Street children sift among rotten fruits for food Tuesday, April 7, 2009 in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, where a street boy Benjamin Mariga was brutally killed and his body dumped on a remote village last December. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
Showing posts with label Summary killings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summary killings. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Street children scavenge for food in Zamboanga
Street children sift among rotten fruits for food Tuesday, April 7, 2009 in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, where a street boy Benjamin Mariga was brutally killed and his body dumped on a remote village last December. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Davao City Cops Shoot Murder Suspect
DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 17 Jul) – Three policemen are being investigated after they shot and wounded a murder suspect in Davao City in the southern Philippines.
Juvie Reyes said the policemen shot him without provocation while serving a warrant for his arrest on charges of murder in San Isidro village at the weekend.
The news was leaked to the press by relatives of Reyes, who sought help for fear the man could be killed to silence him.
The three cops were members of the local police force. Police said the three claimed that Reyes resisted arrest and assaulted them.
Chief Superintendent Jaime Morente, chief of police, said he ordered an investigation into the allegation of Reyes.
The victim, who is recuperating in hospital, told reporters that he would file criminal charges against his attackers.
He said the policemen, without warning, just shot him.
The accusation against the trio bolstered suspicions by human rights groups and activists that authorities were behind the spate of extra-judicial killings in Davao City.
Hundreds of people, mostly with criminal records, had been murdered here the past years and police blamed the killings to the shadowy vigilante group called Davao Death Squad.
On Sunday, two unidentified gunmen also shot dead student Jay Dumaoan, 16, in an attack in downtown Davao City.
Dumaloan was shot in the head in front of a shopping mall at around 6.30 p.m. The gunmen escaped on a motorcycle after the killing.
Three unidentified men, armed with knives, attacked and killed Rosito Campus, 43.
Campus, implicated in a series of robbery, was with his four-year old son when the men attacked him on a busy area near downtown Davao. The boy was not harmed.
No group claimed responsibility for the murders, but Davao City is notoriously known for the spate of extra-judicial killings and unresolved murders of mostly criminal suspects and thieves.(Romy Bwaga)
Juvie Reyes said the policemen shot him without provocation while serving a warrant for his arrest on charges of murder in San Isidro village at the weekend.
The news was leaked to the press by relatives of Reyes, who sought help for fear the man could be killed to silence him.
The three cops were members of the local police force. Police said the three claimed that Reyes resisted arrest and assaulted them.
Chief Superintendent Jaime Morente, chief of police, said he ordered an investigation into the allegation of Reyes.
The victim, who is recuperating in hospital, told reporters that he would file criminal charges against his attackers.
He said the policemen, without warning, just shot him.
The accusation against the trio bolstered suspicions by human rights groups and activists that authorities were behind the spate of extra-judicial killings in Davao City.
Hundreds of people, mostly with criminal records, had been murdered here the past years and police blamed the killings to the shadowy vigilante group called Davao Death Squad.
On Sunday, two unidentified gunmen also shot dead student Jay Dumaoan, 16, in an attack in downtown Davao City.
Dumaloan was shot in the head in front of a shopping mall at around 6.30 p.m. The gunmen escaped on a motorcycle after the killing.
Three unidentified men, armed with knives, attacked and killed Rosito Campus, 43.
Campus, implicated in a series of robbery, was with his four-year old son when the men attacked him on a busy area near downtown Davao. The boy was not harmed.
No group claimed responsibility for the murders, but Davao City is notoriously known for the spate of extra-judicial killings and unresolved murders of mostly criminal suspects and thieves.(Romy Bwaga)
Thursday, June 28, 2007
RP Military Involve In "Dirty War," Says U.S. Human Rights Group
MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 28 Jun) – A U.S.-based human rights group accused the Philippine military of engaging in a “dirty war” in a campaign to silent political activists in the country.
In an 84-page report released on Thursday and titled, “Scared Silent: Impunity for Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines,” the Human Rights Watch said Manila should aggressively prosecute members of the security forces responsible for hundreds of extrajudicial executions in recent years.
Filipino militant groups said more than 800 people had been kidnapped and murdered since President Gloria Arroyo rose to power in 2001. Most of the killings, they said, pointed to the military as the culprit.
The report, based on more than 100 interviews, details the involvement of government security forces in the murder or “disappearance” of members of leftist political parties and nongovernmental organizations, journalists, outspoken clergy, anti-mining activists, and agricultural reform activists.
To date there have been no successful prosecutions of any member of the armed forces implicated in recent extrajudicial killings, the Human Rights Watch in New York said. “There is strong evidence of a ‘dirty war’ by the armed forces against left-leaning activists and journalists,” said Sophie Richardson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“The failure to prosecute soldiers or police suspected in these killings shifts the spotlight of responsibility to the highest levels of the government.”
While abuses have been common in the decades-long armed conflict between the government and the communist New People’s Army (NPA), unlawful killings appeared to shift into a higher gear in February 2006, after President Arroyo accused leftist political parties of allying themselves with military coup plotters.
In June 2006, Arroyo declared a new strategy of an “all-out war” to eliminate the NPA, which may have sent a signal to the military that abuses would be tolerated.
The NPA also continues to commit human rights abuses, including kidnapping and unlawful killings, which Human Rights Watch also condemned. But such abuses by insurgents do not justify the military or the government committing further human rights violations through extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of any person, including members of political groups and civil society organizations that are sympathetic to the insurgents’ cause.
Most of the victims of the political killings documented by Human Rights Watch were members of legal political parties or organizations that the military claims are allied with the communist movement.
None of the incidents investigated by Human Rights Watch involved anyone who was participating in an armed encounter with the military or was otherwise involved in NPA military operations. Each victim appears to have been individually targeted for killing.
Three motorcycle-riding gunmen shot and killed Sotero Llamas, the former Bicol region commander of the NPA, while he was riding in his car on the morning of May 29, 2006, through his home town of Tabaco City in Albay province.
Llamas, who had been imprisoned in 1995 for his membership in the NPA, was released in 1996, became a consultant to the peace process, and then became a founding member of the political party Bayan Muna.
The NPA said government soldiers assassinated Llamas.
In February 2006, Llamas was one of the 51 people whom the police accused of rebellion and insurrection and being involved in the conspiracy to overthrow the Arroyo administration.
A judge dismissed the charges, but state prosecutors subsequently re-filed the case, which was still pending at the time of his death.
Three eyewitnesses currently in hiding told Human Rights Watch of the involvement of soldiers in the death of Pastor Andy Pawikan, a member of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, on May 21, 2006. Pawikan, his wife, his 7-month-old daughter and three other women were walking home from church when they were stopped by a group of about 20 soldiers.
The women, including Pawikan’s wife, were allowed to proceed but the soldiers detained Pawikan, who was carrying the baby. After about 30 minutes, those who had just been with Pawikan heard “many” shots. They were too afraid to investigate.
After some time a group of soldiers came and returned the child to Pawikan’s mother-in-law.
The baby was covered in blood but otherwise uninjured. The next day soldiers from the locally based 48th Infantry Battalion told the villagers Pawikan had fought the soldiers and they had no choice but to shoot him.
Human Rights Watch also found that the Philippines government is consistently failing in its obligations under international human rights law to hold accountable perpetrators of politically motivated killings, and thus denying victims’ families justice.
One apparent roadblock to prosecutions is the seeming unwillingness of senior military officials to even recognize that superior commanders may be legally responsible for acts of their subordinates as a matter of command responsibility. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. told the media, “Criminal acts only involve the individual.”
In response to growing international pressure, in August 2006 President Arroyo created a special police body, Task Force Usig, which she charged with solving 10 cases in 10 weeks. At the end of its mandate the Task Force claimed that 21 cases were “solved” by filing cases in court against identified suspects, all of them members of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines or the NPA.
Only 12 suspects involved in these incidents were actually in police custody. In August 2006, President Arroyo also created the Melo Commission to further probe the killings of media workers and left-wing activists since 2001.
The commission’s report, which was only made public under pressure from United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions Philip Alston, failed to provide any new information or analysis on the cases.
At the commission’s hearings, army and police officials were not challenged when they advanced distorted understandings of command responsibility, and were instead indulged in lengthy digressions on the importance of neutralizing the NPA threat. The Melo Commission’s mandate expires on June 30, 2007. Human Rights Watch said that while the government claims that it is doing all it can to address the abuses, it has taken few concrete steps to end the killings or prosecute perpetrators.
A Philippine military spokesman, Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, has accused the Human Rights Watch of not getting the side of the Armed Forces so it can answer all allegations against its members.
“We categorically deny allegations that there is a dirty war being waged by the Armed Forces, particularly against the leftist groups. It is an unfair reporting because we have been collaborating with any agency conducting investigation relative to extrajudicial killings. We are transparent as we can be,” Bacarro said.
He said all allegations of extra-judicial killings blamed to the military were old issue.
Human Rights Watch is the largest human rights organization based in the United States. Its researchers conduct fact-finding investigations into human rights abuses in all regions of the world and then publishes those findings in dozens of books and reports every year, generating extensive coverage in local and international media. (Juan Magtanggol and Juley Reyes)
In an 84-page report released on Thursday and titled, “Scared Silent: Impunity for Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines,” the Human Rights Watch said Manila should aggressively prosecute members of the security forces responsible for hundreds of extrajudicial executions in recent years.
Filipino militant groups said more than 800 people had been kidnapped and murdered since President Gloria Arroyo rose to power in 2001. Most of the killings, they said, pointed to the military as the culprit.
The report, based on more than 100 interviews, details the involvement of government security forces in the murder or “disappearance” of members of leftist political parties and nongovernmental organizations, journalists, outspoken clergy, anti-mining activists, and agricultural reform activists.
To date there have been no successful prosecutions of any member of the armed forces implicated in recent extrajudicial killings, the Human Rights Watch in New York said. “There is strong evidence of a ‘dirty war’ by the armed forces against left-leaning activists and journalists,” said Sophie Richardson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“The failure to prosecute soldiers or police suspected in these killings shifts the spotlight of responsibility to the highest levels of the government.”
While abuses have been common in the decades-long armed conflict between the government and the communist New People’s Army (NPA), unlawful killings appeared to shift into a higher gear in February 2006, after President Arroyo accused leftist political parties of allying themselves with military coup plotters.
In June 2006, Arroyo declared a new strategy of an “all-out war” to eliminate the NPA, which may have sent a signal to the military that abuses would be tolerated.
The NPA also continues to commit human rights abuses, including kidnapping and unlawful killings, which Human Rights Watch also condemned. But such abuses by insurgents do not justify the military or the government committing further human rights violations through extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of any person, including members of political groups and civil society organizations that are sympathetic to the insurgents’ cause.
Most of the victims of the political killings documented by Human Rights Watch were members of legal political parties or organizations that the military claims are allied with the communist movement.
None of the incidents investigated by Human Rights Watch involved anyone who was participating in an armed encounter with the military or was otherwise involved in NPA military operations. Each victim appears to have been individually targeted for killing.
Three motorcycle-riding gunmen shot and killed Sotero Llamas, the former Bicol region commander of the NPA, while he was riding in his car on the morning of May 29, 2006, through his home town of Tabaco City in Albay province.
Llamas, who had been imprisoned in 1995 for his membership in the NPA, was released in 1996, became a consultant to the peace process, and then became a founding member of the political party Bayan Muna.
The NPA said government soldiers assassinated Llamas.
In February 2006, Llamas was one of the 51 people whom the police accused of rebellion and insurrection and being involved in the conspiracy to overthrow the Arroyo administration.
A judge dismissed the charges, but state prosecutors subsequently re-filed the case, which was still pending at the time of his death.
Three eyewitnesses currently in hiding told Human Rights Watch of the involvement of soldiers in the death of Pastor Andy Pawikan, a member of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, on May 21, 2006. Pawikan, his wife, his 7-month-old daughter and three other women were walking home from church when they were stopped by a group of about 20 soldiers.
The women, including Pawikan’s wife, were allowed to proceed but the soldiers detained Pawikan, who was carrying the baby. After about 30 minutes, those who had just been with Pawikan heard “many” shots. They were too afraid to investigate.
After some time a group of soldiers came and returned the child to Pawikan’s mother-in-law.
The baby was covered in blood but otherwise uninjured. The next day soldiers from the locally based 48th Infantry Battalion told the villagers Pawikan had fought the soldiers and they had no choice but to shoot him.
