LATEST UPDATE 10 September 2006
WCC SEEKS END TO EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS IN THE PHILIPPINES
5 September 2006 Geneva
The World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee today condemned extrajudicial
killings in the Philippines and called on the government of the Philippines to disband "death squads", private
militias and paramilitary forces operating with impunity in the country.
Meeting in Geneva,
Switzerland, 30 August to 6 September 2006, the central committee also
challenged the concept of a global war on terror as pretext for the violation of human rights in the Philippines.
Central committee heard how the legitimacy of the 2001 election
of the Philippines government headed by
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo continues to be challenged. Under the pretexts of the "war on terror" and a new emphasis
on internal national security, the Philippines
has become "militarized to an alarming degree".
There are now many calls, including from the churches, for the President
to relinquish office.
Central committee heard that promises of reform have not been addressed and political power is
still exercised by a ruling elite supported by the military.
Since 2001 more than 740 people who have worked with
and for the poor in the Philippines have
been assassinated in extrajudicial killings. They include journalists, lawyers, leaders of people's organizations, human rights
activists and 21 church workers, nine of whom were pastors and priests.
Paramilitary groups armed by the military,
and even members of the military and police, have been implicated in these killings.
Over the past 12 months the situation
has worsened considerably, the central committee statement emphasized. Extrajudicial killings have been happening at the rate
of one every two days. The government has increased its military action against insurgents, resulting in an increase in the
number of "civilian" deaths.
Central committee called on the Philippines Government to hold accountable any members
of the military found to be involved in extrajudicial killings, instruct the military to cease listing churches and church
workers as "enemies of the state", and reverse the national security policy of making no distinction between combatants and
non-combatants within the current counter-insurgency campaign.
It expressed its condolences to the families of the
victims of the killings, affirmed the Filipino churches and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines "for their courageous work with and for the poor, in the face of violent
opposition," and assured the Filipino churches of ongoing support.
Central committee also asked the United Nations
Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to take up the matter of extrajudicial killings
in the Philippines.
Related Links:
Full text of the "Statement on extrajudicial killings in the Philippines" will
be available later on Tuesday, 5 September, on the WCC website: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/central-committee/geneva-2006/reports-and-documents.html
More information on the WCC Central Committee meeting is available on the WCC website: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/events-sections/cc2006.html
Amnesty Int'l tells RP: Shame on you
Slays traced to state of emergency, war vs Reds
By Norman Bordadora
Published on Page A1 of the August 16, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE UNABATED killing of leftist activists constitutes a pattern of political executions that should be a source of
"deep embarrassment" to the Philippine government, according to Amnesty International (AI).
In a 51-page report released yesterday, the London-based human rights group said the threat of more such murders had
intensified this year along with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's declaration of a state of emergency in February, the
arrest and threatened arrest of militant party-list lawmakers, and the administration's all-out war against communist insurgents.
The group raised concerns about "credible reports" that security forces were involved in the killings, or at least
tolerated or had knowledge of them.
AI documented a steep increase in the incidence of extrajudicial killings this year, recording 51 cases in the first
semester. It pointed out there were 66 such killings in the entire 2005.
"No one deserves to die for their political affiliation. It should be a deep embarrassment to the government that people
in the Philippines cannot freely exercise their rights of political expression
and association," said AI's Southeast Asia researcher Tim Parritt.
In its report that included case studies of the killings and of warrantless arrests, AI listed these key recommendations:
Reassertion of respect for human rights; guarantee of the administration of justice; compliance with the human rights agreement
in the peace process, and action by other human rights institutions.
UN mechanisms
AI called on the Philippine government to seek the expertise of the United Nations' "relevant special mechanisms" by
inviting the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, the Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders and representatives
of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to visit the Philippines.
It also called for an independent oversight body that would ensure that all investigations of political killings --
including those by the Philippine National Police's Task Force Usig -- were backed by effective coordination between the PNP,
National Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice and Department of National Defense.
