Members of the Makabayan bloc have jointly filed a resolution seeking congressional investigation on the killing of a peasant leader Veneranda Ginanao in Maramag, Bukidnon.
Ginanao, a local leader of peasant’s woman organization Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women, was killed on August 19 after armed men strafed her house. Her son was also injured in the incident.
She is the “45th peasant woman victim of extra-judicial killing under the Duterte administration”.
Her husband Ricardo is a member of KASAMA Bukidnon, a provincial chapter of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and an affiliate organization of Anakpawis party-list.
“Whereas, the couple is also members of the Buffalo-Tamaraw-Limus (BTL) or the peasant group asserting their rights on agricultural lands claimed by the Central Mindanao University (CMU),” House Resolution 2197 read.
The CMU allegedly wanted the farmers to abandon it so they could lease it to multinational corporations and agribusiness plantations, according to the resolution.
The shooting incident is also being linked to the members of the 89th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (PA), whose detachment camp is located only four kilometers away.
“Whereas, it is necessary for members of Congress, as representatives of the people to defend the rights of the people and to investigate violations, especially in this time of crisis. It must hold perpetrators accountable,” the resolution further read.
The lawmakers urged the House Committee on Human Rights to immediately conduct the investigation.