Human Rights Watch also found that the Philippines government is consistently failing in its obligations under international human rights law to hold accountable perpetrators of politically motivated killings, and thus denying victims’ families justice.
One apparent roadblock to prosecutions is the seeming unwillingness of senior military officials to even recognize that superior commanders may be legally responsible for acts of their subordinates as a matter of command responsibility. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. told the media, “Criminal acts only involve the individual.”
In response to growing international pressure, in August 2006 President Arroyo created a special police body, Task Force Usig, which she charged with solving 10 cases in 10 weeks. At the end of its mandate the Task Force claimed that 21 cases were “solved” by filing cases in court against identified suspects, all of them members of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines or the NPA.
Only 12 suspects involved in these incidents were actually in police custody. In August 2006, President Arroyo also created the Melo Commission to further probe the killings of media workers and left-wing activists since 2001.
The commission’s report, which was only made public under pressure from United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions Philip Alston, failed to provide any new information or analysis on the cases.
At the commission’s hearings, army and police officials were not challenged when they advanced distorted understandings of command responsibility, and were instead indulged in lengthy digressions on the importance of neutralizing the NPA threat. The Melo Commission’s mandate expires on June 30, 2007. Human Rights Watch said that while the government claims that it is doing all it can to address the abuses, it has taken few concrete steps to end the killings or prosecute perpetrators.
A Philippine military spokesman, Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, has accused the Human Rights Watch of not getting the side of the Armed Forces so it can answer all allegations against its members.
“We categorically deny allegations that there is a dirty war being waged by the Armed Forces, particularly against the leftist groups. It is an unfair reporting because we have been collaborating with any agency conducting investigation relative to extrajudicial killings. We are transparent as we can be,” Bacarro said.
He said all allegations of extra-judicial killings blamed to the military were old issue.
Human Rights Watch is the largest human rights organization based in the United States. Its researchers conduct fact-finding investigations into human rights abuses in all regions of the world and then publishes those findings in dozens of books and reports every year, generating extensive coverage in local and international media. (Juan Magtanggol and Juley Reyes)
Monday, June 25, 2007
AFP, Bulag Pa Rin Sa 3 Heneral Na Whistle-Blower!
MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 25 Jun) – Bulag pa rin ang liderato ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) sa mga sinasabing heneral na handang tumulong at magbigay ng mga ebidensya kay Senator-elect Antonio Trillanes IV upang idiin ang militar sa umano’y pagkakasangkot ng kapwa heneral sa extrajudicial killings ng mga militante at aktibista sa bansa.
Pilit naman pinalulutang ni AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro ang tatlong heneral na handing lumabas at tumestigo upang mabigyan umano ng kredibilidad ang kanilang mga alegasyon.
Ngunit malaki ang hinalang oras na lumutang ang tatlong heneral ay siguradong babalikan sila ng AFP at posibleng masibak pa sa puwesto upang pagtakpan ang pagkakasanggkot ng ibang heneral sa extra-judicial killings.
Sinabi ni Bacarro na patuloy ang kanilang pagbeberipika kung sinu-sino ang mga nasabing heneral at seryosong inuungkat ang mga akusasyon bagamat pinaninindigang hindi polisiya ng AFP ang makisangkot sa political killings.
Aminado si Bacarro na nahihirapan ang AFP na paghahanap sa mga naturang heneral na posibleng pinalulutang lamang din ng nais manira sa organisasyon.
"It can be rumors that could have been manufactured by some interest groups with the intent of destroying the Armed Forces. Though, we are not ignoring it, it is also a concern of the AFP, that's why we are conducting the verification," ani Bacarro.
Hindi aniya madali ang beripikasyon dahil posibleng magkamali sa kanilang konklusyon kung kayat kailangan ring maging maingat.
Gayunman, may babala si Bacarro na mahaharap sa paglilitis ng military court ang mga naturang heneral kung hindi ito tatalima sa chain of command.
Unang kumanta sa media ang dalawang heneral na nagsabing naroon sila sa isang pulong ng pagusapan ang umano’y planong paglikida sa mga militante at aktibista. Mula ng umupo si Pangulong Gloria Arroyo nuong 2001 ay umabot na sa halos 900 ang bilang ng mga aktibistang napapatay. Marami sa kanila ay dinukot at hindi na matagpuan. (Juley Reyes at Juan Magtanggol)
Pilit naman pinalulutang ni AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro ang tatlong heneral na handing lumabas at tumestigo upang mabigyan umano ng kredibilidad ang kanilang mga alegasyon.
Ngunit malaki ang hinalang oras na lumutang ang tatlong heneral ay siguradong babalikan sila ng AFP at posibleng masibak pa sa puwesto upang pagtakpan ang pagkakasanggkot ng ibang heneral sa extra-judicial killings.
Sinabi ni Bacarro na patuloy ang kanilang pagbeberipika kung sinu-sino ang mga nasabing heneral at seryosong inuungkat ang mga akusasyon bagamat pinaninindigang hindi polisiya ng AFP ang makisangkot sa political killings.
Aminado si Bacarro na nahihirapan ang AFP na paghahanap sa mga naturang heneral na posibleng pinalulutang lamang din ng nais manira sa organisasyon.
"It can be rumors that could have been manufactured by some interest groups with the intent of destroying the Armed Forces. Though, we are not ignoring it, it is also a concern of the AFP, that's why we are conducting the verification," ani Bacarro.
Hindi aniya madali ang beripikasyon dahil posibleng magkamali sa kanilang konklusyon kung kayat kailangan ring maging maingat.
Gayunman, may babala si Bacarro na mahaharap sa paglilitis ng military court ang mga naturang heneral kung hindi ito tatalima sa chain of command.
Unang kumanta sa media ang dalawang heneral na nagsabing naroon sila sa isang pulong ng pagusapan ang umano’y planong paglikida sa mga militante at aktibista. Mula ng umupo si Pangulong Gloria Arroyo nuong 2001 ay umabot na sa halos 900 ang bilang ng mga aktibistang napapatay. Marami sa kanila ay dinukot at hindi na matagpuan. (Juley Reyes at Juan Magtanggol)
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Gunmen Barge In House, Kill Occupant In Southern RP
DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – A farmer was killed after four gunmen barged in his house in Davao City in the southern Philippines, police said.
Police said the attack occurred at around 5 a.m. Tuesday in the village of Pangyan in Calinan district in the city’s outskirts.
The man, Roselio Naypa, was shot in the head, police said.
“The victim was sleeping inside his house when the suspects knocked on the door of his house. When the victim opened the door, the suspects then shot him repeatedly with a .45-caliber pistol,” a police investigator said.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion fell on the so-called Davao Death Squad, a group of anti-crime vigilantes largely blamed on the spate of extra-judicial killings in the city.
Relatives and families of the gang’s victims have blamed the police and their private goons as behind the vigilante group. Carlito Perez, village chieftain, said Naypa had criminal records. (Romy Bwaga)
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Isa Pang NPA Mass Grave, Nahukay Sa Leyte
MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 03 Apr) – Titatayang labing-tatlong mga kalansay ng mga hinihinalang biktima ng summary killings ng Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) ang nahukay ng militar sa Hilongos, Leyte.
Nabatid kay Lieutenant Colonel Mario Lacurom, commander ng 43rd Infantry Battalion ng Philippine Army, na umaabot sa 28 ang nailibing sa naturang mass grave na nadiskubre sa Sitio Mahangin, San Antonio sa naturang lalawigan.
Sinimulan ng militar ang paghuhukay mula pa noong Biyernes at patuloy pa ring isinasagawa ito sa paniniwalang marami pa ang madidiskubreng biktima ng purging activities ng CPP-NPA.
Ito na ang ikalawang mass grave na natagpuan ng militar kung saan ibinabaon umano ng mga rebelde ang kapwa-komunistang pinagsuspetsahang espiya ng pamahalaan.
Noong Agosto ay umaabot sa 67 kalansay ang nakuha sa mass grave natinawag na "The Garden" sa Inopacan, Leyte. Mismong ang mga sumukong gerilya ang nagturo sa lugar na pinaglibingan ng mga biktima ng pagpatay ng komunistang grupo.
Samantala, dalawang amasona ang naaresto ng mga tauhan ng 36th Infantry Battalion habang nagpapatrulya sa Sitio Away, San Andres, Bunawan, Agusan del Sur.
Nakilala ang mga ito na sina Juvy Salundagit alias Aira, 20 anyos at Cresonil Revil alias Inday, 22, pawang mga miyembro ng NPA's Front Committee 14, North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC).
Tatlong abandonadong kampo ng NPA naman ang nadiskubre ng 50th at 41stInfantry Battalion sa magkakahiwalay na insidente sa Abra. (Juley Reyes)
Nabatid kay Lieutenant Colonel Mario Lacurom, commander ng 43rd Infantry Battalion ng Philippine Army, na umaabot sa 28 ang nailibing sa naturang mass grave na nadiskubre sa Sitio Mahangin, San Antonio sa naturang lalawigan.
Sinimulan ng militar ang paghuhukay mula pa noong Biyernes at patuloy pa ring isinasagawa ito sa paniniwalang marami pa ang madidiskubreng biktima ng purging activities ng CPP-NPA.
Ito na ang ikalawang mass grave na natagpuan ng militar kung saan ibinabaon umano ng mga rebelde ang kapwa-komunistang pinagsuspetsahang espiya ng pamahalaan.
Noong Agosto ay umaabot sa 67 kalansay ang nakuha sa mass grave natinawag na "The Garden" sa Inopacan, Leyte. Mismong ang mga sumukong gerilya ang nagturo sa lugar na pinaglibingan ng mga biktima ng pagpatay ng komunistang grupo.
Samantala, dalawang amasona ang naaresto ng mga tauhan ng 36th Infantry Battalion habang nagpapatrulya sa Sitio Away, San Andres, Bunawan, Agusan del Sur.
Nakilala ang mga ito na sina Juvy Salundagit alias Aira, 20 anyos at Cresonil Revil alias Inday, 22, pawang mga miyembro ng NPA's Front Committee 14, North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC).
Tatlong abandonadong kampo ng NPA naman ang nadiskubre ng 50th at 41stInfantry Battalion sa magkakahiwalay na insidente sa Abra. (Juley Reyes)
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Dating NPA Pinatay Ng Sariling Kasamahan!
MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 08 Mar) – Patay ang isang sumukong miyembro ng New People's Army (NPA) matapos likidahin ng kapwa mga komunista sa lalawigan ng Surigao del Sur kagabi.
Sa ulat na nakarating kaninang umaga sa Kampo Aguinaldo ay nakilala ang dating gerilya na si Ronnie Salahay Tagonsulod, 29 anyos at residente ng Carmata, San Miguel sa nasabing lalawigan. Isinakatuparan ang pagpapatumba sa biktimang rebelde sa bisinidad ng Purok 5 malapit sa Barangay Sigao.
Limang tama ng bala ng baril ang tinamo ni Tagonsulod sa ibat-ibang bahagi ng katawan at tinatayang apat na gerilya ang pumaslang sa biktima. Naging aktibo sa NPA si Tagonsulod noong 2000 hanggang 2002 ngunit lumisan sa kilusan dahil sa karamdaman.
Naniniwala ang mga kaanak ng dating komunista na pinagdudahan si Tagonsulod na nagbibigay ng mga impormasyon sa awtoridad kung kayat pinatay ito. (Juley Reyes)
Sa ulat na nakarating kaninang umaga sa Kampo Aguinaldo ay nakilala ang dating gerilya na si Ronnie Salahay Tagonsulod, 29 anyos at residente ng Carmata, San Miguel sa nasabing lalawigan. Isinakatuparan ang pagpapatumba sa biktimang rebelde sa bisinidad ng Purok 5 malapit sa Barangay Sigao.
Limang tama ng bala ng baril ang tinamo ni Tagonsulod sa ibat-ibang bahagi ng katawan at tinatayang apat na gerilya ang pumaslang sa biktima. Naging aktibo sa NPA si Tagonsulod noong 2000 hanggang 2002 ngunit lumisan sa kilusan dahil sa karamdaman.
Naniniwala ang mga kaanak ng dating komunista na pinagdudahan si Tagonsulod na nagbibigay ng mga impormasyon sa awtoridad kung kayat pinatay ito. (Juley Reyes)
Sunday, March 04, 2007
RP's Juvenile Justice Law, A Headache Says Mayor As Killings Continue In Davao
DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 04 Mar) – Local mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday blamed the Philippines’ Juvenile Justice Law for the rising street crimes involving minors.
