Palparan hand in Billanes killing? --- Rep. Ilagan

“Is Gen. Jovito Palparan involved in the latest extrajudicial killing in South Cotabato?” thus queried by Gabriela Women's Partylist Representative Luzviminda Ilagan regarding the summary execution of  the anti-mining activist, Eliezer Billanes, who was shot by two unidentified men in Koronadal district, South Cotabato last March 9, 2009.

“Billanes had been known to lead the opposition to the mining liberalization policy and large-scale mining projects of the government. No one has the motive to silence him but those whose interests had been threatened by his group's objectives,” Ilagan said.

The Gabriela solon raised the possibility that the 10th Infantry Division  of Gen. Mapago, and Gen. Palparan through Task Force KITACO , are responsible for the  Billanes killing.  KITACO  stands for the local government units of Kiblawan, Tampakan, Columbio where there are mining operations of one of the biggest mining companies in the world, Xstrata-SMI.

Task Force KITACO,  was formed by the 10th ID of AFP and composed of selected units under the 1002nd Bde-PA, CAFGUs and SCAA which are presently being recruited by and trained under the AFP but funded by Xstrata-SMI.

Rep. Ilagan said that  reports state that Gen. Palparan is now one of the security consultants of Xstrata-SMI and was in fact  invited for a security consultation in Tampakan during the orientation of Task Force KITACO.

“The motive behind Billanes' death is indisputable. He was killed in the midst of his organization's struggle to oppose the Tampakan Copper-Gold mining project of Xstrata-SMI.” Ilagan said.

“Having been the lodestone  of big mining companies, Mindanao will soon be the next field of   extrajudicial killings especially if someone like Gen. Palparan, who has been the top executioner of state sponsored human rights violations  in other parts of the country, stamps his mark on the island.” Ilagan added.#