The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) has called for an investigation into an alleged military encounter that killed at least two volunteer teachers in Mindanao last month.
The Protestant council urged the Commission on Human Rights and the Department of Justice “to conduct open and transparent investigations” into the “veracity of the version of events” presented by military.
The group said it is “deeply distressed” by the deaths of Chad Booc and Gelejurain Ngujo who have volunteered as teachers among indigenous peoples in Mindanao.
Also killed in the reported military encounter with communist rebels were Elgyn Balonga, Robert Aragon, and Tirso Añar.
Military reports said Booc and his companions were killed in a clash between soldiers of the Army’s 10th ID and members of the New People’s Army on February 24 in New Bataan, Davao de Oro.
The NCCP, however, said local residents belied the military’s claim, saying there was no encounter in the area between February 23 and 25.
Family members of those who died also claimed that the bodies of their loved ones bore injuries that are inconsistent with the military’s version of events.
The group Save Our Schools network, said the victims were in the area to check on the sites of their schools that were closed during the pandemic.
They were reportedly on their way back to Davao City when the incident happened.
“What is clear, and this has been widely covered by the media, is that there were prior attempts by the military and other agents of the state to discredit and ‘red-tag’ Chad Booc and his companions,” said the NCCP in a statement.
The group said that “fabricated charges” brought against Booc have been dismissed by the courts in the past “because of lack of probable cause and insufficient evidence.”
Booc graduated Cum Laude at the University of the Philippines in 2016 with a degree of Bachelor of Computer Science.