The law, authored by Sen. Francis Pangilinan, prohibits children, ages 15 years and below, who committed crimes, to be incarcerated until they reach 18 years old.
Instead the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) takes custody of the young offenders, but the government has no enough facilities to keep the children out of the street.
Duterte said the law caused “headaches and problems” because offenders freely roam despite their criminal cases or charges against them.
“Some members of the judiciary and local government units in the country had observed the rise of street crimes after the passage of the law, he said.
Duterte urged lawmakers to amend the law, saying, it has many flaws. "Because of this law, teenagers who commit crimes are immediately released by the police,” he said.
The party list group, Kabataan, said many minors who committed crimes had been executed in Davao City and urged the DSWD to do something about the safety of street children.
Karla hyasmind Apat, the group’s vice president for Mindanao, said it is DSWD’s responsibility to ensure an efficient program in keeping the minors out of the streets.
”The DSWD has remained silent on the issue of minors being executed in the city. This is a systemic problem. If the government fails to address the basic social services needs of the people, more and more children will be pushed out of school and be involved in anti-social activities," Apat told the Mindanao Examiner.
Apat said blamed the government for failing to address juvenile delinquency in the country.
"Before criminalizing the youth offenders, the government must get to the bottom of delinquency which is the crisis on education and poverty," she said.
Apat did not say who were behind the killing of the children or whether it was connected to gang war or summary executions.
Hundreds of criminals and people with police records had been executed the past years in Davao City. Families and relatives of those killed have implicated the authorities. (Romy Bwaga and Juan Magtanggol)
The law, authored by Sen. Francis Pangilinan, prohibits children, ages 15 years and below, who committed crimes, to be incarcerated until they reach 18 years old.
Instead the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) takes custody of the young offenders, but the government has no enough facilities to keep the children out of the street.
Duterte said the law caused “headaches and problems” because offenders freely roam despite their criminal cases or charges against them.
“Some members of the judiciary and local government units in the country had observed the rise of street crimes after the passage of the law, he said.
Duterte urged lawmakers to amend the law, saying, it has many flaws. "Because of this law, teenagers who commit crimes are immediately released by the police,” he said.
The party list group, Kabataan, said many minors who committed crimes had been executed in Davao City and urged the DSWD to do something about the safety of street children.
Karla hyasmind Apat, the group’s vice president for Mindanao, said it is DSWD’s responsibility to ensure an efficient program in keeping the minors out of the streets.
”The DSWD has remained silent on the issue of minors being executed in the city. This is a systemic problem. If the government fails to address the basic social services needs of the people, more and more children will be pushed out of school and be involved in anti-social activities," Apat told the Mindanao Examiner.
Apat said blamed the government for failing to address juvenile delinquency in the country.
"Before criminalizing the youth offenders, the government must get to the bottom of delinquency which is the crisis on education and poverty," she said.
Apat did not say who were behind the killing of the children or whether it was connected to gang war or summary executions.
Hundreds of criminals and people with police records had been executed the past years in Davao City. Families and relatives of those killed have implicated the authorities. (Romy Bwaga and Juan Magtanggol)
Friday, March 02, 2007
Militant Leader Slain In South RP
DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 02 Mar) – Unidentified gunmen shot dead a leader of a militant group in a daring broad daylight attack Friday in the southern Philippine city of Digos, police said.
Police said Renato Pacaide was walking with his daughter when motorcycle-gunmen shot him in the head. His daughter was unharmed.
The 53-year old Pacaide was the secretary general of Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma sa Davao del Sur (NAMADS) and coordinator of the party list group, Anakpawis, in the province.
His group condemned the killing and blamed the government and the military for the attack.
“We hold the Arroyo government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines responsible for the killing of Pacaide," Editha Duterte, spokesperson for the Anakpawis in Southern Mindanao, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
She said Pacaide was assassinated by two armed motorcycle-riding men at around 10:45 a.m. along Rizal Avenue corner Lim Street.
"In the midst of national and international condemnation against political killings, the senseless and brutal killings against members and leaders of progressive party-lists and organizations continue without compunction,” Duterte said.
Duterte accused the military of political partisan. She said soldiers, from the Army’s 39th Infantry Battalion, have been campaigning against Anakpawis and its allied party-lists in Davao del Sur.
The military linked the party list group to the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels. The NPA is the armed wing of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) which is fighting the past three decades for a separate Marxist state in the country.
"Such maneuvers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines had put our lives in peril. By relentlessly linking us with the CPP-NPA, the AFP under the aegis of the Arroyo government is giving outright license to kill our members and leaders," Duterte said.
More than 800 mostly political activists and members of militant groups have been killed since President Arroyo assumed the presidency in 2001. An independent commission linked soldiers to most of the killings, but the military denied the accusations.
Philip Alston, United Nations Commission on Human Rights Special Rapporteur, who was in the Philippines this month to investigate the spate of killings, said the military is in state of total denial about the involvement of soldiers in the attacks.
"We demand justice for Pacaide! We dare the AFP and the Arroyo government to face their responsibility with the political killings," Duterte said. (Mindanao Examiner)
Police said Renato Pacaide was walking with his daughter when motorcycle-gunmen shot him in the head. His daughter was unharmed.
The 53-year old Pacaide was the secretary general of Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma sa Davao del Sur (NAMADS) and coordinator of the party list group, Anakpawis, in the province.
His group condemned the killing and blamed the government and the military for the attack.
“We hold the Arroyo government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines responsible for the killing of Pacaide," Editha Duterte, spokesperson for the Anakpawis in Southern Mindanao, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
She said Pacaide was assassinated by two armed motorcycle-riding men at around 10:45 a.m. along Rizal Avenue corner Lim Street.
"In the midst of national and international condemnation against political killings, the senseless and brutal killings against members and leaders of progressive party-lists and organizations continue without compunction,” Duterte said.
Duterte accused the military of political partisan. She said soldiers, from the Army’s 39th Infantry Battalion, have been campaigning against Anakpawis and its allied party-lists in Davao del Sur.
The military linked the party list group to the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels. The NPA is the armed wing of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) which is fighting the past three decades for a separate Marxist state in the country.
"Such maneuvers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines had put our lives in peril. By relentlessly linking us with the CPP-NPA, the AFP under the aegis of the Arroyo government is giving outright license to kill our members and leaders," Duterte said.
More than 800 mostly political activists and members of militant groups have been killed since President Arroyo assumed the presidency in 2001. An independent commission linked soldiers to most of the killings, but the military denied the accusations.
Philip Alston, United Nations Commission on Human Rights Special Rapporteur, who was in the Philippines this month to investigate the spate of killings, said the military is in state of total denial about the involvement of soldiers in the attacks.
"We demand justice for Pacaide! We dare the AFP and the Arroyo government to face their responsibility with the political killings," Duterte said. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Finally, Special Courts On Extra-Judicial Killings...
DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 28 Feb) - The Supreme Court has started selecting the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in the Philippines that will hear and decide pending murder cases involving extra-judicial and political killings in the country.
SC administrator Christopher Lock issued Order 14-0755 compelling courtrooms in the country to inform the High Court on the pending charges involving extra-judicial and political killings.
Lock said they will select which courtroom will handle cases involving extra-judicial and political killings based on the data to be provided by these RTC branches.
The administrator gave the judges in the country until Thursday to send the information needed by the High Tribunal.
Militant groups said more than 800 mostly political activists were killed since 2001 and they accused government soldiers as behind most of these murders. The Armed Forces of the Philippines denied the accusations. (Romy Bwaga)
SC administrator Christopher Lock issued Order 14-0755 compelling courtrooms in the country to inform the High Court on the pending charges involving extra-judicial and political killings.
Lock said they will select which courtroom will handle cases involving extra-judicial and political killings based on the data to be provided by these RTC branches.
The administrator gave the judges in the country until Thursday to send the information needed by the High Tribunal.
Militant groups said more than 800 mostly political activists were killed since 2001 and they accused government soldiers as behind most of these murders. The Armed Forces of the Philippines denied the accusations. (Romy Bwaga)
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Vigilante Killings Sa Cebu Natigil Na?
CEBU (Mindanao Examiner / 27 Feb) – Matapos ng halos 200 kaso ng sunod-sunod na pamamaslang ng mga umano’y vigilantes sa Cebu sa loob ng 2 taon ay buong tapang naman na sinabi ng pulisya wala ng magaganap na summary killings.
Ito’y matapos na batikusin ng United Nations at Estados Unidos ang walang habas na pagpatay sa mga political activists at mga inosenteng sibilyan sa bansa.
Umabot na sa mahigit 800 ang mga aktibistang napapatay at hindi pa kabilang ditto ang mga diumano’y vigilante killings sa Cebu, Davao at Zamboanga.
Sa Cebu ay ibinibintang ng mga kaanak ng bitkima ng pamamaslang sa mga awtoridad ito. Ilang ulit naman rin itong itinanggi ng pulisya.
Ngunit kamakalawa lamang ay dalawang lalaki ang itinumba ng mga di-kilalang armado gamit ang .45-kalibre sa Cebu.
Sinigurado naman ni acting Cebu City police chief Patrocinio Comendador na wala ng vigilantes sa lungsod. Karamnihan sa mga pinapatay sa Cebu ay pawing may mga criminal records na karamihan ay mga magnanakaw. (Mindanao Examiner)
Ito’y matapos na batikusin ng United Nations at Estados Unidos ang walang habas na pagpatay sa mga political activists at mga inosenteng sibilyan sa bansa.
Umabot na sa mahigit 800 ang mga aktibistang napapatay at hindi pa kabilang ditto ang mga diumano’y vigilante killings sa Cebu, Davao at Zamboanga.
Sa Cebu ay ibinibintang ng mga kaanak ng bitkima ng pamamaslang sa mga awtoridad ito. Ilang ulit naman rin itong itinanggi ng pulisya.
Ngunit kamakalawa lamang ay dalawang lalaki ang itinumba ng mga di-kilalang armado gamit ang .45-kalibre sa Cebu.
Sinigurado naman ni acting Cebu City police chief Patrocinio Comendador na wala ng vigilantes sa lungsod. Karamnihan sa mga pinapatay sa Cebu ay pawing may mga criminal records na karamihan ay mga magnanakaw. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Gov't Overreacting On UN Report– Bayan Muna
Bayan Muna expressed its appreciation Thursday to Professor Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Special Executions, for fairly listening to all sides and challenged the Arroyo administration to just admit its militarist policies instead of overreacting, and displaying shameful defensive statements.
Bayan Muna said the Arroyo government's defensive statements were provoked by UN Rapporteur's initial report that somehow proves Malacanang and the Armed Forces of the Philippine's (AFP) culpability in the killings of activists and innocent civilians.
Bayan Muna said today that government officials should instead acknowledge the fact the extrajudicial killings were happening due to its militarist policies as a result of its desperation to eliminate critics of the government.
In Alston's initial report he said that he is convinced that military is behind killings but just in state of denial.
Bayan Muna's belief that the government is not really sincere in solving the killings is confirmed by government agencies statements against Alston, when it was Arroyo herself that sought the help of international bodies to conduct independent investigations.
"Alston is right in his observation that the government don't seem to truly acknowledge the need to respond seriously, effectively and authentically the political killings in the country and has instead threw harsh statements against the UN official," Bayan Muna said in a press statement.
Bayan Muna also appreciated Alston for observing the concerted efforts by government agencies in 'circumventing' the political space allowed leftists in entering the democratic system.
Alston's initial report also confirms further that the Arroyo government is somehow resolute in physically eliminating the progressives where he said that in some instances, such intimidation efforts had escalated into judicial execution.
Bayan Muna also said that it is unfair to Alston to be accused by the government of siding with the left because he already gave all parties the chance to provide evidences and respective statements. Bayan Muna said 'the truth always prevails.'
Bayan Muna said the Arroyo government's defensive statements were provoked by UN Rapporteur's initial report that somehow proves Malacanang and the Armed Forces of the Philippine's (AFP) culpability in the killings of activists and innocent civilians.
Bayan Muna said today that government officials should instead acknowledge the fact the extrajudicial killings were happening due to its militarist policies as a result of its desperation to eliminate critics of the government.
In Alston's initial report he said that he is convinced that military is behind killings but just in state of denial.
