Death by Democracy

Peasant farmer Ramon Batoy killed by soldiers

2011-11-04T01:27:00.000-07:00

"A peasant farmer was killed by soldiers from the 57th Infantry Battalion ... [who] fired at Batoy’s house, his wife Gina, who is six months old pregnant, and their two children, [who] were able to escape," reports HumanRightsPhilippines.net.

Radio commentator and anti-mining tribal activist Roy Bagtikan Gallego murdered

2011-10-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that Roy Bagtikan Gallego was scheduled to launch anew radio station program a few days before he was gunned down by men on motorcycle on October 14." The Director-General of UNESCO has condemned his death.

Italian priest Fr. Fausto Tentorio murdered in Mindanao

2011-10-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

GMA News reports that "Tentorio was shot and killed by a lone gunman inside the compound of the Mother of Perpetual Help parish church in Arakan at around 7:30 a.m. on Monday."

There has been widespread condemnation by environmentalists, religious organizations, journalists, indigenous people's groups, and international human rights solidarity networks.

20-year old Rodiemer "Demer" Dela Cruz Morada abducted

2011-08-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

The Asia Indigenous People's Pact reports that a Dumagat tribal member was abducted by unidentified armed persons believed to be affiliated with the military.

Soldiers tortured Abdul Khan Ajid to make him confess to crimes he didn't commit

2011-08-02T02:04:00.000-07:00

ABC News reports that "four soldiers in the Philippines have been arrested for setting a man on fire they wrongly suspected of being an Islamic militant, the military said Monday, branding it an "inhumane act of torture". The soldiers tortured the man to force him to confess he was a member of the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group, which has been blamed for the country's worst terror attacks, according to the military's human rights office." Read the rest of the article.

Soliman Gomez and Rommel Fortadez killed during protest against demolition

2011-07-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

Bulatlat reports: "Two residents of Pangarap Village in Caloocan City were killed when security guards opened fire at a vigil site set up by residents protesting against the demolition in the area. Soliman Gomez and Rommel Fortadez died and six others were injured." Read the rest of the article.

Anakpawis partylist member Roque Laputan, 59, murdered

2011-07-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

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Bulatlat reports: "Roque Laputan, 59, a member of Anakpawis partylist, Davao del Sur, was murdered by unidentified men, July 10. Laputan, was at the forefront of protests against the operation of Xstrata-owned Sagittarius Mines Inc. in Davao del Sur and the company’s plan to put up a coal-fired plant here." Read the rest of the article.

Indigenous group leader Arpe Belayong and his 21-year old nephew Solte San-ogan killed

2011-06-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

The leader of an indigenous group in Agusan Del Sur, Arpe Belayong, was killed along with his 21-year old nephew Solte San-ogan were reported to have been killed by a paramilitary group. "Belayong was reportedly killed because of his refusal to sign a document on ancestral domain. His signature was needed so loggers could start operations within their ancestral domain," notes Bulatlat.com. Six human rights defenders have since then gone into hiding out of fear from this particular attack, reports the Asia Indigenous Peoples' Pact. This case has been recorded in detail by Karapatan.org.

Church sues Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on slays

2011-06-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

The Inquirer reports that "the UCCP is asking Arroyo, now a representative of her home province of Pampanga, to pay at least P5 million for human-rights abuses allegedly committed against six leaders of the group during her administration". Read the rest of the story.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources condemns killings of forest workers

2010-12-26T20:58:00.000-08:00

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The Philippine Inquirer reports: "Environment Secretary Ramon Paje recently expressed concern over the number of forest workers, whether volunteers or employed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), threatened, harassed and killed in the line of duty... The latest fatality was Rolando Sinday, a forest ranger in Surigao del Sur who was gunned down by masked motorcycle-riding men while on his way home last month." Read the rest of the article.

Fact-finding team suggests Filipino ethnobiologist was shot and killed by the military

2010-12-09T04:48:00.000-08:00

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ABS CBN reports: "It was the military who shot and killed renowned plant taxonomist and ethnobiologist Leonard Co and his 2 companions, an independent fact-finding mission claimed on Wednesday. The mission, which is composed of members of the academe and cause-oriented group, presented its findings after conducting an investigation in the jungles of Kananga, Leyte, where Leonard and his team were slain on November 15. Mission head Giovanni Tapang of the scientists' group Agham said bullet trajectories at the site suggests that the gunshots all came from one direction. Evidence also suggests that Co and his group were the main targets of the gunmen, he added."

Update (2011-04-25): A website campaigning for justice for Leonard Co has been up and running for some time now. Please visit www.justiceforleonardco.org and learn more about what has been happening on this front.

Samahan ng Magbubukid ng Batangas member Rene Rodriguez shot by 2 masked men riding a motorcycle

2010-11-12T13:59:00.000-08:00

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Samahan ng Magbubukid ng Batangas member Rene Rodriguez was shot by 2 masked men riding a motorcycle. Rodriguez was found dead at Brgy. Caybunga, Balayan, Batangas with 3 gunshot wounds on his head and chest. He is a peasant activist who fought for land reform and against land grabbing in Batangas. BAYAN-ST believes the killing is politically motivated and is still part of the counter-insurgency program Oplan Bantay Laya, now adopted by the Aquino administration. Batangas is one of the provinces in the region with massive deployment of military troops both in rural and urban areas.

Read the rest on the Southern Tagalog Exposure site.

Union president Carlo “Caloy” Rodriguez gunned down in Calamba

2010-11-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

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The Southern Tagalog Exposure site writes: Carlo “Caloy” Rodriguez, president of the Nagkakaisang Lakas ng Manggawa ng Calamba Water District, was gunned down by motorcycle riding men while he was on his way home from work at about 5:30pm today. He suffered 4 gunshot wounds – one to his neck, two to his back and one to his arm. Caloy, 41 years old, worked as a meter reader for the Calamba Water District. He was a long time union leader and a member of the militant public sector oragnization COURAGE (Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees).

Cultural workers harassed by jail officers in Morong 43 visit.

2010-10-12T17:22:00.001-07:00

From a forwarded email:

A group of cultural workers and artists set to give arts workshop to political detainees in Camp Bagong Diwa cry foul over the treament they received from jail officers. Last October 2, 2010, eight memebrs of the artist organization ARTISTS' ARREST went to said detention facility to conduct visual arts and poetry writing workshops for political detainees like the Morong 43 as part of the program "Sining Mula Sa Karsel" (Art from Prison).

Upon request of jail officers, the group, accompanied by representatives of human rights group DEFEND-ST (Committee to Defend Victims of Political Persecution in Southern Tagalog), immediately submitted themselves for inspection and presented the letter of request for said activity approved by the NCR regional director of the Bureau of Jail Management of Penology which has authority over Camp Bagong Diwa. They were, however, immediately disappointed when a jail officer who did not identify himself told them the activity can’t push through. Asked for the reason, the jail officer simply told them that the activity was not properly coordinated to them.

Dianne Mariano of DEFEND-ST argued that that they have done all the procedural requirements and that the jail officer's reason was unacceptable. “They can’t just tell us that they don’t know abut this activity and send us home because we have diligently fulfilled all requirements and we have official permission,” Mariano said in Filipino. At this point, the jail officers had also started taking pictures of individual members of the group and interrogated them. The jail officers repeatedly asked them about their personal circumstances. The jail officer also took their IDs and had it scanned.

After 5 hours of negotiation, the group was finally let to proceed. However, only the visual arts workshop was allowed to be conducted within a period of one hour and not 5 hours as originally approved in the request. Furthermore, only male members of the Morong 43 were allowed to join the workshop. During the session, a person who identified himself as Jorge Joseph continuously took pictures of the group.

For the poetry workshop, the jail officers instructed the group to simply give the materials to female members of Morong 43. But upon inspection of the materials, the deputy warden ordered its confiscation, saying the handouts are “subversive.” The deputy warden in particular identified a poem by University of the Philippine professor and literary artist Gelacio Guillermo entitled Kokak. Written in Kapampangan, the poem contains the names of a progressive party list representative and that of Gloria Arroyo.

The group later found out that the jail officer who harassed them was Deputy Jail Warden Mutya.

The group will return to Camp Bagong Diwa on October 7,2010 to conduct the workshop with the female members of Morong 43. Teta Tulay of ARTISTS' ARREST expressed her concern over the possible indication and ramification of this incident. “If they can harass innocent civilians when they visit, I can only imagine how much more harassment they can inflict on the detainees,” Tulay said.

According to Tulay, Sining mula sa Karsel aims to provide alternative venues of expression to people like members of the Morong 43 whose basic civil liberties had been hijacked by the state. They said that through activities like this, the detainees are able to assert and partially reclaim their civil and political rights.

Casiano Abing, a Bayan Muna member, killed in Eastern Samar

2010-08-31T13:01:00.000-07:00

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"An unidentified gunman shot dead an activist and court sheriff in Balangiga town in Eastern Samar province, in what seems to be another extra-judicial killing under the Aquino administration," writes GMA News.

Open letter to Benigno Aquino III by Chandu Claver

2010-08-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

Elementary school teacher and ACT Teachers member Mark Francisco killed

2010-07-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

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"Mark Francisco, 27, who teaches at the San Isidro Elementary School in Palanas, Masbate, was on his way home last Friday with four companions aboard motorcycles when they were fired upon in Sitio (sub-village) Umawas, Barangay (village) Malibas by two armed men wearing ski masks and camouflage uniforms," reports the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Head of farmers' collective, Pascual Guevarra, murdered in Nueva Ecija

2010-07-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

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"A lone gunman shot dead on Friday a leader of a farmers’ group allied with the local Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association (Arba) and Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid na Nagkakaisa 3100 (Almana 3100)," reports the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Bayan Muna provincial coordinator Fernando Baldomero killed

2010-07-06T00:59:00.000-07:00

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"Two unidentified gunmen shot dead the provincial coordinator in Aklan of the party-list group Bayan Muna in front of his house in the capital town of Kalibo in Aklan early Monday," reports the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Baldomero is the first documented case of a political killing since the election of Noynoy Aquino. Related links:

Joint Statement from Bayan Canada and ILPS Canada

Ampatuan massacre witness Suweb Upam killed

2010-06-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

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"Suweb Upam, who had earlier claimed to be one of the actual “shooters” during the mass murder in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao, had been killed in the province on June 14, after he had left the law firm’s custody," reports Dateline.

Human rights lawyer Ernesto Salunat gunned down

2010-06-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

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"A human rights lawyer and campaign manager of the Liberal Party in Nueva Vizcaya province was shot dead by two men in front of a court house, a few steps from the police station, in Solano town on Tuesday morning," reports the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Newspaper reporter Nestor Dedolido is third journalist killed this week

2010-06-21T00:33:00.000-07:00

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"Gunmen shot and killed a 50-year-old newspaper reporter in the southern Philippines at the weekend, the third journalist slain in a week," reports the AFP via Yahoo! News. The story has also been picked up by MSN News.

UAA: Human rights activist Benjamin Bayles assasinated

2010-06-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

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Benjamin Bayles was a member of the human rights organizations Karapatan and September 21 Movement, as well as of the Bayan Muna party-list. He was shot on June 14, 2010, by hooded gunmen believed to be members of the Philippine army. Dateline Philippines reported on it. Bayles' killing follows closely after the deaths of two journalists less than 48 hours before his.

URGENT ACTION ALERT: What can you do?

Write a letter of appeal

Ilocos Norte radio commentator Joselito Agustin murdered

2010-06-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

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"Barely 24 hours after a radio commentator was shot dead in Mindanao, another radioman died after being shot in Ilocos Norte Tuesday night," reports GMA News. The Committee to Protect Journalists has also written about this killing.

Radio journalist Desidario Camangyan shot

2010-06-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

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Radio journalist Desidario Camangyan was shot on June 14, 2010. Read the coverage by the UK Telegraph and MSN news on his murder, which also point out that 32 journalists were killed in 2009, and 75 since 2001.

The DUKOT Campaign

2010-06-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

DUKOT (Desaparecidos), a film about the worsening human rights situation in the Philippines, was taken on a Canada-wide film tour. It was shown in Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver. Here are some related Web resources about the film:

UAA: Soldiers torture a man held incommunicado for six days

2010-06-07T00:12:00.000-07:00

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On February 26, 2010, Abdulbayan Guiamblang was passing from his farm through the detachment of the 38th Infantry Battalion, Philippine army in Barangay (village) Solon, Sultan Mastura, province of Maguindanao. He usually passes through this detachment to tend his farm that is adjacent to the village where he lives. But on this occasion a soldier guarding the detachment had stopped him. Without explaining to him why he was being held, the soldier took him to a nearby community center (Purok house) in the village. Soon after they arrived, soldiers cuffed his hands behind his back. They wrapped his legs around with adhesive tape and blindfolded him, using the same tape. Later he felt himself being loaded into a truck. He realized that it was a military 6x6 truck that drove him for about 20 minutes to an unknown place. Here, he was interrogated and severely tortured. Read the rest of the story and sign the urgent action petition on the Asian Human Rights Commission website.

URGENT ACTION ALERT: What can you do?

UAA: Three mining activists in Zambales forcibly disappeared

2010-06-06T23:49:00.000-07:00

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On 9 March 2010 at 9pm five unknown persons armed with pistols reportedly entered the house of the Landingin family in Sitio Matalvis, Barangay (village) Inhobol, Masinloc, while the entire community was in darkness due to an electricity blackout. The perpetrators forcibly took the victims, Ronron Landingin, Jinky Garcia and Daryl Fortuna, to a waiting car. Read the rest of the account Asian Human Rights Commission site.

URGENT ACTION ALERT: What can you do?

Filipino Dies in US Army Camp in Marawi: Officials Rule Suicide; Kin Insist Murder

2010-06-06T23:24:00.001-07:00

On Jan. 30, Gregan Cardeño went home happy that he had finally found a job. He had just signed a contract with a security agency that posted him as an interpreter for the American troops in Cotabato City. A few days later, he ended up in Marawi where, inside a US barracks, he supposedly hanged himself. His family, however, is convinced that he had been murdered, probably even abused. Read the rest on Bulatlat.com.

UAA: Union leader slain in Sta. Rosa

2010-06-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

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A union leader was gunned down in Sta. Rosa City on Wednesday, raising the number of slain labor activists in the Calabarzon region to nine under the term of outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Eduard Panganiban, 27, was catching a ride to work when motorcycle-riding gunmen shot him in Barangay Caingin at past 5 p.m., according to Hermie Marasigan, chair of the labor group Pagkakaisa ng Samahan ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (Pamantik). Read the rest of the story on Inquirer.net
Other links:

URGENT ACTION ALERT: What can you do?

Write a letter of appeal

Bayan Muna Member Killed in Panabo

2010-06-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

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Over a week after the May 10 polls, another activist was killed by still unidentified gunmen in Panabo City. Jim Galez, a member of the regional secretariat of party-list group Bayan Muna, was driving his motorcycle on the road to Barangay Little Panay in Panabo City on Wednesday, May 19, when fired upon by still unidentified gunmen. Read the rest of the story on Bulatlat.com.

KABATAAN Partylist 3rd nominee harassed in Catbalogan, Samar, Philippines

2010-05-07T01:10:00.000-07:00

On April 16, 2010, Atty. Katrina Castillo’s mother received an envelope addressed to her daughter with a note that says, “To: Atty. Katrina “Kat-kat” Castillo, second nominee (sic) Kabataan Partylist” from a certain Ronaldo I. Picardal of Brgy. Tizon, Tarangnan, Samar.
The envelope contained a black ribbon and a printed note that says:

It seems that you are not truthful and serious in serving the public. We found out that you continue your alliance with the enemies of democracy, progress and peace - the CPP-NPA-NDF and its partylists. Your alliance with them is an admission that you are one of them who adhere to the nonsense communism. WITH THIS LETTER IS A BLACK RIBBON THAT WILL REMIND YOU THAT YOUR LIFE, AS WELL AS YOUR FAMILY, IS ONLY A PRIVILEGE. IF DEATH BECOMES YOU, MAY YOU REST IN PEACE. For the Filipino people, country, and democracy.

