Story 31: Soldiers murdered a man in front of his son
Victim: Alejo De Luna, 30, a farmer, of Sitio Pasalilo, Barangay Mabini, Municipality of Mulanay, Quezon
Alleged Perpetrators: Nine soldiers attached to the Bravo Company, under the command of Lt. Marcus Bibat of the 74th IB-PA
Date of incident: 13 October 2008 at 6am
Place of incident: Sitio Pasalilo, Barangay Mabini, Mulanay
AHRC-UAC-250-2008
Alejo De Luna was murdered in front of his son. On 13 October 2008 at 6am, De Luna was together with his eight-year-old son, Mark Angelo, tending their farm close to their house. Alejo’s wife, Angeline, had gone out of the house after preparing coffee when she saw nine fully uniformed and armed soldiers surrounding her husband and son. It is alleged that the soldiers were attached to the Bravo Coy of the 74th IB-PA.
Angeline saw one of the soldiers pointing his gun at her husband and had him overheard to have said: “Wag kang tatakbo! (Don’t run!)”. They shot Alejo and his son when the latter ran because of fear. His father was supposed to catch up on him but the soldiers shot him instead. Mark Angelo survived.
After the shooting, the soldiers entered into the De Lunas house. They allegedly ransacked the place and conducted searches into the family’s belongings. They, too, threatened Angeline that they would bring her to the army camp but they did not. The soldiers left from the place at 11am of the same day.
Only after the soldiers left was Angeline able to seek help from a village council member, Tess Badillos. Later she learned that her husband, Alejo, had died from two gunshot wounds.
Story 32: Killing of an information officer of a farmer’s group
Victim: Danilo Qualbar, of Sitio Nursery, Barangay Ngan, Municipality of Compostela, Compostela Valley. He was the cluster coordinator of Bayan Muna; Public Information Officer of the Compostela Farmers Association, an affiliate of the KMP
Alleged Perpetrators: Two unidentified men aboard a red XRM motorcycle armed with .45 calibre pistol
Date of incident: 6 November 2008 at 5:30pm
Place of incident: Crossing Osmeña, Barangay Osmeña, Municipality of Compostela, Compostela Valley
AHRC-UAC-250-2008
Danilo Qualbar was on his way home at 5:30pm when he was shot dead by unidentified armed men. The gunmen, onboard a red XRM motorcycle, shot him in Crossing Osmeña in Baranggay Osmeña, about four kilometres from where he had come.
It is reported that an eyewitness had informed residents there that before Danilo was shot dead he was seen being stopped by armed men. They also saw them talking to him before shooting him dead. He suffered four gunshot wounds.
Earlier that day, Danilo told his wife Aurelia that he would go to the town to purchase goods for their household. Their house in Sitio Nursery is about 30 minutes away from town and about 300 metres away from where the detachment of the 72nd IB-PA, is stationed.
Story 33: Killing of a rebel returnee in front of his wife
Victim: Rolando Antolihao, village coordinator for a political party, Bayan Muna.
Alleged perpetrators: Unidentified armed man
Date of incident: 10 November 2008 at 6pm
Place of incident: At his house in Purok 7, Barangay Gabuyan, Municipality of Kapalong, Davao del Norte
AHRC-UAC-250-2008
On 10 November at 6pm, Rolando Antolihao was in his house when an unidentified person, who claimed to be his neighbour, came knocking on their door. Before Rolando allowed the person in, he heard him from inside to have introduced himself by a name known to him.
However, soon after Antolihao opened the door, the person shot him dead with a .45 calibre pistol. He suffered several gunshot wounds to his body. His wife, Elvira, claimed that her husband was a rebel returnee; and was also the head of the village watchman at the time of his death.
Antolihao was a village coordinator for a political party, Bayan Muna, whose members and leaders have been targeted for extrajudicial killings in recent years.
Story 34: Detention of a man for six years without trial
Victim: Pegie Boquecosa, 27, he is accused of being a member of the NPA.
Date of incident: in 11 September 2002. He is presently detained at the Provincial Jail in Alabel in the same province.
Place of incident: Barangay Colon, Maasim, Sarangani
AHRC-UAU-064-2008; AHRC-UA-66-2005
A prosecutor neglected and failed to resolve the charges filed against Pegie Boquecosa, a man detained without trial. For over two years, Alfredo Barcelona Jr., a prosecutor attached to the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Alabel, Sarangani could not conclude as to whether or not there is a “probable cause” to charge Boquecosa in court.
Boquecosa was arrested on 11 September 2002 for murder and a variety of other offences. His continued detention after his arrest, despite the lack of formal charges filed in court, was due to the
prosecutor’s repeated request to extend the deadline in concluding his resolution over variety of excuses. In one occasion, Barcelona claimed he needed to gather further evidence and testimonies from other witnesses, but still did not resolve the complaint for several months thereafter.
Despite repeated orders from Jovencito Zuno, Chief State Prosecutor of the Department of Justice in Manila, for Barcelona to take immediate action and to resolve Boquecosa’s case, he did not take any action. In May and August 2004, the chief state prosecutor and his assistant have written separate letters respectively to Barcelona ordering him resolve the case, but he remains unable to comply.