Bayan Muna's belief that the government is not really sincere in solving the killings is confirmed by government agencies statements against Alston, when it was Arroyo herself that sought the help of international bodies to conduct independent investigations.
"Alston is right in his observation that the government don't seem to truly acknowledge the need to respond seriously, effectively and authentically the political killings in the country and has instead threw harsh statements against the UN official," Bayan Muna said in a press statement.
Bayan Muna also appreciated Alston for observing the concerted efforts by government agencies in 'circumventing' the political space allowed leftists in entering the democratic system.
Alston's initial report also confirms further that the Arroyo government is somehow resolute in physically eliminating the progressives where he said that in some instances, such intimidation efforts had escalated into judicial execution.
Bayan Muna also said that it is unfair to Alston to be accused by the government of siding with the left because he already gave all parties the chance to provide evidences and respective statements. Bayan Muna said 'the truth always prevails.'
UN Report, A Big Blow To Arroyo Gov't: Anakpawis Party-List
DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 22 Feb) – The Arroyo administration suffered a major blow following an initial report by the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur Philip Alston that the Philippine Army is “in a state of almost total denial” about the wave of political killings.
Alston said many of the killings have been attributed to soldiers."Mrs. Gloria Arroyo, Malacañang's Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security led by Eduardo Ermita and Norberto Gonzales, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) suffer a great blow with the United Nations' initial findings and recommendations regarding the distressing political killings in the country," Editha Duterte, spokesperson of the militant Anakpawis party-list group, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
She said Alston was convinced that the AFP is culpable to the widespread killings of members of progressive party lists and organizations, including innocent civilians, which is directly in contradiction to the government's claim that the said killings are the result of a purge within the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army.
"Witnesses, families of the victims and survivors have pointed to the military, its agents and the paramilitary groups as the perpetrators. Yet, the Arroyo government made no genuine move to solve the killings, as this is part of its all-out war policy against its critics and opponents under the so-called Oplan Bantay Laya I and Oplan Bantay Laya II."
"The United Nations' findings are points against the current administration which has given an outright license to its armed forces to kill or harass individuals by tagging progressive party-lists and organizations as communist fronts," Duterte said.
Philippine officials said Alston was brainwashed by leftist organizations, but Duterte disagreed.
"The record of human rights violations under the Arroyo administration and the account of witnesses and the victims' families do not lie. One has to be a dimwit if not outright cold-blooded to deny these facts," she said.
Duterte also noted Alston's recommendation of "respecting the law on party-list system" and his special mention of the Anti-Subversion Act."
"Such laws were clearly violated by the Arroyo government as Anakpawis, Bayan Muna, Gabriela Women and their representatives in Congress were maliciously vilified by Malacañang and the AFP," she said.
Duterte added that Malacañang has made trumped up charges of rebellion against party-list Representatives Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casiño, Joel Virador, Crispin Beltran, Rafael Mariano and Liza Maza. Beltran is currently detained on charges of plotting to oust Arroyo.
Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon on Thursday said he has ordered an investigation into the alleged killings attributed to soldiers. But he also accused the NPA of murdering more than 1,200 soldiers and innocent civilians. (Mindanao Examiner)
Alston said many of the killings have been attributed to soldiers."Mrs. Gloria Arroyo, Malacañang's Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security led by Eduardo Ermita and Norberto Gonzales, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) suffer a great blow with the United Nations' initial findings and recommendations regarding the distressing political killings in the country," Editha Duterte, spokesperson of the militant Anakpawis party-list group, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
She said Alston was convinced that the AFP is culpable to the widespread killings of members of progressive party lists and organizations, including innocent civilians, which is directly in contradiction to the government's claim that the said killings are the result of a purge within the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army.
"Witnesses, families of the victims and survivors have pointed to the military, its agents and the paramilitary groups as the perpetrators. Yet, the Arroyo government made no genuine move to solve the killings, as this is part of its all-out war policy against its critics and opponents under the so-called Oplan Bantay Laya I and Oplan Bantay Laya II."
"The United Nations' findings are points against the current administration which has given an outright license to its armed forces to kill or harass individuals by tagging progressive party-lists and organizations as communist fronts," Duterte said.
Philippine officials said Alston was brainwashed by leftist organizations, but Duterte disagreed.
"The record of human rights violations under the Arroyo administration and the account of witnesses and the victims' families do not lie. One has to be a dimwit if not outright cold-blooded to deny these facts," she said.
Duterte also noted Alston's recommendation of "respecting the law on party-list system" and his special mention of the Anti-Subversion Act."
"Such laws were clearly violated by the Arroyo government as Anakpawis, Bayan Muna, Gabriela Women and their representatives in Congress were maliciously vilified by Malacañang and the AFP," she said.
Duterte added that Malacañang has made trumped up charges of rebellion against party-list Representatives Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casiño, Joel Virador, Crispin Beltran, Rafael Mariano and Liza Maza. Beltran is currently detained on charges of plotting to oust Arroyo.
Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon on Thursday said he has ordered an investigation into the alleged killings attributed to soldiers. But he also accused the NPA of murdering more than 1,200 soldiers and innocent civilians. (Mindanao Examiner)
RP To Resolve Summary Killings, Arroyo Says
Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye said the government welcomes all recommendations, including that of United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston, in resolving the issue of extra-judicial killings and providing justice to the families of the victims.
"The government is prepared to look into Professor Alston’s recommendations and see how these can be dovetailed with the measures already slated by President Arroyo as a result of the Melo Commission Report, such as the strengthening of the Witness Protection Program (WPP) and the creation of special courts by the Supreme Court," he said in a statement.
To show that her administration is not condoning the killings, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo created the Melo Commission as early as August last year, headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo, to investigate and put a stop to the slaying of journalists and leftist elements.
Upon receipt of the report of the five-man fact-finding body last month, the President immediately issued several directives to different government agencies, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
These include the consolidation of the different government agencies and resources, inviting the international community including the European Union to assist in the investigations, ensuring the protection of witnesses, fielding more special prosecutors and the installation of special courts for human rights violations.
The commission last week gave a confidential briefing on their findings and recommendations to Alston, who came to the country on the invitation of the Arroyo administration.
Upon reading the Melo Report, Alston acknowledged the independence of the fact-finding panel but recommended a more balanced outcome of the investigation because of the refusal of the families of victims and leftist groups to cooperate.
"This administration is doing its best to serve the ends of justice and it looks forward to any form of assistance in helping obtain testimony to pin down the guilty," he said.
Bunye said the Philippines would resolve the killings under its justice system with the support of all well-meaning partners such as the UN and the European Union (EU).
"We hope that Prof. Alston’s efforts would open the communication lines between the government and the various sectors concerned that would pave the way for cooperation and renewed trust and confidence to obtain justice," Bunye said.
President Arroyo on Thursday released this statement: "Our seriousness in tackling the issue of unexplained killings is clear in having welcomed the UN Rapporteur for Human Rights to the Philippines, enabling him to do his work unimpeded, and to render his report in full glare of the media."
"This proves beyond doubt that the Philippine government upholds democracy, human rights and press freedom. We thank Mr. Alston for acknowledging the cooperation of the government in his probe, and that we are taking the right steps to right the situation," she said.
She said: "Nevertheless, the UN Rappoteur on Human Rights has leveled some serious views that we take constructively, alongside the recommendations of the Melo Report."
"The nation must unite to bring down the curtain on a generation of political violence and strengthen social order and justice. This is about right and wrong, not about left or right."
"While the Armed Forces deal decisively with the issue of unexplained killings, I extol the 99% of our good and valiant soldiers who are on 24 by 7 alert to safeguard the people and the nation," the President said.
"The government is not in denial, these killings will be resolved and the Armed Forces shall continue to be a vanguard for freedom. We urge all sectors and stakeholders to come forward in a strong covenant for democracy and help us move forward," she said.
"The government is prepared to look into Professor Alston’s recommendations and see how these can be dovetailed with the measures already slated by President Arroyo as a result of the Melo Commission Report, such as the strengthening of the Witness Protection Program (WPP) and the creation of special courts by the Supreme Court," he said in a statement.
To show that her administration is not condoning the killings, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo created the Melo Commission as early as August last year, headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo, to investigate and put a stop to the slaying of journalists and leftist elements.
Upon receipt of the report of the five-man fact-finding body last month, the President immediately issued several directives to different government agencies, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
These include the consolidation of the different government agencies and resources, inviting the international community including the European Union to assist in the investigations, ensuring the protection of witnesses, fielding more special prosecutors and the installation of special courts for human rights violations.
The commission last week gave a confidential briefing on their findings and recommendations to Alston, who came to the country on the invitation of the Arroyo administration.
Upon reading the Melo Report, Alston acknowledged the independence of the fact-finding panel but recommended a more balanced outcome of the investigation because of the refusal of the families of victims and leftist groups to cooperate.
"This administration is doing its best to serve the ends of justice and it looks forward to any form of assistance in helping obtain testimony to pin down the guilty," he said.
Bunye said the Philippines would resolve the killings under its justice system with the support of all well-meaning partners such as the UN and the European Union (EU).
"We hope that Prof. Alston’s efforts would open the communication lines between the government and the various sectors concerned that would pave the way for cooperation and renewed trust and confidence to obtain justice," Bunye said.
President Arroyo on Thursday released this statement: "Our seriousness in tackling the issue of unexplained killings is clear in having welcomed the UN Rapporteur for Human Rights to the Philippines, enabling him to do his work unimpeded, and to render his report in full glare of the media."
"This proves beyond doubt that the Philippine government upholds democracy, human rights and press freedom. We thank Mr. Alston for acknowledging the cooperation of the government in his probe, and that we are taking the right steps to right the situation," she said.
She said: "Nevertheless, the UN Rappoteur on Human Rights has leveled some serious views that we take constructively, alongside the recommendations of the Melo Report."
"The nation must unite to bring down the curtain on a generation of political violence and strengthen social order and justice. This is about right and wrong, not about left or right."
"While the Armed Forces deal decisively with the issue of unexplained killings, I extol the 99% of our good and valiant soldiers who are on 24 by 7 alert to safeguard the people and the nation," the President said.
"The government is not in denial, these killings will be resolved and the Armed Forces shall continue to be a vanguard for freedom. We urge all sectors and stakeholders to come forward in a strong covenant for democracy and help us move forward," she said.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
In Philippines: Speech Of Professor Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur Of The United Nations Human Rights Council
I have spent the past ten days in the Philippines at the invitation of the Government in order to inquire into the phenomenon of extra-judicial executions.
I am very grateful to the Government for the unqualified cooperation extended to me. During my stay here I have met with virtually all of the relevant senior officials of Government.
They include the President, the Executive Secretary, the National Security Adviser, the Secretaries for Defence, Justice, DILG and the Peace Process.
I have also met with a significant number of members of Congress on different sides of the political spectrum, the Chief Justice, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Chair of the Human Rights Commission, the Ombudsman, the members of both sides of the Joint Monitoring Committee, and representatives of the MNLF and MILF.
Of particular relevance to my specific concerns, I also met with Task Force Usig, and with the Melo Commission, and I have received the complete dossier compiled by TF Usig, as well as the report of the Melo Commission, the and the responses to its findings by the AFP and by retired Maj-Gen Palparan.
I have also visited Baguio and Davao and met with the regional Human Rights Commission offices, local PNP and AFP commanders, and the Mayor of Davao, among others. Equally importantly, roughly half of my time here was devoted to meetings with representatives of civil society, in Manila, Baguio, andDavao. Through their extremely valuable contributions in the form of documentation and detailed testimony I have learned a great deal.
Let me begin by acknowledging several important elements.
The first is that the Government’s invitation to visit reflects a clear recognition of the gravity of the problem, a willingness to permit outside scrutiny, and a very welcome preparedness to engage on this issue.
The assurances that I received from the President, in particular, were very encouraging.
Second, I note that my visit takes place within the context of a counter-insurgency operation which takes place on a range of fronts, and I do not in any way underestimate the resulting challenges facing for the Government and the AFP.
Third, I wish to clarify that my formal role is to report to the UN Human Rights Council and to the Government on the situation I have found. I consider that the very fact of my visit has already begun the process of acting as a catalyst to deeper reflection on these issues both within the national and international settings.
Finally, I must emphasize that the present statement is only designed to give a general indication of some, but by no means all, of the issues to be addressed, and the recommendations put forward, in my final report.