It can be remembered that the harassment of Atty. Castillo began when she became a lawyer in 2007 and served as the concurrent secretary general and legal counsel of KATUNGOD Sinirangang Bisayas. She was informed by her clients (political detainees who are mostly farmers illegally arrested and detained for allegedly being part of the underground movement) that military intelligence agents visited them in prison to solicit information about her. These intelligence agents also tried to intimidate her by making their presence felt during hearings of Atty. Castillo’s cases. Read the rest of the urgent action alert from the Karapatan website.

UAA: 43 health workers illegally arrested in military raid in Rizal province, Philippines

2010-02-07T16:51:00.000-08:00

43 health workers that provide primary health care in the poorest areas of the Philippines were illegally arrested, detained, and tortured. For more information about this incident, see my links on delicious.com/dmaranan/morong43, including news items from the Philippine Daily Inquirer (1), ABS-CBN (2, 3, and 4), the New York Times (5), and Bulatlat (6 and 7). Their case has caught international attention.

URGENT ACTION ALERT: What can you do?

UNESCO, AIJC condemn Maguindanao killings

2010-01-28T00:41:00.000-08:00

This is a repost from the contents of the website of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication:

The UNESCO National Commission-Communication Committee and Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication expressed outrage over the brutal killing of journalists and civilians in Maguindanao in southern Philippines last November 23.

In condemning the horrific murders, UNESCO and AIJC called for speedy justice for the victims and for the resolute enforcement of the rule of law and protection of human rights.

The massacre brings to the fore the significance of the ongoing multidisciplinary study on the “Culture of Impunity in the Killing of Filipino Journalists” being conducted by AIJC with UNESCO support.

UNESCO NatCom and AIJC called on all sectors to be vigilant in safeguarding our democratic system by making those in power accountable for violations against universal freedoms and assaults on persons.

Citing the UN definition of impunity as “the impossibility of bringing the perpetrators of violations to account,” Dr. Florangel Rosario-Braid, NatCom communication committee chair and AIJC president emeritus, said that government should be able to protect its citizens and journalists in particular against becoming targets of impunity.

BBC: "Philippines: World's most deadly place for reporters"

2010-01-21T23:18:00.000-08:00

The world's most dangerous place for journalists is not Afghanistan, Iraq, or Somalia. It's the Philippines. Alastair Leithead reports for the BBC world service. (If you can't see the media player below, click here.)

IFJ Fears for Media Staff in Philippines Danger Zone As Massacre Toll Grows

2009-12-31T06:03:00.000-08:00

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today pledged its full support to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in an urgent campaign on news safety as reports emerged that up to 20 media people died in yesterday’s massacre of journalists and political campaigners in the Philippines.

Some 46 people were killed in the atrocity in the troubled Maguindanao province in the south of the country, among them at least 12 journalists and around eight media staff, according to the latest information from the NUJP branch in Mindanao. It is reported that 22 bodies have been recovered so far.
Under the current government the Philippines has become the most dangerous place in the world for media workers. At least 74 journalists have been killed during its eight-year tenure, yet the Government has not acted to end the culture of impunity. At last count, only four convictions had been secured.

Read the rest on website of the International Federation of Journalists

International Crisis Group's response to the November 23 killings in Maguindanao

2009-12-21T17:44:00.000-08:00

The international outrage generated by last month’s massacre in Maguindanao, southern Philippines, of 57 men and women, half of them journalists, may offer opportunities to make progress in the areas of justice, security and peace. The latest update briefing from the International Crisis Group, shows how the 23 November killings were not the result of a clan feud, as widely reported, but of Manila’s deliberate nurturing of a ruthless warlord in exchange for votes.

Read the full article, including the recommendations, on http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/

Report of the Humanitarian and Fact-Finding Mission to Maguindanao

2009-12-08T21:58:00.001-08:00

Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
MindaNews
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Report of the Humanitarian and Fact-Finding Mission to Maguindanao

of the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists

and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines

Compiled and produced by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, MindaNews, and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines

THE FACT-FINDING TEAM

The Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ), a network of independent media organizations in the Philippines in partnership with the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), a mass organization of journalists across the country, dispatched a humanitarian and Fact-Finding Team to Maguindanao from November 25 to 30, 2009 for two objectives:

1. Extend immediate humanitarian assistance to the reporters and media workers killed in the November 23, 2009 massacre; and
2. Conduct an independent and fair documentation of what had happened.

The Team arrived in General Santos City two days after the massacre, and traveled around to the massacre site in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, the provincial capitol in Shariff Aguak, and the cities of Koronadal and Tacurong to interview witnesses, family members of the victims, investigators, and other government officials.

Established in 2001, the FFFJ provides financial assistance to the families of slain journalists, as well as legal support in the prosecution of their cases. Its founding members are the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), Center for Community Journalism and Development (CCJD), Philippine Press Institute (PPI), Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), and the US-based newspaper Philippine News.

The biggest mass organization of journalists with 62 chapters across the Philippines, the NUJP is a full member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which promotes international action to defend press freedom and social justice through strong, free and independent trade unions of journalists.

The Fact-Finding Mission was conducted in partnership with the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) and the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM).

The Fact-Finding Team was composed of the following journalists and lawyers:

1. Rowena “Weng” C. Paraan, Research Director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and board member of the
2. National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.
3. Jaime “Nonoy” Espina, vice president of the NUJP
4. Ed Lingao, Multimedia Director of the PCIJ
5. Carol Arguillas, editor of MindaNews
6. Froilan Gallardo, senior writer of MindaNews
7. Atty. Prima Quinsayas, legal counsel of the FFFJ
8. Melanie Pinlac, secretariat coordinator of the FFFJ and staff of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
9. Atty. Manuel Quibod, president of the Free Legal Assistance Group-Davao chapter and dean of the Ateneo de Davao School of Law
10. Atty. Maan Lagare Academia, member of UPLM

Three other journalists who are members of the NUJP local chapters coordinated meetings with the family members and assisted the Fact-FindingTeam.

The Team also assisted and worked with the Philippines’ foremost forensics expert, Dr. Raquel Fortun (sister-in-law of Ampatuan lawyer Sigfried Fortun), who has been designated as a consultant on the Maguindanao case by the Commission on Human Rights, in cooperation with the FFFJ.

LIST OF MEDIA VICTIMS

The Fact-Finding Team interviewed local journalists and NUJP members, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and family members of the victims – and visited the funeral parlors and wakes – to come up with a list of the reporters and media workers who were killed in the massacre.

The Fact-Finding Team verified that at least 30 media workers were killed, while another one remains missing, or more than half of the 57 confirmed fatalities.

As of Dec. 1, the list of 30 media fatalities of the massacre follows:

1. Adolfo, Benjie, Gold Star Daily, Koronadal City

2. Araneta, Henry, dzRH, General Santos City

3. Arriola, Mc Delbert “Mac-Mac,” UNTV, General Santos City

4. Bataluna, Rubello, Gold Star Daily, Koronadal City

5. Betia, Arturo, Periodico Ini, General Santos City

6. Cabillo, Romeo Jimmy, Midland Review, Tacurong City

7. Cablitas, Marites, News Focus / dxDX, General Santos City

8. Cachuela, Hannibal, Punto News, Koronadal City

9. Caniban, John, Periodico Ini, General Santos City

10. Dalmacio, Lea, Socsargen News, General Santos City

11. Decina, Noel, Periodico Ini, General Santos City

12. Dela Cruz, Gina, Saksi News, General Santos City

13. Duhay, Jhoy, Gold Star Daily, Tacurong City

14. Evardo, Jolito, UNTV General Santos City

15. Gatchalian, Santos, DXGO, Davao City

16. Legarte, Bienvenido, Jr., Prontiera News, Koronadal City

17. Lupogan, Lindo, Mindanao Daily Gazette, Davao City

18. Maravilla, Ernesto “Bart,” Bombo Radyo, Koronadal City

19. Merisco, Rey, Periodico Ini, Koronadal City

20. Montaño, Marife “Neneng,” Saksi News, General Santos City

21. Morales, Rosell, News Focus, General Santos City

22. Nuñez, Victor, UNTV, General Santos City

23. Perante, Ronnie, Gold Star Daily correspondent, Koronadal City

24. Parcon, Joel, Prontiera News, Koronadal City

25. Razon, Fernando “Ranny,” Periodico Ini, General Santos City

26. Reblando, Alejandro “Bong,” Manila Bulletin, General Santos City

27. Salaysay, Napoleon, Mindanao Gazette, Cotabato City

28. Subang, Francisco “Ian”, Socsargen Today, General Santos City

29. Teodoro, Andres “Andy,” Central Mindanao Inquirer, Tacurong City

30. Tiamson, Daniel, UNTV, General Santos City

MISSING, NOT YET IDENTIFIED

The Fact-Finding Team noted, however, that media worker Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay of the Midland Review, Tacurong City, remains missing. As well, the bodies of three more persons marked as “media” by the retrieval team had been recovered by the authorities but not yet identified by their relatives.

THE FACT-FINDING TEAM’S ACTIVITIES

Day 1 (November 25, 2009, Wednesday)

Team members met in GenSan airport (Carol and Froilan drove from Davao, Weng and Nonoy flew from Manila) shortly before 9 am.

Proceeded to a scheduled meeting with the Crisis Management Committee (CMC) head Secretary Jesus Dureza at the brigade HQ (601^st Philippine Army) in Tacurong. There were several journalists from local and national media already in the camp when the Team arrived and the originally private meeting became a Q and A session between Sec. Dureza and the other members of media. Dureza said nothing new actually except that something would happen soon, apparently referring to the “surrender” of Ampatuan the following day. But we did receive assurance from him that the Team would be updated on developments in the investigation. He invited us to attend a meeting with families at 2 pm in Koronadal and a press briefing afterward. He also arranged for someone to meet the Team at the massacre site.

The Team proceeded to the massacre site (Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town). Just before the Team arrived, the red Vios and UNTV vehicles had already been dug up. Six bodies were found while the Team was there, including the body of dzRH correspondent Henry Araneta, from the pit where the vehicles were also buried.

Local residents interviewed confirmed seeing a huge number of armed men on the day of the massacre.

The Team interviewed ground commander, Chief Superintendent Felicisimo Khu. The residents’ account of the timeline jibed with Khu’s timeline. Like Khu, the residents said they saw the convoy enter the area around 10 am.

It was past 4 pm when the Team reached Koronadal and the meeting with families was over. The Team secured a copy from the Region 12 office of DSWD of the list of victims and representatives of their families. The list was not final, the Team was told. In fact, a lot of entries were inserted and hand-written. The Team compared it with the initial list of media victims that it had (based on Carol’s list, reports by NUJP locals and published reports). The Team came up with an initial list of 27 media personnel. DSWD people said relatives would be coming the following, most likely in the afternoon, to get death certificates. The Team requested DSWD to inform any arriving relatives of the victims that FFFJ and NUJP wished to speak with them.

The Team proceeded to the candle-lighting program at Koronadal Plaza. Nonoy spoke for NUJP. More than 200 people composed of media members, students, and capitol employees listened to the speeches.

Day 2 (November 26, 2009, Thursday)

The Team left early for Shariff Aguak for the “turnover” of Datu Unsay Andal Ampatuan Jr. to Presidential Adviser Jesus Dureza. The 10 am scheduled “turnover” was delayed and finally pushed through at 11:42 am.

Ed tried to go to the massacre site for video documentation but was told by soldiers in the area that the recovery efforts had already been ended.

The Team proceeded to the DSWD office for follow-up work with the families. But only relatives of two victims were there and they were not immediate family members. The Team could therefore not release the financial assistance to them. DSWD, though, gave an updated list of victims and families, and this time with 59 names that included 30 members of media. Some names, however, were either nicknames or were incomplete names, and had no indication of the victim’s media affiliation. The Team checked each name one by one to come up with a more complete list, with additional details.

Weng met with local journalists to help facilitate the meeting with the victims’ families. Tasks on who would contact who were identified.

Ed went to the autopsy site and a funeral parlor, and then met with Freddie Solinap, publisher of Periodico Ini. The weekly paper had lost its full complement of field/reportorial personnel during the massacre, since four of the paper’s staff of six had come along for the coverage. The surviving two staff members of the paper are admin/office personnel.

The Team returned to General Santos City

The Team secured data on briefing presentations for Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales

Day 3 (November 27, 2009, Friday)

The Team secured copies of vital documents, including reports of the investigators, and the affidavits of Datu Esmael “Toto” Gaguil Mangudadatu, Datu Ibrahim “Jong” Mangudadatu, Datu Freddie “Ogie”G. Mangudadatu and Datu Zajid “Dodong” G. Mangudadatu, Judge Mamasalanan, Basit T. Laguia, Sandaman Rajah Ali, the initial report of the National Bureau of Investigation, and minutes of the inquest proceedings on November 26, 2009. Minutes of Inquest Proceedings, 26 Nov ; Joint-Affidavit of Arrest of SA Manuel Sayre; SA Madrino de Jesus, Sgt. Eduardo Fr. Ramos, Jr.; SA Ariel Jonathan Contreras and SRA Czar Eric.

The Team’s lawyers met to discuss legal steps to be taken and arrange for media coverage of the filing of the case on Tuesday (Monday, Nov. 30, being a holiday) and to ensure that the documents are filed with the court.

The Team visited the victims’ families in General Santos City, and spoke with their relatives at the funeral homes.

The Team interviewed reporters who were supposed to have joined the trip to Maguindanao on November 23 but who decided against doing so at the last minute.

Forensics expert Dr. Raquel Fortun arrives in General Santos City and is given a general briefing by the Fact-Finding Team on their initial findings.

Day 4 (November 28, 2009, Saturday)

The Team proceeded to Koronadal to meet with 12 families of the slain media members held at the Public Information Office of the capitol building. Only 11 families arrived and were given financial assistance by the FFFJ.

The Team returned to General Santos City and at the Collado Funeral Parlor met with family members and friends of five media victims, in particular (Cablitas, Dela Cruz, Bataluna, Adolfo, Morales).

Atty. Quinsayas met for the second time with PD Leo Dacera.

Ed and Dr Fortun visited the massacre site and met with representatives of the Commission on Human Rights.

Ed and Dr Fortun went to see the vehicles of the victims that have been impounded at the police “evidence yard” in General Santos City.

Day 5 (November 29, 2009, Sunday)

The Team proceeded to Sto. Niño, South Cotabato to meet with the family of Henry Araneta.

The Team went to Tacurong City to meet with families of Bebot Momay and Andres Teodoro (Melay and Froilan).

Atty. Quinsayas met with the prosecution panel in GenSan.

Day 6 (November 30, 2009, Monday)

The Team met with family of Mc Delbert Arriola at UNTV GenSan office.

At the airport, the Team received a text message from Arriola’s father that the CIDG had called families of victims.

The Team learned that the families of two victims have decided to files cases. Post-mortem reports have been done for only five media workers:

OBSERVATIONS OF THE TEAM

1. Poor handling and contamination of the massacre site

Five days after the massacre, when the Fact-Finding Team visited on November 28, the scene of the crime remained heavily littered with rubbish, and possibly the personal effects and the remains of the victims. There was even what appeared to be a tuft of long hair on the ground that could have been a piece of scalp. The police scene of crime operatives (SOCO) had placed yellow police line tape only around the immediate perimeter of the massacre site, but not on the road leading to it. The site did not look like a protected scene at all. The Team even saw used SIM cards – from the suspects or from responding police and soldiers- on the ground.

The retrieval team from the military and police was clearly assigned to achieve only one task: get the bodies out. There was little or no consideration given to preserving the evidence. There was little or no consideration given to avoid the contamination of the crime scene.

2. Poor handling of the remains

The use of a backhoe (not the one allegedly used by the accused) compromised the site and the remains. In addition, the backhoe may have ended up adding to the physical trauma on the bodies. An indication of the carelessness shown in handling the bodies was the fluctuating body count that the authorities gave. For a while, the authorities could not agree on how many bodies there were.