The complaint that Task Force Detainees of the Philippines in Mindanao filed against Barcelona at the Department of Justice, who has supervision and control over the National Prosecution Service, was not acted upon either. Instead, Barcelona was transferred to a new assignment. It was only on 20 September 2005 that the complaint against Boquecosa was resolved, three years after his arrest, that he has a case to answer. But it was not Barcelona but another prosecutor who concluded the resolution.
After resolving the case, on 10 October 2005, four separate cases were filed at the RTC Branch 38 in Alabel, Sarangani against Boquecosa. These are criminal case no. 1934-05, for Frustrated Murder; criminal case no. 1935-05 for Frustrated Murder, criminal case no. 1936-05, for Frustrated Murder; and criminal case no. 1937-05, for Robbery with Violence against and/or intimidation of persons. The judge hearing the case is Jaime I. Infante.
On 10 January 2006, Boquecosa was arraigned for the charges. But since his arraignment he was never taken to court for trial due to the frequent postponement of the scheduled hearings, for a variety of reasons. For instance, on 14 March 2006, the hearing was postponed because the judge and his court personnel were having a seminar. On July 4 of the same year, it was again postponed for lack of time to hear the case due to the absence of the prosecution witness. But on 19 April 2007 and 16 August 2007, despite the presence of the prosecution witness, it was again postponed for lack of time.
On 8 March 2008, the preliminary conference for the case of Frustrated Murder was conducted. In this case, the delay of the trial was due to the arrest of Boquecosa’s co-accused. On 13 and 27 August 2008, the hearings were postponed due to the absence of the prosecution witness once again. On September 17, the hearing was again postponed because the judge and the prosecutor hearing the case had to attend a seminar.
Story 35: Soldiers threaten union leaders and workers to stop their activities
Victims:
1. Dexter Datu, union president
2. Ramon Lopez, union executive vice-president
3. Bong Tiamzon, union officer
4. Nino Caling, union board member
There were 25 other complainants who opted, for the time being, to have their names withheld for security reasons. They are all attached to the International Wiring System (IWS), a firm located inside the Special Export Processing Zone in Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac City.
Alleged perpetrators: Alex Aguilar, Mendoza, Peralta, Ambulencia, James Palimlim, Chris Cabrera, Santy; all of whom were attached to the 71st IB of the Northern Luzon Command; and the 7th Infantry Division of the PA; and Satur, who claimed he was attached to the intelligence Service of the AFP
AHRC-UAC-228-2008
In June of 2008, the soldiers started threatening union leaders and workers. The soldiers began threatening and interfering in the workers’ activities after they were deployed in areas where the workers live and work. Of over 25 complaints received from the workers, only four complainants, namely Dexter Datu, Ramon Lopez, Bong Tiamzon and Nino Caling, decided to come out in public to expose the threats.
One of the complainants, Datu, said that on 7 June 2008 at 5:30am four men riding on two motorcycles came to his house in Barangay Maligaya, Tarlac City. The men introduced themselves as soldiers. One of them told him: “Stop your activities if you love your family and if you still want to spend more time with them”.
To humiliate him, one of them yelled: “This is Dexter Datu, who is using union funds to support the communists,” to make sure his neighbours would hear. Another soldier offered Datu a mobile phone SIM card instructing him to use it if he wish to make a phone call, but he declined. Days before the soldiers came to Datu’s house he already noticed a motorcycle with no licence plate number frequently roaming in front.
Apart from Datu, Ramon Lopez, the union executive vice president, had also experienced similar threats. Ramon’s wife revealed that on 2 June 2008 at 8:30am two men came to their home in San Vicente Zone 1, Tarlac city. They told her they were representatives of the DoLE; one introduced himself as Alex Aguilar.
Lopez was not at home at that time. Because they claimed that they were her husband’s friends, she allowed them inside the house. However, she later noticed that they were carrying guns. She asked for their identification, they were not able to produce any. Inside the house, she said they asked her several questions about her husband. They alleged that the funding of her husband’s union was being used to support the communists.
Before they left, one of them told her: “If I were your husband, I would just concentrate on my job. You have many children… please tell your husband that we will come back.” Five days later, at 6am four soldiers came back and stationed themselves in front of Lopez’s house. Lopez’s wife asked who they were. Instead of replying to her question they told her once again: “If he (Ramon) still loves his family, he must stop his activities… they are using union funds for the CPP-NPA”.
On June 19, Nino Caling, the union’s board member, said that two soldiers, who introduced themselves as Mendoza and Peralta, came to his house too. He was asked to accompany them to the house of the village chairperson. He went with them, and at the chairperson’s house, he met a certain Satur, who claimed he was attached to the intelligence Service of the AFP. Two soldiers introduced themselves as Ambulencia and Mendoza. Ambulencia claimed that that the union had two treasurers–one works in the company and the other within the CPP-NPA.
In another incident, the soldiers went to the house of another union officer, Santos Asilo. Asilo said on July 9 at 9am three soldiers, one who introduced his self as James Palimlim, came to his house. The soldiers first spoke to him about workers’ issues. Later, the soldiers changed the topic to “anti-insurgency”. Here they told him that the union “was penetrated by leftist groups”; and that “the union should not ask for additional wages” as it might result in the closure of their company.
Another group of soldiers also went to the house of another union officer, Bong Tiamzon. On August 2 at 3am, two men, who introduced themselves as Chris Cabrera and Santy, came to see him in his house. The physical description of Chris, as he recalled, was his finger was “crooked” or “curved”, a description similar to the person spoke to Dexter on June 7. Tiamzon was asked “about the activities (that the union) conducted every 1 May (Labour Day), the union funds and the 70,000 Pesos (USD 1,478) that (they) had earned from selling scrap.” While they were talking, Tiamzon noticed that the soldiers took a video recording of him using his mobile phone. When he asked why they were
video recording, they told him they were obliged to do so. The soldiers also frequently held public forums in different village halls. Although the topics in these forums were about labour issues, they openly criticized the union of the IWS for their supposed “failure” to address workers’ concerns. They also openly accuse the union as having links with the CPP-NPA. They held film showings and power point presentations; one was titled “Knowing the Enemy,” which demonized unionists and activists. The also threatened workers they would suffer consequences if they fail to attend the forums.
Story 36: An activist subject to overt surveillance disappeared
Victim: James M. Balao, 47, a member of the Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA); president of the Oclupan Clan Association. He belongs to the indigenous tribes of Ibaloi and Kankanaey of Benguet
Alleged perpetrators: unidentified persons
Date of incident: 17 September 2008
Place of incident: Between Fairview, Baguio City and in La Trinidad, Benguet
AHRC-UAC-222-2008
At 7am, James Balao left his place on the way to his family’s residence in La Trinidad, Benguet. Before leaving, using SMS he informed his family that he was going to La Trinidad. But he never reached his destination and could not be located by family or friends. They could not contact him anymore. (photo: James Balao; source: Cordillera People’s Alliance)
Balao was last seen alive near the Tacdian Elementary School in La Trinidad. He belongs to the indigenous tribes of Ibaloi and Kankanaey of Benguet. Before he disappeared, in June 2008, Balao mentioned to his family that he noticed blue and white van following him every day as he left his house.
Balao was included in a dossier of the AFP describing him as the head of the Education Bureau of the CPP in the Ilocos and Cordilleras regions. The Balao family, after having been assisted by the local human rights group and their lawyers, traveled to various headquarters of the military and the police in the province of Ilocos Sur. They hoped to find the victim in their custody, but to no avail. They went to the PA’s headquarters in Lagangilang, Abra and to the Regional Police Office in Ilocos in San Fernando City, La Union, but they still could not locate Balao in any of these places.
Story 37: A man falsely charged with terrorism
Victim: Edgar Candule, 23; he belongs to Aeta, an indigenous tribe; detained at the Provincial Jail in Iba, Zambales
Alleged perpetrators: About 20 policemen attached to the Botolan
Municipal Police Station (BMPS) of the PNP)
Date of his arrest: 21 March 2008 at 8am
Place of incident: In Sitio Alamac, Barangay Carael, Botolan, Zambales
AHRC-UAC-220-2008
Edgar Candule was at the house of his friend, Patricio Domino, taking breakfast, when policemen attached to the Botolan Municipal Police Station arrived. About 20 policemen, all carrying firearms and wearing full battle uniforms, entered Domino’s house. They declared it was a raid. Candule’s friends, frightened by the police presence, ran to different directions, leaving him.
Edgar was caught by surprise and was unable to move due to shock. Some of policemen run after his friends while others searched the house premises. The policemen grabbed him by the neck, handcuffed him and others were repeatedly punching him on the chest. They forced him to admit he was a member of a rebel group, the NPA.
Candule was interviewed while in police custody days following his arrest. He recollected how he was arrested; firstly, he was first taken to Municipal Police of Botolan before he was transferred to the Camp Conrado S. Yap in Iba, Zambales where he was held for three days. At the police camp, none of those who took him into custody identified themselves. He was questioned in the absence of legal counsel, placed in a room where he was punched twice on the chest, electrocuted on his abdomen and force to admit that he owned a calibre .45 pistol, a magazine assembly for a calibre .45 and live ammunitions they had seized from the house from where he was taken.
They also threatened to kill Candule once he denied his membership with the rebel group. On March 24, Candule was transferred to the provincial jail. He was charged with illegal possession of firearms, for allegedly possessing firearms that the policemen recovered from the house. But on April q prosecutor Esteban Mulon Jr., had the charge against him amended from illegal possession of firearms into violation of Section 3 (b) Article 134 for Rebellion or Insurrection and Section 6 for Accessory of the Human Security Act of 2007 (RA 9372). The original charge has likewise absorbed into the amended information.
Story 38: Soldiers illegally arrested, detained and tortured a man
Victim: Pablito Suplido in Sitio Udlian, Barangay San Marcelino, General Nakar. He belongs to the indigenous tribe Agta.
