On 6 July 2019, farmer Joel Anino, 35, a member of KASAMA-Bukidnon, an affiliate of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, was shot by unknown assailants at 6:30 am while he was on his way to his home in San Fernando, Bukidnon. He later died at the Malaybalay General Hospital.

Joel is the second member of KASAMA-Bukidnon to be killed this year.

On June 16 2019, 57-year-old farmer Liovigildo “Nonoy” Palma, also a member of KASAMA-Bukidnon, was killed by three suspects riding a single motorcycle outside his house in Barangay Halapitan, Sitio Malambago, San Fernando.

Datu Wilson Anglao Jr., secretary general of Karapatan-Bukidnon, condemned the growing number of killings in the province. The group has already documented nine incidents of extrajudicial killings in Bukidnon so far in 2019. Anglao attributed these killings to the implementation of Martial Law in Mindanao, which is expected to last until the end of this year.

“The [State] wants to silence anyone – especially the farmers here in Bukidnon – who are strongly calling for genuine agrarian reform in the country,” Anglao said.

Anglao said that they will bring these cases to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Region 10 to urge them to look into the human rights situation in the province.

Source: Davao Today