ICHRP Condemns Aerial Strafing And Militarization In Mindoro; Supports The Call To Help Affected Civilians

27th February, 2025

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) condemns the aerial strafing and widespread militarization conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Southern Tagalog.

According to reports from human rights group Karapatan Southern Tagalog, the 76th Infantry Battalion of the 203rd Infantry Brigade conducted indiscriminate aerial strafing last February 19 in the Barangay Misong, Pola, Oriental Mindoro after an alleged encounter between the Philippine Army (PA) and the New People’s Army (NPA). The incident follows several reported clashes between the two armed groups in separate towns in the provinces of Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro since January this year.

The military’s use of aerial artillery has caused severe distress and trauma to the residents of the affected areas. In the town of Pola, the artillery rounds have damaged their farms, affecting the livelihood of local farmers and preventing them from tending to their crops and livestock.

Locals report that the military is employing martial law in nearby communities: from economic blockade and military lockdowns to the deployment of soldiers in civilian areas. On February 21, residents of Barangay Misong were reportedly forced to evacuate by the military as part of their pursuit operations against the NPA. All these constitute blatant violations of international humanitarian law (IHL).

The intensifying militarization in Mindoro is linked to big-ticket development projects by the Marcos Jr. government. These include a planned nuclear power plant in Occidental Mindoro, several airports in Oriental Mindoro, and the plan to turn the island into a power hub of Southern Luzon, supposedly to boost local manufacturing and inter-regional trade. This venture is part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a China-led free-trade agreement ratified by the Philippine Senate in 2023.

To attract more foreign investors, foreign direct investment, and to facilitate the smooth entry of multinational companies, the military is tasked to ensure that the island is Conflict Manageable and Ready for Development (CMRFD) – a term used by the Philippine government to describe an area that is “stable” and considered safe and suitable for economic development. This is not a surprise, since Mindoro is abundant in natural resources, such as fossil fuels, liquefied natural gas, armor rocks, gold, nickel, copper, among others.

The AFP is historically a violator of human rights and IHL in the island of Mindoro. They have displaced the Mangyan Indigenous People from their ancestral lands to make way for huge multinational mining companies. They have terrorized, harassed, and routinely red-tagged farmers. It must be remembered that it was the 4th IB of the Philippine Army who killed 21 year-old Jay-El Maligday—whom they accused of being an NPA soldier—in the town of Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro last April 7, 2024.

ICHRP condemns the disproportionate and indiscriminate use of military force by the AFP, the forced evacuation of civilians, and other human rights and IHL violations committed in their military operations. It calls for immediate psychosocial support and relief for the traumatized residents in affected areas. It fully supports the call for donations by local human rights groups for victims of militarization in Mindoro.

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