Home / News / Urgent Appeals / PHILIPPINES: Attempt on the life of human rights advocate and his wife in Abuyog, Leyte, Philippines
 

PHILIPPINES: Attempt on the life of human rights advocate and his wife in Abuyog, Leyte, Philippines

February 25, 2005

URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM

25 February 2005
------------------------------------------------------------
UA-30-2005: PHILIPPINES: Attempt on the life of human rights advocate and his wife in Abuyog, Leyte, Philippines

PHILIPPINES: Right to life; Human rights defenders; Rule of law
------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Promotion of Church People's Response (PCPR) in Eastern Visayas regarding the attempt on the life of Fr. Allan Caparro (40) and his wife Aileen (34) on 18 February 2005.

The couple survived the attempt but were seriously wounded. Aileen remains in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as the bullet that hit her has yet to be removed from her body. Fr. Caparro is now out of danger.

The AHRC believes this is an attempt to silence Fr. Caparro, who is a staunch human rights advocate against the continued militarization in Northern and Western Samar. Your intervention is urgently needed to pressure the Philippine Government, and in particular the Philippine National Police (PNP) to conduct an impartial investigation to establish the identity of the perpetrators. The PNP should also ensure the safety of Fr. Caparro and his wife pending the completion of investigation.


Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
-----------------------------------------------------------

DETAILED INFORMATION:

Victim/s:
1. Fr. Allan Caparro (40), a clergy of Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) assigned in Brgy. Sabang, Calbayog, Western Samar. Founding member of the Promotion of Church People's Response-N. Samar (PCPR-NS)
2. Aileen C. Caparro (34), wife of Fr. Caparro, Bookkeeper of the Diocesan Council of the Biliran-Leyte-Samar (BILESA) IFI Diocese.
Date of incident: 18 February 2005
Place of incident: Barangay Tagabaca, Abuyog, Leyte, Visayas, Philippines

Case Details: (according to the victim's statement)

Fr. Allan Caparro and his wife Aileen were shot by unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen at the vicinity of Brgy. Tagabaca, Abuyog, Leyte at around 6:30pm on 18 February 2005 in an apparent attempt to silence Fr. Caparro of ‘exposing and opposing the militarization in Northern and Western Samar due to numerous atrocities committed by military in the area'.

The couple had just attended a three-day meeting called for by the Biliran-Leyte-Samar (BILLESA) Diocese of the Iglesia Filipina Indepiendente (IFI) for a clericus (clergy) and Diocesan Council when they were attacked. They left Padre Burgos at around 4:00pm on their motorcycle with Fr. Allan driving. It was past 5:00pm when they arrived in Mahaplag, Leyte where they stopped to refuel at a gasoline station.

While refueling, Aileen noticed that three men in the gas station near a red motorcycle were staring at them. One of them caught the attention and Fr. Allan, who ignored them.

After they left the gas station, Fr. Caparro was maneuvering a sharp curve road he was shot by one of the three men riding on the red motorcycle that had been apparently tailing them. Fr. Caparro was hit on his back and had to stop the motorcycle. The gunmen continued firing at them as they passed, hitting Aileen in her stomach and on her thigh. The perpetrators then sped towards Dulag, Leyte.

Fr. Allan and his wife Aileen asked for help at a nearby house. They were later brought to Abuyog District Hospital and were given first-aid treatment before being transferred to St. Paul's Hospital in Tacloban City.

Aileen went under surgery to remove the bullet that was that was lodge in one of her kidneys. She remains in the ICU and is being monitored closely.  When she is stable another surgery will need to be performed to remove the bullet that hit her thigh.

Medical reports said the bullet came close to hit Fr. Caparro's spine, but, that is now out of danger. The gunmen used a .45 caliber pistol.

The perpetrators?identity is yet to be established but circumstances suggest that state agents in particular, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, could be responsible. Fr. Caparro's involvement in human rights advocacy, his exposure of and opposition to militarization and the numerous atrocities committed by the military in Northern and Western Samar could have angered the military.

Just recently, Fr. Allan together with other church denominations and sectors spearheaded an alliance formation in Calbayog, W. Samar for the protection of the environment against destructive operations such as mining in the island. These mining operations go hand in hand with massive military operations with the purpose of securing the area and containing people's opposition.

The Abuyog PNP is now conducting the investigation to establish the identity of the perpetrators based on Fr. Allan Caparro statements.


SUGGESTED ACTION:
Kindly write to the Philippine government asking them to conduct an impartial investigation into the attempt on the life of Fr. Caparro and his wife Aileen.

Sample letter:

Dear ____________,

Re: PHILIPPINES: Attempt on the life of human rights advocate and his wife in Abuyog, Leyte, Philippines

Victim/s:
1. Fr. Allan Caparro (40), a clergy of Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) assigned in Brgy. Sabang, Calbayog, Western Samar. Founding member of the Promotion of Church People's Response-N. Samar (PCPR-NS)
2. Aileen C. Caparro (34), wife of Fr. Caparro, Bookkeeper of the Diocesan Council of the Biliran-Leyte-Samar (BILESA) IFI Diocese.
Date of incident: 18 February 2005
Place of incident: Barangay Tagabaca, Abuyog, Leyte, Visayas, Philippines

I am writing to raise my serious concern at the attempt on the lives of Filipino human rights advocate Fr. Allan Caparro (40), a clergy of Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) and his wife Aileen (34) that occurred at the vicinity of Barangay Tagabaca, Abuyog, Leyte, Visayas, Philippines on 18 February 2005.

I urge the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to conduct an impartial investigation and look into allegations that the foiled attempt to kill Fr. Caparro could be the handiwork of the military. Fr. Caparro has been a staunch advocate against militarization in Northern and Western Samar. Such acts of violence to silence those speaking against injustice are in violation of freedom of expression and democracy enshrined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution and the international treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) that the has government signed and ratified. These acts cannot be tolerated and the government must take immediate steps to arrest and prosecute those responsible.

The government must also ensure the safety and security of the Caparro couple during this time.

Yours truly,

- - - - - - - - - - - -

PLEASE SEND A LETTER TO:

1. Hon. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
President
Malacanang Palace
J.P. Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila, NCR 1005
Philippines
Fax: +63 2929 3968

2. Hon. Purificacion Quisumbing
Commissioner
Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue
U.P. Complex, Diliman, Quezon City
Philippines
Fax: +63 2929 0101/928 0848
Email: drpvq@chr.gov.ph

 

 

3. Hon. Eduardo R. Ermita
Secretary, 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

 

 

4. Gen. Edgardo Aglipay
Director
Philippine National Police (PNP)
PNP Headquarters Camp Crame
Metro Manila
Philippines

5. Atty. Paquito M. Nacino
Regional Director
Commission on Human Rights (CHR XI)
3rd Floor R. Yu Salazar
Annex Bldg., Salazar Street
6500 Tacloban City
Philippines
Telefax: +63 053 321-3396

6. Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders
Ms. Hina Jilani
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 (AHRC)
Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
UA-30-2005
Countries :
Campaigns :
Issues :
Document Actions
Share |
Subscribe to our Mailing List
Follow AHRC
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.