In interviews, members of the retrieval team from the military and police admitted that they had to rush their work and pull out of the site before dark set in because the situation on the first four days was still tenuous, and they had wanted to avoid possible retaliation from the suspects. The retrieval team had chosen to use a backhoe, instead of shovels, to retrieve the bodies precisely to rush the effort.

3. The apparent preference for testimonial rather than physical evidence

The authorities have been gathering a lot of testimonies, but showed less emphasis to securing physical evidence. Three affidavits submitted by prosecutors against the Ampatuans were allegedly from the passengers of the last vehicle that got separated from the convoy. Their affidavits had too many phrases in common, such as “I and my companions went out of the car to urinate” and “We were threatened to see Datu Unsay approaching the first vehicle.”

Some affidavits submitted to the prosecutors stated that the diggings and pit where the bodies were buried had been prepared a week earlier, or days before the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre.

According to ground command C/Supt Khu, only one cell phone was recovered from the massacre site, and no other equipment or gadget that the media workers and the other fatalities might have carried with them.

4. CAFGU Detachment, “MNLF Camp” near the site

The victims’ convoy was stopped by the suspects just about 300 meters from a detachment of the CAFGU (Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units that are under the command of the military). During the initial military search, the CAFGUs claimed that no such convoy had passed by, even though the blockade occurred in a dip in the road clearly visible to the CAFGU detachment. The army cadre in charge of the detachment discreetly signaled to searchers that the convoy had turned into the side road. The CAFGUs are under interrogation.

While both are militia forces, CAFGUs and CVOs (civilian volunteer organization) have different command structures. CVOs, including barangay tanods, are under the command of local government officials.

Just 50 meters down the road leading to the massacre site there is an area marked as “MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) camp.” It was empty when the Fact-Finding Team arrived but the adjacent houses looked well kept.

5. Vehicle/s allegedly used by suspects still unaccounted for

Investigators said the suspects also used a Nissan Frontier pickup with police markings. One such police vehicle issued to the Maguindanao police is still unaccounted for. This jibes with claims by the Mangudadatus’ witnesses that police vehicles were involved in the blockade.

6. Fear grips residents near the site, and seems to prevent them from speaking out

There are many houses, even a mosque, located around the massacre site. Because the site is on a hilltop, anyone in those houses would have seen the massacre, assuming that they were there at the time. Whether or not they would be willing to talk about what they could have seen is another question.

7. Enormous weapons arsenal of the Ampatuans not fully confiscated

The Ampatuans had surrendered a lot of old firearms such as Garands and Carbines but are known to have large arsenals of modern weapons. The initial police investigation showed that the victims were shot by six Armalite rifles, an M-14 rifle, an AK-47, and a shotgun. The police reports made no mention of injuries caused by a Garand or a Carbine.

The police had seized two heavy armored cars owned by the Ampatuans that were armed with multiple 50-caliber machine guns. The vehicles look like World War 2-type half-tracks [except they have wheels] that have half-inch armor plates. These armored cars were painted in camouflage and stamped with the words Pulisya and Shariff Aguak or Maguindanao police, even though they are not official police vehicles. In fact they do not even have any attachment points for license plates. It is not clear if appropriate charges were filed against the Ampatuans for these armored cars. The police also say that the 50-caliber machine guns had tampered serial numbers.

8. Road leads to nowhere?

The road to the massacre site is a road for four-wheel vehicles. Yet the road leads to nowhere, and ends at the massacre site. Also, no one in the area clearly owns any vehicle. The pit where the bodies were buried might have been dug up days before the massacre occurred, according to the retrieval team members.

9. Imperative to disarm all clans, political families in the area

Apart from the Ampatuans, the Mangudadatus are widely held to be in command of their own private army. The two families were, until last year, close allies. One journalist quotes some residents as saying, “Walang pinagkaiba ang mga iyan.” Toto Mangudadatu filed his certificate of candidacy escorted by scores of armed escorts, according to television news reports of the event. In a visit to his family house in Buluan City, the Team saw civilians carrying high-powered firearms, some of them of unknown make and caliber, indicating that these could not possibly be government-issue firearms.

10. Missing or still undisclosed documents

More than a week after the massacre, and days after the Department of Justice had reportedly filed seven counts of murder charges against Andal Ampatuan Jr., the authorities have yet to publicly release vital documents, including the police case referral report (which should contain a summary of the evidence and findings of the investigator, and serve as basis for the prosecution of the case/s).

As important, there are no publicly available copies of any other presidential issuances covering the grant of so-called “blanket authority” for Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno to deal with the “state of emergency” in Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, and Cotabato City. What has been uploaded on the website of the Office of the Press Secretary is just a six-paragraph Presidential Proclamation No. 1946 dated November 24, 2009, which does not spell out the broad powers supposedly vested in Puno by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, according to her Press Secretary Cerge Remonde.

The “blanket authority” granted to Puno is not contained in any presidential issuances on record. It was just discussed in a press release of the Office of the Press Secretary and in press statements of Remonde.

11. Government resources used to fly Andal Ampatuan Jr. and his lawyer Sigfried Fortun

The WPP’s Team said government used an Air Force aircraft to fly in Ampatuan’s lawyer Sigfried Fortun from Cotabato City to General Santos City, after Ampatuan refused to avail himself of the services of a public attorney. What this means is that the government spent government resources to fly in the private lawyer of the man it is charging with multiple counts of murder.

12. Government response to the situation has not fully eased the anxiety and fear of the residents and media workers in the affected areas; the threats to the safety and security of the communities linger, especially with the forthcoming elections likely to fire up the tension between partisan rivals and political clans

National media coverage of the situation has inordinately focused on the rivalry for political power between the clans, inchoate images of the tragedy, and disjointed statements from the investigators, Malacanang officials, and political partisans. Little attention has been given to the gaps in the work of the police, investigators, and prosecutors.

The massacre claimed nearly an entire generation of journalists from the small print and broadcast communities of General Santos, Koronadal City, and nearby areas. At least 22 of the 31 fatalities were married and had children, indicating an enormous need for continuing humanitarian assistance.

TIMELINE: The Maguindanao Massacre

Compiled by MindaNews for the FFFJ-NUJP Fact-Finding Team

Friday, 20 November

First day of filing of certificates of candidacy nationwide.

“When the period of filing of candidacy was opened last 20 November 2009, there were rumors that the Ampatuans will strongly object on (sic) the fielding of candidates from the Mangudadatu side, though there were no solid indicators as to what actions they will be undertaking”

“Information on the plan of the group of Toto Mangudadatu to file his candidacy circulated in Maguindanao”

Philippine National Police sets up six new additional checkpoints (along the 27-kilometer stretch of the GenSan-Cotabato highway (from Datu Sangki at the boundary of Sultan Kudarat, to the crossing of Salbu, Datu Saudi Ampatuan), in relation, purportedly to Oplan Kontra Boga.”

Three of these checkpoints are in Ampatuan town within the vicinity of where the convoy would be stopped three days later.

Checkpoints set up at Barangay (village) Salbu, DSA; Barangay Labu-labu, Shariff Aguak; Barangay Poblacion, Ampatuan; Barangay Masalay, Ampatuan; Crossing Saniag, Barangay Saniag,Ampatuan; and Barangay Poblacion, DSA.

Sunday, 22 November

10 p.m.
Four journalists from South Cotabato and General Santos arrive at the BF Lodge in Tacurong City: Aquiles Zonio of PDI, Joseph Jubelag of Manila Standard Today, Paul Bernaldez, photojournalist of Abante, and Alejandro “Bong” Reblando of Manila Bulletin.

At least eight others, who had been staying there for the Kalimudan festivities which ended Sunday, also spent the night there.

Monday, 23 November

7a.m.
Journalists gather at the residence of Buluan, Maguindanao vice mayor Ismael “Toto” Mangudadatu. Target time for jump-off to Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao is 9 a.m. but is delayed due to security concerns (interview with Aquiles Zonio, Jubelag, Bernaldez, 24 Nov).

The Mangudadatus had allegedly sought police and military assistance but were turned down. The military later explained two battalions had just pulled out, and requests for election-related security concerns are to be coursed through either the police or the Comelec, which then makes the request to the military (interview with 601^st Bde chief Col. Medardo Geslani, 24 Nov)

Henry Araneta (or was it Teodoro) sends a text message to wife at 6:58 p.m. expressing fear that trouble could erupt. The text message that Henry sent that his wife forwarded read thus:”Ok mang ky ari pa kami sa buloan. May problema kame ayaw magbigay ng body guard ang mga AFP/ bsi mag ka bakbakan ngayon mang.”

9:30 a.m.
Convoy of three vans, Manila Standard Today correspondent Joseph Jubelag’s car and UNTV moves out of Buluan with the UNTV vehicle as lead. En route to Shariff Aguak, Jubelag opts to break away from the convoy for personal (actually, security-related) reasons. Aquiles Zonio who is in the lead vehicle gets out to join Jubelag. Bernaldez also joins Jubelag (interview with Aquiles Zonio, Jubelag, Bernaldez, 24 Nov).

The breakaway group returns to hotel where Aquiles is told two men on board a motorcycle vehicle had come to ask for the names of journalists who checked in. Hotel personnel say they didn’t give names. Aquiles said they did not give their names upon check in.

Aquiles relates motorcycle-riding men story to Jubelag who sends a text message to Reblando. Reblando sends Jubelag’s message to Aquiles at 9:58 a.m.

On their way back to the house of Mangudadatu, they called on their companions but no one answered.

11 a.m.

Information received states that five (5) civilian vehicles heading toward the Municipality of Ampatuan, Maguindanao, from the Municipality of Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat, was flagged down by undetermined number of fully armed men at vicinity GC 51NXH 614542 Barangay Masalay, Ampatuan, Mag. Accordingly, said civilian vehicles together with undetermined number of passengers were taken by the armed men towards vicinity GC 51NXH 590529 Barangay Saniag, Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

11 a.m.

Bde Commander gave instructions to 64IB to conduct operations to rescue the reported abducted persons

1 p.m.

64 IB forces arrived at Barangay. Masalay, Ampatuan, Maguindanao and coordinated with Chief Inspector Dicay of 15th RMG (Dureza identified him as deputy police chief) who were conducting checkpoint thereat. Per conversation with Chief Inspector Dicay, he conveyed that they have no knowledge on the alleged abduction that was reported.

1:30 p.m.
64IB with four armored vehicles advanced east toward Barangay Saniag to conduct rescue operations where the abducted persons were allegedly brought.

2:50 p.m.

The troops sighted six (6) vehicles along the trail after traversing approximately three (3) kilometers from the highway at vicinity GC 51N XH 590529 Barangay Saniag, Ampatuan, Maguindanao. Suspecting that these are the vehicles which were missing, troops immediately proceeded to the site.

3:00 pm

Helicopter of Mayor Jhong Mangudadatu lands in sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman.

Twenty-one persons found dead inside and outside vehicles, on the ground. Fifteen females, six males, with multiple gunshot wounds in the different parts of their bodies.

Five vehicles were also found in the area as follows: four (4)Toyota Grandia with plate numbers MVM 789, MVM 884, MVM 885 and LGH 247, one (1) Pajero with plate number MCB 335 and one (1) backhoe. Other items that were seen in the site were various personal items, assorted empty shells and other documents. Troops immediately secured the area to preserve the crime scene prior to the arrival of the PNP SOCO Team for proper investigation.

Note: In a telephone interview with VM Mangudadatu, he said they did not send Mayor Mangudadatu’s helicopter to provide air cover to the convoy because they did not want any provocation and the helicopter providing air support may be mistaken for a provocation.

VM not clear exactly what time helicopter was sent, given that the abduction was at 10 a.m. and the landing of the chopper at crime site was 3 pm.

He said he recalls the chopper was on air for about an hour (?) and had even reached Shariff Aguak before they saw the vehicles in Barangay Salman.

VM says the helicopter hovered until the soldiers arrived. Note in the briefing for Gonzales that the time difference is 10 minutes.

6 p.m

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza proposes declaration of state of emergency and wants everyone in Maguindanao disarmed.

10 p.m.

The PNP SOCO Team under Chief Supt Felicisimo Khu arrives at the crime scene and immediately conducts investigation.

Tuesday, November 24

8 a.m.

A total of 22 bodies found.

By the end of the day, 24 more bodies dug from Gravesite 1, in what ground commander, Chief Superintendent Felicisimo Khu describes as “layered” burial to deceive them. “Bodies, soil, bodies, soil, bodies soil,” he said. He recalls around six layers of bodies/soil.

9 a.m.

Briefing conducted by the military officers for Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales and Crisis Management Committee in General Santos City.

12 noon

President Arroyo meets with CMC head Dureza, SND, Eastmincom Chief Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, et al in a teleconference at the brigade.

Nearly 2 pm

Dureza proceeds to Ampatuan Sr.’s mansion in Shariff Aguak. Waits an hour for Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. to be presented to him (Attached is Dureza’s account of “The Maguindanao Massacre:The Four Critical Days”, published in Mindanews, www.mindanews.com)

State of Emergency declared over Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato City

Evening
Team secures copy of Nov. 24 Powerpoint briefing for Gonzales

Wednesday, November 25

9 a.m.

Fact-Finding Team from Manila arrives in GenSan; proceeds to meeting with Dureza at 601^st Bde in Tacurong City but Dureza decides to have “dialogue” with media instead (meaning, together with other media)

Noon

Team proceeds to massacre site in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

Team leaves area around 3 p.m. with six more bodies retrieved. By evening a total of 11 bodies were retrieved that day.

On Nov. 23, the day of the massacre, 21 bodies were recovered.

By morning of Nov 22, one more body, for a new total of 22 bodies
By end of Nov 25, another 24 bodies recovered, for a new total of 46 fatalities.
By end of Nov 26, another 11 bodies recovered for a new total of 57 fatalities.

Team arrives in Koronadal City but only DSWD and PIA staff left behind in Plaza Ramona, venue of Dureza’s meeting with families. Carol’s initial list of victims reconciled with DSWD’s new listing.

The Fact-FindingTeam interviewed ground commander, Chief Superintendent Felicisimo Khu. The residents’ account of the timeline jibed with Khu’s timeline. Like Khu said, the residents said they saw the convoy (the residents counted seven vehicles, Khu said there were six vehicles) enter the area around 10 am.

The residents said they then heard a brief but very intense burst of automatic weapons fire and after a few minutes, saw around 50 armed men crossing the hills in the direction of Shariff Aguak. It was after this that the backhoe entered the area.

Khu’s account was that around half an hour after the convoy was diverted to the massacre site, a trailer brought the backhoe to the highway crossing that leads leading to the site. The backhoe then enters. According to Khu, just before the Army arrived, the prime mover (cab) of the trailer disengaged and fetched the backhoe operator, which accounts for why troops reportedly found the backhoe engine still running.

Also, it was Khu who first confirmed the interception by the troops of two CVO (civilian volunteer organization) members, one armed with an M-16, the other with a shotgun (Khu described it as a major break since only one victim, Bong Reblando, was killed with a shotgun). The two CVOs were reportedly turned over to Ampatuan police OIC SPO4 Badawi Bacal, who turned them over to the vice mayor. The two CVOs had not been heard from since.

This, said Khu, was the reason why he recommended Bacal’s relief. Although later news reports said the two CVOs had been found.

Evening

Team attends candle-lighting rites and rally at roundball, Koronadal

Late evening

TV news announces expulsion of Ampatuan Sr. and Jr. and Ampatuan the ARMM governor, from Lakas-Kampi.

Nearly midnight, Carol receives text message that VM Mangudadatu will proceed to Shariff Aguak the next day to file his COC, to be escorted reportedly by Lakas-Kampi standard bearer Gilberto Teodoro.

Thursday, November 26

8 a.m.

