutionaries were not killed in action but were rather captured, tortured, and executed. Evidence challenges state forces' encounter claims; victims not fighting fascist troops," it said.
LONG LIVE HANNAH CESISTA! LONG LIVE BILAR 5!
— Anakbayan UP Cebu (@UPCAnakbayan) February 25, 2024
Anakbayan UP Cebu joins in demanding accountability for Bohol Province Office and 47th Infantry Battalion, citing violations of International Humanitarian Law and CARHRIHL, to which the Philippine Government is a signatory. pic.twitter.com/pQw9i35dMF
