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PHILIPPINES: Another peasant leader wounded and his wife and son killed by armed men in Zambales

March 27, 2006

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ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal

28 March 2006
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UA-107-2006: PHILIPPINES: Another peasant leader wounded and his wife and son killed by armed men in Zambales

PHILIPPINES: Violence against peasant leader and his family; extra-judicial execution; violence against women and children; collapse of rule of law
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that another peasant leader has been seriously wounded while his wife and son have been killed following armed men firing at them in San Marcelino, Zambales on 20 March 2006. Amante Abelon, his wife Agnes and their 5-year-old son Amante Jr. were attacked by armed men while riding a motorcycle on their way home.

The Abelon family was passing a road from the town of Castillejos, where they paid bills at the Zambales Electric Cooperative (ZAMECO), on their way to Palayan. When they reached the unpopulated area of Sitio Mauao, Barangay San Isidro, armed men riding in a dark colored vehicle opened fire on them. Amante was hit in different parts of his body but managed to run for safety while his wife and son were left behind. Their bodies were later found near the motorcycle still embracing each other. They both had gunshot wounds to their heads.

Amante sought shelter behind a nearby tree, some 70 meters away from where the shooting happened. While in hiding, he tried to ask for help from two peasant workers who at the time were working at a plantation but they ran away when they saw him being chased by an armed man.

Amante immediately phoned a friend on his mobile phone asking for help. The friend rushed to his location and took him to the hospital in San Marcelino for treatment. He was later transferred to the James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital in Olongapo City where he underwent surgery and was declared in a stable condition the following day. He sustained nine gunshot wounds to his body.

During the incident, a truck driver was passing on his way to San Marcelino when he saw the victims’ motorcycle on the ground. Beside it was service vehicle. Thinking it was an accident, the driver then turned back to help out. But when the driver, along with another volunteer, arrived at the scene the other service vehicle was already gone. When they recovered the bodies of Agnes and her son, only then did they realise the victims were killed and it was not an accident at all.

According to Francisco Pigao, Barangay (village) Chairman of Barangay San Pablo, Amante is known to be actively involved with the quarry problem in Sitio San Isidro in Barangay San Pablo. It is believed that his involvement as a peasant and community leader could be the primary reason for the attempt on his life and the attack on his family.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the concerned agencies listed below and raise your concern in this case. An impartial and adequate investigation must be conducted to effectively prosecute the alleged perpetrators. Amante and his other two children must be placed under protective custody without delay to ensure their security once the investigation commences. If the situation requires, they must be placed under the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Act (RA 6981) of the Department of Justice. Additionally, appropriate compensation and assistance must be afforded to the families of the dead.


Suggested letter:


Dear ___________,

PHILIPPINES: Another peasant leader wounded and his wife and son killed by armed men in Zambales

Name of wounded victim: Amante Abelon (42), a resident of Palayan, San Marcelino, Zambales. He is the vice Chairman of the Alyansa ng mga Mambubukid sa Gitnang Luson (Alliance of Peasant from Central Luzon), Coordinator for party list Anakpawis (Toiling Masses) and a member of their Barangay (village) Council
Name of victims killed: Agnes Abelon (30) and her son, Amante Abelon, Jr. (5)
Name of alleged perpetrators: Armed men alleged to have connections with the Intelligence Group of the Philippine Army
Place of incident: Sitio Mauao, Barangay San Isidro, Castillejos, Zambales
Date and time of incident: 20 March 2006 between 10 and 11am

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding peasant leader Amante Abelon and his family. I have learned that Amante was seriously wounded while his wife Agnes and their 5-year-old son Amante, Jr. were killed when armed men opened fire on them on 20 March 2006 in Barangay (village) San Isidro, Castillejos. They were onboard their motorcycle on their way home between 10 and 11am from a nearby town when attacked by the gunmen.

According to the information I received, the perpetrators were onboard a dark-colored service vehicle. Agnes and her son Amante Jr. died on the spot after being shot in the head. Their dead bodies were later found on the ground still embracing each other. Amante managed to run for cover behind a nearby tree. He sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his body. Amante was later rescued and taken to hospital for treatment by a person known to him whom he had asked for help.

I am appalled by this further violence against peasant leaders, and in this case his innocent family. The attempt made on Amante’s life, the killing of his wife Agnes and their son is totally unacceptable. I therefore urge you to conduct an effective and impartial investigation in order to prosecute the alleged perpetrators. Allegations into the possible involvement of armed men believed to have connections with the military’s intelligence group must be adequately looked into. Amante and his two other children must be afforded with appropriate protection and security to prevent further violence and attempts made on their lives.

I urge the Department of Justice to consider placing Amante and his two children under protective custody and to include them under the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Act (RA 6981). I strongly believed that unless Amante and his children are afforded with government-sponsored security any investigation conducted in this case might not be effective as their security is still at risk. Amante’s testimony of the perpetrator’s identity is essential in this case.

Additionally, I urge you to consider affording the Abelon family appropriate compensation and medical assistance. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) should initiate appropriate counseling to Amante as well as his remaining children.

I trust that your intervention will be forthcoming in this case.

Yours sincerely,

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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. Ms. Purificacion Quisumbing
Commissioner
Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue
U.P. Complex, Diliman
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel: +63 2 928 5655/926 6188
Fax: +63 2 929 0102
Email: drpvq@chr.gov.ph

2. P/DIR Gen. Arturo Lumibao
Chief, Philippine National Police (PNP)
Camp Crame
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel: +63 2726 4361/4366/8763
Fax: +63 2724 8763

3. Mr. Raul Gonzalez
Secretary
Department of Justice
DOJ Bldg., Padre Faura
1004 Manila
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 521 1614
Email: sechbp@infocom.com.ph

4. Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President
Republic of the Philippines
Malacañang Palace
JP Laurel Street, San Miguel
Manila 1005
PHILIPPINES
Tel No: +63 2 735 6201 / 564 1451 to 80
Fax: +63 2 736 1010

5. Mr. Philip Alston
Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions
Atten: Lydie Ventre
Room 3-016, c/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9155
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (general)
Email: lventre@ohchr.org

6. Ms. Yakin Erturk
Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women
c/o Ms Vernonica Birga
Room 3-042
c/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9615
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN)
Email: vbirga@ohchr.org (please also cc: rrico@ohchr.org)

7. Ms. Hina Jilani
Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders
Attn: Melinda Ching Simon
Room 1-040, c/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 93 88
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS)
E-mail: MChingSimon@ohchr.org

8. Mr. Jacob Egbert Doek
Chairperson
Committee on the Rights of the Child
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Fax: +41 22 917 9022


Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
UA-107-2006
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Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.