MANILA, Philippines- Kinondena ng Commission on Human Rights (CHR) ang hiwalay na pag-atake na nagresulta ng pagkamatay ng tatlong barangay officials sa Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Sur.
Naganap ang unang pag-atake noong Agosto 18, sangkot sina Barangay Bulibod Chairman Esmael Latip Mustapha at kanyang asawa na si Rahima, nagsilbi bilang barangay secretary. Binaril ang mga ito hanggang sa mapatay ng anim na heavily-armed unidentified assailants habang sila ay pauwi sa kanilang bahay.
Noong nakaraang Agosto 19, binaril si Barangay Laguilayan Chairman Amado Serra ng dalawang indibidwal na riding-in-tandem. Habang isinusugod siya sa ospital, idineklarabg patay si Serra dahil sa multiple gunshot wounds.
Sa kabilang dako, sinabi ng CHR na nag-deploy na ito ng Quick Response Operation (QRO) team para tingnan ang motibo ng pag-atake at matukoy kung ito’y ‘politically motivated.’
Tinuran ng CHR na: “We reiterate that protecting the sanctity of the Filipino people’s vote also entails ensuring the protection of local officials duly elected by their constituents. These killings, if left unresolved, will only compromise the safety and welfare of the voters in the plebiscite, including the upcoming 2025 midterm elections.”
Kinilala naman ng CHR ang “prompt” action ng local police kaugnay sa nasabing insidente, nanawagan sa law enforcement authorities na magsagawa ng masusi at impartial investigation para makatulong na mapawi ang pangamba ng constituents.
“It is important that in a democratic country, we take all the necessary measures to ensure that the credibility of our electoral processes remain unperturbed before, during, and after the actual polls. We remain firm that continued occurrences of violence against officials impacts the safe environment of our localities, thereby affecting the decision of voters in the next elections,” ang litaniya ng CHR. Kris Jose