Asked yesterday to comment, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said: "Let us be very clear: These killings are appalling
and the President condemns them in the strongest possible terms. She has taken a number of actions. She has offered rewards,
brought in the police and directed the [DoJ] to stop at nothing in bringing the perpetrators to justice. She is determined
to bring these breaches under control and to mete out the harshest punishments to the offenders."
Culture of impunity
In her State of the Nation Address last month, the President said she was condemning the political killings. But she
also heaped lavish praise on Major General Jovito Palparan, who has been tagged the "butcher" of leftist activists for the
cases of extrajudicial killings and rights abuses in areas where he has been posted.
"The common features in the methodology of the attacks, the leftist profile of the victims and an apparent culture
of impunity shielding the perpetrators has led AI to believe that the killings are not an unconnected series of criminal murders,
armed robberies or other unlawful killings," the group said.
"Rather, they constitute a pattern of politically targeted extrajudicial executions taking place within the broader
context of a continuing counterinsurgency campaign," it said.
It cited motorcycle-riding death squads preying on leftist activists as well as cases of militant politicians and activists
being labeled as communist cadres.
AI called for a renewed commitment from both the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines to respect human rights, noting that the New People's Army, the armed
wing of the CPP, had announced the formation of "retaliatory hit squads" against government forces.
"With the political will necessary to revive peace negotiations currently appearing absent, [AI] believes it essential
that all sides urgently reassert respect for human rights in order to prevent the serious threat of a renewed spiral of human
rights abuses," the group said.
'Official acquiescence'
AI said there was "an increased risk that those responsible for the killings would believe that they had received a
signal of official acquiescence for these abuses."
It cited "repeated credible reports that members of the security forces have been directly involved in the attacks,
or else have tolerated, acquiesced to, or been complicit in them."
It said that as early as 2003, the UN Human Rights Committee called for government action on "the lack of appropriate
measures to investigate crimes allegedly committed by state security forces and agents and to prosecute and punish these perpetrators."
AI called on the Deputy Ombudsman for the military and other law enforcement offices to conduct "prompt, thorough,
impartial and effective" inquiries into all complaints of political killings purportedly involving military, police or other
security personnel.
It said these inquiries should, as appropriate, lead promptly to recommendations to the DoJ to file criminal charges
against those found responsible.
"Stemming this tide of killings requires genuine political will to ensure prosecution in all cases -- not only the
10 cases in 10 weeks recently called for by President Arroyo," Parritt said.
'Primary target' of gov't
AI said that in February, Ms Arroyo declared a state of emergency on the basis of a purported plot to overthrow her
administration by members of the mainstream opposition in "tactical alliance" with rightists, communist rebels, progressive
leftist groups and current and former military personnel.
"However, the primary target of government action appeared to be the CPP-NPA and the progressive leftist parties, which
were now explicitly accused by senior government officials of being front organizations for illegal communist armed groups,"
AI said.
It said that on Feb. 26, police lodged a "rebellion" complaint with government prosecutors against some 50 prominent
figures from across the spectrum of the Left, including communist leaders in exile and leaders of militant party-list groups.
"In a serious blow to prospects for reviving confidence in the peace process, the list of those accused of rebellion
was substantially composed of persons previously listed in the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees, and the
addresses of most of the suspects was cited as the Secretariat of the Joint Monitoring Committee of the [Comprehensive Agreement
on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law]," AI said.
The group said that over the subsequent months it appeared "increasingly clear" that the government had decided to
abandon its peace talks with the National Democratic Front, the CPP's political wing. With a report from Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Activist-pastor
shot dead in Albay
By Ephraim Aguilar August 6, 2006
Philippine Daily Inquirer
DARAGA,
ALBAY—A pastor of the United Methodist Church who was also a member of a leftist farmers' group was shot dead by about
10 masked gunmen outside his home in Barangay Malobago here Thursday night, Daraga police said.
