Gabriela links brutal killing of alleged NPA leader to Duterte's remark vs. female rebels

Gariela Women's Party has condemned the alleged brutal killing and torture of alleged communist leader Cindy Tirado in Davao del Norte, linking it to President Rodrigo Duterte's "shoot-in-the-vagina" against female rebels.

In a statement on Saturday, Gabriela said Tirado, who was reportedly killed in a military operation on April 15 in Tagum City, was a victim of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) "inhumane display of macho-fascism."

"Tirado's case constitutes a war crime and violation of international humanitarian laws which cover the conduct of war and treatment of combatants," Gabriela said.

News reports said Tirado was shot in her genitals, and that her arms were fractured, indicating torture.

"President Duterte’s 'shoot-in-the-vagina' remark is now a brutal policy of engagement by the AFP versus female rebels, as highlighted by Tirado’s case," Gabriela said.

Sought for comment, AFP spokesperson Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo dismissed Gabriela's allegation as "propaganda."

"This is another propaganda of the NPA's who are reeling from their own human rights abuses and attack on civilians," Arevalo told GMA News Online.

In February last year, President Rodrigo Duterte drew flak for saying in Cebuano that women rebels should be "shot in the vagina."

Gabriela, meanwhile, called for an independent investigation by the Commission on Human Rights on Tirado's brutal killing "with focus on probing the accountability of the AFP over the excessive use of force and possible sexual violence."

"Tirado’s death exposes the duplicity of President Duterte when he casually called for an 'immediate ceasefire' last week, and casts a long shadow on the government’s pronouncements of an all-military peace panel." —Ted Cordero and Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA News