MANILA, Philippines – One was the “master of disappearances” and another was reputed to have a hand in the terrorizing of lumads through military operations in the 1990s.
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff General Eduardo Año and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu were among nine recent appointees named by President Rodrigo Duterte to his official family, prompting militant partylist lawmakers to push the panic button.
“We believe the President is taking on a very dangerous tack. While he has stated that he would not declare martial law, what’s happening now is the occupation of former military generals in agencies that make you feel we are heading toward authoritarian and militarist policy-making,” Anakpawis partylist Representative Ariel Casilao said.
For her part, Gabriela partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas said Cabinet positions should better be held by civilian officials.
“Ayaw natin ng militaristic approach dahil ang usapin ay crucial sa taumbayan, halimbawa, hindi maganda na magkakaroon ng intensified surveillance (We don’t like a militaristic approach because issues are crucial to the public. For instance, deploying intensified surveillance would not be pretty),” she said.
Casilao recalled that Año was involved in the abduction and enforced disappearance of activist Jonas Burgos in April 2007, during his stint as 56th Infantry Battalion commander, and was commander of the Philippine Army 10th Infantry Division during the 2017 Paquibato Massacre incident in Davao City, where three lumad community leaders were killed.
“He was even branded as the master of disappearances because of the case of Jonas Burgos,” he said.
“With the ongoing war on drugs, having [someone] with a military orientation will definitely endanger the alarming state of human rights in the country,” Casilao added.
He said the best way to rid the Philippine National Police of scalawags is not to put a military man in the institution, but to identify and prosecute the erring police personnel.
In the case of Cimatu, a former AFP chief of staff, Casilao said the new Environment Secretary was the colonel who implemented a massive militarization drive that resulted in the evacuation of some 20,000 Ata Manobos in the 1990s.
Aside from Año and Cimatu, Casilao identified seven other retired military officials now holding Cabinet posts:
- Edgar Galvante at the Land Transportation Office
- Alexander Balutan at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office
- Jason Aquino at the National Food Authority
- Ricardo Visaya at the National Irrigation Administration
- Ricardo Jalad at the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management
- Nicanor Faeldon at the Bureau of Customs
- Delfin Lorenzana at the Department of National Defense
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