Alleged perpetrators: More or less 20 soldiers in military uniform all attached to the 16th IB, Alpha Company, PA
Place of incident: in Sitio Udlian, Barangay San Marcelino, General Nakar, Quezon province
Date and time of incident: In April 2008
AHRC-UAC-219-2008
On April 2008, Pablito Suplido was with his friend, Sergeant Tanega. As they were chatting, Sergeant Tanega asked him to buy some liquor at a nearby store. On his way to a store, about 20 soldiers arrested him. The soldiers were not wearing identity badges and were carrying M14 rifles and machine guns. One of the soldiers grabbed his bolo (farm knife) and used its strap to tie his hands behind his back. As he sat by the roadside, two other soldiers kicked him in the chest. Another soldier pointed the bolo at the back of his neck. The soldiers also aimed their guns to his back.
Suplido was told that the soldiers had received information from a member of the Cafgu, a paramilitary unit, who was claiming that he was keeping a firearm in his house. Suplido, however, could not identify who the Cafgu was. The soldiers then forced him to surrender the gun he was supposedly keeping. They then accused him of being a supporter of an illegal armed group, the NPA.
Suplido explained that Sergeant Tanega is his friend. The soldiers threatened him that if he was lying they would cut his head off and drink his blood. They called Sergeant Tanega on their radio communication to verify the information they had obtained from Pablito. He was released only after the soldiers verified Suplido and Sergeant Tanega knew each other. They took Suplido to the seashore telling him they would only let him go on condition he would not run once he was untied.
After the incident Suplido suffered trauma and felt nervous even at hearing the dogs barking. He now suffers palpitations when nervous. Suplido was not able to identify the soldiers who tortured him. However, the army sergeant, Tanega, who is known to the victim, knew the identities of the soldiers but he took no action in assisting Suplido in seeking legal remedies.
Although Suplido is willing to pursue a complaint, the lack of protection, the fear and the trauma he has experienced negate the possibility of prosecuting the soldiers involved. Thus, it is necessary that Sergeant Tanega be required to cooperate in the police inquiry into this victim’s case. The victim fears that once he lodges a complaint the soldiers might get back at him.
Story 39: Four activists investigating enforced disappearance threatened
Victims:
1. Mr. Dennis Abarrientos, secretary-general
2. Ms. Vimarie Arcilla, public information officer
3. Mr. Jean H. Suarez, research-documentation officer
4. Ms. Concordia Oyao, direct-services officer
All of them are staff members of Karapatan in Central Visayas region based in Cebu City
Army unit allegedly involved into the disappearance of Calixto Alfante: 79th IB-PA under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Erwin Neri.
Army official involved in making public criticisms: Colonel Cesar Yano, commander of 302nd IB. The military unit above is under his command.
AHRC-UAC-190-2008
On 21 and 24 August 2008, Dennis Abarrientos, Vimarie Arcilla, Jean Suarez, and Concordia Oyao, simultaneously received threatening messages on their mobile phones. The victims were, at the first time, having a staff meeting in Cebu City when they received the messages.
The messages, received from mobile phone numbers +639059393006 and +639096217843, read: “I know what you are doing HR [human rights]. Your time is up!!!” and “Stop your Fault-Finding Missions…or suffer the consequences!!!.” The said messages, according to the victims, were sent by a sender who had the code names of “Joy” and “Benjie” written on them.
The victims said code names “Joy” and “Benjie” are known in the places of Cebu and Bohol as “resource persons” in pulongpulong (gatherings) organized by the 3rd Civil Relations Group and Intelligence Service of the AFP – Military Intelligence Group.
The threats the victims are continuing to receive began when they conducted an investigation into the abduction and subsequent disappearance of Calixto Alfante (46), in Barangay Dobdob, Valencia, Negros Oriental on 11 June 2008. Calixto was reportedly a member of the CPP and the NPA.
Since June 18, the group has been assisting Alfante’s wife, Lucita, in locating the whereabouts of her husband. Alfante was alleged to have been abducted by the soldiers attached to the 79th IB-PA under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Erwin Neri. After Lucita sought their assistance, the group visited various camps, detention centers and other government offices but they could not locate the victim.
From June 27 to 29, the group went to Barangay Dobdob in Valencia, where the victim was reported to have been adducted, spoke with a witness, Catalino Ortega, who confirmed the abduction. Catalino made a sworn statement regarding the case. However, the victim’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Story 40: A pastor previously harassed by armed men again threatened with death
Victim: Romeo Tagud, 44, pastor of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI or Philippine Independent Church) in Bago City, Negros Occidental, married with three children; secretary general of the Promotion of Church Peoples’ Response-Negros and council member of Karapatan, Negros
Alleged perpetrators: Unidentified persons
Date of incident: 3 August 2008 at 6:30am
Place of incident: At the Pro-Cathedral Church of St. John the Baptist in Bago City
UA-219-2005; AHRC-UA-334-2006; AHRC-UAU-053-2008
Armed men on motorcycles had previously harassed Pastor Romeo Tagud. Several other IFI pastors have also experienced similar threats and harassments in recent times.