I expect that will be available sometime within the next three months. Sources of information. The first major challenge for my mission was to obtain detailed and well supported information. I have been surprised by both the amount and the quality of information provided to me. Most key Government agencies are organized and systematic in much of their data collection and classification.
Similarly,Philippines civil society organizations are generally sophisticated and professional. I sought, and obtained, meetings across the entire political spectrum. I leave the Philippines with a wealth of information to be processed in the preparation of my final report.
But the question has still been posed as to whether the information provided to me by either all, or at least certain, local NGO groups can be considered reliable. The word ‘propaganda’ was used by many of my interlocutors.
What I took them to mean was that the overriding goal of the relevant groups in raising EJE questions was to gain political advantage in the context of a broader battle for public opinion and power, and that the HR dimensions were secondary at best.
Some went further to suggest that many of the cases were fabricated, or at least trumped up, to look more serious than they are. I consider it essential to respond to these concerns immediately.
First, there is inevitably a propaganda element in such allegations.
The aim is to win public sympathy and to discredit other actors. But the existence of a propaganda dimension does not, in itself, destroy the credibility of the information and allegations. I would insist, instead, on the need to apply several tests relating to credibility.
First, is it only NGOs from one part of the political spectrum who are making these allegations? The answer is clearly ‘no’.
Human rights groups in the Philippines range across the entire spectrum in terms of their political sympathies, but I met no groups who challenged the basic fact that large numbers of extra-judicial executions are taking place, even if they disagreed on precise figures.
Second, how compelling is the actual information presented? I found there was considerable variation ranging from submissions which were entirely credible and contextually aware all the way down to some which struck me as superficial and dubious.
But the great majority are closer to the top of that spectrum than to the bottom.
Third, has the information proved credible under ‘cross-examination’. My colleagues and I heard a large number of cases in depth and we probed the stories presented to us in order to ascertain their accuracy and the broader context.
As a result, I believe that I have gathered a huge amount of data and certainly much more than has been made available to any one of the major national inquiries.
My focus goes well beyond beyond that adopted by either TF Usig or the Melo Commission, both of which are concerned essentially with political and media killings. Those specific killings are, in many ways, a symptom of a much more extensive problem and we should not permit our focus to be limited artificially.
The TF Usig/Melo scope of inquiry is inappropriate for me for several reasons: (a) The approach is essentially reactive. It is not based on an original assessment of what is going on in the country at large, but rather on what a limited range of CSOs report.
As a result, the focus then is often shifted (unhelpfully) to the orientation of the CSO, the quality of the documentation in particular cases, etc.; (b) Many killings are not reported, or not pursued, and for good reason; and (c) A significant proportion of acknowledged cases of ‘disappearances’ involve individuals who have been killed but who are not reflected in the figures.
How many have been killed?The numbers game is especially unproductive, although a source of endless fascination. Is it 25, 100, or 800? I don’t have a figure. But I am certain that the number is high enough to be distressing. Even more importantly, numbers are not what count.
The impact of even a limited number of killings of the type alleged is corrosive in many ways. It intimidates vast numbers of civil society actors, it sends a message of vulnerability to all but the most well connected, and it severely undermines the political discourse which is central to a resolution of the problems confronting this country.
Permit me to make a brief comment on the term ‘unexplained killings’, which is used by officials and which I consider to be inapt and misleading.
It may be appropriate in the context of a judicial process but human rights inquiries are more broad-ranging and one does not have to wait for a court to secure a conviction before one can conclude that human rights violations are occurring.
The term ‘extrajudicial killings’ which has a long pedigree is far more accurate and should be used. It may help to specify the types of killing which are of particular concern in the Philippines.
Killings by military and police, and by the NPA or other groups, in course of counter-insurgency. To the extent that such killings take place in conformity with the rules of international humanitarian law they fall outside my mandate.
Killings not in the course of any armed engagement but in pursuit of a specific counter-insurgency operation in the field.
Killings, whether attributed to the military, the police, or private actors, of activists associated with leftist groups and usually deemed or assumed to be covertly assisting CPP-NPA-NDF.
Private actors include hired thugs in the pay of politicians, landowners, corporate interests, and others.
Vigilante, or death squad, killings· Killings of journalists and other media persons.‘Ordinary’ murders facilitated by the sense of impunity that exists.
The response of Government to the crisis of extra-judicial executions varies dramatically. There has been a welcome acknowledgment of the seriousness of the problem at the very top.
At the executive level the messages have been very mixed and often unsatisfactory. And at the operational level, the allegations have too often been met with a response of incredulity, mixed with offence.
When I have sought explanations of the killings I have received a range of answers. (i) The allegations are essentially propaganda. I have addressed this dimension already. (ii) The allegations are fabricated.
Much importance was attached to two persons who had been listed as killed, but who were presented to me alive. Two errors, in circumstances which might partly explain the mistakes, do very little to discredit the vast number of remaining allegations. (iii) The theory that the ‘correct, accurate, and truthful’ reason for the recent rise in killings lies in purges committed by the CPP/NPA.
This theory was relentlessly pushed by the AFP and many of my Government interlocutors. But we must distinguish the number of 1,227 cited by the military from the limited number of cases in which the CPP/NPA have acknowledged, indeed boasted, of killings.
While such cases have certainly occurred, even those most concerned about them, such as members of Akbayan, have suggested to me that they could not amount to even 10% of the total killings. The evidence offered by the military in support of this theory is especially unconvincing.
Human rights organizations have documented very few such cases.
The AFP relies instead on figures and trends relating to the purges of the late 1980s, and on an alleged CPP/NPA document captured in May 2006 describing Operation Bushfire.
In the absence of much stronger supporting evidence this particular document bears all the hallmarks of a fabrication and cannot be taken as evidence of anything other than disinformation. (iv) Some killings may have been attributable to the AFP, but they were committed by rogue elements. There is little doubt that some such killings have been committed.
The AFP needs to give us precise details and to indicate what investigations and prosecutions have been undertaken in response. But, in any event, the rogue elephant theory does not explain or even address the central questions with which we are concerned.
Some major challenges for the future (a) Acknowledgement by the AFP.
The AFP remains in a state of almost total denial (as its official response to the Melo Report amply demonstrates) of its need to respond effectively and authentically to the significant number of killings which have been convincingly attributed to them.
The President needs to persuade the military that its reputation and effectiveness will be considerably enhanced, rather than undermined, by acknowledging the facts and taking genuine steps to investigate.
When the Chief of the AFP contents himself with telephoning Maj-Gen Palparan three times in order to satisfy himself that the persistent and extensive allegations against the General were entirely unfounded, rather than launching a thorough internal investigation, it is clear that there is still a very long way to go. (b)Moving beyond the Melo CommissionIt is not for me to evaluate the Melo Report.
That is for the people of the Philippines to do. The President showed good faith in responding to allegations by setting up an independent commission. But the political and other capital that should have followed is being slowly but surely drained away by the refusal to publish the report.
The justifications given are unconvincing. The report was never intended to be preliminary or interim. The need to get ‘leftists’ to testify is no reason to withhold a report which in some ways at least vindicates their claims.
And extending a Commission whose composition has never succeeded in winning full cooperation seems unlikely to cure the problems still perceived by those groups. Immediate release of the report is an essential first step. (c) The need to restore accountability.
The focus on TF Usig and Melo is insufficient. The enduring and much larger challenge is to restore the various accountability mechanisms that the Philippines Constitution and Congress have put in place over the years, too many of which have been systematically drained of their force in recent years.
I will go into detail in my final report, but suffice it to note for present purposes that Executive Order 464, and its replacement, Memorandum Circular 108, undermine significantly the capacity of Congress to hold the executive to account in any meaningful way. (d) Witness protection.
The vital flaw which undermines the utility of much of the judicial system is the problem of virtual impunity that prevails. This, in turn, is built upon the rampant problem of witness vulnerability.
The present message is that if you want to preserve your life expectancy, don’t act as a witness in a criminal prosecution for killing. Witnesses are systematically intimidated and harassed.
In a relatively poor society, in which there is heavy dependence on community and very limited real geographical mobility, witnesses are uniquely vulnerable when the forces accused of killings are all too often those, or are linked to those, who are charged with ensuring their security. The WPP is impressive – on paper.
In practice, however, it is deeply flawed and would seem only to be truly effective in a very limited number of cases. The result, as one expert suggested to me, is that 8 out of 10 strong cases, or 80% fail to move from the initial investigation to the actual prosecution stage. (e) Acceptance of the need to provide legitimate political space for leftist groupsAt the national level, there has been a definitive abandonment of President Ramos’ strategy of reconciliation.
This might be termed the Sinn Fein strategy. It involves the creation of an opening — the party-list system — for leftist groups to enter the democratic political system, while at the same time acknowledging that some of those groups remain very sympathetic to the armed struggle being waged by illegal groups (the IRA in the Irish case, or the NPA in the Philippines case). The goal is to provide an incentive for such groups to enter mainstream politics and to see that path as their best option.
Neither the party-list system nor the repeal of the Anti-Subversion Act has been reversed by Congress. But, the executive branch, openly and enthusiastically aided by the military, has worked resolutely to circumvent the spirit of these legislative decisions by trying to impede the work of the party-list groups and to put in question their right to operate freely.
The idea is not to destroy the NPA but to eliminate organizations that support many of its goals and do not actively disown its means. While non-violent in conception, there are cases in which it has, certainly at the local level, spilled over into decisions to extra-judicially execute those who cannot be reached by legal process. (f) Re-evaluate problematic aspects of counter-insurgency strategy.
The increase in extra-judicial executions in recent years is attributable, at least in part, to a shift in counterinsurgency strategy that occurred in some areas, reflecting the considerable regional variation in the strategies employed, especially with respect to the civilian population.
In some areas, an appeal to hearts-and-minds is combined with an attempt to vilify left-leaning organizations and to intimidate leaders of such organizations.
In some instances, such intimidation escalates into extra-judicial execution. This is a grave and serious problem and one which I intend to examine in detail in my final report.
The Philippines remains an example to all of us in terms of the peaceful ending of martial law by the People’s Revolution, and the adoption of a Constitution reflecting a powerful commitment to ensure respect for human rights.
The various measures ordered by the President in response to Melo constitute important first steps, but there is a huge amount that remains to be done.(Speech is made 21 Feb 2007 in Manila at the closing of Professor Alston investigation on summary killings in Philippines. The speech is available on this URL http://unphilippines.wordpress.com)
I have spent the past ten days in the Philippines at the invitation of the Government in order to inquire into the phenomenon of extra-judicial executions.
I am very grateful to the Government for the unqualified cooperation extended to me. During my stay here I have met with virtually all of the relevant senior officials of Government.
They include the President, the Executive Secretary, the National Security Adviser, the Secretaries for Defence, Justice, DILG and the Peace Process.
I have also met with a significant number of members of Congress on different sides of the political spectrum, the Chief Justice, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Chair of the Human Rights Commission, the Ombudsman, the members of both sides of the Joint Monitoring Committee, and representatives of the MNLF and MILF.
Of particular relevance to my specific concerns, I also met with Task Force Usig, and with the Melo Commission, and I have received the complete dossier compiled by TF Usig, as well as the report of the Melo Commission, the and the responses to its findings by the AFP and by retired Maj-Gen Palparan.
I have also visited Baguio and Davao and met with the regional Human Rights Commission offices, local PNP and AFP commanders, and the Mayor of Davao, among others. Equally importantly, roughly half of my time here was devoted to meetings with representatives of civil society, in Manila, Baguio, andDavao. Through their extremely valuable contributions in the form of documentation and detailed testimony I have learned a great deal.
Let me begin by acknowledging several important elements.
The first is that the Government’s invitation to visit reflects a clear recognition of the gravity of the problem, a willingness to permit outside scrutiny, and a very welcome preparedness to engage on this issue.
The assurances that I received from the President, in particular, were very encouraging.
Second, I note that my visit takes place within the context of a counter-insurgency operation which takes place on a range of fronts, and I do not in any way underestimate the resulting challenges facing for the Government and the AFP.
Third, I wish to clarify that my formal role is to report to the UN Human Rights Council and to the Government on the situation I have found. I consider that the very fact of my visit has already begun the process of acting as a catalyst to deeper reflection on these issues both within the national and international settings.
Finally, I must emphasize that the present statement is only designed to give a general indication of some, but by no means all, of the issues to be addressed, and the recommendations put forward, in my final report.
