Are Health Workers NPA or Not?

Oh , so that is the story. I heard it over the news, that one of the girls were raped there. As for me, they have rights too. It is unfair that the AFP done it to them if this is not an allegation. So there is more women than a man in included in the health workers?is there a proof if they are really abused there? I hate when I read this kind of news, they are just giving showing us that we should not trust authorities.

hello LetranKnight :=] This is an issue of another human rights violation. But an issue that needs to be proven with reliable supporting evidences. It is very easy to accuse but often very difficult to prove. The families, I suppose, are also members of the "Kilusan" (Movement). My opinion is that they are just spreading this rumors so as to withdraw attention from the public through media and make the people mad. I hate to see rallies, demonstration and protesters. Again, in speaking of human rights, an individual has his right to peaceably assembly or organize himself into a a group not contrary to the law. and the "Kilusan" can never be qualified as a peaceful group. If they were arrested then, they should have known it prior to their entrance to the movement. Let me review also, as we are interpreting the Human rights violations the AFP may have overlapped, did the New Peoples Army respected the lives of their co-members who were massacred(im sure someone has watched a TV documentary about this)? Did they even respected the rights of the businessmen who were victims of their extortion and if they didn't get what they want they will burn your properties? With all of this, do they embody their name THE NEW "PEOPLES" ARMY? If MILF is in Mindanao then NPA is in Luzon and Visayas. Both good contributors of Economic devastation that keep the government from improving human lives. Note: Everything that I entered above are purely based on my ideas and opinions. Hence, I will welcome yours. Thanks.

I think some are really from the rebels that joined in that medical mission. But I do not think that all of them belong to the movement or might just be sympathizers. I really think that they should be more transparent when dealing with them. The media took noticed already so military should be careful on how they handle their detainees.

well we have to know first if these things are true.because sometimes relatives of the captured makes stories to protect their relatives and to get sympathy from the media.regarding the abuse from the authorities they should also be investigated if the report is true.then somebody should be penalized if proven true.i think military should make sure first if the one's they captured are really rebels or not.if they are health workers then how can they be members of rebel group?its for us to watch and see how things are going to end.

I really don't know whether they are real health workers or not. But regardless of that, you are right when you say that they have their rights too. And it really is not right when some of them are abused or tortured. I mean, they could just take them in custody and ask some questions. But to abuse them? that is just not right. Specially for those women. Two thumbs down for the army. Did they think that this will not get to the media? I mean, there were 43 of them! Of course somebody would report it.. Tsk.tsk.tsk.

I agree with you when you said that even if these people are really NPA members they still have rights and they need to be respected. I don't know why when a non- government group go to a remote area to help people they are mistaken to be NPA members. I was a Community Development student and part of our work as Development Workers is to go to remote places to help people build an organization that will help them alleviate their living. I used to be a volunteer for almost two years before I finally decided to get a normal job where I get paid. So I entered Corporate World and eventually became a Supervisor. Going back to my story about being mistaken to be an NPA member, our group (there were 6 of us and all were girls), were also once mistaken to be part of the NPA. It was during the time we were having an immersion in a farming and fishing community. The people testified that we were just students sent to the community by our school and NGO for a livelihood program. It was scary. Most scared of all was our pure Japanese groupmate who did not understand what was happening. Our school stopped sending student volunteers to that community as soldiers sometimes abuse students because they are mistaken as NPA. Before the situation gets worse our College finally decided not to have any immersion anymore in that town. NPAs thrive in that area and also soldiers.

NPA or not those health workers have made themselves available for the service of the people. Their medical missions alleviated peoples sufferings that the government cannot directly address. The AFP should have put in their battle SOP the conduct of any humanitarian services reachable by those grassroots in the community which are very prone to any recruitment of the NPA. The abusive nature of the military is the reason why there are still young minds who propagate the ideas of CPP-NPA. They are just capable of arresting those women and abusing them. Lets say they have strong evidences linking those health workers to NPA or they really are members military's mandate is not to abuse. They have to respect human rights as protector of the people and country.