MANILA, Philippines?A Manila-based correspondent of The New York Times and International Herald Tribune said on Tuesday his name along with those of more than 100 others was on an ?order of battle? of the Philippine Army, raising concerns for his safety and that of his family.
Carlos Conde said in a press statement that his name appeared on a document titled ?JCICC ?AGILA? 3rd QTR 2007 OB VALIDATION RESULT,? said to be an intelligence paper from the Army?s 10th Infantry Division.
On the list that he saw Monday were individuals with known links to left-leaning groups such as Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and Bayan Muna, and the names were classified as ?organized,? ?dominated? or ?targeted,? Conde said.
?As far as I could tell, I was the only journalist on the list, which classified me as ?targeted,? whatever that means,? he said. Conde has long been active in the campaign to end the killings of journalists.
?It would seem the army considers me an enemy of the state, as the document, which shows the alleged links of individuals with the communist movement, seems to imply,? he said.
The military, however, denied the existence of the document, saying it could be part of propaganda to counter the 10th Infantry Division?s gains in ?red areas? in southern Mindanao.
?The document is not true. It?s not a genuine document. I don?t know where they got that and I have ordered an investigation,? said the 10th ID?s commander, Maj. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu.
Reassuring Conde, Mapagu said: ?It is not the policy of the state to do extrajudicial killings. We respect and observe human rights and the rule of law.?
A journalist for 15 years, Conde was secretary general of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and worked as the organization?s coordinator in Davao City and southern Mindanao.