Death by Democracy

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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.

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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.

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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:

• Fact sheet published by the National Coalition for the Protection of Workers’ Rights-Southern Tagalog and Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan-Kilusang Mayo Uno 
• Statement by the Kilusang Mayo Uno

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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.

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.