On 3 August 2008, at 6:30am after Pastor Tagud finish officiating at the regular Sunday Mass at the Pro-Cathedral Church of St. John the Baptist in Bago City, Negros Occidental, a girl of about five or six years of age approached him. She gave him an envelope she said had an offering for the church before hurriedly leaving. Pastor Romeo placed the envelope in his pocket as he proceeded to the parish house. When he opened the envelope later, he found it contained a bullet from an Armalite rifle.
Pastor Tagud is active in human rights work. On August 1 of the same year, he presented the position of the IFI on issues of poverty, corruption, extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations. Their church also took a position against the implications of mining in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental and Hinobaan, Negros Occidental. He was also part of the delegation of Filipino-Americans from the California-Nevada Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church based in the US. During that visit, he exposed the human rights abuses that the military perpetrated in the village. But the military in Negros criticized the delegation in the local newspapers accusing them of having “violated the rights of the residents of Linantuyan.”
Story 41: A pastor freed following his abduction now fears for his life
Victim: Pastor Rodel B. Canja, 25, of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP)-JIMELY Worshipping Congregation in Mayagac, Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal; Ministerial Student of Northeast Southern Tagalog Conference, Union Theological Seminary
Alleged perpetrators: Several unidentified men who were carrying firearms and using van as their vehicle
Date of incident: From 6 to 9 May 2008
Place of incident: In front of the UCCP Parish in Pililia, Rizal
AHRC-UAC-135-2008
Pastor Rodel Canja was with his companion, Maruja Satanes, acting secretary of the UCCP-JIMELY in Jala-jala, Rizal for a meeting. While waiting for others to come, Pastor Canja went out looking for a store to add value to his prepaid mobile phone. A man in his forties alighted from a closed van and pulled him into the vehicle. Inside another man pointed a gun at him. Two other two men were inside, including the driver. Shortly afterwards he lost consciousness after a handkerchief suspected to have been laced with chemicals was placed over his nose.
When Pastor Canja regained consciousness, he was inside a brightly lit room. The two men from the van were present. He asked them what they wanted from him. One of his abductors told him that they would not harm him if he cooperated and answered their questions. As he lay on a cement floor, his abductors started asking him personal details about colleague, Pastor Berlin Guererro. Pastor Berlin had been abducted on 27 May 2007 in Binan, Laguna. Pastor Guererro was detained at the provincial jail in Trece Martirez, Cavite. Pastor Canja and Pastor Guerrero were classmates and roommates when they studied together at the seminary.
For four days Pastor Canja’s abductors illegally detained, tortured and threatened to harm him and his family if he did not disclose everything that he knows about the identity of Pastor Guerrero and his activities. He was asked to confess everything that he knows about Guerrero. He was deprived him of food and they threatened to harm his sisters. On one occasion, one of his abductors approached, grabbed him by the hair, forced a gun into his mouth and forcibly asked “Oo o hindi?!” (“Yes or No?!”) if he was willing to confess. They also accused him of being a member of the “P”, referring to the CPP.
On his last day of captivity on May 9, he awoke to see four men inside the room. One of them ordered him to get dressed warning him not to draw attention to himself otherwise something bad might happen to him. They blindfolded Pastor Canja before taking him outside towards the van where they all boarded. He overhead the loud conversations of his captors, some of whom wanted to kill him instead of letting him go. It was already dark when Pastor Canja was released in a place that was not familiar to him.
Not knowing where his abductors left him, Pastor Canja started walking. Afterwards, he saw an ambulant vendor (one who walks from place to place another to sell), from whom he asked directions. He was told that the road led to the town of Cogeo, Antipolo. He asked a bystander what time the jeepneys started running for him to take. Pastor Canja tried to locate someone he knew but decided to sleep, sitting down in front of a closed grocery store. When he awoke at dawn and saw a jeepney he took it going back to from where he was abducted.
Story 42: Murder of a farmer leader
Victim: Celso Pojas, 45, secretary general for Farmer’s Association of Davao City (FADC); spokesperson for the KMP, Southern Mindanao Region
Alleged perpetrators: Five unidentified armed men (two of whom were riding on a red XRM model motorcycle and the three attackers were seen wearing plainclothes posted outside the gate of the victim’s office)
Date of incident: 15 May 2008, at 6am
Place of incident: About 30 metres away in front of the FADC office, Maa Road, Davao City
AHRC-UAC-106-2008
Celso Pojas was having coffee with his officemates inside their office. On that day, they were to travel to Compostela Valley, a province close to Davao City, to visit a community of indigenous farmers who were forcibly displaced due to massive militarization in their area. Pojas excused himself from the group to buy cigarettes telling them he would be back immediately to finish his coffee.
At 6am, his officemates heard four gunshots from the outside the office. A boy who was sitting at the veranda of their office saw Pojas, who was rushing into the gate, waving his hand and shouting: “Tabang! (Help!)”. One of their officemates rushed to the gate but Pojas was already lying on the ground dead. He suffered gunshots from a .45 calibre pistol to the right side of his body and his left arm. It took sometime for his colleagues, who themselves were frightened, to come to his rescue fearing the gunmen would shoot at them as well.
