FORT MAGSAYSAY, Palayan
City – The leadership of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division inside the
military reservation here named after democracy icon, former President Ramon
Magsaysay has come under fire from city and barangay officials for imposing
strict security procedures reminiscent of Martial Law that allegedly infringe
on the human rights of residents within
the camp and nearby communities.
Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas and officials of at least two
barangays decried the sudden imposition
of a curfew in barangays Doña Josefa and Militar covered by the reservation,
which she said, restricted the movement and civil liberties of residents,
particularly during nighttime.
She accused 7th ID officials of failing to
consult the civilian leadership before setting up checkpoints in the two
barangays which has caused alarm and inconvenienced the residents.
The
outspoken Cuevas minced no words and immediately confronted Camp Commander Lt.
Col. Edgar Batenga on the new security policy during a three-hour dialogue at
the mayor’s residence Wednesday afternoon. “This (curfew) is not right and this
is trampling on the rights of my constituents,” she told Batenga during a
face-off.
Batenga,
who represented 7th ID commander, Brig. Gen. Glorioso Miranda, was
accompanied here by Capt. Mark Ruelos, division spokesperson.
Batenga
earned the ire of Cuevas and the other city officials after he ordered closed Gate
5 manned by the socalledAlorma detachment at the camp and implemented a curfew
from 9 pm to 4:30 am. The policy has affected people who use the gate in
getting to their residence.
Doña
Josefa barangay chairman Aurelio Lapagao told Batenga that the security measure
has been affecting a lot of people, including Pinatubo victims and
indigenous peoples living in the place.
Batenga
said they imposed the security measure to prevent the indiscriminate intrusion
of informal settlers inside the camp. “We are just following orders from higher
authorities and what is provided by law,” he said.
He
said the reservation used to cover a vast expanse of land covering 76,000 hectares but its land area has shrunk to only
44,000 hectares due mainly to the entry of informal settlers.
The
exchange between Batenga and Cuevas became heated when the military officer told
local officials they should help protect the reservation. “Under Section 30 of
Republic Act 7279 or the Urban Development Housing Act, local government units
are supposed to help us protect the military reservation,” he said.
“But
as the mayor here, I should be consulted. There is nothing in the law that says
you restrict the movement of humans,” Cuevas barked. “I’m just protecting the
welfare of my constituents.”
Batenga
said the reason why informal settlers mushroomed inside the camp was because before,
no one was inspecting them to which Cuevas replied : “It’s your fault.”
Lawyer
Paul Cuniano, city legal officer, said the affected barangays have been
established by law and are supposed to have access to national roads but have been
restricted with boundaries.
“Imagine
from 9 pm to 4:30 am you cannot move outside of the camp? That’s a basic
constitutional right,” he said.
It
was not the first time that this military camp, considered the biggest in the
country and one of the biggest in Southeast, was linked to represession and
violation of human rights. It was here when President Aquino’s father, late
former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino and fellow senator Jose Diokno were
placed under solitary confinement to stifle dissent during the Martial Law
years.
This camp also figured prominently in a series of coup attempts against
the administration of President Aquino’s late mother, then President Corazon
Aquino in 1989 staged by then-colonel and now Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan. –
Manny Galvez
