Students Demand Release Of Colleagues From Military Custody

Release Jihan Manampad and Rina Togonon! Stop pursuing legitimate students in the course of their academic work!

Joint Statement on the arrest of two innocent Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Sociology students by the Military in Caluag town in Quezon province.

The PUP students who were captured by the troops of the Army's 4th Infantry Battalion on the allegation that they are NPA recruits are legitimately enrolled in our university.

They are in fact doing their summer course in community organizing, a course requirement for their curriculum in Bachelor of Science in Sociology, traditionally being done every summer between April and May of each school year.

There is no way they could be there in Quezon province to participate in rebellious or subversive activities as alleged by their captors.

The undersigned groups in PUP strongly condemn such arbitrary arrests of civilians, most particularly our students. We are also urging the concerned authorities to immediately release Jihan Manampad and Rina Togonon and stop pursuing their eight other classmates who are also doing community organizing work in the same area.

Any actions from the military that violate the human rights of such students under their custody will be legally pursued by the academic community and organizations in PUP.

We are also seeking the support of the PUP administration, the faculty, employees and students for the two students now being falsely charged of rebellion by the military.

Currently, the teacher of the students, Prof. Justine Nicolas, is negotiating for the release of his students and is himself in the same risk of possible arrest.

The PUP administration should act decisively on this matter as it involves not only the basic rights of students and teachers but also and more importantly the core principles of academic freedom, which every university must uphold.

Release our BSS 3-1 students, Jihan Manampad and Rina Togonon! Stop pursuing legitimate students in the course of fieldwork for their academic work!

Congress of Teachers and Educators for Nationalism and Democracy–PUP (CONTEND-PUP)

Faculty Circle—PUPUnyon ng mga Kawani—PUP (UNAKA)Unyon ng mga Guro sa PUP (UGPUP)University Center for Human Rights Research and Education (UCHURRE)

Police Raid Journalist's House In South RP

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 23 Mar) – Police raided the house of a radio journalist in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato on suspicion his wife was involved in illegal gambling.

Police raiders allegedly seized gambling paraphernalia at the house. The raid on Wednesday was part of a continuing crackdown on illegal gambling operation in Cotabato City.

Police were investigating whether the journalist was involved in the nefarious activities of his wife.

It was unknown if the police filed charges against the woman or whether she was detained. There was no immediate statement from the police about the raid.

Illegal numbers games, particularly “Last 2”, are rampant in Cotabato City. (Mindanao Examiner)

Militants Denounce Arrest Of Muslim Farmer In Southern Philippines

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 26 Feb) – The militan party list group, Suara, on Monday urged the Commission on Human Rights to investigate the illegal arrest of a Muslim farmer in the southern Philippine port city of Davao.

It said security forces arrested Nahar Darawi, 20, for a still unknown reason. It condemned the arrest that occurred Friday in Purok 5 in the village of San Isidro in Bunawan District.

"We have been warning about this and it is coming; the Moro people suffering the deadly effects of a law anchored on paranoia and the desire to curtail the basic rights of the people," said Zaynab Ampatuan, national deputy security general of Suara.

"We condemn this incident and all the incidents where the Moro people, the national minority, end up being victims of an oppressive government. What happened to Nahar Darawi is an additional proof that this government can tag any individual as terrorist, make unlawful arrests and detain without filing charges against the person," Ampatuan said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

Ampatuan said the farmer was arrested just after Friday’s Muslim prayers. Police and military operatives barged into the houses, even without search warrants, and seized Darawi and interrogated for hours, his relatives said.

"The military and police wanted some information from Nahar Darawi and they wanted it pathetically that they took him even without proper court documents. This just shows that civilians barely can trust their lives and freedom from very people who are supposed to secure them and assure them of free space for the exercise of this freedom," Ampatuan said.

Abubakar Uy, the party list’s secretary general in Mindanao, denounced the arrest.

"We also call on the Commission on Human Rights to investigate. This is not just a simple case of questioning and wanting to get information from a farmer. This is about the Moro people being the usual suspects. This is about harassment and profiling," Uy said.

Uy said the occurrence of this incident, along with other similar cases in Mindanao is one of the reasons why their group has consistently registered their opposition to the enactment of the anti-terror bill.

He said if such violations to basic human rights of the Moro and the rest of the national minorities are prevalent now, "how much more if such a hasty and vague legislation is implemented soon."

Last year, Rakman Camili, from Tagum City, was allegedly abducted by the military and had never been seen since then. Authorities linked Camili to the bombing of Sasa Wharf in April 2003 that left scores of people dead and wounded. (Mindanao Examiner)