BAYAN-EV Spokesperson Survives Assassination Attempt

1/28/2007 06:47:00 PM

Reprinted from bulatlat.com

The Spokesperson of the regional chapter of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) in Eastern Visayas survived an assassination attempt yesterday, Jan. 27.

At around 8:15 p.m., Flor "Pong" Acbo, 54, was shot by unidentified assassins right in front of the BAYAN-EV office in Philippine Homes & Housing Corporation (PHHC) in Tacloban, city capital of Leyte province. The motorcycle-riding assassins, however, missed their target and instead hit a bystander on the leg.

In an interview, Acbo told Bulatlat the incident has failed to douse his conviction. "I condemn the cowardly attempt on my life. This just shows how effective my work in exposing anomalies in government as well the abuses being perpetrated by the military. Instead of being cowed, this would strengthen my conviction to fight for the rights of the oppressed," he said.

The police have yet to complete their investigation.

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    Democracy, according to the late Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, is "a question of human dignity, [a]nd human dignity is political freedom, the right to freely express opinion and the right to be allowed to criticise and form opinions."

    But exercising political freedom in the Philippines, which purports itself to be a democracy, can lead to death. Since Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the presidency of the country in 2001, more than 800 Filipinos murdered in politically-motivated, extra-judicial, targeted killings. Since the 4th quarter of July 2005, one person has been killed every two days. The victims of these brazen acts of violence were all unarmed citizens: lawyers, judges, journalists, medical practitioners, members of cause-oriented groups, priests, church-workers, human rights advocates, laborers and farmers.

    It is widely believed—and the United Nations support this belief—that state security forces are complicit in these crimes.