When indiscriminate bombing breeds resistance: Thoughts after the recent bombing in Iloilo

When indiscriminate bombing breeds resistance:
Thoughts after the recent bombing in Iloilo

By Kat Ulrike

The recent bombing in Iloilo has showed how the order disregards agreements in favor of “restoring order”. 

By depending on mere suspicion of a rebel base in the mountains, the military’s aerial bombing action last Wednesday early morning in Barangay Alimodias, Miag-ao, Iloilo, shook peaceful communities; what more giving the license for the these armed thugs to massacre people and claim “everything as under control”. 

According to the reports from PRWC’s Marco Valbuena, this did happen as while most people were still asleep, two FA-50 jet fighters flew over Barangay Alimodias and dropped two 500-lb bombs on the nearby mountains, around one and a half kilometer from the civilian communities. This was soon followed by artillery shelling which fired at least eight rounds in the same direction.

“The heavy bombs were so powerful that it left a crater 15 feet deep and 20 feet wide. The bombs violently shook the ground that was felt by residents in nearby communities. People in the communities were struck with fear and traumatized by the aerial bombardment.” Valbuena further said in its statement.

On the other hand, the Military claims that eight rebels were killed after bombing the said “encampment”, that the bombings “disrupted the plenum” and its “plan for a major offensive”. From their very statement, also said that their actions showed the “lethal, efficient, and effective combination of timely and good intelligence with intensified military operations”.

This may sound bullshit especially that while claiming their bombing as just, civilians residing in those communities were affected by the shook of the bombings if not reporting cases of deaths brought by this scenario. Also to think that as apologists of the order would cling to its anticommunist/antiterrorist narrative, this doesn’t stop the concerned from thinking that human rights violations in those affected communities occur; especially when soldiers claiming to be “they are doing their job” showing further its obvious excesses. Not even surprising that in line with its orderist mindset, these apologists, just like that of the military, wants to impose a news blackout to control the flow of information so that those fit into the military narrative will pass as acceptable by many such as that of supposed eight rebels killed in an armed encounter and its encampment overran by the hands of the military.

To cut this note short, dropping 500lb bombs is a clear violation of international humanitarian law and the articles of war. As any other action the order did, this and other incidents constitutes serious war crimes that for sure either they deny it and passing blame to the enemy; or that of justifying it and claiming they’re doing their job as soldiers- even it left craters 15 feet deep and 20 feet wide, with folks striking with fear and trauma, forcing themselves to cower and “surrender” to the military. 

But will the concerned folks simply sit down and accept the order's narrative and its apologists? The way folks strongly disagree the Anti-Terror Act and the creation of the NTFELCAC then clearly this action doesn’t lead to a just and lasting peace as the order wished for. Not surprising if more will dare to resist than that of the narrative of fear and surrender to authority no matter they’re repressive.