New Bataan 5: Toronto Pinoys mark killings of 5 volunteers helping Lumads

New Bataan 5: Toronto Pinoys mark killings of 5 volunteers helping Lumads

4 Photos: Fatima Barron

April 5, 2022

By Veronica Silva Cusi
The Philippine Reporter

A month after the killings of five Filipino volunteers helping Lumads in Mindanao, Filipino-Canadians and their supporters in Toronto, Ontario held on March 27 a protest vigil to call for justice.
Dubbed the New Bataan 5, they include Chad Booc, Gelejurain Ngujo II, Elgyn Balonga, Robert Aragon, and Tirso Añar. Booc and Ngujo II were volunteer Lumad teachers, Balonga a community health worker while Aragon and Añar were volunteer companions. All were accused of being fighters of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The five were allegedly tortured and killed by soldiers of the Philippine military in late February in New Bataan municipality in Davao de Oro province in the island of Mindanao. Many groups have asked the Commission on Human Rights to investigate the circumstances behind their deaths, which many have called a massacre instead of a military encounter, according to the Philippine military’s press release.

The protest vigil in Toronto also called out “anti-Indigenous, anti-education, and anti-people” policies of the outgoing government of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“The New Bataan 5 were massacred because they said ‘no’. They refused to be silent. They refused to look away. They spoke out when they witnessed injustice,” said Sherald Sanchez, chairperson of Anakbayan Toronto during the rally held in the Bathurst-Wilson Parkette west of the city.

“The New Bataan 5 served the Indigenous Lumad communities in the Philippines, who have been targeted and harassed by state forces for decades. … The New Bataan 5 stood in solidarity with the Lumads. And today, we stand in solidarity with the New Bataan 5,” Sanchez added.

Sherald Sanchez, chairperson of Anakbayan Toronto

The rally was organized by Anakbayan Toronto, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines – Toronto (ICHIRP-Toronto), and the Canada-Philippines Solidarity Organization (CPSO).
As organizers demanded justice for the five, they also called attention to national and local elections scheduled on May 9.

The son and namesake of the late dictator and human rights violator Ferdinand Marcos, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., is a presidential candidate. His running mate is Sara Duterte, mayor of Davao City and daughter of President Duterte.

Olivia Blahuta, representative of ICHRP Canada

Speaking on behalf of ICHRP Canada, Olivia Blahuta, Toronto coordinator, noted that the alleged massacre of the five adds to the long list of human rights violations of the Duterte government.

Blahuta said that under “draconian” policies of the Duterte government, such as the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), activists like the New Bataan 5 are called terrorists.
Rhea Gamana, secretary-general of BAYAN Canada, echoed a similar sentiment. She noted that those who are critical of government have been branded as “communists” or “terrorists.”

“Sa totoo lang, ang aktibista ay puno ng pagmamahal. Mahal niya ang bayan, at handa niya ito ipaglaban sa mga nais bumalahura nito (Truth is, activists are full of love – love for their country, and they are ready to defend their country from those who bastardize their country),” she said.

Blahuta added: “It is because of the atrocities like the New Bataan 5 massacre that we call on the international community to support all forms of struggle for the rights of the Filipino people. … The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines say no more state terror.”

Rhea Gamana, secretary-general of BAYAN Canada Photo: David Estañol

In a separate statement on its website dated March 1, ICHRP “call(ed) for an immediate and impartial investigation to identify the perpetrators who should then be prosecuted … This incident demonstrates the intensified state repression in the Philippines.”

Migrante Ontario, the provincial chapter of Migrant Canada, which is advocating for rights of migrant workers and temporary foreign workers, joined in calling for justice for the five Lumad supporters.
With the recent massacre, Bayani Edades, solidarity officer of Migrante Ontario, expressed concern for families that Filipino-Canadians have left behind.

“Bilang mga OFW [overseas Filipino workers], nangangamba kami sa mga naiwan naming mga mahal sa buhay (as OFWs, we are worried for our loved ones we left behind),” said Edades.

“Nag-aalala kami sa kanilang seguridad sapagkat ang mga alagad ng batas na dapat na nagtatangol sa kanila, sila pa ang instrumento para sikilin ang kanilang buhay (We are worried for their security because law enforcers who are expected to protect them have become instruments for oppression).”

Bayani Edades, solidarity officer of Migrante Ontario Photo: David Estañol

He reiterated Migrante’s call for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC. Instead, Migrante wants the budget for the task force to be used to fund supports for OFW, such as legal assistance, free repatriation, mass testing, and more.
Those present at the protest vigil offered flowers to the victims of the massacre.

Anakbayan Toronto said the theme for the vigil was garden. “Gardens are a symbol for peace and community building,” said Sanchez.

“With each flower that falls the seeds of revolutionary rage are planted, all around the world, even here in Toronto,” said Blahuta.