I expect that will be available sometime within the next three months. Sources of information. The first major challenge for my mission was to obtain detailed and well supported information. I have been surprised by both the amount and the quality of information provided to me. Most key Government agencies are organized and systematic in much of their data collection and classification.
Similarly,Philippines civil society organizations are generally sophisticated and professional. I sought, and obtained, meetings across the entire political spectrum. I leave the Philippines with a wealth of information to be processed in the preparation of my final report.
But the question has still been posed as to whether the information provided to me by either all, or at least certain, local NGO groups can be considered reliable. The word ‘propaganda’ was used by many of my interlocutors.
What I took them to mean was that the overriding goal of the relevant groups in raising EJE questions was to gain political advantage in the context of a broader battle for public opinion and power, and that the HR dimensions were secondary at best.
Some went further to suggest that many of the cases were fabricated, or at least trumped up, to look more serious than they are. I consider it essential to respond to these concerns immediately.
First, there is inevitably a propaganda element in such allegations.
The aim is to win public sympathy and to discredit other actors. But the existence of a propaganda dimension does not, in itself, destroy the credibility of the information and allegations. I would insist, instead, on the need to apply several tests relating to credibility.
First, is it only NGOs from one part of the political spectrum who are making these allegations? The answer is clearly ‘no’.
Human rights groups in the Philippines range across the entire spectrum in terms of their political sympathies, but I met no groups who challenged the basic fact that large numbers of extra-judicial executions are taking place, even if they disagreed on precise figures.
Second, how compelling is the actual information presented? I found there was considerable variation ranging from submissions which were entirely credible and contextually aware all the way down to some which struck me as superficial and dubious.
But the great majority are closer to the top of that spectrum than to the bottom.
Third, has the information proved credible under ‘cross-examination’. My colleagues and I heard a large number of cases in depth and we probed the stories presented to us in order to ascertain their accuracy and the broader context.
As a result, I believe that I have gathered a huge amount of data and certainly much more than has been made available to any one of the major national inquiries.
My focus goes well beyond beyond that adopted by either TF Usig or the Melo Commission, both of which are concerned essentially with political and media killings. Those specific killings are, in many ways, a symptom of a much more extensive problem and we should not permit our focus to be limited artificially.
The TF Usig/Melo scope of inquiry is inappropriate for me for several reasons: (a) The approach is essentially reactive. It is not based on an original assessment of what is going on in the country at large, but rather on what a limited range of CSOs report.
As a result, the focus then is often shifted (unhelpfully) to the orientation of the CSO, the quality of the documentation in particular cases, etc.; (b) Many killings are not reported, or not pursued, and for good reason; and (c) A significant proportion of acknowledged cases of ‘disappearances’ involve individuals who have been killed but who are not reflected in the figures.
How many have been killed?The numbers game is especially unproductive, although a source of endless fascination. Is it 25, 100, or 800? I don’t have a figure. But I am certain that the number is high enough to be distressing. Even more importantly, numbers are not what count.
The impact of even a limited number of killings of the type alleged is corrosive in many ways. It intimidates vast numbers of civil society actors, it sends a message of vulnerability to all but the most well connected, and it severely undermines the political discourse which is central to a resolution of the problems confronting this country.
Permit me to make a brief comment on the term ‘unexplained killings’, which is used by officials and which I consider to be inapt and misleading.
It may be appropriate in the context of a judicial process but human rights inquiries are more broad-ranging and one does not have to wait for a court to secure a conviction before one can conclude that human rights violations are occurring.
The term ‘extrajudicial killings’ which has a long pedigree is far more accurate and should be used. It may help to specify the types of killing which are of particular concern in the Philippines.
Killings by military and police, and by the NPA or other groups, in course of counter-insurgency. To the extent that such killings take place in conformity with the rules of international humanitarian law they fall outside my mandate.
Killings not in the course of any armed engagement but in pursuit of a specific counter-insurgency operation in the field.
Killings, whether attributed to the military, the police, or private actors, of activists associated with leftist groups and usually deemed or assumed to be covertly assisting CPP-NPA-NDF.
Private actors include hired thugs in the pay of politicians, landowners, corporate interests, and others.
Vigilante, or death squad, killings· Killings of journalists and other media persons.‘Ordinary’ murders facilitated by the sense of impunity that exists.
The response of Government to the crisis of extra-judicial executions varies dramatically. There has been a welcome acknowledgment of the seriousness of the problem at the very top.
At the executive level the messages have been very mixed and often unsatisfactory. And at the operational level, the allegations have too often been met with a response of incredulity, mixed with offence.
When I have sought explanations of the killings I have received a range of answers. (i) The allegations are essentially propaganda. I have addressed this dimension already. (ii) The allegations are fabricated.
Much importance was attached to two persons who had been listed as killed, but who were presented to me alive. Two errors, in circumstances which might partly explain the mistakes, do very little to discredit the vast number of remaining allegations. (iii) The theory that the ‘correct, accurate, and truthful’ reason for the recent rise in killings lies in purges committed by the CPP/NPA.
This theory was relentlessly pushed by the AFP and many of my Government interlocutors. But we must distinguish the number of 1,227 cited by the military from the limited number of cases in which the CPP/NPA have acknowledged, indeed boasted, of killings.
While such cases have certainly occurred, even those most concerned about them, such as members of Akbayan, have suggested to me that they could not amount to even 10% of the total killings. The evidence offered by the military in support of this theory is especially unconvincing.
Human rights organizations have documented very few such cases.
The AFP relies instead on figures and trends relating to the purges of the late 1980s, and on an alleged CPP/NPA document captured in May 2006 describing Operation Bushfire.
In the absence of much stronger supporting evidence this particular document bears all the hallmarks of a fabrication and cannot be taken as evidence of anything other than disinformation. (iv) Some killings may have been attributable to the AFP, but they were committed by rogue elements. There is little doubt that some such killings have been committed.
The AFP needs to give us precise details and to indicate what investigations and prosecutions have been undertaken in response. But, in any event, the rogue elephant theory does not explain or even address the central questions with which we are concerned.
Some major challenges for the future (a) Acknowledgement by the AFP.
The AFP remains in a state of almost total denial (as its official response to the Melo Report amply demonstrates) of its need to respond effectively and authentically to the significant number of killings which have been convincingly attributed to them.
The President needs to persuade the military that its reputation and effectiveness will be considerably enhanced, rather than undermined, by acknowledging the facts and taking genuine steps to investigate.
When the Chief of the AFP contents himself with telephoning Maj-Gen Palparan three times in order to satisfy himself that the persistent and extensive allegations against the General were entirely unfounded, rather than launching a thorough internal investigation, it is clear that there is still a very long way to go. (b)Moving beyond the Melo CommissionIt is not for me to evaluate the Melo Report.
That is for the people of the Philippines to do. The President showed good faith in responding to allegations by setting up an independent commission. But the political and other capital that should have followed is being slowly but surely drained away by the refusal to publish the report.
The justifications given are unconvincing. The report was never intended to be preliminary or interim. The need to get ‘leftists’ to testify is no reason to withhold a report which in some ways at least vindicates their claims.
And extending a Commission whose composition has never succeeded in winning full cooperation seems unlikely to cure the problems still perceived by those groups. Immediate release of the report is an essential first step. (c) The need to restore accountability.
The focus on TF Usig and Melo is insufficient. The enduring and much larger challenge is to restore the various accountability mechanisms that the Philippines Constitution and Congress have put in place over the years, too many of which have been systematically drained of their force in recent years.
I will go into detail in my final report, but suffice it to note for present purposes that Executive Order 464, and its replacement, Memorandum Circular 108, undermine significantly the capacity of Congress to hold the executive to account in any meaningful way. (d) Witness protection.
The vital flaw which undermines the utility of much of the judicial system is the problem of virtual impunity that prevails. This, in turn, is built upon the rampant problem of witness vulnerability.
The present message is that if you want to preserve your life expectancy, don’t act as a witness in a criminal prosecution for killing. Witnesses are systematically intimidated and harassed.
In a relatively poor society, in which there is heavy dependence on community and very limited real geographical mobility, witnesses are uniquely vulnerable when the forces accused of killings are all too often those, or are linked to those, who are charged with ensuring their security. The WPP is impressive – on paper.
In practice, however, it is deeply flawed and would seem only to be truly effective in a very limited number of cases. The result, as one expert suggested to me, is that 8 out of 10 strong cases, or 80% fail to move from the initial investigation to the actual prosecution stage. (e) Acceptance of the need to provide legitimate political space for leftist groupsAt the national level, there has been a definitive abandonment of President Ramos’ strategy of reconciliation.
This might be termed the Sinn Fein strategy. It involves the creation of an opening — the party-list system — for leftist groups to enter the democratic political system, while at the same time acknowledging that some of those groups remain very sympathetic to the armed struggle being waged by illegal groups (the IRA in the Irish case, or the NPA in the Philippines case). The goal is to provide an incentive for such groups to enter mainstream politics and to see that path as their best option.
Neither the party-list system nor the repeal of the Anti-Subversion Act has been reversed by Congress. But, the executive branch, openly and enthusiastically aided by the military, has worked resolutely to circumvent the spirit of these legislative decisions by trying to impede the work of the party-list groups and to put in question their right to operate freely.
The idea is not to destroy the NPA but to eliminate organizations that support many of its goals and do not actively disown its means. While non-violent in conception, there are cases in which it has, certainly at the local level, spilled over into decisions to extra-judicially execute those who cannot be reached by legal process. (f) Re-evaluate problematic aspects of counter-insurgency strategy.
The increase in extra-judicial executions in recent years is attributable, at least in part, to a shift in counterinsurgency strategy that occurred in some areas, reflecting the considerable regional variation in the strategies employed, especially with respect to the civilian population.
In some areas, an appeal to hearts-and-minds is combined with an attempt to vilify left-leaning organizations and to intimidate leaders of such organizations.
In some instances, such intimidation escalates into extra-judicial execution. This is a grave and serious problem and one which I intend to examine in detail in my final report.
The Philippines remains an example to all of us in terms of the peaceful ending of martial law by the People’s Revolution, and the adoption of a Constitution reflecting a powerful commitment to ensure respect for human rights.
The various measures ordered by the President in response to Melo constitute important first steps, but there is a huge amount that remains to be done.(Speech is made 21 Feb 2007 in Manila at the closing of Professor Alston investigation on summary killings in Philippines. The speech is available on this URL http://unphilippines.wordpress.com)
UN Envoy Accuses Philippine Army Of Being "In A State Of Almost Total Denial" About Wave Of Political Killings
AND MANY OF THESE KILLINGS killings have been "convincingly attributed to them", said special rapporteur Philip Alston.
One human rights group says since President Gloria Arroyo took power in 2001, 830 activists have been killed.Mr Alston urged President Arroyo to confront what he called a culture of virtual impunity in the legal system.
The Philippines army, which has been battling communist rebels for almost four decades, has blamed rogue elements for some of the killings.But Mr Alston said that such explanations were insufficient.
The army "needs to give us precise details and to indicate what investigations and prosecutions have been undertaken in response".Although critical of the president, the UN rapporteur stressed that he did not believe that there was any political sanction for the killings.
Alston presented his provisional findings in Manila"I do not believe that there's a policy at the top designed to direct that these killings to take place," said Mr Alston.
The human rights group Karapatan says that 832 extra-judicial killings since 2001 can be blamed on the security forces. Of these, it says 356 are left-wing activists.
The Philippines armed forces have been fighting a Communist insurgency since 1969, with an estimated 40,000 people killed, and in recent years they have also had to face attacks by Muslim radicals.
But military chief General Hermogenes Esperon denied that extra-judicial killings were used, and said he would prosecute any soldier found doing this, Reuters news agency reports.
Philip Alston has spent 10 days in the Philippines investigating the killings, and is due to present a full report on his findings in three months' time.(BBC News)
One human rights group says since President Gloria Arroyo took power in 2001, 830 activists have been killed.Mr Alston urged President Arroyo to confront what he called a culture of virtual impunity in the legal system.
The Philippines army, which has been battling communist rebels for almost four decades, has blamed rogue elements for some of the killings.But Mr Alston said that such explanations were insufficient.
The army "needs to give us precise details and to indicate what investigations and prosecutions have been undertaken in response".Although critical of the president, the UN rapporteur stressed that he did not believe that there was any political sanction for the killings.
Alston presented his provisional findings in Manila"I do not believe that there's a policy at the top designed to direct that these killings to take place," said Mr Alston.
