Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond “Mong” Palatino today filed House Resolution 1421 directing the House committee on Human Rights to investigate the surveillance operations conducted by military men on the home of national artist and Arroyo critic Bienvenido Lumbera.

“We want a separate investigation into the matter in order to ensure transparency. We do not trust that the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) own investigation will yield truthful and reliable results, especially since high ranking officials may be behind this human rights violation,” Palatino said.

“The House should also immediately probe the Philippine Navy’s ‘Naval Enlisted Personnel Intelligence Course’ and other ‘practical exercises’ conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines allegedly designed to train its intelligence officers,” Palatino said.

Palatino said he fears that such surveillance operations are also launched against student activists who, like Lumbera,  are critical of the Arroyo administration and its policies.

“The military’s systemic surveillance operations should be exposed to the public. Hindi ito dapat palampasin. This kind of practice condones and virtually gives further license to the military to violate human rights with impunity, given the context of abductions, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings under the Arroyo administration,” Palatino said.