Loreto Laud Jr., a village chairman in Maa, Davao City, arrived a few minutes later. He was followed by local policemen on board their mobile patrol. The police Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) also arrived and cordoned off the crime scene. By 8am, the SOCO concluded their on-site investigation and Pojas’s body was brought to a local funeral parlor. An autopsy was then conducted by the SOCO.
At the time of his death, Pojas was actively leading a campaign to put a stop to the military operations in Compostela Valley Province. These military operations have resulted in human rights violations against farmers and Lumads, members of a local indigenous tribe.
Prior to his death, Pojas had been the object of overt surveillance and threats in December 2007. The owner of the store near the place where he was shot suspected that he had been followed by unidentified persons. On one occasion, they had observed that suspicious looking men were seen close to the office. Also, Pojas had been receiving ongoing death threats before he was killed.
On one occasion, in March 2008, after Pojas had an interview at local radio station in Davao City, a man driving a jeepney had stopped warning him: “Be careful, your time is due.” He had also been receiving death threats through his cellular phone.
Story 43: Two persons held for days without arrest orders and charges
Victims:
1. XXX (name withheld upon request), owner of Netwarp Internet Café in General Santos City; taken from the shop in Aparente Street, Purok Malakas, General Santos City; held for six days at the NBI headquarters without any charges
2. Maria Isabel Valenzuela (a.k.a. Mabel), XXX’s cousin and employee; taken from the shop in Aparente Street, Purok Malakas, General Santos City; held for six days at the NBI headquarters without any charges
Alleged perpetrators:
1. Agapito Gierran
2. Dominic Cero
3. An alias Sir Louie or Sir Das
4. Attorney YU and four other unnamed persons
(All of them are agents attached to the NBI based in General Santos City)
Date of incident: From 11 to 16 January 2008
AHRC-UAC-085-2008
On 11 January 2008, at 7:30pm XXX was taken into custody together with his cousin and employee, Maria Isabel Valenzuela, by members of the NBI. The NBI were serving search orders from a local court on the establishment over allegations that the owner was using his business as front for his illegal activities.
When the NBI served the search orders, they neither had with them anyone from the village council, as it is required by law, nor were there other policemen present that are supposed to supervise the search. They too refused the repeated requests by XXX to obtain legal counsel promptly or asked his relatives to come as they were conducting the search to help him. He was distraught at the time.
Nevertheless, members of the NBI, which is composed of about seven to eight persons, had already loaded into their vehicles all the computer equipment and accessories they confiscated from the establishment. They also took XXX and Maria Isabel with them for questioning at their headquarters. Only upon their arrival at the NBI that XXX was allowed to contact his relatives and seek legal assistance.
However, since the crime XXX had allegedly been committed — for violations for Anti-Trafficking in Person Act (RA 9208) and Special Protection of Children against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination (RA 7610)–some time in October to December 2007, the accused should have been subjected to ordinary criminal procedure of the preliminary investigation. But what the NBI did was illegally detain him by keeping him in custody without any formal charges. The NBI, too, did not present him and his cousin, Maria Isabel, promptly in court or turn them over to any police station for detention. XXX and Maria Isabel were only released six and four days later respectively.
On January 15, the NBI filed a request before the City Prosecutor’s Office that their complaint against XXX be considered under the rules on Inquest Procedure of the DoJ Circular No. 61. Under this rule, a law enforcement agency holding a person in their custody would be allowed to continuously detain or hold them in custody until the complaint is resolved.
Meanwhile, the cousin of XXX, Maria Isabel, filed charges of illegal detention against the NBI agents before the prosecutor’s office. In her complaint affidavit on January 23, she named four NBI members, Agapito Gierran, Dominic Cero, an alias Sir Louie or Sir Das, one Atty Yu and four other unnamed persons as respondents in breach of the RPC for arbitrary detention. There were no charges filed against Maria Isabel, but the NBI held her in their custody.
In their defense, however, the NBI agents made a claim that Maria Isabel had voluntarily opted to stay at the NBI’s headquarters, supposedly to console XXX. The NBI, however, failed to give any substantial and reasonable explanations why they have failed to properly inform her and promptly release her. They also did not explain why they had to take personal details and lift fingerprints from her if indeed she was not part of the charges they have filed against XXX.
Story 44: Policemen attack a peaceful protest
(photo: Violent dispersal of farmers on peaceful protest in Manila; source Karapatan-ST)
Victims:
1. Marlon V. Torres, 35, Public Information Officer for Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (Pamantik) KMU at Coordinator ng Kumasa, of Jude St, Cabuyao, Laguna. He suffered injuries to his head, and fractured bone in his right arm as mentioned in the Medical Certificate from the Opital ng Maynila.
2. Nestor A. Villanueva, 50, a member of Samahang ng Magsasaka sa Buntog (Samana- Pumalag). His left little finger was fractured and he had injuries to his head.
3. Jason A. Hega, 26, a member of Kasama-TK-KMP and a political party Anakpawis (Toiling Masses). He suffered contusion on various parts of his body, cuts and abrasions to his upper buttock.