Events to choose from: VM Mangudadatu proceeding to Shariff Aguak to file COC or what Dureza’s staff asked us to choose which: possible turnover of Mayor Ampatuan to Dureza at provincial capitol in Shariff Aguak or Dureza turning over Mayor to Justice Devanadera in General Santos City.

Team opts to proceed to Shariff Aguak as the possibility the Ampatuans won’t yield also loomed.

VM Mangudadatu cancels filing for another day.

10 a.m

Dureza’s chopper had not left Tacurong brigade.

11:13 a.m.
Two Hueys arrive, escorted by two MG-520s.

11:42 a.m.

Convoy of Ampatuans enters Maguindanao Provincial Capitol gate from mansion 400 meters away. Tension filled the air. Media-savvy Dureza opts to stay where chopper is. Mayor is accompanied by ARMM Solicitor General Cynthia Guiapal-Sayadi.

11:49 a.m.

Helicopters carrying Dureza, Mayor, etc.. fly to General Santos City for turnover of mayor to Justice Devanadera.

p.m.

Inquest in GenSan delayed as helicopters had to fetch the mayor’s counsel, Siegfried Fortun, from the Cotabato City airport.

Inquest done. NBI “arrests” mayor.

Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadeta and suspect Datu Unsay Andal Ampatuan Jr fly to Manila.

Friday, November 27

Gilbert Teodoro escorts VM Mangudadatu to Shariff Aguak to file certificate of candidacy.

Fact-Finding Team meets with DOJ team (Dacera, Calica, etc….)

Dr. Raquel Fortun arrives; arrangements made with Dureza for Dr. Fortun to visit the massacre site next day.

Saturday, November 28

Dr. Fortun goes to massacre site with Ed Lingao and conferred with the first responders.

Dr Fortun and Ed only allowed to view (and photograph) vehicles from a distance, but not to inspect the vehicles.

Other Fact-Finding Team members proceed to Koronadal City to meet with families.

Sunday, November 29

Fact-Finding Team proceeds to Sto.Nino to meet with Henry Araneta’s family, and then to Koronadal’s outskirts for Andy Teodoro, as Atty. Quinsayas assists in final draft of affidavits, at the DOJ meeting place.

Monday, November 30

Carol sends text message to Calica in the morning re arrangements for filing of case in Cotabato City Tuesday. Calica replies he would. He did at nearly 10 p.m. simply to say we must be there by 8 a.m.

Tuesday, December 1

4 a.m.

Davao-based team members proceed to Cotabato City for case-filing

Twenty-five counts of murder filed against Mayor. Subpoena to be issued to eight other Ampatuans to present their counter-affidavits.

OVERVIEW PROFILE OF THE 30 MEDIA WORKERS

KILLED in the MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE, November 23, 2009

(Prepared by Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility based on data

gathered by the FFFJ-NUJP Fact-Finding Team)

Based on an interview with one of the three journalists who decided not to join the Mangudadatu convoy to Shariff Aguak, 34 journalists/media practitioners signed up for the coverage event. The Fact-Finding Team has verified that of the total, 30 media workers were killed, while another one remains missing.

Thirty-one of the 57 persons (or 54 percent) killed in the Ampatuan town massacre were media practitioners. (The body of another r journalist is still unaccounted for. A relative said a family’s friend identified the victim’s body at the site but that the family could not find it later at the funeral homes.)

Twenty-seven of the 31 media practitioners (or 87 percent) killed were males. Four were females.

Most of the media practitioners killed were based in General Santos City (14 out of the 31 or 45 percent).

Most of the media practitioners killed (about 22) had children. Sixteen of them were said to be married.

Almost 68 percent (or 22) of the media practitioners killed were working for newspapers and tabloids.

Most of the journalists killed worked for Mindanao-based newspapers (12 newspapers). One victim, Alejandro “Bong” Reblando, worked with a wire agency (stringer of Reuters).

From www.mindanews.com

First posted Monday, 30 November 2009

“The Maguindanao Massacre: The Four Critical Days”

by Secretary Jesus G. Dureza, head of Crisis Management Committee on Maguindanao

(Note from MindaNews Ed: The following is an account by Presidential Adviser Jesus Dureza on his recollection of the “four critical days” following the Ampatuan Massacre – referred to by him as the “Maguindanao Massacre.” Dureza was a journalist in Davao City before he became a lawyer and politician).

DAY ONE –Nov 23 (Monday)

I was monitoring closely reports about a missing convoy in Maguindanao with media friends. Later in the day, reports of mass murder of the Mangudadatus were confirmed. Allegedly by Datu Unsay Ampatuan Jr. et al. My instincts told me this could very well be a very explosive situation. . When media called, I said I would recommend proclaiming a state of emergency. At 8 p.m. SND Bert Gonzales and I met. He told me the President had directed that I act as “crisis manager.”

DAY TWO – Nov 24 (Tuesday)

Bert and I took the earliest flight to Gen Santos City. At the 601st brigade in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat, briefings were held. Initial photos of the carnage were flashed on the screen. Gruesome! Next we met with the Mangudadatus, many of them my personal friends.

They were tense and angry. They wanted to retrieve the bodies immediately. They demanded justice, immediately. The Ampatuans did it, they said. After Bert and I expressed government’s resolve to do everything possible, Toto Mangudadatu said they will cooperate. No retaliatory action but government must give justice.

12 NOON – A teleconferencing call connected Bert and me to the Palace where the President was presiding over a hastily called security meeting. We were getting specific instructions from her. So did Bert, PNP Chief Jess Versoza and AFP Vice CS Maclang who arrived with us. Her voice had that sense of urgency. Inputs from the other cabinet members were also relayed.

1:00 PM – The crisis management committee was activated. Assisting me were Eastmincom Gen Ferrer and PNP 12 Director Serapio.

2:00 PM – Bert left to fly back to Manila. Col Geslani, brigade commander assisted in setting up the command center. It was at this time that I operationalized an action plan I quietly formulated in my mind. It was a simple plan drawing lessons from past experiences.

3:00PM – Having talked with the Mangudadatus, I decided to go see the Ampatuans in Shariff Aguak. I felt confident. Both families were my friends. And I had direct access to them. With my staff and without military escorts, except for one military officer, Col Macario as guide, I motored to the Ampatuan residence.

3:45PM –I entered the Ampatuan fenced premises and the patriarch Gov. Andal Ampatuan, Sr was there waiting for me. With him seated in a “ bahay kubo” on the sprawling grounds were several ARMM and Maguindanao officials and relatives. Armed followers were everywhere.

After informing Gov. Andal that my purpose in coming was because of the incident and that his son, Mayor Datu Unsay Ampatuan, Jr. was implicated , I told “Bapa” Andal that it would be best that the Ampatuans also “cooperate”. I said that Datu Unsay should submit to an investigation. He immediately said: “ OK. Kausapin mo s’ya. Ipatawag ko si Datu Unsay. Basta kayo secretary walang problema”. I told him I wanted to see Datu Unsay as I got reports that he was missing or had escaped. Bapa said: “Hindi yan totoo. Darating si Datu Unsay. Magpakita sya sa yo secretary.” Bapa Andal as usual, was a man of few words. We then went inside the house to wait for the son’s arrival. In the meantime, ARMM Gov Zaldy Ampatuan and Cong. Digs Dilangalen arrived from the airport. Usec Zam Ampatuan, Atty Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi (ARMM Solicitor General), among others, was there, too. I felt a bit tense and uncomfortable. I did not want to start talking about the incident until Unsay would arrive. We were chatting for about an hour trying to divert the issue and loosen up. A lively conversation centered on how many children some of their relatives had. One relative had 70 children. Of course, from several mothers. Etc.

4:30PM – We waited. I noticed that Atty. Cynthia was using her cellphone and taking pictures while we were chatting. Unsay arrived and got seated on my left. We continued a bit about our light banter until Unsay settled down. (GMA7 later that same evening showed some pictures on TV. My wife Beth texted me and called my attention immediately when she saw it: “Bakit ka smile kasama mga Ampatuan. Not proper.” I agreed. But I was puzzled where the pictures came from and who sent them. There were no media people around. I surmised Cynthia did it.)

5:00PM. – I was becoming worried that darkness would overtake my return trip to Sultan Kudarat. Many armed and uniformed men on the highway. One could not tell what group or unit. So when Unsay got seated, I immediately told him that I came because of the serious incident and that initial reports mentioned his name as involved. I told him my purpose in coming was only to be assured that he would cooperate and submit himself to any investigation. He looked at the direction of Gov Andal who spoke first: “ Gaya ng sinabi ko sayo kanina, magcooperate kami, secretary”. Then Unsay himself echoed saying: “Mag cooperate po kami secretary”. I then stood up and said I would contact them again soon.

We arrived in Marbel already dark and stayed there for the night.

DAY THREE, Nov 25, (-Wednesday)

830AM, I visited a funeral parlor in Marbel. Some bodies not identified yet. I then directed DSWD 12 to attend to the immediate needs of the families, and that DOH 12 and OCD 12 were to assist. I motored to Tacurong at 601st brigade and met the NBI team that just arrived from Manila. I reconvened the crisis committee and mapped up moves on how to fast track work. A team of PNP investigators were sent to the residence of Buluan Vice Mayor Toto Mangudadatu to get statements but they were told that affidavits of their witnesses would be submitted instead perhaps the following day. I was already aware that the outrage over the killings mounted. And government was being criticized for slow action.

12 NOON –Over lunch at the brigade, I consulted with the crisis committee on my plan: it was time to contact the Ampatuans and call in Datu Unsay to voluntarily surrender. As they committed to me yesterday.

I was also quietly informed that an operational plan was underway to forcibly take custody of him.

2:00PM – On my way to Marbel to dialogue with all the families of the victims, I made several calls. First with ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan. I told him it was time to bring in Datu Unsay. He told me he would consult the father, Gov. Andal. I said I had only until 5 pm that day to work on this plan. After 5pm, the scenario would no longer be the same, I told him.

4:00PM – While meeting the families of victims in downtown Marbel, I got a call from the father, Gov Andal telling me that he would turnover to me Datu Unsay but requested that the deadline be moved from 5pm today to 10 AM, the following day. I immediately told him I could not guarantee things if the deadline was moved. He said the Ampatuan clan would meet that evening and discuss things and bid goodbye to Datu Unsay. I told him I would get back to him by phone. I made calls and informed some of my colleagues (with whom I had been consulting from the beginning) of the request.

There were objections. Understandable reservations: what if the extension was a ruse to escape that evening? What were the guarantees that he would voluntarily surrender during the new deadline? People were becoming outraged not only on the crime but on the perceived slowness of government, so why waste more time? The forces were ready to strike, so why delay?

But I also reasoned back: How sure are we that we would get Datu Unsay in the operations? (From yesterday’s visit to the Ampatuans, I was certain that he was not there in the immediate vicinity but came from somewhere far.) An assault would surely cost lives knowing the armaments, the culture and the situation. People were crying for swift action but I would not agree to precipitate action. I also said I believed Gov Andal was sincere when he told me he would bring out his son when needed. To wrap up my point, I said: I would take full responsibility for whatever outcome.

My new timeline was adopted. I moved the deadline to 10:00AM the following day.

That night, we reviewed the “pickup” scenario several times and mapped out contingencies just in case things would not go as planned. In the meantime, government troops moved according to operational plans. That evening, I got a call from Atty. Cynthia getting an assurance from me that nothing would be launched that evening until the 10 AM pickup time the following day. I told her if there were troop movements, these were in support of the 10 AM “pickup”.

Later in the night, another complication suddenly arose. Gen Serapio and Col Geslani informed me that they got information that Toto Mangudadatu would motor with his followers to file his certificate of candidacy the following morning in Shariff Aguak. I immediately called Gov. Teng Mangudadatu. I told him that there was something afoot the following morning and that without disclosing what it was all about, I requested if he could convince Toto to move his filing to another day. A few minutes later, Gov Teng called and said the clan agreed.

D-DAY, Nov. 26 (Thursday)

6:00AM–Early morning, government forces took over and occupied the ARMM facilities and other buildings and premises in Maguindanao province. Armed elements loyal to the Ampatuans were taken by surprise and gave up their firearms without resistance.

I was nervous a bit but confident. The “what if” scenarios kept popping up in my mind. I motored to the 601st brigade for the final briefings. The choppers would pick me up from there. Gen Ferrer and I watched as more newly arrived troops were jumping off towards designated areas.

9:00AM – I was informed that something went wrong with the Huey helicopters coming from Cotabato . The Davao choppers were instead dispatched but would not be able to arrive by 10AM.

9:55AM – I got a call from Col Geslani whom we tasked to liaison with the Ampatuans that they were requesting for a little time as they were waiting for their lawyer who was still on the road to arrive. That was a break I needed. The 2 choppers arrived. We discussed with the pilot and crew contingencies and procedures.

10:45AM, we were ready to jump off upon cue from Col Geslani. It would be a short 35 minute hop from the brigade to Shariff Aguak. My staff Cecil said she’s getting nervous but insisted on joining. My assistant, Yo was busy texting. But wait, another problem suddenly cropped up. As we were boarding, one the 2 PNP officers tasked to escort the suspect said they could not use the handcuff on Ampatuan as the KEY WAS MISSING! What about the other handcuff with your buddy, I asked. “Ganon din po sir”, he replied. “Sh_t!” I almost fell from my seat!.(”Sarap sapakin!”) But there was no more time. We then agreed that he would be strapped with the seat belt and the policemen would firmly clasp the buckles to prevent any unexpected situation while airborne. (When I was asked later by reporters why Ampatuan was not handcuffed, I had a ready curt answer with a straight face: “He is adequately restrained!”. Sec Agnes promptly responded with the same line when she was asked upon landing in Manila. )

11:20AM Two Hueys landed on the Maguindanao province capitol grounds. The Huey engines were not shut off as agreed in case a sudden exit maneuver was necessary. I waited for 20 minutes on the ground. I was getting worried. Finally, I saw my staff Ollie with his thumbs up sign. Col Geslani signaled, they were on their way. My “what if” scare disappeared. The capitol gates opened. The Ampatuan family arrived on board vehicles from another location nearby. Gov Zaldy clasping my hand said: “Ipaubaya ni amah si Datu Unsay sayo” and turned over Datu Unsay to me. We boarded the aircraft with Atty. Cynthia, insisting she had to ride with him.

11:40AM, Helis took off enroute Gen Santos City where Sec. Agnes and her crew were waiting for an inquest proceeding. But again something happened. About a few minutes airborne and while still climbing and gaining altitude, I first noticed some flapping sound outside. I thought, maybe some loose parts of the chopper. The noise kept coming, intermittent. I looked down and maybe I saw flashes but I was not sure. Suddenly the Huey banked sharply to the right and simultaneously, several short bursts from our two Huey gunners at the back. The bursts startled all of us. The evasive maneuver by the pilot also jarred us. All of us kept our heads low as the Huey steeply climbed. My staff Jerry and Col Mac, who were seated beside the open Huey doors ducked. The soldier at the back shouted, “ground fire, sir”. We still climbed. The flapping sound from outside could not be heard anymore. The gunners later told me ground fire sounded like flapping from the air. The evasive action and the machinegun bursts were SOP. At 2,000 feet altitude, we cruised. That’s when I saw on the Huey floor an empty shell from the bursts of the M-60 machinegun on board.

I picked up the empty shell, then pocketed it for good luck.

At the Gensan airport, I called the Boss: “Mission accomplished, Mrs. President.”

(Note from Dureza’s staff: Dureza had successfully handled past crises situations notably the “detention” by MNLF Saber Malik of Marine Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino and OPAPP Usec Ramon Santos in Sulu in 2007; the handover of Misuari from Malaysian authorities to face rebellion charges in 2002; the surrender of convicted priest-killer escapee Manero in 2001; the release of Gen. Obillo and Capt. Montealto by NPA Commander Parago with the Capalla humanitarian team in 1999; the Cebu Pacific plane crash in Misamis Oriental in 1998; the Mindanao El Nino crisis in 1998; the Davao Penal Colony hostage situation in 1998.)