The human rights group Karapatan says that 832 extra-judicial killings since 2001 can be blamed on the security forces. Of these, it says 356 are left-wing activists.
The Philippines armed forces have been fighting a Communist insurgency since 1969, with an estimated 40,000 people killed, and in recent years they have also had to face attacks by Muslim radicals.
But military chief General Hermogenes Esperon denied that extra-judicial killings were used, and said he would prosecute any soldier found doing this, Reuters news agency reports.
Philip Alston has spent 10 days in the Philippines investigating the killings, and is due to present a full report on his findings in three months' time.(BBC News)
Friday, February 16, 2007
Relatives Of Victims Of Summary Killings To Testify Before UN Investigator
DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 16 Feb) – A U.N. representative investigating the unabated killings of political activists in the Philippines is expected to arrive in Davao City to hear testimonies of relatives of victims and those who survived attacks.
Professor Philip Alston, the United Nation Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, was sent by the United Nations because of reports of the many killings in the country believed perpetrated by soldiers, policemen and militias.
Moro human rights groups hailed the coming of Alston. "Prof. Alston’s visit to the Philippines is a big boost to the morale of the victims of extra-judicial killings and their families," said Amirah Ali Lidasan, vice-chairperson of the Suara Bangsamoro Party list Organization.
The group has earlier criticized Manila for its refusal to give Alston a copy of a report by the independent Melo Commission which investigated the summary killings and tagged soldiers in the murders of activists and members of progressive political groups opposed to President Gloria Arroyo’s rule.
"The government’s refusal to give the UN Rapporteur the Melo Commission Report is already a sign that President Arroyo will continue to silence the truth about her administration’s record of human rights violations.”
“No less than President Arroyo and her security advisers are afraid of the facts and conclusions presented at the government created Melo Commission that point to the gross human rights violation record of President Arroyo," Lidasan told the Mindanao Examiner.
Eneko Landaburu, director general for external relations of the European Commission (EC), also asked for a copy of the report, but the government said it is not complete yet.
Lindasan said that as Arroyo continues to deny the culpability of retired army commander Jovito Palparan, linked by the Melo Commission to the killings, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, for over 800 victims of extra-judicial killings -- the less hope the victims and the families have that justice will prevail under the present administration.
Palparan repeatedly denied accusations about his involvement in the killings. "The Arroyo administration has too much skeletons in the closet and would want to keep them from Prof. Alston’s knowledge, hence they keep on finding ways to stop the victims from presenting their case and even continue to vilify the victims of extra-judicial killing and the human rights organizations that present the cases," she said.
Manila said it would establish special courts to handle political killings. But Lindasan said the special courts would be useless because the government continues to deny the culpability of soldiers and policemen involved in the summary killings.
Relatives of the victims of extra-judicial killings of Moro inmates in Camp Bagong Diwa on March 15, 2005 will travel all the way from Basilan island just to give their testimonies to Alston in Davao City. Jumdatul Mundi’s son, Gaffar was one of the 23 inmates killed in Camp Bagong Diwa as a consequence of then Interior Secy. Angelo Reyes’ no-negotiation policy in dealing with the Abu Sayyaf uprising in Camp Bagong Diwa.
"When the mother of Gaffar Mundi heard about the coming of Prof. Alston, it gave her hope that Prof. Alston’s will be a big help in her pursuit of justice for the death of her son," said Lidasan, adding, that it took the woman four years to fight for her son’s release from Camp Bagong Diwa prison and two years to seek justice for the death of her son because of the carnage at Camp Bagong Diwa.
Eleven out of the 23 inmates were victims of illegal arrest and detention and has pending cases of torture against the army headed by General Hermogenes Esperon, then chief of 103rd Infantry Brigade in Basilan island, that arrested them in July 13, 2001.
The Commission on Human Rights has investigated the Camp Bagong Diwa massacre and presented their conclusion a year after which pointed the culpability of the Philippine National Police and Reyes to the extrajudicial killings. Justice Secy. Raul Gonzales disregarded the report about the Camp Bagong Diwa killings, Lindasan said. (Mindanao Examiner)
Professor Philip Alston, the United Nation Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, was sent by the United Nations because of reports of the many killings in the country believed perpetrated by soldiers, policemen and militias.
Moro human rights groups hailed the coming of Alston. "Prof. Alston’s visit to the Philippines is a big boost to the morale of the victims of extra-judicial killings and their families," said Amirah Ali Lidasan, vice-chairperson of the Suara Bangsamoro Party list Organization.
The group has earlier criticized Manila for its refusal to give Alston a copy of a report by the independent Melo Commission which investigated the summary killings and tagged soldiers in the murders of activists and members of progressive political groups opposed to President Gloria Arroyo’s rule.
"The government’s refusal to give the UN Rapporteur the Melo Commission Report is already a sign that President Arroyo will continue to silence the truth about her administration’s record of human rights violations.”
“No less than President Arroyo and her security advisers are afraid of the facts and conclusions presented at the government created Melo Commission that point to the gross human rights violation record of President Arroyo," Lidasan told the Mindanao Examiner.
Eneko Landaburu, director general for external relations of the European Commission (EC), also asked for a copy of the report, but the government said it is not complete yet.
Lindasan said that as Arroyo continues to deny the culpability of retired army commander Jovito Palparan, linked by the Melo Commission to the killings, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, for over 800 victims of extra-judicial killings -- the less hope the victims and the families have that justice will prevail under the present administration.
Palparan repeatedly denied accusations about his involvement in the killings. "The Arroyo administration has too much skeletons in the closet and would want to keep them from Prof. Alston’s knowledge, hence they keep on finding ways to stop the victims from presenting their case and even continue to vilify the victims of extra-judicial killing and the human rights organizations that present the cases," she said.
Manila said it would establish special courts to handle political killings. But Lindasan said the special courts would be useless because the government continues to deny the culpability of soldiers and policemen involved in the summary killings.
Relatives of the victims of extra-judicial killings of Moro inmates in Camp Bagong Diwa on March 15, 2005 will travel all the way from Basilan island just to give their testimonies to Alston in Davao City. Jumdatul Mundi’s son, Gaffar was one of the 23 inmates killed in Camp Bagong Diwa as a consequence of then Interior Secy. Angelo Reyes’ no-negotiation policy in dealing with the Abu Sayyaf uprising in Camp Bagong Diwa.
"When the mother of Gaffar Mundi heard about the coming of Prof. Alston, it gave her hope that Prof. Alston’s will be a big help in her pursuit of justice for the death of her son," said Lidasan, adding, that it took the woman four years to fight for her son’s release from Camp Bagong Diwa prison and two years to seek justice for the death of her son because of the carnage at Camp Bagong Diwa.
Eleven out of the 23 inmates were victims of illegal arrest and detention and has pending cases of torture against the army headed by General Hermogenes Esperon, then chief of 103rd Infantry Brigade in Basilan island, that arrested them in July 13, 2001.
The Commission on Human Rights has investigated the Camp Bagong Diwa massacre and presented their conclusion a year after which pointed the culpability of the Philippine National Police and Reyes to the extrajudicial killings. Justice Secy. Raul Gonzales disregarded the report about the Camp Bagong Diwa killings, Lindasan said. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Political Killings In RP Leaves 21 Church People Dead
MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 01 Feb) - At least 21 church people had been killed in a spate of attacks the past years in the Philippines, aside from hundreds of militant leaders and activists opposed to the Arroyo government.
Dozens of journalists were also killed because of their work. An independent commission investigating the killings linked soldiers to most of the murders.
The Church Office for International Network in the Philippines (CONTAK Philippines) listed the following casualties:
1. PASTOR MARCELINO DELA CRUZ
28 May 2001 - Killing of Marcelino dela Cruz, a United Methodist Church Pastor in San Jose, Tarlac.
2. PASTOR JOSE BUENDIA
19 November 2003 - Killing of Jose Buendia, 39 years old who was former Born-Again Pastor. Around 5:30AM a group of alleged soldiers under the 71st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army raided the house of Jose Buendia in Barangay Matawi, Dingalan, Aurora, Philippines. Without any warning and under the cover of the night they surrpinded the house and started shooting at it. Jose came out to plead for their lives but was hit and instantly died. His face was shattered due to the strength of the firepower. Josie and their children managed to stay inside the house unharmed but very much shaken.
3. ISAIAS MANANO
28 April 2004 - Killing of Isaias Manano, resident of Brgy. Nacoco, Clapan City, Mindoro, Oriental, Member of the UCCP-Christian Youth Fellowship (CYF) and Anakpawis Party-list Mindoro.
4. JOEL BACLAO
10 November 2004 - Killing of Joel Baclao, member of UCCP/ coordinator of Andurog Mayon, the Relief and Rehabilitation work of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) for victims of the Mayon Volcano eruption, National Council Member of the Promotion of Church People's Response (PCPR) in Bicol.
5. JUANCHO SANCHEZ
16 November 2004 - Massacre of 7 workers and supporters of Hacienda Luisita strike, including Juancho Sanchez, member of UCCP-CYF Tarlac.
6. VICENTE OLEA23 November 2004 - Killing of Vicente Olea, 71-year old UCCP member in San Vicente, Palawan.
7. ABE SUNGIT
5 February 2005 - Killing of Abe Sungit, leader of indigenous people in Palawan, member of United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) - IDPIP (Indigenous People's Program), Karapatan-Palawan and PAGSAMBATAN.
8. FR. WILLIAM TADENA
13 March 2005 - Killing of Fr. William Tadena, resident of Brgy. Matindeg, Pura, Tarlac, member of IFI and PCPR in Tarlac; frustrated killing of 3 companions - Carlos Barsolazo, Charlie Gabriel and Ervina Domingo (church workers). Fr. Tadena was an active supporter of the Hacienda Luisita workers.
9. PASTOR HABLITO SOLINA
11 April 2005 - Killing of Hablito Solina, a church worker of People's Missionary Church.10. ALFREDO DAVIS15 April 2005 - Killing of Alfredo Davis, member of UCCP Mahaplag, Leyte at the vicinity of Mahaplag, Leyte. His father was a former chairperson of a regional alliance of peasant organizations.
11. REV. EDISON LAPUS
12 May 2005 - Killing of UCCP Conference Minister Edison Lapus, of Sitio Motor, Brgy. Crossing, San Isidro, Leyte, member of PCPR, Karapatan and Bayan Muna.
12. REV. RAUL DOMINGO
20 August 2005 -Rev. Raul Domingo, of Brgy. San Jose, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, member of UCCP and Kapatirang Simbahan para sa Bayan (Kasimbayan) and Secretary General of Karapatan in Palawan was shot and seriously wounded. On September 4, Rev. Domingo died at the hospital.
13. JOSE MANEGDEG III
29 November 2005 - Killing of Jose ‘Pepe' Manegdeg III, of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, member of Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP), former staff of the Regional Ecumenical Council in the Cordillera (RECCORD) and former volunteer of the NCCP Ecology Program. He was killed along the National Highway at Barangay Apatot, San Esteban, Ilocos Sur.
14. JUNICO HALEM
6 December 2005 - Killing of Junico Halem, member of UCCP and Bayan Muna municipal coordinator in Aluran, Misamis Occidental.
15. MATEO MORALES
24 January 2006 - Killing of Mateo Morales, lay worker for the Religious of the Good Shepherd's Tribal Filipino Ministry, which assists Banwaon and Manobo tribal communities in Agusan del Sur. He was shot at his home in Brgy. Dona Flavia, San Luis, Agusan Del Sur province.
16. NESTOR ARINQUE
7 March 2006 - Nestor Arinque of Brgy. San Roque, Mabini, Bohol, was shot to death by three unidentified men in a motorcycle. Nestor Arinque was the chairman of Hugpong sa Mag-uuma sa Mabini or Organization of Peasants in Mabini (HUMABI), a municipal chapter of Hugpong sa Mag-uumang Bol-anon (HUMABOL), a province-wide federation of farmers in Bohol province. HUMABOL is an affiliate of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas or Peasant Movement of the Philippines (KMP), a nationwide farmer's organization in the Philippines. Arinque was also an active member, and previously the local church council chairman of the UCCP in Mabini, Bohol. The incident happened at Brgy. Abaca, Mabini at around 12:30 in the afternoon, in front of the house of a certain Gregorio Fostanes.
