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PHILIPPINES: Threat against an activist priest; bullets offered after a mass in Bulacan, Luzon

November 25, 2005

URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal

25 November 2005
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UA-219-2005: PHILIPPINES: Threat against an activist priest; bullets offered after a mass in Bulacan, Luzon

PHILIPPINES: Human rights defender; threat against activists; inadequate government action; rule of law
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Dear friends

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of Peoples Rights), a human rights organisation based in Manila, Philippines, regarding the threat to the life of a catholic priest, Fr. Rolando de Leon.

On 30 October 2005, a mass had just finished at the San Andres Apostol Parish, Norzagaray, Bulacan when collectors found out four envelopes containing small pieces of paper with bullets on them had been gathered from the mass offering. Written on the paper were messages with threats to Fr. de Leon’s life. A report from KARAPATAN suggests that the threat to Fr. de Leon could be someone’s effort to silence him.

It was learned that Fr. de Leon has been actively involved in human rights work and providing assistance to victims of human rights violations and their families in the province of Bulacan. He has also joined various fact-finding missions on reported cases of violations, initiated a dialogue with local government officials, and led the filing of complaints on violations to the concerned government agencies, including the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

This is yet another incident of harassment and violence against people in the religious community advocating for human rights in the Philippines. The AHRC has reported the attack on Fr. Allan Caparro of Leyte, Visayas (UA-30-2005) and the killings of Fr. William Tadena of Tarlac (UP-26-2005), Rev. Raul Domingo of Palawan (UP-101-2005) and Rev. Edison Lapuz of Leyte, Visayas (UP-59-2005).

Your strong intervention is needed to require the concerned government agencies, in particular the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and other credible law enforcement agencies to provide immediate protection to Fr. de Leon. An impartial investigation must also be conducted into the incident, and appropriate criminal charges must be filed if the allegations are found to be true.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of the priest: Fr. Rolando de Leon (50). He is a Roman Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Malolos, Bulacan and Parish Priest of San Andres Apostol Parish, Norzagaray. He is also the spokesperson for the organisations Alyansa ng Mamamayan para sa Pantaong Karapatan (ALMMA) [People’s Alliance for Human Rights] - a provincial chapter of KARAPATAN; Bulacan Ecumenical Association of Church People Offering Nationalism (BEACON); and the provincial chapter of the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR)
Place of incident: At the San Andres Apostol Parish in San Andres Apostol, Norzagaray,  Bulacan, Philippines
Date of incident:  30 October 2005, between 8:30am to10:00am
Alleged perpetrators: Elements of the 56th Infantry Batallion Philippine Army under the command of Lt. Col. Noel Clement

Case details:

On 30 October 2005, after the 8:30am mass at the San Andres Apostol Parish in San Andres Apostol, Norzagaray, Bulacan church volunteers were gathering the envelopes and counting the donations collected from the mass. From one of the collection bags, four envelopes were found containing a piece of paper each with the message “Isang babala para sayo: Ikaw na ang isusunod!” (“A warning for you: You’re next!”). Three of the envelopes also contained one bullet each.

According to Fr. de Leon, he was not surprised with this death threat and believes it is undeniably connected to the series of threats, killings and other human rights violations happening in his province and the whole of Central Luzon. The killing of Federico de Leon, Chairperson of Anakpawis-Bulacan on 26 October 2005 in Malolos, Bulacan had just happened at that time.
 
The Municipality of Norzagaray, where Fr. de Leon’s Parish is located is one of the areas suffering from this violence. In September, two people, Leodegario Punzal, a local Anakpawis Leader and Luis Caresa, a caretaker of Trian Farms in Barangay Matictic were also reportedly killed.

For some time now, Fr. de Leon has been actively involved in human rights work in the province of Bulacan. Between April and May 2005, he joined human rights workers from ALMMA-Bulakan, to look into the human rights violation cases in the town of San Miguel.

As the spokesperson for ALMMA-Bulakan, a network of the KARAPATAN National Office, Fr. de Leon has been monitoring cases of human rights violations. He has also given support to the survivors and the families of people who are victims of human rights violations. He joins fact-finding missions, dialogues with local government officials and leads the filing of complaints to the Provincial Government and the local Commission on Human Rights on violation cases.

On 16 March 2005, Fr. de Leon recalled that one Sgt. Arnaldo Pagala, a military agent took a picture of him during a protest rally without his consent. Sgt. Pagala pretended at the time to be a member of the media taking pictures of the rally for the National Day of Protest. It was later discovered that he had been carrying a .45 caliber pistol. He was taken to the Philippine National Police Headquarters in Malolos.

It was learned that Sgt. Pagala admitted that he is a member of the Military Intelligence Group (MIG-3), an Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) in Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) based in Camp Servillano Aquino, Tarlac City.