Source: www.ops.gov.ph

Forty-seven IFEX members condemn massacre of journalists, call for justice

2009-11-30T11:20:00.000-08:00

Attn: Members of the Philippines government, judiciary, police and military

We, the undersigned 47 members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) network join the people of the Philippines in condemning, in the strongest terms possible, the massacre of at least 57 Filipinos in the southern Philippines.

Any murder is reprehensible, but as freedom of expression and press freedom advocates, we are especially appalled by the most recent media reports that at least 28 of those killed in the province of Maguindanao on 23 November 2009 were journalists.

IFEX members monitor attacks on journalists and media on a daily basis, throughout the world. Our members call attention to various forms of violence and threats not just to journalists, but to the larger environments in which independent media must survive. And still, the massacre of journalists in Maguindanao staggers our community. It is a crime of such scale and horror that is incomparable to anything we have seen.

Read the rest of the statement on the IFEX website.

Philippine journalists 'live in danger'

2009-11-29T00:37:00.000-08:00

Another report on local corruption or the conduct of a war, another dead journalist in the Philippines.

Family members, friends and witnesses flee for safety; no one dares to testify about what they saw - perhaps a motorbike licence plate and a glimpse of the men who shot the journalist in the head.

Local prosecutors are too close to the warlords or army commanders and decline to pursue the case.

And so the toll rises: 63 dead journalists in the past eight years.

Read the rest on BBC News.

Maguindanao massacre worst-ever for journalists

2009-11-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

View Death by Democracy in a larger map

The massacre of journalists in Maguindanao Monday is the worst death toll for the press in recent history, an international media watchdog said yesterday. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the killing "appears to be single deadliest event for the press since 1992, when CPJ began keeping detailed records on journalist deaths." "Even as we tally the dead in this horrific massacre, our initial research indicates that this is the deadliest single attack on the press ever documented by CPJ,” said executive director Joel Simon of the New York-based group. It was the CPJ that had earlier branded the Philippines the second most dangerous place for journalists in the world behind Iraq. Read the rest of the article on Inquirer.net.

Death Squads and Democracy

2009-10-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

by Fr. Shay Cullen
from PREDA Foundation
23 October 2009

Why would Philippine judges hamper a human rights investigation into a killing field where many human remains are found in Davao, victims allegedly of the infamous death squad? Why would the members of the Commission on Human Rights be charged themselves? Human Rights Watch says local authorities are obstructing the course of justice and investigation into almost a thousand assassinations in the past decade. How can this be in an Asian democracy?

Most people in northern democracies presume that there is a democratically elected government in the Philippines and that human rights will be generality respected and upheld. It also presumes that the rule of law prevails most of the time and that the democratically elected government will respect the provision of treaties, conventions and protocols it has signed. In the Philippines that is not so.

Corruption is widespread and election fraud, cheating, vote-buying and intimidation are common, so democracy is far from real. The same powerful wealthy family dynasties continue to dominate the so-called election process and it’s not so much rule by the people or for the people, but the rule of the elite for their own interests. In the Philippines, traditionally, an oligarchy of a few very powerful families rules the country and control the economy. They place their family members into government positions to advance their own economic interests.

They thus control the congress and other branches of government. Many are incompetent to govern and they form a military and police force that is built around their own relatives, friends and beneficiaries. Therefore the forces are loyal to the patriarch or family head, not to the people. They are selected not on the basis of their professional merit and competence but on their loyalty to the head of the dynasty. Promotion in the ranks military or police depends on the power of their patron.

Thus, history of street protest shows police and military shooting dozens of protesters that challenge the ruling elite. The military will stand against the farmers and protect the interests of the powerful land owner. Human rights are cast aside in favor of protecting the politicians and the ruling families.

The “Democratic” Philippines is a myth and the enduring “death squad” and cover up is proof of that. The death squad existing in many cities is to create a culture of fear and control and suppress the people’s protest of injustice and unendurable poverty.

Davao City and the surrounding province is rife with inequality and land exploitation, injustice and widespread poverty and a few vastly wealthy families control the land and the banana industry. The military and police protect their interests against impoverished peasants or militant social and human rights activists demanding land reform, just wages and health care.

Davao is the most prominent example of murdering death squads that kill even street children, although it is a similar situation all other Philippine provinces. It arose they say in the 1970 and ‘80 and ground swell of protest by organized impoverished farmers and their supporters frightened the ruling families and they set up the assassination squad to eliminate them. The insurgents counter with their own assassination squads.

There was much killing and violence. The government-backed assassination squads triumphed and a permanent well paid “assassination squad” was established. Men dressed in black clothes, equipped with radios, guns and knives and riding motor cycles calmly ride up to suspects and shoot them dead. Until the present, the squad operates with impunity. National and International Human rights organizations have continually called for an investigation and for the killers to be brought to justice. When Human Rights Commission Chair Leila De Lima did so this year, she was met with uncooperative justices, officials and citizens. The politicians and police commanders say that rival gangs are killing each other.

Politicians deny its existence but the discovery of many corpses makes that untenable. The authorities are desperate to prevent the truth from being revealed. The challenge and International pressure on the government to end the killings and disband the assassination squad is growing. If they do, the suffering poverty and injustice may against surface to challenge the “democratically” elected elite. Some strange democracy this is. END

Visit www.preda.org for more related articles.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
Contact Fr. Shay Cullen at the Preda Center, Upper Kalaklan, Olongapo City, Philippines.
e-mail: preda [{at}] info [{dot}] com [{dot}] ph

Philippine kidnapping case has Vancouver link

2009-08-14T04:18:00.000-07:00

The woman was Melissa Roxas, an American citizen visiting the Philippines, the birthplace of her parents. An aspiring artist based in California, she was gathering material for a writing project when she and two companions were abducted in the town of La Paz in Tarlac, a province 120 kilometres north of Manila, on May 19.

Taken to what she believed was a military camp and accused of being a communist rebel, Roxas was repeatedly beaten, choked, and threatened with execution. At one time, plastic bags were pulled down over her face and secured around her neck until she started suffocating. She was released six days later, on May 25.

Who is Maita, and was Roxas’s abduction a case of mistaken identity? Is there a Canadian connection to this case?

Migrante International, a Philippines-based group critical of the labour-export policies of the government there, believes that the target of Roxas’s abductors may have been its former secretary general Maita Santiago, of Vancouver.

Read the rest on the Georgia Straight.

The account of Melissa Roxas' abduction

2009-07-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Read the disturbing details of her abduction as recounted in this affidavit: http://pedestrianobserver.blogspot.com/2009/06/abducted-filipino-american-melissa-c.html

Activist Doctors in Davao Worry Over Their Safety After Colleague’s Killing

2009-07-24T09:15:00.001-07:00

Dr. Rogelio Peñera, an AH1N1 expert with the health department who was killed on June 24, was also active in a group of progressive doctors who provide basic medical services to the poor. Five of his colleagues at the Davao City-based United Integrated Health Services Foundation are included in the military’s order of battle.

Read the rest of the article on Bulatlat.com

National Council of Churches in the Philippines responds to reports on their inclusion in the Order of Battle

2009-06-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

We have on good report that the National Council of Churches in the Philippines is in the order of battle of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The NCCP, some bishops of its member churches and other religious organizations in Mindanao are so named in the AFP’s secret document entitled “JCICC ‘AGILA’ 3RD QTR 2007 OB VALIDATION REPOR”.

We strongly denounce this inclusion of the NCCP and its member churches and bishops in this document as without any factual basis, malicious, and contrary to democratic principles. It is damnable as it contradicts government declarations that it does not violate human rights. It is outrageous because it promotes confusion and sows falsehood. It is exceedingly alarming because it puts the lives of civilians in peril and undue pressure.

The NCCP is not an enemy of the state. It is a church fellowship of ten member churches and ten associate members who uphold the baptismal promise to uphold the human dignity of all people at all times.. Thus, the defense of human rights and civil liberties is not only a political responsibility, it is a responsibility motivated primarily by faith.

NCCP’s programs and activities are not motivated by political gain but by the desire to obey the command of the Gospel to “seek peace and pursue it”. It seeks to be faithful in living out what Jesus Christ proclaimed: a compassionate society and the possibility of life in its fullness. In living out this proclamation, the NCCP aspires to radiate the hope of a better world in a situation of poverty, hunger, corruption in high places and the abuse of power.

The penchant to label as enemies of the state, organizations and people whose primary vocation is to testify to the greatness of God’s love, Christ’s redemption and freedom in the Holy Spirit, is repugnant and unacceptable in civilized societies, much more in a Christian country. Documents such as this continue to prey on activists, and the government’s poor record on the issues of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the last seven years have been traced to this.

Activists advocate freedom and the responsibility that comes along in the exercise of such freedom. The anti-insurgency policy of the government, given legal teeth by the Human Security Act, and the Oplan Bantay Laya, is a militarist solution that fuel further dissent, given the long years of its implementation. It has become a tool to commit human rights violations on civilians. It ignores the call for willful and deliberate efforts to address the issues that keep this country in a situation of constant civil unrest and address them in a manner that befits good governance.
We reiterate our call for the government to reconsider its anti-insurgency policy and faithfully abide by its constitutional mandate to serve all Filipinos and its pledges before the international community of nations.

To our constituents in Mindanao, hold on and be steadfast in our common calling to serve the people by loving justice and peace. Let us not be misled by the powers and principalities that cast darkness in the heavenly places. We issue the same call to our sisters and brothers in the Roman Catholic Church who also embrace the command to be Christ-like. As we commend you all to God’s care and protection so do we pray that the Holy Spirit may turn the hearts of those who seek the destruction of other people and the despoliation of our beloved land.

To our partners around the world, behold the plight of your sisters and brothers in the Philippines.

Would that you continue to uphold us in your prayers and be unceasing in your solidarity with us. May it come to pass that weapons of war everywhere may be turned into ploughshares and the dawn of peace and justice turned into day.

BISHOP NATHANAEL LAZARO
Chairperson

REV. FR. REX RB. REYES,
Jr.General Secretary

Bayan calls on Arroyo government to surface Fil-Am activist Melissa Roxas and companions

2009-05-25T03:20:00.001-07:00

News Release
May 24, 2009

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan is calling on the Arroyo government, the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to immediately surface Melissa Roxas, an American citizen of Filipino descent, and a member of BAYAN-USA and the cultural group Habi Arts based in Los Angeles, California.

Roxas, a volunteer health worker, was abducted last May 19 at around 1:30 pm in Sitio Bagong Sikat, Bgy. Kapanikian, La Paz, Tarlac. She was with two other volunteers, Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc.

Based on reports filed by the human rights group Karapatan and the La Paz police, Roxas and her companions were taken by at least 8 fully-armed, bonnet-clad men on board two motorcycles and a Besta van without any plate numbers.

Since the abduction, there has been no word on the whereabouts and condition of Roxas and her companions.

Roxas is the first case of a Fil-Am activist to be abducted by suspected state security forces.

?It is indeed urgent that Melissa and her companions be surfaced. No harm must come to them. Their rights must be respected. We are outraged that these abductions continue despite repeated condemnation here and abroad,? said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.

Bayan said that the human rights group Karapatan will be spearheading the search for Roxas. ?The burden of surfacing Melissa, as in similar cases of abductions, now lies with the Arroyo administration. We also call on the international community to exert pressure on the Arroyo government for it to act swiftly to surface Melissa,? Reyes added.

Anti-Mining Activist Shot Dead

2009-03-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

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Another anti-mining activist was shot dead around 4:30 p.m. today, environmental group Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment reported.

Eliezer “Boy” Billanes, chairman of Socssargends Alliance for Genuine Developmet (Socssargends AGENDA), was killed by still unidentified men.

Billanes’ group leads the opposition to the Tampakan Copper-Gold project in South Cotabato of the Xstrata, one the biggest mining companies in the world.

Read the rest on Bulatlat.com. Also see the detailed factsheet from Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links.

Rebelyn: rebel leader's daughter dead at 20

2009-03-08T00:55:00.000-08:00

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She would have celebrated her 21st birthday on March 20 but teacher Rebelyn Maasin Pitao now lies inside a white casket at the Palermo chapel, Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes here, her long-sleeved white lace blouse and yellow skirt hiding the torture marks and stab wounds from an ice pick, but not enough to hide markings on her left wrist.

The “evil, vicious men from the military intelligence group,” her mother Evangeline says, “abducted, tortured, raped and stabbed to death” Ivy, Rebelyn’s nickname.

“Two stab wounds here, above the breast, one of which hit the lung; two under the breast, one of which hit the liver, another one here… five stab wounds from an ice pick.. markings from a three-centimeter rope around her neck… eyes blindfolded using a packing tape, apparently hit by a blunt object,” Evangeline says in Cebuano, describing how “grabe ka-brutal” (very brutal) the “evil, vicious men from the military intelligence group” were to her daughter.

Originally posted on Mindanews.com, now archived on FilipinoWriter.com

Death Squads Terrorize Davao

2009-03-04T06:53:00.000-08:00

From http://www.preda.org/archives/2009/r09021801.html

(Fr. Shay's columns are published in The Manila Times, in publications in Ireland, the UK, Hong Kong, and on-line.)

The men in black rode their motor cycles up to the corner of the Davao City market, people fled in all directions, they calmly walked up to the two sleeping street boys, then drew big revolvers and shot them dead at point blank range. Young brains and blood were splattered on the pavement yet this horrific murder would not be repudiated by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who denies any involvement. He told the media recently, "If you are doing an illegal activity in my city, if you are a criminal or part of a syndicate that preys on the innocent people of this city, for as long as I am the Mayor, you are a legitimate target of assassination."

Not even the so called "war on terror" cannot justify the violation of human rights and the abandonment of the principles that protect the fundamental dignity of the person and their inalienable rights to justice. A panel of eminent international jurists and distinguished legal experts led by the former Irish President Mary Robinson spent the past three years studying the practices and methods by which the leading democracies waged a counter-terrorism war and reached such a conclusion.

In a 199 page report, they have clearly stated that the methods used are counter-productive, and they had seriously damaged and undermined respect for human rights around the world. "The United States, one of the world's leading democracies, has adopted measures to counter terrorism that are inconsistent with established principles of international humanitarian law and human rights law," the report said.

The international panel of eminent jurists, that includes supreme court judges, U.N. human rights experts and law professors, said in effect, that the use of abduction, torture, detention without trial, and assassination are to be repudiated. We urge every head of state to repudiate such violations.

The Philippines is known for its admiration and mimicry for American everything, especially military techniques and weapons, and is a major recipient of US sponsored counter-terrorism training. Hundreds of officers and men have been to the United States for training. The assassination of hundreds of Filipino social activists journalists and even pastors in recent years is ample evidence that the respect for human rights in the Philippines is at an all time low.

Perhaps no other place has such a sordid reputation for assassination than Davao City, in Mindanao. Hoteliers wonder why tourists are not flocking to its tourist attractions considering the death squad is supposed to make it safe. No one is safe without the strict implementation of the rule of law. It has taken ten years of death-squad activity and graveyards full of bodies to get the attention of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (PCHR). Now, under the new leadership of Commissioner Leila De Lima, the ten-year killing spree will be investigated by a public inquiry slated for the last week of March this year. They have reached a "glaring and alarming" proportion, she said. While the assassination of suspects is widespread in the Philippines, Davao has the highest number of victims, 814 according to media reports. This February 2009, there has been 33 killings alone done by the Davao Death Squad.

Street children and youth have been singled out and 73 of them have been stabbed or shot to death on the street, some in a shocking open manner, the killers acting brutally with total confidence and impunity. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte himself rides around on a big motor bike but says thats no evidence of his involvement despite his statements allegedly approving the killings as widely reported in the media.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Mayor Duterte last February 15, 2009 saying that all the 814 people deserved to die because they were smeared with criminality. "What I want is to instill fear...if it will send the wrong signals what wrong did I commit? The problem comes if we get the wrong people", Duterte told journalists. If the suspect showed the slightest sign of resistance, he would order the police to "shoot you and aim for your head" to make sure that you are dead.

