'Spare the minors,' Army captain appeals to CPP-NDF on NPA rebel-recruitment
"They still have a bright future waiting for them. Please, spare the lives of the minors and let them go down from the mountains and return to the folds of the law."
Such were the words of Army Captain Lowen Gil Marquez, Commanding Officer of the 3rd Civil Relations Group of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (CRSAFP) following disturbing discoveries of young recruits in the communist New People's Army (NPA).
A violation on standing protocol of the International Humanitarian Law, minors as a rule are not to be armed and involved in armed confrontation.
Yet in at least two recent NPA attacks in Iloilo, elements of the Philippine Army came face to face with minor rebels estimated to be at least 12 to 17 years old.
According to Capt. Marquez, the young recruits are conditioned by the higher-ups to lodge an aggressive and combatant stance against government troopers with test missions serving as the rebels' "honeymoon stage."
"I am wondering and the Ilonggo masses about the violation of Geneva Convention in protection of minors committed by terrorist CPP/NPA/NDF: Why the Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Anak Pawis and Kabataan were very silent on this violation? They must condemn and denounce the atrocities and terrorism activity of the CPP/NPA if they are fighting for fair and impartial justice," Capt. Marquez in a news statement sent to The News Today (TNT) said.
The Philippine Army has since maintained that Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Anak Pawis and Kabataan partylist groups must be disqualified being the legal fronts of the communists.
"This rampant, deceptive recruitment of minors committed by the CPP/NPA/NDF is clear violation in protection of minors in Article IV, Protocal II of Geneva Convention towards armed conflicts. As of this press time, the two said minors were executed by the CPP/NPA in order to hide the evidence of defeat because the two child warriors have decided to go down from the town of Lambunao and be evacuated to the hospital in order to be treated for the fatal wounds done by their fellow comrades," he continued.
Other than the recruitment of minors, another violation Captain Marquez denounced was last week's attack on Army soldiers in San Remegio, Antique where an ambush was staged by the communist rebels using a landmine.
The San Remegio attack was said to have been lodged by the NPAs under Ka Dondon of the Southern Front Committee against the elements of 79th Infantry Batallion of the 3rd ID in Barangay Nagbangi. The government troopers were in the area to check on local security conditions prior to the scheduled medical mission that was also temporarily shelved.