In time for the annual celebration of the International Human Rights Day today, NPA bandits abducted two young children of an Army soldier in Sitio Danao of Mandalingan village, Kapalong town in Davao del Norte at around 9:30am on Sunday (December 9).
Private First Class Lito Masaluon was driving a motorcycle towards his camp in Kimantaan sub-village together with his two children aged 12yrs old and 17 yrs old, when at least seven NPA rebels blocked their path, shooting indiscriminately at them.
The bandits missed their shots allowing him to rush towards the opposite direction, away from his hapless children.
The bandits gave chase while continuously firing their guns at him but he was able to escape. Failing to kill Masaluon, the bandits abducted his children and brought them to an unknown location.
Masaluon said that he intentionally left his children behind to divert the attention of the bandits.
"I didn't want my children to be hit by gunfire so I fled. I did what I thought was the best way to save them from harm," said Masaluon.
Masaluon was teary-eyed when he pleaded for the safe return of his young children.
"I didn't want my children to be hit by gunfire so I fled. I did what I thought was the best way to save them from harm," said Masaluon.
Masaluon was teary-eyed when he pleaded for the safe return of his young children.
Escaping the floods
A resident of Kapalong town, Masaluon's house was among those swept away by raging flood waters during Typhoon 'Pablo'. He brought his children to the military camp to take shelter temporarily.
He went to Datu Balong village with his children to collect a sack rice that will sustain them in the camp.
He did not expect that after surving the killer typhoon five days earlier, his children will become victims of NPA aggression.
Human rights violation
While Karapatan is continuously accusing the military of commiting human rights abuses, it has remained tight-lipped over the abuses committed by the armed members of the Maoist rebel group.
In Paquibato District, Davao City, at least 20 young children were injured by the hand grenade tossed by an NPA bandit during a circus show attended by numerous people.
The NPA bandits who were responsible for the grenade blast pledged to pay P5,000.00 to each victim of their violent attack.
That attempt to save face was like adding salt to the wound, because the NPA will surely collect more extortion money from the poor people to generate funds to pay the victims.
The NPA's series of attacks against non-combatants like young children are punishable under Republic Act 9851.
It is also a violation to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) that was signed by both the GRP and the CPP-NPA-NDF.
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