Visit www.preda.org for more related articles.

The story of Raymond Manalo

2008-11-23T20:05:00.000-08:00

See original article here.

Rebel without a clue : Rage
By Patricia Evangelista
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: November 23, 2008

THIS is the story of one Raymond Manalo, farmer, who disappeared on Feb. 14, 2006 with his older brother from their farm in San Ildefonso, Bulacan. Manalo was neither activist nor rebel when he disappeared. He escaped more than two years later. He says there are many, many more like him.
* * *
They put you in a cage four feet by one foot small, the height of an average man. There are hollow blocks to the side and iron grills in front. You sit with three other men, crouched in a line. There is no other way to fit.
Your brother is in the same cell. The door opens, more of them come in. More of them like you—beaten, bruised, helpless. They are put inside the next cell. This time there are two men and a married couple. The woman has burns all over her body. She was raped, they tell you. She was raped and beaten until she soiled herself. They say she has gone mad. They take her away.
This is where you shit, where you piss, where you wash if you still care. You do not feel the wind; you do not see the sun. Your food comes rarely, and what comes is rotten, leftover pig feed. Three men arrive, from Nueva Ecija. They are tortured. One of them has both arms broken. Bleeding.
Sometimes, when the soldiers are drinking, they take you out of your cage and play with you. The game varies, but it is usually the same. Two by fours, chains, an open gardening hose shoved down your nose. You crawl back to your cage, on your hands and knees. You wake up to screaming, to the sound of grown men begging, and you wonder which one it is this time. Sometimes, one of your cellmates will disappear. Sometimes, they don’t come back.
Then they take you away, and there is a doctor, pills, antibiotics, a bed. They tell you they are taking you home to see your parents. You meet the man they call The Butcher, and he tells you to tell your parents not to join the rallies, to stay away from human rights groups, that they would ruin your life and your brother’s. He tells you, this small man in shorts, that if you can only prove you’re on his side now, he would let you and your brother live. He gives you a box of vitamins, and tells you that they are expensive: P35 per pill.
They put a chain around your waist. The military surround your farm. Your mother opens the front door crying, and hugs you. You tell them what you were told to say. You hand them the money Palparan told you to give. Then you are told you must go.
Always, you keep thinking of escape. You make yourself useful, to make them trust you. You cook. You wash cars. You clean. You shop. No task is too menial. And one day, while you sweep the floor, you see a young woman, chained to the foot of a bed. Her name is Sherlyn Cadapan, she tells you, Sports Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, the same Sherlyn who disappeared from Hagonoy, Bulacan on June 26, 2006. She says she has been raped.
Later, you meet Karen Empeño, also from UP, and Manuel Merino, the farmer who rushed to save the two girls when they were abducted. Karen and Sherlyn are in charge of washing the soldiers’ clothes, you and Manuel and your brother Reynaldo wash the car and carry water and cook.
The five of you are taken from camp to camp. You see the soldiers stealing from villagers. You see them bringing in blindfolded captives. You see them digging graves. You see them burning bodies, pouring gasoline as the fire rose. You see them shoot old men sitting on carabaos and see them push bodies into ravines. And in April 2007, you hear a woman begging, and when you are ordered to fix dinner, you see Sherlyn, lying naked on a chair that had fallen on the floor, both wrists and one tied leg propped up.
You see them hit her with wooden planks, see her electrocuted, beaten, half-drowned. You see them amuse themselves with her body, poke sticks into her vagina, shove a water hose into her nose and mouth. And you see the soldiers wives’ watch. You hear the soldiers forcing Sherlyn to admit who it was with plans to “write a letter.” You hear her admit, after intense torture, that it was Karen’s idea. And you see Karen, dragged out of her cell, tied at the wrists and ankles, stripped of her clothing, then beaten, water-tortured, and burned with cigarettes and raped with pieces of wood. And it is you who are ordered to wash their clothes the next day, and who finds blood in their panties.
And you are there, on the night they take away Manuel Merino, when you hear an old man moaning, a gunshot and the red light of a sudden fire.
* * *
The day Raymond Manalo and his brother Reynaldo escaped was the day he promised himself they would pay, all of them who tortured Karen and Sherlyn, who killed so many, who tortured him and his brother until they begged and pleaded. They were pigs, he says, those men were pigs. If he escaped, they told him, and if they couldn’t find him, they would massacre his family. And if they do not answer to the courts here, they will answer to God.
They can still kill him, he says. But even if they do, it is too late. He’s told his story.

Journalist murdered in southern Philippines

2008-11-17T23:20:00.000-08:00

A journalist and radio show host who frequently criticised corruption was shot dead in the Philippines on Monday, local radio reported.

Aristeo Padrigao, who worked for a radio station in Gingoog City on the southern island of Mindanao, had just dropped his daughter at school when a gunman on a motorbike shot him in the face, Radio Nation reported.

It was the seventh killing of a media worker in the country this year.

Read the rest of the story on msn.com.

SC affirms Palparan link to abduction

2008-10-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

The Supreme Court has upheld the findings of the Court of Appeals linking retired Army Gen. Jovito Palparan to the abduction of two brothers, and said it found “convincing” one of the brothers’ accounts of how they were tortured by their captors.

Read the rest of the story on Inquirer.net

Cordillera activist missing since Sept. 17

2008-09-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

The family of JAMES BALAO, a member of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA), has reported that he has been missing since 17 September 2008. He left his residence in Fairview, Baguio City at around 7:00 AM on the said date and since then, has not been in contact with his friends and family; nor can they contact him.

Read more on the CHRA blog.

Update (25 Sept, 2008): Amnesty International has issued a Take Action appeal for Balao.

Another PCPR member abducted

2008-05-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

QUEZON CITY, May 27, 2008 –Another member of the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) was reported to have been abducted at 9:00 A.M., Tuesday, May 6.
PCPR Secretary General Amie S. Dural said unidentified men on board an unmarked van abducted UCCP Pastor Rodel Canja while was on his way to the Annual Conference of the UCCP Northeast Southern Tagalog Conference.
“One man casually invited him to ride in the van and warned him not to ask any question. Inside the van, another man pointed a gun at him while the man who invited him to ride in the van placed a handkerchief in his nose that left him unconscious,” said Dural in an interview with CBCPNews.
When the pastor regained his consciousness, the men began torturing and interrogating him about the personality of UCCP Pastor Berlin Guerrero, now detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s Camp Pantaleon in Imus, Cavite.

Read the rest of the story on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines' site.

After killings, no one wants this Comission on Elections post

2008-03-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

After two people who last occupied the post were killed, nobody at the
Commission on Elections now wants to head its law department.

“No one would like to take over.… No one has expressed interest to take
over (the law department),” Comelec Chairman Jose Melo told a press
briefing.

[...] Asdala was killed by one of two motorcycle-riding gunmen on Monday while he
was crossing a busy street near the agency’s head office in Intramuros, Manila.
His predecessor, lawyer Alioden Dalaig, suffered a similar fate last year.

Read the rest of the story on Inquirer.net.

US Labor Alliance Condemns Killings and Disappearances in the Philippines

2008-03-28T00:07:00.000-07:00

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance(APALA) Endorses GMA (Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo) Watch

After hearing the moving story of Edith Burgos, the mother of abducted land reform and farmers' advocate Jonas Burgos, the National Executive Board of the Asian-Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) unanimously voted to endorse GMA Watch, a US based Philippine human rights monitoring network. Mrs. Burgos spoke to APALA as part of a seven city US speaking tour organized by GMA Watch, which raised awareness about the 890 politically motivated extrajudicial killings and more than 300 disappearances which have been committed presumably by the Philippine military under the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
"We condemn the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the abductions, disapearances and killings of activists, opposition journalists and union leaders and labor organizers in the Philippines. Americans should unite with the Filipino people in saying, 'stop human rights violations' and 'end corruption in the Philippines,'" said Daz Lamparas, Executive Board Member of APALA and member of the San Francisco Chapter.

Just days after APALA passed their resolution to endorse GMA Watch, Gerry Cristobal, a union leader in the Philippines, was killed. It was the third attempt on his life. In the same week the US State Department released their country report on the Philippines and expressed concern over the continued killings and other human rights violations in which Philippine security forces are implicated.

"This endorsement comes at an important time. Congress is starting the process of creating next year's funding bill. APALA's membership and reach represents thousands more that can demand that our tax dollars not go to shed innocent blood in the Philippines," said Katrina Abarcar, national coordinator of GMA Watch.

APALA has around 5000 members. In its resolution, APALA stated it would urge its chapters as well as the AFL-CIO and CTW (Change to Win), which together represent over 15 million workers, to pass similar resolutions to endorse and support GMA Watch. ###

Reference:
Katrina Abarcar, National Coordinator, GMA Watch, gmawatch@yahoo.com
Daz Lamparas, Executive Board Member, APALA, daz.lamparas@seiu1021.org

Another Pastor Abducted and Illegally Detained

2008-03-21T23:01:00.000-07:00

On 15 March 2008 at around 7:30pm, Pastor Mel Abesamis, a human rights worker was abducted in the town of San Jose, Mindoro Occidental. No report as to the details of the abduction yet. The pastor had been missing for two days.

Read the rest of the story on Karapatan.org.

KMP: Farmer tortured, killed in Burias Islands

2008-01-20T05:36:00.000-08:00

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) on Friday condemned the killing of a farmer and their local leader in Masbate who was supposed to join the commemoration of the Mendiola Massacre in Burias Island.

KMP chairman Rafael “Ka Paeng” Mariano said police killed Teldo Rebamonte, 45-years-old of the Masbate People’s Organization.

“We have witnesses to prove that it is the 5th Regional Mobile Group of the Philippine National Police who were the ones who abducted him on January 12 then killed Ka Teldo last January 16. His body was found bruised and shows signs of torture at the hinterlands of Barangay Nabasagan, Concepcion in Claveria, Burias Island,” said Mariano.

Read the rest of the article on the Masbate Wow Philippines website.

Court says Palparan knew of abductions

2007-12-27T21:13:00.000-08:00

The Court of Appeals has directly linked retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan to the abduction of civilians suspected of being insurgents, saying that he at least knew about the arrest and detention by his men of the Manalo brothers.

The court’s second division said this showed Palparan’s "command policy" of encouraging the arrest of civilians without due process and sufficient basis.

Read the rest on Inquirer.net

Broadcast journalist murdered in Davao

2007-12-27T21:11:00.000-08:00

A radio broadcaster who had denounced alleged corruption in the building of the “People’s Park” in this city and government malfeasance will not be spending Christmas Tuesday with his four children.

An assassin riding tandem on a motorcycle with an accomplice gunned down Ferdie Lintuan at 9:30 a.m. Monday as the 51-year-old journalist was driving his Volkswagen, police said.

Read the rest on Inquirer.net.

Arroyo slammed for slays

2007-12-11T03:53:00.000-08:00

CLAD in black shirts with their faces covered by black veils, female relatives of the victims of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances held roses as they marched Monday in Manila to mark Human Rights Day.

"The families of the victims continue to mourn because they remain deprived of justice," said Renato Reyes, spokesperson of the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).

The women in black led some 1,500 activists in calling on the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to stop the extrajudicial killings.

Read the rest on Inquirer.net

2 Missing UP Students Tortured, Raped inside Military Camp

2007-11-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

One year and five months after their abduction, a witness testified that he had actually seen and talked to Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño, the two scholars of the University of the Philippines (UP) who were abducted allegedly by soldiers on June 26, 2006 while doing research in a farming community in Barangay (village) San Miguel, Hagonoy, Bulacan. Farmer Manuel Merino was abducted together with the two.

The witness, Raymund Manalo, also confirmed what had been feared all along - that the UP students were raped by their abductors.

Read the full article on Bulatlat.com.

AFP units in Panay responsible for assassination attempt on our nominee – Bayan Muna

2007-11-28T16:29:00.000-08:00

Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño condemned the latest assassination attempt against a high-ranking official of our party in Western Visayas .

“Ms. Hope Hervilla, our Bayan Muna Panay regional officer and 10th nominee in the last partylist elections, narrowly escaped a crack team of assassins that had blocked off all the exits of her house in Iloilo yesterday, November 26. Only the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) units in the island are the primary suspects, having the motive, means and evil designs to harm Hervilla, a respected political leader in the province,” Rep. Casiño said.

According to a short report from Bayan Muna Panay, Hervilla was only able to get out of her house when security escorts provided by Iloilo Congressman Niel Tupas Jr. and Iloilo Governor Niel Tupas came over. The assassins’ vehicles were blocking all exit points.

Hervilla has been extended protection by the provincial government since yesterday.

“She has earned the ire of the military in the island of late due to her strong advocacy in searching for Luisa Posa-Dominado and Nilo Arado, the two militant leaders in April 2007,” Casiño said.

Hervilla has blamed the attempted murder and abduction of Luisa Posa-Dominado, Ely Garachico and Nilo Arado on the military.

“We advise the military, specifically the 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division, Philippine Army officials MGen Jovenal Narcise, Col. Renato David, Lt. Col. David Tan and Capt. Lowen Gil Marquez, not to come up with the usual profound denials. If Hervilla meets any harm, we shall hold them and the AFP top leadership responsible,” Casiño said. #

News Release –November 27, 2007
For Reference: Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño, 0920-9035683
For more information: Vince Borneo, Media Officer, 0927-7968198

US aid tied to RP action on killings

2007-11-05T18:26:00.000-08:00

US Senate has served notice it wants the Arroyo administration to prosecute human rights violators, including soldiers, before it approves additional military aid.

Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo Monday said he had thanked the US Senate for approving an increase in regular military funding to the Philippines from $11 million to $30 million.

But in the first significant international backlash over the wave of killings of left-wing activists blamed on Philippine security forces, the US Senate also set conditions for the release of an additional $2 million in military assistance.

Two million??? They're only withholding two million? There's still 30 million that's still being given unconditionlly!

Read the rest of the article on Inquirer.net.

UN report: RP strategy to blame for spate of killings

2007-11-02T02:07:00.000-07:00

A United Nations official has blamed the Philippine government’s counterinsurgency strategy, and a distorted criminal justice system, for the continuing spate of extrajudicial killings in the country. In a 21-page report to the UN General Assembly on Friday, Professor Philip Alston, the Commission of Human Rights’ Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions stuck to his findings earlier this year that leftist leaders in some parts of the Philippines were “systematically hunted down.”

Read the rest of the story from Inquirer.net.

Relatives remember 800 victims of political slays

2007-11-02T02:03:00.000-07:00

Relatives of more than 800 victims of extrajudicial killings in the country grieve for their loved ones and cry for justice as the nation commemorates the days of the departed. Some 160 of the victims were from Southern Tagalog.

Read the rest of the story from Inquirer.net.

Where is Jonas Burgos?

2007-07-18T00:29:00.001-07:00

Anakpawis member killed in Leyte

2007-07-18T00:19:00.001-07:00

A man fatally shot a left-wing activist in a central Philippine city on Tuesday in an attack that coincided with a Manila conference called by the Supreme Court to find ways of halting a wave of killings of government critics.Charlie Solayao, a fish vendor who was an active member of a left-wing political party, was walking with his wife toward a coastal area in Tacloban city when a man alighted from a motorcycle driven by a companion and shot him twice

Read the rest of the article on the International Herald Tribune

Law experts urge Arroyo to end slays

2007-07-18T00:16:00.001-07:00

A high-powered judicial summit ended Tuesday with calls for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to order a stop to political killings and for the adoption of new laws that would empower investigators to search state and private premises for victims of forced disappearances.Experts who attended the two-day summit also proposed giving more prosecutory powers to the Commission on Human Rights which was perceived to be a “more trustworthy” arm of the government than the Department of Justice.

Read the rest of the article on INQUIRER.net

Palace document shows gov’t plan to neutralize Left

2007-07-15T23:14:00.001-07:00

The wave of extrajudicial killings, which the Supreme Court-initiated summit on Monday seeks to end, may have begun after the Arroyo administration allegedly launched a campaign to “neutralize” the Communist Party of the Philippines by curbing the expansion of the party-list group Bayan Muna.

