PAF denies mauling boy, burning house in Batangas

Karapatan claims ‘propaganda’ By Joel Guinto INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine Air Force (PAF) branded as "propaganda" the allegation of the human rights group Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights) that its troops burned a farmer's house and mauled a 15-year-old boy in Batangas City. "There was no burning of houses and mauling of a 15-year-old boy," said PAF spokesman Major Gerardo Zamudio, quoting the commander of the 740th Combat Group, Major Arnel Villareal. "There appears to be a coordinated hand behind all the propaganda against the government and the military in the area," Zamudio said in a statement. A report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net), quoting a Karapatan spokesman, alleged Air Force troops, in uniform but without nameplates, barged into the... [read full story]