The
victim, identified as Isaias Sta. Rosa, 47, was found dead beside a creek with another dead man who also had gunshot wounds
lying beside him, they added.
The
police identified the other fatality as Cpl. Lordger Pastrana of the Philippine Army who was believed to be one of the men
who had earlier forced their way into Sta. Rosa's house, according to PO2 Alona Gallanero of the Bicol regional police public
information office.
Found
on Pastrana were two .45-cal. pistols, a mobile phone and a wrist watch, Gallanero said.
Investigators
said the suspects first entered the house of Jonathan Sta. Rosa, 26, the pastor's younger brother, before going to the victim's
house located in the same compound.
Robbery-homicide
Police
entered the case as a "robbery with homicide" in the blotter and disclosed that Jonathan was robbed of P700 in cash and some
cell phones, while Isaias was robbed of one laptop computer and five cell phones.
Isaias
was a member of the farmers' group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Bicol (Farmers' Movement in Bicol) under the Kilusang Magbubukid
ng Pilipinas (Farmers' Movement of the Philippines),
Carl Ala, KMP spokesperson, said.
With
Sta. Rosa's death, the number of militants killed since 2001 had reached 245, by the Inquirer's own count. Karapatan, a human
rights group, put the number at 720.
Jonathan
said the gunman found dead beside his slain brother was among those who entered their house at about 8:30 p.m.
He
said he was puzzled why the gunman, who was still holding a .45-cal. pistol, was also killed. By creek
Jonathan
added that the bodies of the pastor and the soldier were found beside a creek several minutes after gunshots were heard and
the gunmen had left.
Still
shaken by the experience, Jonathan narrated that he was preparing supper when the gunmen entered his house, which was beside
the pastor's. He said another brother, Ray, arrived from work at the same time.
"I
thought they were robbers because they asked me to give them my cell phone. Then I saw Ray, who was about to enter the house.
The intruders ordered him to lie down on the ground and someone barked at me to do the same," Jonathan said.
Other residents robbed
He
said he found out later that the men also took away the cell phones of residents of several houses in the neighborhood before
coming to his house.
He
said the armed men brought them outside the house and asked about the whereabouts of Isaias. They were hit with the butt of
a gun as they were being questioned, he said.
Later,
Jonathan said, he was ordered to knock at the door of the pastor's house. Once inside, he and Ray along with his sister-in-law
and four nephews and nieces, were herded into a room.
He
said the gunmen found Isaias in an adjoining room. He was asked to identify himself, beaten up and taken out of the house
and brought to the nearby creek, he said.
Military men?
Jonathan
said several minutes after the masked armed men left with his brother, two sets of gunfire were heard from the direction of
the creek.
Jonathan
said he believed the gunmen were from the military, because of their bearing, the fatigues they were wearing, the high-powered
arms they carried and their combat boots.
He
said that on two occasions men in military uniform, with their nameplates hidden from view, had searched the house of the
victim.
Brig.
Gen. Arsenio Arugay, 901st Infantry Brigade commander based in Villahermosa,
Daraga, Albay, said officers were still investigating why Pastrana was in the area at the time.
He
said Pastrana was assigned to the Public Affairs Office of the 9th Infantry Division based in Pili, Camarines Sur, but was
told that the soldier had not yet reported to the unit.
He
said it was unfair that some people claimed that the killers were military men, just because Pastrana's body was found near
that of Sta. Rosa's.
3
activists killed in 24 Hours 1
missing since July 28
Three activists were killed in the last 24 hours in the regions of Northern and Central Luzon and Sorsogon province, the three priority areas of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's
all-out-war policy.
Dr.
Chandu Claver,49, Bayan Muna-Kalinga Chapter chair, and his wife, Alice, 42, were ambushed at around 7 a.m. today, July 31,
in front of St. Toni's College by two unidentified gunmen on board a black van. The couple was dropping off their daughter
Samantha to school. At 1 p.m. Alice was pronounced dead at the Kalinga Provincial Hospital
while Claver is in critical condition. Samantha was unhurt.