Read the full article on NQUIRER.net

Bayan calls for public disclosure of "Operation Bluetooth"

2007-07-02T18:48:00.000-07:00

A week after GMA-7 news revealed the existence of what appeared to be Palace directives on extrajudicial killings of activists, the umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan called on the Arroyo government to make a full public disclosure of the controversial "Operation Bluetooth" and other similar issuances that may have come from top cabinet and military officials.

The news clip from GMA network's website appears to show a systematic government policy on dealing with legal leftist groups, observed Bayan. The government approach includes the "neutralization" of certain personalities within the legal organizations.

Read the rest of the article on Davao Today.

Statement by Edith T. Burgos on the disappearance of her son, Jonas Joseph T. Burgos

2007-06-27T09:53:00.001-07:00

I am the mother of Jonas Joseph T. Burgos. Jonas is a farmer; he manages our farm in Bulacan. He is a member of a peasant organization in Bulacan, Alyansang Magbubukid ng Bulacan. Jonas has been a desapercido since two months ago.

My son Jonas, according to witnesses, was forcibly taken by a group of 6 males and 1 female while he was having lunch at the Hapag Kainan Restaurant in Ever Gotesco Mall, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City, on April 28, 2007 at about 1.30 p.m. As he was being forcibly taken, he was shouting “Aktibista lang po ako!”

I realized that Jonas could be missing when he did not come home that night of April 28th.

The following morning, I received a text message from Jonas which states: “Pasensiya na ligo lang ako”; this was followed by another text: “Sige bukas pag-usapan natin”. I tried calling his phone but could not get an answer until it could no longer be reached.

On April 30th, I called for a press conference and announced that Jonas has been missing since April 28th.

As a result of that press conference, I received information that a security guard at the Ever Gotesco Mall saw Jonas forced by persons who identified themselves to be “PULIS” into a vehicle with plate number TAB 194.

That plate number TAB 194 was traced to a vehicle registered in the name of Mauro Mudlong. Mr. Mudlong and his vehicle were apprehended on June 24, 2006 by PFC Jose Villena and CPL Castro Bugalon of the 56th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (56th IB) based in Barangay San Mateo, Norzagaray Bulacan for violation of Section 68 of PD 705 or “Transporting of Timber Without a Permit” (filed with the Prosecutor of Bulacan at Malolos; IS No. 06-09-4287). Said vehicle with plate no. TAB 194 and its cargo were taken to the headquarters of the 56th IB at Norzagaray Bulacan. Lt. Col. Noel S. Clement was the commanding officer of the 56th IB at the time the vehicle with plate no. TAB 194 was apprehended and taken to the 56th IB headquarters.

Police investigators reported that they took the statements of 5 Army officers: Lt. Col. Noel S. Clement, at present the commanding officer of the Security and Escort Battalion based in Fort Bonifacio; Lt. Col. Melquiades L. Feliciano, commanding officer 56th IB who succeeded Lt. Col. Clement in January but reportedly relieved in May (his present assignment is unknown); Lt. Col. Edison Caga, commanding officer 69th IB stationed in Pampanga who was assigned to secure the 56th IB headquarters when it went for training in November 2006; CPL Castro Bugalon and PFC Jose Villena III both assigned at the 56th IB.

Media reported that Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. has ordered the Army Provost Marshal and the Inspector General to investigate the involvement of the above named 5 army officers in the forced disappearance of Jonas.

On May 21, 2007, my lawyer wrote to Gen. Esperon to request for a copy of the “report of the Provost Marshal and the Inspector General on the involvement of the 56th Infantry Battalion on [Jonas’] disappearance”. When Gen. Esperon was not responding after a week, we sent him another letter on May 29, 2007.

I met with Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita on May 29th to seek his help in finding Jonas or any information he can provide about what has happened to him. Secretary Ermita responded by arranging that I meet with General Esperon on June 6, 2007 at 10 a.m. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called me up on June 2nd to express her concern about Jonas and reminded me that I go see Gen. Esperon.

My lawyer together with my brother, Jimmy Tronqued (I had vertigo attack and could not leave the house) went to Gen. Esperon’s office at the appointed time, June 6, 2007 at 10 a.m. However, they were met by 2 officers, LTC. Jose and LTC Lucero, and not by Gen. Esperon, who, according to the 2 officers, had left for another meeting. My lawyer asked the 2 officers about our request for a copy of the report of the Provost Marshal but the 2 officers had no idea about such request.

On June 21st, my lawyer received a letter from the Judge Advocate General, Brig. Gen. Nemesio I. Dabal, writing for Gen. Esperon. The letter said that we could not be given copies of the report of the Provost Marshal and the Inspector General because of two restraints: a) it is “a classified matter, the unauthorized disclosure of which, while not endangering national security, may cause unwarranted injury to an individual. Under pertinent rules, this category of classified matter expressly includes investigation and document of a personal and disciplinary nature which we are bound to secure for administrative purposes and further to safeguard the identity of personnel being investigated for an anomaly prior to the filing of appropriate charges”; b) the “restraint is a necessary measure in order not to preempt the final outcome of the case being investigated through the premature disclosure of an initial investigation result which is taking its course under the military justice system. This is with a view to further elevation of the matter to an appropriate body for proper disposition, including its possible referral with a view to trial by court martial against erring personnel involved, if circumstances warrant”.

In other words, Gen. Esperon turned down my request because he was concerned that my reading of the report of the Provost Marshal and Inspector General “may” cause some unwarranted injury to someone (whom he has not named) and because he does not want that the “initial investigation result” to preempt or be presumed to be the final outcome of the case being investigated.

Based on the evidence so far gathered: a) the testimony of the witness security guard that he saw Jonas forced into the vehicle with plate no. TAB 194; b) plate no. TAB 194 has been traced to be in the custody of the 56th IB since June 2006, I accuse the Army of having forcibly abducted my son Jonas on April 28, 2007 at the Ever Gotesco Mall in Quezon City. I strongly suspect that either or both of its former commanding officers, Lt. Col. Clement and Lt. Col. Feliciano participated in the enforced disappearance of Jonas.

The conduct of Gen. Esperon tells me that the Army is hiding from me information of vital investigative value in the Jonas case. First, he refused to see me and my representatives despite the fact that Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita had arranged the meeting and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo encouraged me to see him. And then he turns down my request for a copy of the report of the Provost Marshal and the Inspector General.

Gen. Esperon’s conduct or rather, misconduct, only reinforces my belief that the Army abducted Jonas and Gen. Esperon is covering up for the Army.

I am the mother of a desaparecido, the victim of enforced disappearance by unidentified persons who was taken into a vehicle with plate no. TAB 194 traced to the 56th Infantry Battalion whose 2 previous commanding officers, Lt. Col. Melquiades L. Feliciano and Lt. Col. Noel S. Clement were, among others, the subject of the investigation of the Provost Marshal and the Inspector General. I have all the right to know what the Provost Marshal and the Inspector General have found out in the investigation of these two former commanding officers of the 56th IB. My right to know vital information about my son, and even more important, my son’s well-being has primacy over the perceived injury that may suffer or the perceived preemption of the final outcome of the investigation, assuming that it is still on-going (according to media reports the Provost Marshal and the Inspector General has concluded their investigations and submitted them to Gen. Esperon). Certainly, the perceived injury to certain parties by a “premature” disclosure of the report can never be as substantial as the very real risk of serious harm, or even death, that may befall my son with every delay in the efforts to find him.

The excuse of Gen. Esperon in turning down my legitimate request is unacceptable to me. I need to find Jonas and the report that Gen. Esperon is withholding from me I know will help me find him.

I repeat, I accuse the Army of the crime of kidnapping my son Jonas on April 28, 2007 at the Ever Gotesco Mall in Quezon City. I strongly suspect that either or both of the former commanding officers of the 56th IB, Lt. Col. Clement and Lt. Col. Feliciano are participants in that crime. And the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, is covering up the crime committed against Jonas.

Judge cites commanders criminally liable for slays

2007-06-26T20:24:00.001-07:00

The doctrine of command responsibility may be used in cases involving extrajudicial killings, a Manila Regional Trial Court judge said Tuesday.Judge Silvino Pampilo Jr. of Manila RTC Branch 26 said the doctrine was still “new” to the courts but that the judiciary was now exploring its use in order to hold military commanders and police officers “criminally liable” for their subordinates’ actions.

Read the rest of the article on INQUIRER.net

Another radio broadcaster killed in Nueva Ecija

2007-06-26T19:50:00.001-07:00

A broadcaster from a government-run radio station was killed by a group of unidentified men in Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija yesterday morning, reports reaching Camp Crame in Quezon City said.

Read the rest of the article on Manila Bulletin Online

Another general breaks silence on murders

2007-06-25T08:08:00.001-07:00

A third general of the Armed Forces has come forward to confirm that killings of political activists were discussed “openly” in a top-level military conference about two years ago.Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, the general said he was present when two other generals discussed the military’s course of action in the midst of the communist threat in key areas in Luzon.

Read the rest of the artiicle on INQUIRER.net

Generals bare plot to kill militant activists

2007-06-18T09:38:00.001-07:00

Accused coup plotter-turned-senator Antonio Trillanes IV is not alone in his plan to resurrect the "Hello Garci" controversy and take the Arroyo administration to task for the unabated extrajudicial killings.A group of top military officials critical of President Macapagal-Arroyo has vowed to load the detained senator-elect with "ammunition" on these two issues once he begins work in the 14th Congress next month

Read the rest of the article on INQUIRER.net

Poll fraud whistleblower killed

2007-06-10T18:24:00.001-07:00

A public school official who exposed alleged electoral fraud in Pagalungan, Maguindanao, was gunned down Saturday night at an Islamic school in the municipality by unidentified men, police said Sunday.The fatality was identified as Musa Dimasidsing, Maguindanao Schools District Supervisor.

Read the rest of the article on GMANews.TV

Canada-based NGO to bring ‘Tagaytay 5’ case to int’l courts

2007-06-10T02:38:00.001-07:00

A Canada-based international nongovernment organization will elevate the case of five farmers accused of being communist guerrillas to the international courts if justice is not served to them as soon as possible, an official of the group said.

Read the rest of the article from INQUIRER.net

Bayan Muna: Coordinator was tortured

2007-06-10T00:14:00.000-07:00

During the three days he was missing, a coordinator of Bayan Muna party-list in the Southern Mindanao region allegedly underwent torture at the hands of the military. This was the claim of Bayan Muna, which said it is now conducting its own investigation into the abduction of Gilbert Rey Cardiño, whom police said had "surfaced" last Friday. Read the rest of the article from GMA News.

How to sign a petition protesting the killings

2007-06-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

Several online petitions have been made.

Some are related to specific cases. You can see the list of case-specific petitions by clicking here.
Some petitions target the killings as a whole. Here's one: www.pinoyhr.net

How to send a letter of appeal

2007-06-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

What to write

Every case is different. Some entries on this site have sample letters that you can use. See all those entries by clicking here. Feel free to modify or add to the sample letter!

Who to send it to

Again, every case is different, but generally, the people below should definitely receive a copy!

1. Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

President

Republic of the Philippines

Malacanang Palace

JP Laurel Street, San Miguel

Manila 1005

PHILIPPINES

Fax: +63 2 736 1010

Tel: +63 2 735 6201 /+63 2 735 6201 / 564 1451 to 80

E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph

2. Mr. Benigno Aquino III

President

Republic of the Philippines

Malacanang Palace

JP Laurel Street, San Miguel

Manila 1005

PHILIPPINES

Fax: +63 2 736 1010

Tel: +63 2 735 6201 /+63 2 735 6201 / 564 1451 to 80

E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph

3. Ms. Leila De Lima

Commissioner

Commission on Human Rights

SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue

U.P. Complex, Diliman

Quezon City

PHILIPPINES

Fax: +63 2 929 0102

Tel: +63 2 928 5655 / +63 2 928 5655 / 926 6188

E-mail: chr.delima@yahoo.com or mtm_rodulfo@yahoo.com

4. Deputy Director General Jesus A. Verzosa

Chief, Philippine National Police (PNP)

Camp General Rafael Crame

Quezon City

PHILIPPINES

Fax: +63 2724 8763

Tel: +63 2 726 4361/4366/8763

E-mail: bluetree73@gmail.com

5. Mr. Alberto Agra

Acting Secretary

Department of Justice (DoJ)

DOJ Bldg., Padre Faura

1004 Manila

PHILIPPINES

Fax: +63 2 521 1614

Gunmen abduct officer of leftist political party

2007-06-07T16:31:00.001-07:00

Unidentified gunmen abducted a regional officer of a leftist political party Wednesday in the southern Philippines, police said. Gilbert Rey Cardeno, regional coordinator of the Bayan Muna (Nation First) party, was on his way home when he was kidnapped in Koronadal City in South Cotabato province, 1,020 kilometres south of Manila. Read the rest of the article on monsterandcritics.com

Account of Pastor Berlin Guerrero of his abduction and torture by the military

2007-06-02T18:46:00.001-07:00

Statement of Pastor Guerrero

What does it take a government to have the nerve to abduct, torture, and terrorize my family on the basis of an old inciting to sedition case and a baseless murder charge?

Far more absurd is the accusation that I am the Secretary of the CPP Provincial committee in Cavite . This lie that they tried to extract from me by means of physical, mental and psychological torture and projecting me in public as a "hand-gun and grenade carrying rebel."

I am a Pastor of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) and never participated in any killings, illegal or unlawful activities, or any common crime.

My family and I have just taken a tricycle from the local church which I have served for two consecutive years (June 2006-2007) where we just celebrated UCCP's and the local church's 59th and 72nd anniversaries respectively (On May 27, at around 5:30 pm, a white van cut the tricycle's path and military-looking men quickly alighted to grab me; despite my plea that they show me the warrant they said they had. I was man-handled and forcefully shoved inside the van, put a handcuff on my hands behind me, covered my head with a cloth and packing tape, was beaten, punched and kicked repeatedly.

They brought me to a place I didn't know. Here, still handcuffed, men would take turn interrogating and beating my head with their fists and blunt objects. (Like a 1,000 ml mineral bottle and other objects). All throughout, layers of plastic bags covered my head. My torturers would tighten the bag until I could no longer breathe. I passed out two times and urinated in my pants.

They made me shake my head for about an hour and beat me whenever I stopped they said they would do these things to my family if I did not cooperate. I was forced to give names and addresses of my whole family, officers of church and conferences, name of my administrator at Union Theological Seminary where I am studying theology, leaders of progressive labour and peasant organizations in Southern Tagalog.

They opened my computer by forcing me to give the password, got my e-mail password. They erased all of my church, school and personal files and replace it with documents that belong to the so-called underground left.

After about twelve hours, they put me back on the van still handcuffed and blindfolded. They threatened to kill me, burn me or bury me. They continued to beat me and make new names for me. They got my sim card.

They called me Pastor-Impostor. And lectured me on the "evils" of communism and how the church, legal people's organizations are "used" to create trouble by criticizing the government.

When the van stopped, it took an hour before they led me down, made me sit down and lie down. After an hour, they removed my blindfold. Here I learned I was in Imus, Cavite specifically at Camp Pantaleon Garcia, Cavite Provincial Police Office (PPO).

Later on in the afternoon, that was the only time I saw the warrants of arrest and to what unit of the PNP I was turned over to by my abductors.

Now that I have the time to collect my thoughts and view my situation inside what police offices "call a subhuman" cell, let me make a preliminary analysis of my unfinished ordeal.

(1) The unit which abducted me is an organized AFP unit which operates covertly or below the law. It is composed of elements coming from different units of AFP's Intelligence Community. As a counter-insurgency unit, it uses ex-NPAs. They are lawless enforcers.

(2) Making use of court cases which involves suspected personalities of the left, no matter how weak, these cases may be served and used to make the arrest legitimate. In my case, I am implicated in a Murder Case in 1990. Case files show that I do not have a direct or indirect link to the crime.

