“In Visayas, after the illegal arrest and detention of twenty-six Lumad children including two volunteer teachers and chieftains at the Bakwit school in Cebu City last February 15, yesterday, a barangay councilor and Anakpawis campaigner Lucresia Tasic was killed inside her house at Brgy. Hanopol Norte, Balilihan, Bohol. We mourn and we rage for the death of Lucresia Tasic and other extra-judicial killing victims. We demand justice and accountability for all the victims of human rights abuses committed by this government. We demand the scrapping of Executive Order No. 70, Memorandum Order No. 32, Anti-Terror Law and other state policies authorizing extra-judicial killings, illegal arrests and detention, red-tagging and other forms of human rights violations,” exclaimed by Zenaida Soriano, National Chairperson, Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women.
In a statement released by Hugpong sa Mag-uumang Bol-anon – Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (HUMABOL-KMP), Tasic was gunned down inside her house at around 10 in the morning by two unidentified men on board a white van claiming to be Capitol employees supposed to conduct “operation tuli”. Tasic was a top councilor of her village and active in advancing the campaigns of Anakpawis Party-list in her locality.
Moreover, before her death, she was contantly harassed and red-tagged by Duterte’s state forces and forced to clear her name and quit the organization.
“The killing of Tasic was essentially part of Duterte’s marching order to target innocent, civilians, activists, farmers, peasant women and other human rights defenders in the country,” Soriano added.
Amihan slammed the Duterte’s fascist rule amid the pandemic and food crisis, alloting huge budget for security and military offices and programs, while marginalized and vulnerable sectors are in dire need of aid and support to livelihood.
The group urged the democratic-loving people to condemn the killing of Lucresia Tasic and other other EJK victims and hold Duterte and his state forces accountable. ###
