Negros farmers and their two young children were discovered dead in their home in Sitio Cangkiling, Brgy Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental on the evening of June 14 at around 10 p.m. The victims were Roly Fausto, 52, Emelda Fausto, 49, and their two sons, Ben, 15, and Ravin, 11.
According to reports, members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) attacked the family’s shack while they were asleep inside.
Military agents had been interrogating and harassing Rolly and Emelda, a married couple, prior to the murders. In an effort to coerce the Faustos into admitting they are members of the New People’s Army (NPA), the family has been subjected to constant redtagging, threats, the slaughter of their livestock, and the looting of their property.
Coni Ledesma, the head of the NDFP’s Office for the Protection of Children, has spoken out against the Fausto family killings, stating that they violate children’s rights and international humanitarian law.
Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) (Photo from google)
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines stated in a statement that “child rights violations” have increased under the Marcos II regime, citing “reports of kidnappings, threats, forced evacuation, violence, and now the murder of two children in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.”
Under the current administration, there have been at least 22 documented cases of state-sanctioned violence against children.
Human rights group Karapatan has petitioned Congress and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate the Fausto massacre and other related killings of peasants, particularly in the Negros region.
Legislators have been silent on cases involving the murders of peasants and farmworkers in Negros, according to Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay.
Palabay asserts that the killing of Negros has continued unabated since the Marcos Jr. regime came to power and the government’s counter-insurgency programme was first implemented per Memorandum Order No. 32.
According to Palabay, no military personnel responsible for the atrocities have been held accountable, and no investigations have been launched.
The Fausto family is currently fundraising while calling for an end to the killing of farmers and farmworkers in Negros and justice for the victims. ###