JUSTICE FOR CHAD BOOC. JUSTICE FOR NEW BATAAN 5

IDEALS strongly condemns the killing of Chad Booc, Gelejurain Ngujo II, and all victims of the New Bataan 5.

While the military insists that Chad Booc was supposedly caught in an encounter with the military as an NPA rebel, Chad is known among the Lumad community and human rights networks as a staunch advocate who has stood for the rights of the most marginalized and oppressed communities, particularly the Lumad. Beyond his activism, Chad has proven himself an outstanding Filipino citizen. He graduated cum laude from UP Diliman, and is an esteemed student leader and innovator. He was one of the students behind the acclaimed mobile application PsychUP which aimed to raise awareness on mental health and strengthen the capacity of UP Manila to address clients’ psychosocial needs. With his promising educational background, Chad could have easily pursued a life of privilege. Instead, he volunteered as a teacher at the Alternative Learning Center Agricultural Development (ALCADEV), a school for lumad children that has been consistently tagged by the Duterte administration as NPA fronts.

For years, the Lumad has been the subject of state oppression. Intimidated by big corporations and the military, they were forced to flee their own homes. As part of their cause to defend their land, the Lumad have established schools in their communities that focus on indigenous knowledge, including the protection of their culture, land, and rights. Sadly, the state has viewed these schools as a threat and has actively launched a campaign to shut them down. Just last year, Chad Booc and several others were arrested and charged by the police for allegedly trafficking Lumad children and training them to become “warriors.” Denied by the children themselves who asserted that they were merely being taught reading and writing, the charges were dismissed by the court.

According to the Save Our Schools Network, at least 176 of their schools in Mindanao have been shut down by the government as of February last year, which meant that at least 5,500 Lumad children have been denied their right  to education.

The campaign against Lumad education has not only resulted in closed schools and thousands of arrests. Extrajudicial killings have become a norm in these operations as hundreds of teachers and Lumad have been killed, with the state escaping accountability for the alarming number of deaths. 

This blatant disregard for human rights and accountability comes as no surprise from this  administration, considering its track record on stifling dissent and promoting violence. Throughout his presidency, Duterte has instigated state agents to brutally enforce the war on drugs leading to at least 5,000 deaths. He has also brazenly launched attacks on perceived critics as evidenced by prevalent reports of extrajudicial killings and harassment experienced by human rights advocates. Duterte also created the National Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) which increased red-tagging activities in the country. 

While Duterte’s reign will soon come to an end, the people behind these atrocities must be held accountable. We stand by other CSOs and human rights organizations in calling for a proper investigation of the alleged encounter by authorities. Chad Booc, Jurain, and other victims of the New Bataan 5 deserve justice. 

All human rights defenders who have perished in the pursuit of social justice must not be forgotten. It is up to us to defend the line and continue their vision of a genuinely democratic country where teachers are free to teach, advocates free to advocate, and communities can freely enjoy their rights, without fear of losing their homes or loved ones.