Peasant communities in San Jose Del Monte (SJDM), Bulacan are marred with continued military operations, intensifying for more than two months and affecting around 400 rural families.

Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) reported that the military enforced psywar and crackdown on civilians when the 80th Infantry Battalion (IB) raided the home of its Secretary-General Ronnie Manalo on June 18, 7am and planted incriminating evidence.

Manalo was part of a team of farmers and peasant advocates in 2022 who were fired upon and harassed by private goons hired by Araneta Properties Inc. in Sitio Ricafort, Tungkong Mangga, SJDM, Bulacan.

Araneta Properties is headed by Gregorio Maria Araneta III, husband of Irene Marcos-Araneta, sister of Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.

On the same day, soldiers also went to the house of 63-year-old Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Bulacan (AMB) Chairperson Cecilia Rapiz in Barangay Paradise 3, SJDM, Bulacan. The soldiers were asking for her whereabouts. Both Manalo and Rapiz are reportedly victims of red-tagging, threat, harassment, and intimidation by state forces.

Aside from these military operations, KMP reported that soldiers set up camp in Paradise 3 on June 21 and held a terror-tagging seminar with barangay officials on June 24. Military presence continued in the whole month of July, “establishing an atmosphere of fear and restlessness among residents, especially the elderly and children.”

By August 13, it is reported that four barangays are under military encirclement by the 80th IB. “The soldiers have undertaken a psywar campaign for fake surrenders. They utilise intimidation, threats, and coercion in house-to-house interrogations and summons, explicitly red-tagging KMP and the mere act of participating in protests,” KMP said in a statement.

Ongoing psywar campaign

In an interview with Bulatlat, Ida, not her real name, detailed the fear she experienced from the military visits in her residence. “The military visited me three times, aggressively asking me questions on my participation in rallies, and even meetings in our organization.”

Ida is a member of Samahan at Sandigan ng mga Magsasaka ng San Isidro (SASAMAG), a local chapter of KMP in Bulacan. Many of her fellow members were also subjected to the same house-to-house visits by the 80th IB starting August 12.

“I am afraid to go to the farm alone. Even my daily household activities were being disrupted due to the military visits,” Ida added.

In the house-to-house visits, the residents were asked about their personal information, and even their extended family’s. They were then asked whether they still participated in rallies or coordinated with members of KMP and other progressive groups. Afterwards, they would be asked to write a document, stating that they will no longer participate in rallies, leaving residents with no choice but to sign it.

Some residents were even asked for their IDs. The military also reportedly took photos of the residents. When asked about the purpose, the military reportedly said that it is a supplementing attachment for the documents they gathered.

“We have no choice but to comply. Of course, we do not want to get on the bad side of the military, since they were encamped in our area. We fear what would happen next, especially with our signatures, pictures, and even copies of our ID,” Ida said.This military action is a precursor to the fake surrender campaigns of the government. Bulatlat has reported similar incidents in rural communities in Southern Tagalog Region, Bicol Region, and some parts of Central Luzon (e.g. Aurora, Bulacan).

This incident involving Ida is not isolated. Residents in her community confirmed that similar patterns of questioning have occurred repeatedly, particularly those members of SASAMAG. They also reported that during these house-to-house visits, the soldiers were dressed in civilian clothing. Residents have daily interactions with the soldiers, as they are heavily deployed in civilian areas.

The affected farmer organizations in SJDM are the primary source of products and direct sellers in the Bagsakan, a mobile direct farmers’ market for Bungkalan products.

Violations of human rights

Butch Lozande, spokesperson of Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and a delegate in the fact-finding mission, said that forbidding the residents to assert their rights through rallies and organizational affiliation is a violation of their human rights.

“Under our constitution, our laws, there is nothing wrong with what we are doing. It is our right to join organizations who put forward our interest and welfare. We should not fear them,” Lozande said in a solidarity message with the residents.

He also added that this is not only happening in Bulacan, but also in other peasant communities around the country.

Freedom of speech, expression, and association are among the constitutionally-guaranteed rights in the Philippines, particularly Section 4 and 8 of the 1987 Constitution.

KMP also stressed these in a statement. “They should immediately leave the farmers alone and let them resume their farming activities. KMP and its local chapters are legal and legitimate organizations promoting peasants’ rights. These include not only the right to speak, organize, assemble, and due process, but also the right to land, livelihood, and social services.”

They also added that the military operations have maligned and disrupted the activities of the local farmers’ organizations since they were coercing the residents to “clear” their names and surrender themselves as “terrorists” or “sympathizers.”

Solidarity and fact-finding mission

Bulatlat joined the fact-finding mission organized by KMP on August 20. In the site of the communities, this writer observed and verified the presence of military encampments within the vicinity. Notably, a makeshift camp was also established adjacent to the barangay hall.

Labor leader Jerome Adonis said that the military encampment is a human rights violation. “The military can conduct activities in civilian communities, but military encampment is a separate issue. It’s a human rights violation,” Adonis said in a courtesy call with the barangay official.

The presence of a military encampment in a civilian area can expose residents to potential violence, conflicts, or retaliatory attacks, putting their lives at risk. In the Philippines, Bulatlat reported the environment of fear brought by militarization, leading to significant disruption of daily life and undermining the safety and security that civilians are entitled to under International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

The fact-finding team was accompanied by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Region 3. CHR said that their investigation is separate from the KMP’s. The team also conducted a courtesy call on the SJDM Mayor’s chief of staff, Juan Miguel Perez-San Pedro and Barangay Captain Alexander D.S. Medina.

While the local government officials said that they cannot do anything since the lands are privately owned by the Aranetas, they keep their lines open for assistance and deployed a barangay staff to join the fact-finding mission to “neutralize the possible hostile situation” in the community.

The delegates were not able to go to the area of Ricafort since the Aranetas’ private security did not let the team pass. The mission continued in the nearby community within Sitio San Isidro where the interviews were conducted. The area was still part of the disputed lands of the farmers against the Aranetas but unlike Ricafort, it is not heavily guarded by private security.

The principle of distinction is a fundamental tenet of IHL which requires parties to distinguish between combatants and civilians— under Articles 48, 51, 52, and 53 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions.

Military encampments and terrorist-tagging in the civilian areas blur the line between civilian and military objectives, increasing the risk of harm and unwarranted attacks among the residents, leading to violation of the IHL.