Earlier
at around 6 a.m., Rie Mon Guran, 21, spokesperson of League of Filipino Students in Aquinas
University in Legazpi
City was shot to death in Bulan, Sorsogon by an unidentified gunman.
Guran was shot four times and sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
At
4 a.m. yesterday, July 30, Mario Florendo, 56 was killed inside his home in Barangay (village) Parista in the town of
Lupao, province of Nueva
Ecija, according to Karapatan-Nueva Ecija (Alliance
for the Advancement of People's Rights) secretary general Beatriz Perido.
The
murder of the three brings to 121 the total of civilians killed since January 2006 alone.
Also
in Lupao, Dionisio Malapit, a peasant leader of Balbalungao village was abducted on July 28. Perido said the abductors also
beat up Malapit's son then burned his house before leaving. Perido said they were also confirming reports of two other peasants
killed in the villages of Salvacion and Bagong Flores, also in Lupao.
In its counter-insurgency program Oplan Bantay Laya, the president named the regions of Ilocos-Cordillera, Central
Luzon and the province of Sorsogon
as three of its priority areas.
BY BULATLAT Posted 2:10 p.m., July 31, 2006
Human Rights and Peace Summit 2006
Hundreds of church people, students,
teachers and international partners gathered for the Human Rights and Peace Summit at St. Scholastica's College, Manila on 21 July 2006. Spearheaded by the NCCPhilippines, UCCPhilippines,
Benedictines for Peace, and the Ecumenical Bishops Forum, the HR and Peace Summit will happened in a time when "a multitude
of concern and dissent have been raised here and abroad regarding the pattern of escalating extrajudicial killings, enforced
dissappearances and political persecution in our country today." So, "again there is a need for church people, human
rights and peace advocates to come together and discuss how this obscene climate of oppression should be addressed more vigorously."
This one-day
summit is being called to:
- Study and analyze the pattern of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances
and political persecution;
- Determine the responsibility and accountability of the present government in
this tragic pattern;
- Challenge the faith communities, here and abroad, to unite, speak out and take
concrete action against political repression.
The program
of the summit will include the following:
- Testimonies from victims, relatives and friends of victims of human rights violations
- Discussion of government policies and programs regarding dissent and opposing
views
- Discussion on the prospects of peace
- Drafting of resolutions on how to address the situation
_________________________________________________
NCCP Decries P1B Budget for Anti-Insurgency
Denounces Political Killings
Calls for the Resumption of Peace Talks
In it's latest statement on human rights and peace concerns, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines expressed "deep concern and alarm over President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's announcement allocating one billion pesos for the military to crush the communist insurgency."
It also denounced "the irresponsible labeling of the brutal and unabated killings of unarmed civilians-journalists, pastors
and priests, church workers, peasants and workers as collateral damage."
NCCP reiterated it's position that "peace can be pursued through meeting at the table where the warring factions are
engaged in principled talks and rising from there to mutually agreed principles. " Thus, NCCP called for the resumption
of Peace Talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines
and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
_________________________________________________
20 June 2006
Two days after: And Two More are Felled UCAN reporter, wife slain
The blood of our prophets just won't stop flowing. Two days after Tito Marata was gunned
down, two more lives have been snuffed out in Kidapawan, North Cotabato. The couple Mazel Alave-Vigo and George Vigo
were shot dead by unidentified men while they were heading home at 5pm today. Mazel was a commentator at a church-run
radio station while George was a contributor to the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN) agency and worked with the diocese
of Kidapawan.
No word in any language can suffice to describe the monstrosity of those who committed
this grave crime against the people and those pursuing a just peace
more news and updates
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21 Church
People Killed as of 20 June 2006
See List
The bells toll for yet another fallen prophet. Yet, blessed are they who bear witness to the
truth for they indict the wicked and sow the seeds of genuine freedom.
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