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16 April 2020

H.E. ANTONIO MANUEL GUTERRES

Secretary General

United Nations

New York City, USA

Thru: HON. MICHELLE BACHELET

High Commissioner

United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Geneva, Switzerland

Dear Secretary General Guterres:

We write to inform you of another Indigenous Peoples killing incident involving the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), acting through their armed component, the New People’s Army (NPA) amid President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive for a suspension of military operations and the country’s battle against the Covid-19 pandemic and His Excellency’s appeal for a global ceasefire amid he Covid-19 pandemic.

Wilson Estar Behing, male, 34 years old and a Manobo from Sitio Baroboan, Barangay Caromata, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur, Philippines, was shot and hacked to death at around 5:30 PM of 14 April 2020 (Tuesday) a resident of SDS. This is the third in the killings by the CPP/NPA/NDF in the municipality of San Miguel, Surigao del Sur on the island of Mindanao (Southern Philippines) (Annex A).

The first was the brutal killings on 19 March 2020 of an Indigenous Peoples Tribal Leader, Hawudon Bernardino “Bandi” Astudillo, 73, of the Manobo tribe, and his companion, Mr. Zaldy Ibanez, 52, a farmer, by about 15 armed members of the NPA led by Joel Mahinay, also known as, “Nicko” in Sitio Indanan, Barangay Magroyong, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur (Annex B). Hawudon Bandi is a highly respected tribal leader. Both he and his companion, Zaldy, were stabbed to death. His death is a great loss to the Manobo tribe in Surigao del Sur, particularly since as an elder and tribal leader, Hawudon Bandi is considered a culture bearer and repository of cultural, spiritual, and historical indigenous knowledge and practices. The NPA, through one of its spokespersons, proudly admitted the killing, in a local radio interview, which was broadcast widely in the Province of Surigao Del Sur.

Then on 24 March 2020, the NPA raided an Indigenous People’s community at the remote Sitio of Tapayanon in Barangay Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao del Norte Province, also in Mindanao (Annex C). The raid resulted into a firefight with the responding unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines—which was forced to act despite the stated cessation of military operations ordered by the President.

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This was followed by the killing of a farmer-leader in the same municipality, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur (Annex D). Nora Apique, 66, leader of a farmers’ group (Kapunungan sa mga Mag-uuma ng Surigao del Sur-Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas) (KAMASS-KMP). She was shot dead by the CPP/NPA/NDF last 31 March 2020 at about 8PM. Apique was formerly a member of the CPP/NPA/NDF, and was being the Barangay Agrarian Reform Committee Chairwoman at the time of her death, helping in bringing services to communities. The CPP/NPA/NDF claimed responsibility for these brutal killings.

We are writing to you once again, to bring to your kind attention, these verified reports of continuing violence in Indigenous Peoples communities perpetrated by the CPP/NPA/NDF, and despite a unilateral declaration of suspension of military operations, a declaration that was made even ahead of His Excellency’s call for a global ceasefire amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

These vicious and violent attacks against Indigenous Communities during these dire times highlight the true nature and evil agenda of the CPP/NPA. These and other atrocities must be made known to the United Nations and other International Organizations, so that the CPP/NPA and groups associated to them are made to account for these continuing violations that occurred despite the most serious threat of COVID-19 to all.

Again, we pray that the UN, speaks up on behalf of the Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Cultural Communities directly affected by these atrocities to condemn the same and to hold the CPP/NPA accountable for these crimes and human rights abuses. The indigenous communities continue to suffer untold atrocities in the hands of the CPP/NPA/NDF, and in the face of the enormous threats brought about by a worldwide pandemic, we deserve respite from a world of violence.

We submit to you the narrations of the families of the victims and reports from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and the Philippine National Police. We trust that you will find the truth in the personal narration of the victim’s family, and the gravity and extent of these violent actions while you validate the claims and false reports that the CPP/NPA and their front organizations had habitually submitted to your office.

Again, we wish you all the best on your human rights work that includes looking after our welfare and our rights as indigenous peoples. We support your campaign to end all violence and human rights abuses in the ancestral lands.

Sincerely,

MINDANAO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES COUNCIL OF ELDERS & LEADERS

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(Annex A)

Wilson Estar Behing, male, 34 years old and a Manobo from Sitio Baroboan, Barangay Caromata, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur, Philippines, was shot and hacked to death.

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(Annex B)

Hawudon Bernardino “Bandi” Astudillo, 73, of the Manobo tribe, and his companion, Mr. Zaldy Ibanez, 52, a farmer.

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(Annex C)

NPA raided an Indigenous People’s community at the remote Sitio of Tapayanon in Barangay Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao del Norte Province

(Annex D)

The killing of a farmer-leader Nora Apique, 66 in the same municipality, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur

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