4. Philip S. Nardo, 23, a member of a political party Anakbayan (Youth of the Nation) in Cavite, a resident of Dasmarinas, Cavite. He suffered injuries to his head and left leg.
5. Emmanuel J. Dioneda, 43, director for the Labor Education Advocacy Development and Services and Research Institute (LEADER), of Sta Rosa, Laguna. He suffered contusions and abrasions to various parts of his body.
6. Jay D. Aban, 28, of Sta. Cruz, Manila.
7. Leo Fuentes, 20, a student of the University of the Philippines Los Banos and chairperson of the University Student Council. He suffered contusion and his right arm swelled.
8. Joseph Doinarsi, 27, a member of Anakpuso, of San Pedro, Laguna. He suffered injuries to his right eye.
9. Rolando Gonzales, 36, a member of Anakpuso, of San Pedro, Laguna. He was hit to his forehead and the right portion of his back had cuts.
10. Joe Francisco, 26, a member of Anakpuso, of San Perdo, Laguna. His right arm swelled due to beatings.
11. Luis Arikaya, 41, a member of Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay), of Sta. Rosa, Laguna. He suffered injuries to his left shoulder.
12. Jhun Torres, 19, a member of Kadamay, of Sta. Rosa, Laguna. He suffered cuts, his left hand swelled due to beatings and his right knee was wounded after he fell to the ground.
13. Tirso Bautista, 35, a member of Kadamay, of Sta. Rosa, Laguna. His left belly swelled and had cuts.
14. Jay Fabella, 41, a staff member of Cabuyao Workers Alliance (Cawal). He suffered contusions to his right belly, arm and leg due to beatings. He was also hit on the head.
15. Lucresio Baril, 46, a worker for Toyota Motor Philippines, a member of the Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation Workers Association (TMPCWA), Kadamay National Office. He was hit on his right chest, left portion of his mouth, right shoulder, and forehead. His left little finger was cut off.
16. Virgilio C. Clandog, 33, a worker for Toyota Motor Philippines and a member of the TMPCWA. He was hit on the left portion of his head. His head was beaten. He fractured his finger on his left hand and injured his knee.
17. Neil Nacario, 28, a worker of Hanjin Garments, a member of Aniban ng Manggagawang Inaapi sa Hanjin; a member of Cawal. He suffered abrasions to his right elbow and left hand.
18. Rommel Mariano, 40, a worker for Toyota Motors Philippines; a member of the TMPCWA. His left hand swelled, beaten on the back and head.
19. Federico Torres, 33, a worker for Toyota Motor Philippines; a member of the board of the TMPCWA-Pamantik; he suffered injuries to his left palm and pelvis, and his right knee and fingers had cuts.
20. Francisco Jose, 26, a member of the Pamprobinsyang Ugnayan ng mga Magsasaka sa Laguna (Pumalag). He was hit to his right hand and his elbow swelled.
21. Rolando Gonzales, 36, a member of the Pumalag. He was hit to his left hand and the left portion of his back had abrasions.
22. Ronald Balcunit, 19, a member of the Solidarity of Cavite Workers. He suffered injuries to his left leg, right fingers. He suffered hearing loss after his ear was hit with water from high-pressure water cannons. His lips were cut.
23. Reden Busadre, 33, a member of the National Coalition for the Protection of Workers Rights – Southern Tagalog. He was hit on the back, had head bumps and abrasion to his right fingers.
24. Mark Anthony Baculo, 22, a member of the Southern Tagalog Cultural Network, of Cabuyao, Laguna. He suffered injuries to his left hand, his back had contusion and abrasions.
25. Noel Sanchez, 41, a chief steward of the Union of Filipro Employees –Drug Food Alliance (UFE/DFA)-KMU; coordinator for the Cawal. He was hit on the left portion of his belly due to police beating, causing him to vomit, and producing stomach pain and swelling.
26. Noel Alemania, 43, acting president of UFE/DFA/KMU; deputy secretary general of the Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (Pamantik- KMU). He suffered contusions on the right portion of his back, his left leg swelled due to police beatings and his stomach was hit with a truncheon.
27. Ed Cubelo, 36, a worker at the Toyota Motor Philippines, president of the TMPCWA. He suffered contusions and cuts to his back.
28. Wenacito Urgel, 35, a worker of the Toyota Motor Philippines, vice president of the TMPCWA. He suffered contusions to his left arm, cuts to his right elbow, abrasion to his left leg, abrasion and cuts to his left belly.
29. Roderick Vidal, 25, a worker for the Toyota Motor Philippines; a member of the TMPCWA; his index finger was fractured.
30. Rowell Delgado, 24, a worker for Toyota Motor Philippines, a member of the TMPCWA. He suffered abrasions to his body.
31. Rolando Mingo, 52, chairman of the Southern Tagalog Region Transport Sector Organization (STARTER) and Vice-Chairman ng Pinag-isang Lakas ng Transport Organization (PISTON). He suffered head bumps and abrasions to his right wrist, contusion to his right leg.