17. REV. JEMIAS TINAMBACAN
9 May 2006 - around 5:30 pm, while traveling in Oroquieta City, Rev. Jemias Tinambacan of UCCP Calaran, Misamis Occidental, was shot to death by four armed men riding in motorcycle. His wife Rev. Marilou Tinambacan was also injured.
18. PASTOR ANDY PAWICANMay 21, 2006 - Pastor Andy Pawikan, 30 years old, Licenciate Pastor of UCCP Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, forcibly taken, tortured and believed killed around 4pm when a gunshot was heard, on May 21, 2006.
His body was recovered at 8am the following morning. Pastor Andy was on his way home from Sunday Worship with his wife, children and other women. He was forcibly taken away allegedly by troops from the 48th Infantry Battalion-AFP. It is alleged that the motivation of the 48th Infantry was to extract information on a recent encounter of the AFP and the NPA; insurgents were alleged to have hidden somewhere near the area.
Two other persons are also still missing (both were companions of Pastor Andy Pawikan in resolving the Kaingin issue against possible landowners). PNP-San Jose City reported a legitimate encounter as the cause of Pastor Pawikan's death; the absurdity of this claim is not only backed by eye-witness but the reality that Pastor Pawikan was wearing a Barong Tagalog when killed. Furthermore, the municipality of Pantabangan refused the UCCP-Fact Finding Team entrance to the area.
19. NOEL NOLI CAPULONG
May 27, 2006 - Mr. Noel Noli Capulong, 51 years old, Member of UCCP Calamba, Laguna and Chairperson of the Christian Witness and Service of UCCP Northeast Southern Tagalog Conference, gunned down around 6pm, May 27, 2006. Noli Capulong left a meeting with a Barangay Captain at Barangay Paraian, Calamba, to attend a prayer meeting for his ill siblings.
He was driving a private jeep. He was gunned down by two men on a motorcycle wearing bonnets. He sustained four gunshot wounds and was declared dead on arrival when taken to a hospital only 50 meters away. Mr. Noli Capulong was Deputy Secretary General of Bayan Muna TK, regional staff of Bagong Alianza Makabayan, and spokesperson for the Southern Tagalog Environmental Advocacy Movement (STEAM).
20. TITO MARATA
17 June 2006 - Tito Marata was the provincial officer of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and a member of the Farmers for Agrarian Reform Movement.
21. PASTOR ISAIAS STA. ROSA
3 August 2006 - Pastor Isaias Sta. Rosa, a United Methodist Church Pastor in Daraga, Albay, was found dead on Thursday night near a creek moments after being shot by 10 masked gunmen outside his house. Cpl. Lordger Pastrana of the Philippine Army was also found dead beside Pastor Sta. Rosa.
The gunmen went first to the house of his brother, Jonathan, who lives in the same compound, before they went to Pastor Sta. Rosa. Jonathan identified Cpl. Pastrana as one of the 10 alleged gunmen who went to his house moments before Pastor Sta. Rosa was killed.
Church Office for International Network in the Philippines (CONTAK Philippines)
Dozens of journalists were also killed because of their work. An independent commission investigating the killings linked soldiers to most of the murders.
The Church Office for International Network in the Philippines (CONTAK Philippines) listed the following casualties:
1. PASTOR MARCELINO DELA CRUZ
28 May 2001 - Killing of Marcelino dela Cruz, a United Methodist Church Pastor in San Jose, Tarlac.
2. PASTOR JOSE BUENDIA
19 November 2003 - Killing of Jose Buendia, 39 years old who was former Born-Again Pastor. Around 5:30AM a group of alleged soldiers under the 71st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army raided the house of Jose Buendia in Barangay Matawi, Dingalan, Aurora, Philippines. Without any warning and under the cover of the night they surrpinded the house and started shooting at it. Jose came out to plead for their lives but was hit and instantly died. His face was shattered due to the strength of the firepower. Josie and their children managed to stay inside the house unharmed but very much shaken.
3. ISAIAS MANANO
28 April 2004 - Killing of Isaias Manano, resident of Brgy. Nacoco, Clapan City, Mindoro, Oriental, Member of the UCCP-Christian Youth Fellowship (CYF) and Anakpawis Party-list Mindoro.
4. JOEL BACLAO
10 November 2004 - Killing of Joel Baclao, member of UCCP/ coordinator of Andurog Mayon, the Relief and Rehabilitation work of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) for victims of the Mayon Volcano eruption, National Council Member of the Promotion of Church People's Response (PCPR) in Bicol.
5. JUANCHO SANCHEZ
16 November 2004 - Massacre of 7 workers and supporters of Hacienda Luisita strike, including Juancho Sanchez, member of UCCP-CYF Tarlac.
6. VICENTE OLEA23 November 2004 - Killing of Vicente Olea, 71-year old UCCP member in San Vicente, Palawan.
7. ABE SUNGIT
5 February 2005 - Killing of Abe Sungit, leader of indigenous people in Palawan, member of United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) - IDPIP (Indigenous People's Program), Karapatan-Palawan and PAGSAMBATAN.
8. FR. WILLIAM TADENA
13 March 2005 - Killing of Fr. William Tadena, resident of Brgy. Matindeg, Pura, Tarlac, member of IFI and PCPR in Tarlac; frustrated killing of 3 companions - Carlos Barsolazo, Charlie Gabriel and Ervina Domingo (church workers). Fr. Tadena was an active supporter of the Hacienda Luisita workers.
9. PASTOR HABLITO SOLINA
11 April 2005 - Killing of Hablito Solina, a church worker of People's Missionary Church.10. ALFREDO DAVIS15 April 2005 - Killing of Alfredo Davis, member of UCCP Mahaplag, Leyte at the vicinity of Mahaplag, Leyte. His father was a former chairperson of a regional alliance of peasant organizations.
11. REV. EDISON LAPUS
12 May 2005 - Killing of UCCP Conference Minister Edison Lapus, of Sitio Motor, Brgy. Crossing, San Isidro, Leyte, member of PCPR, Karapatan and Bayan Muna.
12. REV. RAUL DOMINGO
20 August 2005 -Rev. Raul Domingo, of Brgy. San Jose, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, member of UCCP and Kapatirang Simbahan para sa Bayan (Kasimbayan) and Secretary General of Karapatan in Palawan was shot and seriously wounded. On September 4, Rev. Domingo died at the hospital.
13. JOSE MANEGDEG III
29 November 2005 - Killing of Jose ‘Pepe' Manegdeg III, of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, member of Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP), former staff of the Regional Ecumenical Council in the Cordillera (RECCORD) and former volunteer of the NCCP Ecology Program. He was killed along the National Highway at Barangay Apatot, San Esteban, Ilocos Sur.
14. JUNICO HALEM
6 December 2005 - Killing of Junico Halem, member of UCCP and Bayan Muna municipal coordinator in Aluran, Misamis Occidental.
15. MATEO MORALES
24 January 2006 - Killing of Mateo Morales, lay worker for the Religious of the Good Shepherd's Tribal Filipino Ministry, which assists Banwaon and Manobo tribal communities in Agusan del Sur. He was shot at his home in Brgy. Dona Flavia, San Luis, Agusan Del Sur province.
16. NESTOR ARINQUE
7 March 2006 - Nestor Arinque of Brgy. San Roque, Mabini, Bohol, was shot to death by three unidentified men in a motorcycle. Nestor Arinque was the chairman of Hugpong sa Mag-uuma sa Mabini or Organization of Peasants in Mabini (HUMABI), a municipal chapter of Hugpong sa Mag-uumang Bol-anon (HUMABOL), a province-wide federation of farmers in Bohol province. HUMABOL is an affiliate of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas or Peasant Movement of the Philippines (KMP), a nationwide farmer's organization in the Philippines. Arinque was also an active member, and previously the local church council chairman of the UCCP in Mabini, Bohol. The incident happened at Brgy. Abaca, Mabini at around 12:30 in the afternoon, in front of the house of a certain Gregorio Fostanes.
17. REV. JEMIAS TINAMBACAN
9 May 2006 - around 5:30 pm, while traveling in Oroquieta City, Rev. Jemias Tinambacan of UCCP Calaran, Misamis Occidental, was shot to death by four armed men riding in motorcycle. His wife Rev. Marilou Tinambacan was also injured.
18. PASTOR ANDY PAWICANMay 21, 2006 - Pastor Andy Pawikan, 30 years old, Licenciate Pastor of UCCP Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, forcibly taken, tortured and believed killed around 4pm when a gunshot was heard, on May 21, 2006.
His body was recovered at 8am the following morning. Pastor Andy was on his way home from Sunday Worship with his wife, children and other women. He was forcibly taken away allegedly by troops from the 48th Infantry Battalion-AFP. It is alleged that the motivation of the 48th Infantry was to extract information on a recent encounter of the AFP and the NPA; insurgents were alleged to have hidden somewhere near the area.
Two other persons are also still missing (both were companions of Pastor Andy Pawikan in resolving the Kaingin issue against possible landowners). PNP-San Jose City reported a legitimate encounter as the cause of Pastor Pawikan's death; the absurdity of this claim is not only backed by eye-witness but the reality that Pastor Pawikan was wearing a Barong Tagalog when killed. Furthermore, the municipality of Pantabangan refused the UCCP-Fact Finding Team entrance to the area.
19. NOEL NOLI CAPULONG
May 27, 2006 - Mr. Noel Noli Capulong, 51 years old, Member of UCCP Calamba, Laguna and Chairperson of the Christian Witness and Service of UCCP Northeast Southern Tagalog Conference, gunned down around 6pm, May 27, 2006. Noli Capulong left a meeting with a Barangay Captain at Barangay Paraian, Calamba, to attend a prayer meeting for his ill siblings.
He was driving a private jeep. He was gunned down by two men on a motorcycle wearing bonnets. He sustained four gunshot wounds and was declared dead on arrival when taken to a hospital only 50 meters away. Mr. Noli Capulong was Deputy Secretary General of Bayan Muna TK, regional staff of Bagong Alianza Makabayan, and spokesperson for the Southern Tagalog Environmental Advocacy Movement (STEAM).
20. TITO MARATA
17 June 2006 - Tito Marata was the provincial officer of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and a member of the Farmers for Agrarian Reform Movement.
21. PASTOR ISAIAS STA. ROSA
3 August 2006 - Pastor Isaias Sta. Rosa, a United Methodist Church Pastor in Daraga, Albay, was found dead on Thursday night near a creek moments after being shot by 10 masked gunmen outside his house. Cpl. Lordger Pastrana of the Philippine Army was also found dead beside Pastor Sta. Rosa.
The gunmen went first to the house of his brother, Jonathan, who lives in the same compound, before they went to Pastor Sta. Rosa. Jonathan identified Cpl. Pastrana as one of the 10 alleged gunmen who went to his house moments before Pastor Sta. Rosa was killed.
Church Office for International Network in the Philippines (CONTAK Philippines)
2/F UCCP National Offices
877 EDSA, West Triangle, Quezon City PHILIPPINES
contakphilippines@gmail.comhttp://contakphilippines.tripod.com/speaknow/id2.html
Sunday, December 03, 2006
2 Bodies Of Muslims Found On Boat
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 03 Dec) – Two young Muslim men believed victims of summary execution were recovered Sunday by fishermen from a boat drifting near Sacol Island, several nautical miles off Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, an army commander said.
Colonel Antonio Supnet said the bodies were believed victims of a clan war. “That’s the report we got from the islanders, but we are still investigating this incident,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
The victims were believed to be Muslim natives from Basilan island, who migrated to Zamboanga City, Supnet said, quoting intelligence reports.
He said fishermen found the boat drifting and were shocked to see the bodies. No groups or individual claimed responsibility for the killings, but Supnet said troops were sent to the island to investigate.
Family feud or clan war are common in the strife-torn region, where fighting between protagonists sometimes could last for months and years or even decades until blood money is paid and settlement has been agreed among the warring groups. (Mindanao Examiner)
Colonel Antonio Supnet said the bodies were believed victims of a clan war. “That’s the report we got from the islanders, but we are still investigating this incident,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
The victims were believed to be Muslim natives from Basilan island, who migrated to Zamboanga City, Supnet said, quoting intelligence reports.
He said fishermen found the boat drifting and were shocked to see the bodies. No groups or individual claimed responsibility for the killings, but Supnet said troops were sent to the island to investigate.
Family feud or clan war are common in the strife-torn region, where fighting between protagonists sometimes could last for months and years or even decades until blood money is paid and settlement has been agreed among the warring groups. (Mindanao Examiner)
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