(3) To bring me to the court by means of the arrest warrants is secondary. Their primary objective is to extract information from me by means of torture.

(4) It is also meant to terrorize my family, my relatives, friends, church members and practically everyone I know and who know me. It creates a thinking that this repeated attack on a person's right, which may end in incarceration or death, can happen to anybody.

I am outraged by their branding me as a "Pastor-Impostor" because it is an affront to the sacred office I have sworn to serve God Almighty who knows every heart and mind.

Finally, I hold the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo government responsible for the abduction and torture I have suffered and the subhuman captivity I am forced to accept. The GMA Administration should listen to the repeated cries of the people to stop violation of human rights and the political killings.

They may have put in jail, but my spirit is free and firm because God is with us always.

(SGD.) PASTOR BERLIN V. GUERRERO
United Church of Christ in the Philippines
Inside the Camp Pantaleon Garcia
Cavite Provincial Police Office
Imus, Cavite
May 30, 2007

Protestant clergyman tortured by police

2007-05-29T21:29:00.001-07:00

Rev Berlin Guerrero, who was reported to have been abucted by the military on Sunday, was found yesterday, apparently tortured after police arrested him. Guerrero’s Church has condemned the abduction saying that it is probably part of a wider police crackdown against those who are fighting for the rights of workers and the poor. Read more from Asia News.

According to Death by Democracy sources, "he has a large contusion on his face and abrasions on his arms. [The interrogators] put a plastic bag over his head and used suffocation tactics."

Military behind killing of 16- and 20-year old Pollwatchers in Bicol – Kabataan Party-list

2007-05-29T08:00:00.001-07:00

Witnesses and evidences gathered by human rights and people’sorganizations point to the military as the perpetrators in theabduction and killing of two Kabataan (Youth) Party-list poll watcherslast May 15. Read more from Bulatlat.com

Activist pastor abducted in front of Laguna church after Sunday service

2007-05-28T01:33:00.000-07:00

Suspected soldiers abducted an activist pastor just outside a local United Church of Christ of the Philippines chapel in Binan, Laguna where he participated in a Sunday worship service.

UCCP Pastor Berlin Guerrero, who is based at the Union Theological Seminary in Cavite and is active in the ecumenical movement, has yet to be surfaced by his abductors as of press time.

Read more from Bayan Muna.

Two leftist poll watchers found dead in Philippines

2007-05-22T08:09:00.001-07:00

Two members of a leftist political party in the Philippines were found dead after they were abducted while monitoring the counting of votes in mid-term elections in an eastern province, police and colleagues said Friday.

The deaths brought to 142 the number of election-related killings in the country since January.

SAVE the LIVES of LUISA POSA- DOMINADO and NILO ARADO

2007-05-10T18:19:00.001-07:00

At around 9:30 PM, April 12, 2007, Ma. Luisa Posa-Dominado of SELDA-Panay, Jose Ely “Liboy” Garachico of KARAPATAN, and Nilo Arado of BAYAN- Panay and ANAKPAWIS were on their way to Iloilo City from Antique when they were ambushed at Brgy. Cabanbanan, Oton, Iloilo, Philippines. Their vehicle, a Mitsubishi L200 pick-up, was overtaken by two vans. Two armed men got off from one of the vans, shot the driver, Liboy Garachico, who was then grabbed and thrown to the street. Read more from Arkibong Bayan.

Sign the petition to save Luisa and Nilo!

Statement of the Ecumenical Bishops Forum: Vestiges of Martial Law

2007-05-10T09:43:00.001-07:00

The Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF), the fellowship of bishops from the United Church of Christ (UCCP), United Methodist (UMC), Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP), Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) and the Roman Catholic Churches in the Philippines lament the deployment of elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in urban areas in the country. It is another nail hammered on the flailing limbs of freedom in this country.

There is no justification for their presence in these areas at this time. The AFP is called to defend this country from aggression and armed rebellion. The police force should suffice for preserving the peace in our communities. No country claiming to be democratic alows its soldiers to roam around communities in full battle gear. No country claiming to be free allows its soldiers to engage in partisan politics. Even civic functions which military officials claim soldiers perform in these communities are best left in the hands of other government agencies and other non-government organizations.

There is reason to believe that the deployment of troops in urban areas is directed at suppressing the support of the communities to principled and progressive party list groups. and this is being carried out through intimidation and harassment. This is the antithesis of the principle of inviting all to be involved in the political process rather than open rebellion. It smacks of covetousness where those who wield power are evidently after their own political survival and thus twist the definition of democracy to suit their ends. It further shows that under the current state of affairs, the military despite its denial continue to hold its sway over civilian rule. These are vestiges of martial law, a state President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo wanted to impose were it not for the vigilance of the citizenry.

The diversity of political opinions and political leanings and the respect thereto is the essence of a matured political system. A matured political system ensures the enjoyment of political rights. This is part of human dignity which the state is bound to nurture.

The EBF thus calls on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to order the immediate withdrawal of the soldiers from these urban areas. At the same time, we urge the people to remain focused in the preservation of whatever freedom we have gained - to live neither in fear nor under the barrel of the gun. Let us not be deceived into thinking that peace comes through the exercise of military might. Peace in our country comes when the roots of poverty and all those that breed unrest are addressed properly. Let us not lose sight of the hope that God has given us through the resurrection of our Lord - that the lowly shall achieve full liberation one day, both as a result of the burning desire to be free from all that bind them in misery and God's loving and abiding evidence.

(Sgd.)
MOST REV. DEOGRACIAS S. INIGUEZ, JR., D.D.
Co-chairperson

(Sgd.)
BISHOP SOLITO K. TOQUERO, UMC
Co-chairperson

Press Release by Ilocos Human Rights Advocates on the Arrest of Pastor Jun Bunoan

2007-05-03T20:31:00.001-07:00

From the
Ilocos Human Rights Advocates (IHRA-KARAPATAN)
#16 Gomez St. Brgy. 4, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur 2700
hrnet.ilocos@gmail.com

Vigan City – The Ilocos Human Rights Advocates (IHRA-KARAPATAN) vehemently condemns the fascist Arroyo regime for persecuting political dissenters and peace advocates as manifested in the false charges against United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Pastor Jun Bunoan who was arrested and detained last April 21, 2007 in Baguio City.

IHRA believes these moves of GMA aim to dispel peace advocates from exposing her fascist character.

LastApril 21, at around 5:30 pm, UCCP Pastor Francisco "Jun" Bunoan, 45years old, and a resident of Aringay, La Union, was arrested byOperatives of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Intelligence Group-Cordillera while waiting for a ride together with his brother.Supt. James Bucayo and his team apprehended after confirming his identity and immediately brought him to Camp Dangwa where he stayeduntil April 22.

The arrest was made under the virtue of a Warrant of Arrest issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Abra fortheir alleged involvement in murder of Fr. Conrado Balweg in December31, 1999. On April 23, Pastor Jun was brought to the Abra Provincial Jail, and his arraignment is scheduled sometime in May.

Pastor Jun Bunoan was one of the 14 names that were accused of killing Fr. Balweg on December 31, 1999 despite the admission of the Agustin Begnalen Command (ABC) of the New People's Army (NPA) of the killing.

Others include the late Romy Sanchez ofBAYAN-Ilocos, Rev. Noel and Emelyn Dacuycuy of Ilocos Human Rights Advocates (IHRA), Avelino Dacanay and Nomer Kuan of Solidarity ofPeasants Against Exploitation (STOP Exploitation-KMP) and Lorna Rivera-Baba of Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) who suffered from severe torture from the military in 2000. However, their cases were dismissed after proving their innocence.

As a faithful servant of God and as a peace advocate, Pastor Jun Bunoan served as achurch worker of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP)in the Ilocos Region. In line with his continuous service to the people, he is previously working at the North Luzon Jurisdiction (NLJ)under Bishop Mario Inong as a Researcher for Ilocos, Baguio, Tarlac andManila.

IHRA believes that Pastor Jun's arrest and detention is part of the OPLANBANTAY LAYA 2, the continuation of the futile OPLAN BANTAY LAYA 1. Said National Policy is aimed at annihilating the revolutionary movement by targetting the "legal fronts" of the Communist Party of the Philippines(CPP) for "neutralization" either by persecuting political dissentersor through spate of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearance.

PastorJun is the third victim of criminalization of political offenses this year. Earlier two (2) peasants were falsely charged with Homicide and Murder respectively.

Amidst worsening human rights violations, the government of the republic of the Philippines (GRP) should be pressured to respect, defend and protect human rights at all cost.

Send your petitions and communications to call for the immediate release of PASTOR JUN BUNOAN and to scrap the case filed against him [to the following authorities].

Hon. Anita Chauhan
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights Region I
Pagdalagan, San Fernando City, La Union
Tel. No. (072)-700-3607

H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic
Malacanang Palace,
JP Laurel St. , San Miguel
Manila Philippines
Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80
Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968
Cell#: (+ 63) 919 898 4622 / (+63) 917 839 8462
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph / opnet@ops.gov.ph

Office of the Peace Process
7th Floor Agustin Building I
Emerald Avenue
Pasig City 1605
Voice:+63 (2) 636 0701 to 066
Mobile :
Fax:+63 (2) 635 9579

The Secretary for National Defense
Room 301 DND Building, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo,
E. de los Santos Avenue
Quezon City
Voice:+63(2) 911-9281 / 911-0488
Fax:+63(2) 911 6213
osnd@philonline.com

Hon. Purificacion Valera Quisumbing
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., UP Complex
Commonwealth Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City
Philippines
Fax: (+632) 929 0102
Email: drpvq@chr.gov.ph

Where’s the son of Joe Burgos?

2007-05-03T07:18:00.001-07:00

Believing that her son may have been abducted, the wife of the late press freedom icon Joe Burgos Monday appealed for the release of 36-year-old Jonas Joseph Burgos.

Jonas has been missing with two companions since Saturday, according to Edith Burgos.

“We are asking anybody who may have seen him, or could be holding him, to please set him free,” Edith said in a press conference in Quezon City.

Edith declined to say who might be behind the possible abduction of her son, who has been actively involved in agri-technology training of peasant organizations.

But the Families of Desaparecidos for Justice issued a statement raising the possibility that the military was involved.

“This is a brazen act which only state security forces will have the motive and gall to carry out,” said Desaparecidos spokesperson Ghay Portajada.

Bullets and libel suits

2007-04-23T18:43:00.001-07:00

Press Statement

18 April 2007

The Antonio Zumel Center for Press Freedom (AZCPF) strongly condemns the recent attacks on media people and journalists. The assassins want to prevent the media from bringing to the public the true state of the nation and the criminal activities being committed by those in power.*Carmelo Palacios, 41, a field reporter of Radyo ng Bayan, was found dead in Sta. Rosa town, Nueva Ecija, April 18. He is the 51st journalist to be killed under the Arroyo administration's increasingly blood-drenched watch, and the third this year.

A day after, Delfin Mallari Jr., correspondent of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the host of a local radio program and editor of the local paper Ang Dyaryo Natin, was shot and wounded in an ambush in Lucena City.

In Cebu City, Leo Lastimosa, station manager of the local ABS-CBN radio, was slapped with a libel suit by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia because of his exposes on alleged scams committed during the preparations for the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations there.

The continuing attacks on media people and journalists can only be linked to the unabated attacks on militants and activists that are clearly politically-motivated.

Several prestigious international bodies, including the recent Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT) have already pointed to the armed elements of the Arroyo regime as being responsible for these attacks, and have held the regime accountable for these crimes.

The Antonio Zumel Center for Press Freedom joins the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines and other media organizations in defending press freedom. Bullets and libel suits will not stop the good men and women of the media from their commitment to bring the truth to the people.

-3o-

Human rights activist wounded in ambush, companions abducted

2007-04-18T16:45:00.000-07:00

An officer of a human rights organization was wounded in an ambush while his two companions were abducted by still unidentified men in a town near here Thursday night in what is seen as the first attack on political activists on Panay Island. Read more from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Nobel Laureate Supports 2nd Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal Session on RP

2007-04-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Most Rev. Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, South Africa, is one of the several supporters of the 2nd Session on the Philippines of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) – where the Arroyo regime, the U.S. government, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank (IMF-WB), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and multinational corporations are facing charges for gross violations of civil and political rights, economic plunder and ecological destruction, and transgression of the Filipino peoples’ sovereignty. Read more from bulatlat.com.

An Ecumenical Report on Human Rights in the Philippines and a Call to Action

2007-03-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

An ecumenical report and a call to action documenting human rights violations in the Philippines will be launched today in Geneva (Palais des Nations, Room XXVII, 14:00), within the framework of the current session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Submitting the report - entitled "Let the stones cry out!" - is an ecumenical delegation from the Philippines whose participation in the Human Rights Council's meeting is being sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

The report "distills the collective cry for justice of thousands of Filipinos - including more than 800 victims of extra-judicial executions from the year 2001 to the present - who have suffered the brunt of violations of human rights under the Philippine government's counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism strategies".

It presents information on the violations and evidence of the complicity of government security forces, and discusses the historical, social, economic and political context in which the violations are committed, including a "culture of impunity".

An associated call to action is addressed to the UN Human Rights Council as well as to church and religious bodies in the international community and Philippines churches.

The launch of the report and a panel discussion with the members of the delegation is scheduled for 14:00 on 19 March at the Palais des Nations (Room XXVII).

The ecumenical delegation presenting the report includes representatives of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), the Philippines Ecumenical Bishops' Forum, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, the Moro Christian People's Alliance as well as the US-based United Methodist Church.

The delegation will meet with the staff of the German mission to the UN, and will attempt to make oral interventions during the plenary sessions of the Human Rights Council on such topics as disappearances and Indigenous issues. It will also meet with staff of the WCC, LWF and other ecumenical organizations at the Ecumenical Centre.

Read the report on the WCC website.

Canada urges arrests, convictions in killings

2007-03-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

Canada wants “to see arrests, prosecutions, and convictions” of the perpetrators of extrajudicial killings that continue to claim the lives of activists and journalists in the country.

Adding to the international pressure being brought to bear o the Arroyo government over the killings, Steven Rheault-Kihara, counselor for political and economic relations and public affairs of Canada's embassy in the Philippines, also expressed “great concern” that a witness who testified before United Nations special rapporteur Philip Alston was killed over the weekend. Read more from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Witness in UN human rights probe shot dead in Misamis

2007-03-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

A member of the party-list group Bayan Muna was shot dead in front of her family in Sitio Nabuolan, Barangay Guinalaban in Salay town in Misamis Oriental on Saturday afternoon. The victim, Siche Bustamante-Gandinao, 56, was also a member of the farmers group Misamis Oriental Farmers Association (Mofa).

Gandinao was one of the witnesses who shared their experiences and knowledge of extrajudicial killings in the country during the visit of Phillip Alston, United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial and summary executions.

Read more the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Bayan Muna-Morong coordinator shot dead in Morong, Bataan, Philippines

2007-03-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

At around 7:30 in the morning of March 2, 2007, Felisa Timog Ocampo was walking in front of her sister’s store when two men suddenly approached and shot her on the forehead. The gunmen waited for awhile making sure that the victim was already dead before leaving the scene. They threatened those who rushed to the scene not make any move. The assailants fled by in a car with two other men inside escorted with two men on board a motorcycle. Read an account of the incident from Stop the Killings in the Philippines.

Militant union leader killed in Digos

2007-03-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

On March 2 Renato Torrecampo Pacaide was walking with his stepdaughter Michelle and her one-month old baby when motorcycle-riding gunmen pumped bullets into his head and body. Michelle and the baby were unharmed but Renato died on the spot. Renato, a 53-year old member of the UCCP Kiblawan, Davao del Sur (Mindanao) and provincial coordinator of Anakpawis (Toiling Masses) Party. Read more from Sun Star Network.

Related articles on Pacaide's murder:
World Day of Prayer Reveals Anguish in the Philippines