Ifugao rights activist under surveillance

August 11, 2019 Headlines

BAGUIO CITY – Human rights defender Brandon Lee, 37, now fighting for his life at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center here after gunmen shot him twice Tuesday afternoon in front of his house in Lagawe, Ifugao, remains under surveillance.

The Baguio-based Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) said, “security guards at the hospital alerted us that a certain George Malidow of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) introducing himself as from Camp Henry Allen in Baguio city was asking for details about (Lee’s) case.”

Camp Allen, a facility of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), houses the Military Intelligence Group 1 of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (MIG1-ISAFP).

Lee sustained a gunshot wound on the upper right area of his face and exited to his right neck area, and another gunshot wound on his left (back area) and exited to the middle back area. He underwent initial surgery at the BGHMC to remove the bullet lodged in his jaw and reportedly suffered three cardiac arrests during the procedure.

Doctors have yet to identify the source of his internal bleeding and the real state of his spinal cord. He also needs a regular blood transfusion and remains in critical condition, the CHRA said.

Lagawe Police Chief Bekesan Ernesto Bekesan said on Thursday that they are still awaiting responses from the crime laboratory as to what firearm was used in the attack.

Amidst the anxiety, CHRA and Lee’s family are severely worried as the surveillance operations on him suggests a “not regular protocol for the AFP to be monitoring and investigating such case.” Major General Pablo Lorenzo, commander of the Philippine Army’s 5th Infantry Division based in Gamu, Isabela, while condemning the slay attempt, said they are closely coordinating with the police and other Law Enforcement agencies including the people of Ifugao exerting best efforts to fast track the identification of the suspect/s and give immediate justice to Lee.

This despite that they are, according to the military official, “falsely and maliciously accused by the CPP-NPA-NDF’s Front Organizations as behind the incident to discredit the AFP.”

Lorenzo admitted, “in the past few days before the incident, the Philippine Army’s 54th Infantry Battalion ignored the alleged affiliation of Lee and the Ifugao Peasant Movement (IPM) to the CPPNPA-NDF.”

Instead, the military commander confirmed, “the unit continuously talked and engaged Lee and the IPM members promoting the advocacy campaigns particularly on human rights, environment and agricultural concerns wherein they are currently sustaining joint caravan activities in delivering the government and non-government organization (NGO) programs and services to the people of Ifugao especially those within Conflict Affected Areas (CONAAs) and Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs).

CHRA corroborated Lorenzo’s claim and cited that last July 29, 54th Infantry Battalion officers headed by a certain 1Lt Karol Jay R. Mendoza, 54th IB Civil-Military Operations officer and Lt. Col. Narciso Nabulneg, Jr. sent letters to the IPM seeking partnership with them.

They reportedly insisted getting information about IPM activities and even the names of members in communities.

Artemio A. Dumlao/ABN