Cops file charges vs Kidapawan protesters farmers file charges too

KIDAPAWAN CITY - – The North Cotabato police, led by provincial police director, Senior Superintendent Alex Tagum, filed on Monday several complaints against 43 protesters they arrested during the clearing operations along the Kidapawan highway last Friday. Charged were farmers coming from the towns of Arakan, Antipas, President Roxas, and Magpet, all in North Cotabato. The complaints were submitted to the Office of the City Prosecutor on Sunday.The following day, the Prosecutor presented the charges at the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 17 here. Complaints included economic sabotage, harassment, obstruction of traffic flow, and illegal assembly. Kidapawan City Mayor Joseph Evangelista said he granted a group of farmers to hold rally only on Monday. Meaning, the mass actions they held from Tuesday until Friday were without a permit.That’s illegal assembly.What was worse, the protesters closed the highway, which paralyzed our traffic and our business here,” he said. Meanwhile, rally organizers are also readying charges against Cotabato Governor Lala Talino-Mendoza, Tagum, and other police and local chief executives they alleged of being involved during the violent dispersal. Lawyer Teri Redon, Kabataan party-list representative, said they also would want President Aquino answerable for the deaths and injuries caused by the dispersal. Where was PNoy when the hungry farmers in North Cotabato demanded for rice?Instead of sacks of rice, they gave the farmers bullets,” said Redon. Charges include multiple murder, serious physical injuries, and violation of human rights. But as to when the filing would take place, rally organizers said they are still consolidating their data. Vencer Crisostomo, chair of the Anakbayan Philippines, said some of the representatives from Manila-based militant groups, non-government organizations, and peoples’ groups would arrive anytime this week to conduct a fact-finding mission. The mission hopes to gather statements, affidavits, and other documents needed for the filing of appropriate charges against those they accused of killing farmers who only wanted to bring rice back home. The barricade, participated by at least 6,000 farmers, started on Wednesday and continued until the violent dispersal on Friday which killed three people, two of them protesters, and injured more than a hundred, both from the rallyists and the police.