Her name was Grecil
Here's a chilling piece of journalism about children caught in the armed conflict in the Philippines:
Her name was Grecil
by Patricia Evangelista
She was 9 years old. She had big brown eyes and shiny black hair.She liked spider-fighting and watching “Wowowee,” and woke up at sixevery morning for the hour-long walk down the mountain to hersecond-grade class. Her teacher said she should study harder, and shedid, because she was a little girl who wanted to be a nurse someday.She had a medal for “Most Neat” at the end of the school year. In thesummer, she played with the other children, racing rubber bands whilehopping in green-slippered feet.
Her name was Grecil, and she was killed, shot once on the elbow andonce on the head. Her father did not believe she was dead until he sawthe small shattered body laid out under the scorching sun at the PNPheadquarters, the foot in a dusty green rubber slipper, the grimyrubber band attached to the foot.
Her mother says that she was sometimes naughty, but the military says she had been very, very bad.
On March 31, 2007, more than 30 men from the New People’s Armyappeared in Purok 6, Barangay Kahayag in Compostela Valley, Grecil’sneighborhood. Five men went to her home, carrying arms and asking touse the family’s pots and pans to cook. Grecil’s father Gregorioallowed them. The NPA’s guns were long, he says, and he was afraid forhis children. A Commission on Human Rights report verifies his claim,saying, “The residents had no other recourse but to abide [by] theirrequest.”
On that morning, Grecil and her 6-year-old brother Dodong had goneto the river behind their house to bathe. Her two other sisters, bothyounger, stayed at home.
It was around nine o’clock when the military arrived. Grecil’sfather Gregorio says there was no warning for the civilians to takecover, just three staccato bursts of a gun and then the rapid fire ofmachine guns.
The family ran down the mountain with the two younger children. “Mywife asked me about Grecil and Dodong, I said they were safe in theriver, they were bathing far away from the gunfire.” The shootingbetween military and NPA lasted two hours. Gregorio’s home, now riddledwith bullets, was the target.
Gregorio left his wife and children with his mother-in-law in thevillage. He was on the way to find Grecil and Dodong when his soncaught up with him. He asked the boy where his sister was; Dodong saidshe was right behind him when they heard shots. When he looked backagain, she was gone. In an affidavit, witness Lorena Seguido saidGrecil had run back to the house in the midst of the shooting.
No one was allowed up the mountain. Conflicting stories filtereddown to the family. Three children were killed. One child was killed.Grecil was carrying a gun. Grecil was dead.
Gregorio was told to stay in the barangay hall. Someone from themilitary would come to talk to him. He waited until two o’clock, untilhe saw a minicab pass by, guarded by two APCs loaded with soldiers.There was a body in the minicab.
The next time Gregorio saw his daughter, it was in the PNPheadquarters. Grecil’s godfather, the barangay captain, had carried herdown from the mountain. In an affidavit, Barangay Captain Eulogio BignoAlmasa stated he, with others, had gone up to Purok 6 to assist thepopulace after they heard the gunfire. At the encounter site, they sawthe dead girl lying on the ground. The back of Grecil’s head had beenblasted off. Almasa claims no firearms were found near the body. Themilitary watched as Gregorio cried and cursed.
Grecil’s death was initially reported by the military as that of an11-year-old boy’s. On April 2, 2007, the Inquirer released a reportbased on statements from the 10th Civil Affairs Unit of the Army’s 8thInfantry Battalion: a 12-year-old child warrior in the New People’sArmy was killed during heavy fighting between government forces and NPArebels in New Bataan, Compostela Valley province. They identified heras Grecil Buya.
“Buya was spotted earlier armed with an M-16 rifle at the encountersite at Purok 6, Sitio Simsimin, Barangay Kahayag in New Bataan beforethe gun battle between a platoon of soldiers led by 2nd Lt. FrancisJohn Gabawa and 30 NPA rebels under a Ka Maya and a Ka Pandi.”
The CHR released the military’s After Encounter Report of theoperation, detailing the losses from both government and enemy. On thegovernment side, one Pfc. Ruben Brecero, PA was killed in action. Onthe enemy side, there were two casualties, one was undetermined, theother was Grecil Buya—killed in action.
Soldiers told Gregorio they would prove that he was an NPA member,and so was his daughter. They told him they found the guns left by theNPA during the encounter in Gregorio’s home, and they had Grecil’sschool ID. They said they were forced to shoot Grecil because she wascarrying a gun. Her father said it wasn’t true, that all she carried tothe river was a bar of soap in a green plastic bag. They said theywould file charges of rebellion and illegal possession. They asked himrepeatedly if he was going to file a case against the military. He didnot answer—he wanted to mourn for his daughter first. The child had noteven been buried yet. Neighbors claimed harassment. The soldiers triedto strike a deal—they would not file if Gregorio would not file.
Both villagers and barangay officials vouch for Grecil and Gregorio.The barangay captain claims he is 100 percent certain they are not NPA,that Grecil goes to school and that Gregorio plants, and sells tubadaily. Gregorio’s own father was killed by the NPA.
Gregorio and Pacita are now in Manila, filing charges against themilitary. They are here to clear Grecil’s name. They have no money andno lawyer, their children have been scattered for their protection,except for one-year-old Angeline, who clings to her mama and giggleswith every beep of a cellular phone.
Army Brig. Gen. Carlos Holganza, head of the 101st Infantry Brigade,said at first that he was standing by the report of his men that the“child warrior” was killed in a “legitimate” encounter. “She was seenholding a long firearm,” he claimed. “On one hand, she was holding along firearm; on her other hand, she was holding a mirror. She knowshow to handle a long firearm.”
An M-16 A2 rifle measures 3 feet 4 inches. So did Grecil.
Holganza now says that he is inclined to believe that Grecil was nota child-soldier, but he will only apologize if other minor detailswould be clarified further. That an innocent child was killed isprobably a minor detail, too.
To date, according to Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns,the death toll of children killed by the military during operations hasreached 54. Seventeen children have been tortured, 69 illegallyarrested, three raped and 63 beaten. This story is just one of many.
Her name was Grecil Buya, and she will always be 9 years old.
