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PHILIPPINES: Another IFI priest receives a death threat

October 9, 2006

[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the "button" below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Philippine authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Philippine authorities are attached below with this appeal. Thank you.]

 

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal

9 October 2006
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UA-334-2006: PHILIPPINES: Another IFI priest receives a death threat

PHILIPPINES: Threats to human rights defenders; urgent need for witness protection; systemic perpetration of extra-judicial killings; impunity; collapse of the rule of law
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PETITION - PETITION - PETITION - PETITION
STOP EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS IN THE PHILIPPINES   
http://www.pinoyhr.net/

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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that another priest, Fr. Antonio Ablon of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), or Philippine Independent Church, received a death threat on 6 October 2006 following the killing of Bishop Alberto Ramento of the IFI on 3 October 2006 (To see our appeal regarding Bishop Ramento's killing, please go to: UA-331-2006). We are afraid that Fr. Ablon may be the next victim of the extra-judicial killing. We call for your immediate intervention in this matter. Please write to the Philippine government demanding protection for Fr. Ablon. 

At around 4:45pm on 6 October 2006, Fr. Antonio Ablon, a priest of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) based in Cagayan de Oro, received a death threat via SMS (short message service) message from a mobile phone whose number appeared as 09203546270. The message read: "Fr. Ablon, patay gani ang supreme bishop ikaw pa kaha i sample ka namo dinhi sa CDO. (Fr. Ablon, even the supreme bishop was killed. we will make you an example here in Cagayan de Oro.)"

Fr. Ablon has been actively engaged in human rights work as a National Council Member of the Promotion of Church People's Response (PCPR) and the secretary general of the human rights group Karapatan in the region. Fr. Ablon is also an outspoken critic of the Arroyo government and has been receiving several death threats due to advocating for human rights. The aforementioned incident is the latest threat to his life. 

We are appalled by the fact that this incident occurred only three days after the killing of a prominent human rights defender Bishop Alberto Ramento of the IFI in Tarlac City on 3 October 2006. His work was similar to that of Fr. Ablon. Bishop Ramento was also outspoken critic of the Arroyo government for their failure to stop the killings in the country and launch a genuinely independent investigation into them.  He was also a provincial leader of the human rights group Karapatan (See further: UA-331-2006).

Moreover, the AHRC acknowledge this incident as a real death threat to Fr. Ablon and believes his life is in great danger. We have already reported several cases of extra-judicial killings where the victims had received SMS death threatening messages prior to their killings. For example, two slain activists George and Maricel Vigo (husband and wife) had reportedly received threats via SMS two weeks before their killing on 19 June 2006. (See further: UA-205-2006). In another case, four activists received threats via SMS one after another in General Santos City, Mindanao on 5 July 2006 (See further: UA-228-2006). The AHRC is deeply concerned that the series of incidents is a serious attack on the government critics.

To date, 23 priests, pastors and church members, including Bishop Ramento, have been reportedly killed under the Arroyo government. We were also informed that several other priests of IFI have been under threat due to their activities for human rights, anti-corruption and campaigns against the government policies. They include; Fr. Terry Revollido of PCPR and Bayan leader and faculty member of the Aglipayan seminary in Pangasinan, Fr. Romeo Tagud of PCPR and Bayan Negros member who was harassed by motorcycle-riding armed men, Fr. Marco Sulayao of PCPR and Bayan Panay whose convent was raided by suspected military agents and Fr. Sonny Teleron of PCPR and Bayan member in Western Mindanao.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the Philippine government authorities listed below and express your deep concern about this matter. Please urge them to provide effective protection to Fr. Ablon and inquire about the alleged threats and bring those responsible to justice.

To support this appeal, please click:

Sample letter:

PHILIPPINES: Another IFI priest received death treat

Name of the victim: Fr. Antonio Ablon, a priest of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) based in Cagayan de Oro
Date of incident: At around 4:45pm on 6 October 2006

I am disturbed to learn of a death threat to another priest named Fr. Antonio Ablon of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), or Philippine Independent Church on 6 October 2006. This incident took place only three days after the killing of the prominent human rights defender Bishop Alberto Ramento of the IFI on 3 October 2006.

According to the information I have received, at around 4:45pm on 6 October 2006, Fr. Antonio Ablon received a death threat via SMS (short message service) message from a mobile phone whose number appeared as 09203546270. The message read: "Fr. Ablon, patay gani ang supreme bishop ikaw pa kaha i sample ka namo dinhi sa CDO. (Fr. Ablon, even the supreme bishop was killed. we will make you an example here in Cagayan de Oro.)"

Fr. Ablon has been actively engaged in human rights work as a National Council Member of the Promotion of Church People's Response (PCPR) and the secretary general of the human rights group Karapatan in the region. He has been reportedly receiving several death threats due to his advocate for human rights.

I believe that this incident is a real death threat to Fr. Ablon and that his life is in great danger. I want to remind that several victims of the alleged extra-judicial killings had received death threat text messages prior to their killings. For example, two slain activists George and Maricel Vigo (husband and wife) had reportedly received threats via SMS two weeks before their killing on 19 June 2006.

I am deeply concerned by the constant series of attacks against the government critics, political and human rights activists and citizens of the Philippines. Only concerning the religious groups, I was informed that 23 priests, pastors and church members, including Bishop Ramento, have been reportedly killed since 2001. 

Under the situation, I strongly urge you to take immediate action to ensure the safety of Fr. Ablon and order prompt inquiry into the alleged death threats to him and bring those responsible to justice. I also urge the Government of the Philippine to take genuine steps to stop the ongoing extrajudicial killings and fully and independently inquire about all the alleged extrajudicial killings in order to bring the perpetrators to justice without further delay.

I look for your urgent intervention into this matter.

Yours truly,


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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTER TO:

1. Ms. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic
Malacanang Palace,
JP Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila, Philippines
Fax: +63 2 742-1641 / 929-3968
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph / opnet@ops.gov.ph 

2. Dr. 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 / 927 0467
Fax: +63 2 929 0102

3. Mr. Orlando Casimiro
Deputy Ombudsman
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
Fax: +63 2 926 8747
Email: omb1@ombudsman.gov.ph 

4. Director General Oscar Calderon
Chief, Philippine National Police (PNP)
Camp General Rafael Crame
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel: +63 2726 4361/4366/8763
Fax: +63 2724 8763

5. Mr. Raul Gonzalez
Secretary
Department of Justice
DOJ Bldg., Padre Faura
1004 Manila
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 521 1614

6. Ms. Hina Jilani
Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders
Att: 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)

7.   Mr. Philip Alston
Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions
Attn: Lydie Ventre
Room 3-016
c/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9155
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR EXECUTIONS)


Thank you.

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


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Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
UA-334-2006
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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.