The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) condemned the July 7 ambush reportedly perpetrated by members of the New People’s Army (NPA) against government forces in Jipapad town, Eastern Samar.
Again, the CHR stressed that no ideology can ever justify violations of human rights, and “it cannot be used by any group or individual to excuse themselves from any accountability.”
The July 7 ambush resulted in the deaths of one soldier and two members of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) and injuries to six other persons.
The CHR said that based on reports, government forces were already finishing the construction of their new military camp when they were ambushed by alleged NPA members.
An improvised explosive device (IED) was said to have also been exploded by the “NPA combatants.”
CHR Deputy Spokesperson Marc Louis Siapno said that even non-state actors are bound to comply with the international humanitarian law (IHL) alongside the government.
"In this incident, the indiscriminate use of IEDs, including landmines, continues to fail in distinguishing between civilians and combatants and protect especially civilians and communities from the ill effects of armed conflict, which violates the spirit of IHL," Siapno said.
He said the CHR urges the government to hold the perpetrators of the attack accountable as he pointed out that the commission’s office in Region VIII will also be pursuing an independent probe of the incident.
"The Commission condoles with the families of the deceased and hopes for a quick recovery for the individuals wounded in this incident, as we also continuously call for an end to senseless violence," he added.