The military had in the past accused individuals and several organisations of being supporters or sympathisers of the communist armed group. Last year, the former chief of the AFP’s Northern Luzon Command, Lt. General Romeo Dominguez (presently retired) came out with a book entitled, “The Trinity of War,” wherein he identified individuals and organizations as sympathizers, supporters, if not outright members, of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) or the New People’s Army (NPA). 

It has since been learned that some of the named individuals in the said list have been killed by assassins who have assumed a pattern of killings – armed men usually riding a motorcycle, with ski masks or bonnet to escape identification, and using vehicles with no number plates.

This year the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP)  likewise admitted to having released a compact disc presentation entitled, ”Knowing the Enemy: Are We Missing the Point?”  Similar to the Dominguez book, it named media, church, human rights and other progressive organizations as supporters, sympathizers, coddlers or under the influence of the communists.  The disc is being shown to villages and discussed among communities where the military conducts so-called civilian military operations.

One of the organisations identified in this compact disc presentation is the KARAPATAN. Since 2001, 21 KARAPATAN human rights defenders have been killed. This threat to Fr. de Leon came on the heels of a new wave of killings in Central Luzon.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please send letters to concerned government agencies, in particular the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and other law enforcement agencies requiring them to provide immediate protection to Fr. Rolando de Leon. Please also ask for an impartial investigation into the incident.

Suggested letter:


Dear ____________,

Re: PHILIPPINES: Threat against an activist priest; bullets offered after a mass in Bulacan, Luzon

Name of the priest: Fr. Rolando de Leon (50). He is a Roman Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Malolos, Bulacan and Parish Priest of San Andres Apostol Parish, Norzagaray. He is also the spokesperson for the organisations Alyansa ng Mamamayan para sa Pantaong Karapatan (ALMMA) [People’s Alliance for Human Rights] - a provincial chapter of KARAPATAN; Bulacan Ecumenical Association of Church People Offering Nationalism (BEACON); and the provincial chapter of the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR)
Place of incident: At the San Andres Apostol Parish in San Andres Apostol, Norzagaray,  Bulacan, Philippines
Date of incident:  30 October 2005, between 8:30am to 10:00am
Alleged perpetrators: Elements of the 56th Infantry Batallion Philippine Army under the command of Lt. Col. Noel Clement

I am writing to draw your attention to the threat on the life of Fr. Rolando de Leon (50), a parish priest of San Andres Apostol Parish, Norzagaray on 30 October 2005. I am convinced that the threat on Fr. de Leon is yet another incident of harassment and violence against people working for human rights in your country.

I have learned that on 30 October 2005, envelopes containing messages and bullets threatening Fr. de Leon have been received by church volunteers. Even though the perpetrators cannot be identified, circumstances strongly suggest that it is aimed directly at Fr. de Leon in an attempt to intimidate him. I am aware of Fr. de Leon’s active work on assisting human rights violations victims in Bulacan province. The threat to him strongly suggests that it could be part of the wider violence being taken against activists.

I am aware that prior to the threat on Fr. de Leon, on 16 March 2005, a military agent identified as Sgt. Arnaldo Pagala was reported to have taken pictures of Fr. de Leon without his consent. Although Sgt. Pagala was questioned by the police regarding his motive, no further action was taken on the incident.

I have also received reports that Fr. de Leon has been accused of being a supporter of the communist armed group by the military, which is obviously a common practice among the police and military. The government, in particular the Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP) has not taken action to rectify this. I am concerned by the government’s inadequate action into Fr. de Leon’s case.
 
I urge your strong intervention to ensure that the Philippine government provide appropriate protection and assistance to Fr. de Leon without delay. An immediate and impartial investigation regarding the threat on his life must also be conducted. If allegations against those men involved are found to be true, sanctions and charges must be filed against them before a court of law.

I trust that you will take action in this case.

Yours sincerely,


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PLEASE SEND 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. The Director
Fact-Finding Investigation, Corruption
Prevention and Public Assistance Bureau
Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and
Other Law Enforcement Offices
3rd Floor, Ombudsman Bldg., Agham Road
Diliman (1104) Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel: +632 926 9032

3. 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

4. Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace,
JP Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 742-1641 / 929-3968
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph/?lt;/font>opnet@ops.gov.ph

5. Secretary Avelino J. Cruz Jr.
Department of National Defense
Room 301 DND Bldg.,
Camp Emilio Aguinaldo
E. de los Santos Avenue, Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2911 6213
Email: osnd@philonline.com

6. Ms. Hina Jilani
Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders
Att: Ben Majekodunmi
Room 1-040, c/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 93 88
Fax: +41 22 917 9006
E-mail: bmajekodunmi@ohchr.org


Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
UA-219-2005
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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.