32. Romeo Legaspi, 46, chairman of the Pamantik, chairman of a political party Anakpawis in Southern Tagalog, president of the Organized Labor Association in Line Industries and Agriculture (OLALIA-KMU), president of the Lakas ng Manggagawa Nagkakaisa ng Honda Cars Phils, OLALIAKMU. He suffered bumps to his left forehead and contusion to his left chest.
33. JM Pamulaklakin, 24, of Los Banos, Laguna.
34. Edgardo Laresma, 28, a member of ROTOR-STARTER
35. Jerold Rosales, 26, staff of LEADER
36. Riza
37. Janet Barrientos, 44, a staff member of Gabriela–Southern Tagalog and member of the Gabriela Women’s Party. She suffered contusion and swelling of her left arm.
Alleged perpetrators:
1. Police Superintendent Rogelio Rosales (a.k.a. Jojo), district director of the MPD-PNP, Station 5, Ermita, Manila City
2. Colonel Viray, deputy chief of the MPD-PNP
3. Senior Police Officer (SPO) Reyes
4. SPO Tan
5. SPO Dela Cruz
6. SPO Dela Santos
7. SPO Binayug
About 15 other policemen attached to the said police unit. There are also other persons wearing plain clothes aiding the policemen were seen in the place.
Date of incident: 6 March 2008 at 8:45pm
Place of incident: In front of the office of the DoLE along Murallo
Street, Intramuros, Manila
AHRC-UAC-075-2008
At 3pm on 8 March 2008 about 500 protestors coming from the Southern Tagalog Region, who had marched for the past four days towards Manila City had arrived at the national office of DoLE in Intramuros. The march, which they called Lakbayani, was held to get attention to air the protestors’ grievances, particularly the delays of labour cases pending before DoLE as well as other concerned government agencies.
The march was led by groups mentioned above. Those who joined the march were workers, urban poor, activists and others. When the protestors arrived in front of DoLE’s office, former labour secretary Arturo Brion did not show up to meet them for a dialogue regarding their issues of concerns. Instead, the protestors held a program in front of DoLE’s office purposely to air and have their grievances heard. But at 7pm, two fire trucks from the Manila Fire Station came positioning themselves close to the protestors.
Upon seeing this, the protestors approached the policemen to talk to them. They spoke with Colonel Viray requesting him to allow their group to stay until the next day, March 7. The group wanted to meet the labour secretary.
Colonel Viray, however, told them that he had to inform the ground commander regarding their request to stay longer. By that time though, about 20 policemen from the MPD, one of whom was Police Chief Supt. Rogelio Rosales (a.k.a. Jojo), were seen coming outside the DoLE office’s front door.
The group again approached P/Chief Supt. Rosales and Colonel Viray requesting them to allow them continue their activities and to stay there overnight. At 8:45pm Rosales ordered his policemen to disperse the group. The firemen on two fires trucks suddenly sprayed them with high pressure water cannons and followed by policemen continuously beating them with clubs, truncheons and shields. They continued in doing so despite the protestors already running away from them towards nearby Liwasang Bonifacio. One of the protestors, Marlon Torres, fell on a cemented pavement after he was beaten on the head. One of his colleagues tried to rescue him after he fell and lost consciousness, the person trying to rescue him was himself beaten. They struck him with a shield and stepped hard on his feet while beating him. They continued on beating him even as he bled and fell to the ground.
Another victim, Nestor Villanueva, suffered cuts to his head after he was hit by a truncheon. He suffered injuries to different parts of his body after he was beaten by the policemen as he was running away. Philip Nardo collapsed after he was struck with truncheon on the back of his head. He regained conciousness after the police three him into their vehicle.
Another victim, Lucresio Baril, had his left little finger cut off when he tried to protect himself after one of the policemen was stabbing him with a bladed weapon.
The police took, six persons–namely Marlon, Nestor, Philip, Jason Hega, Emmanuel Dioneda and Jay Abahn, into police custody. But despite the serious injuries they already had, the police did not immediately take them to the hospital. They were taken only after an hour later saying that they had no key to the patrol car they use.
At 1am on March 7 the police took four persons, Philip, Jason, Jay and Emmanuel, for treatment at the Manila Hospital. The two others, Nestor and Marlon, were taken to the police station at 6am. On that day, all six were taken to the RTC in Manila where they were subjected to inquest proceedings and charged for violation of Batas Pambansa (BP 880) or the Public Assembly Act of 1985. They were also charged for violation of the RPC for tumults and other disturbance of public order and direct assaults to persons in authority respectively. The prosecutor, however, released them from police custody subject to “further investigation.”
Story 45: Arbitrary arrest and detention of a couple in military custody
Victims:
1. Jaime Soledad (a.k.a. Jimmy), 58
2. Clarita Luego, 50, wife of Jimmy (The couple is currently held in custody of the 2nd Infantry Division of the AFP in Camp Vicente Lim, Canlubang, Laguna)
3. Vilma Madrazo, 37, cousin of Clarita; arbitrarily arrested and released
Alleged perpetrators: About ten unidentified men in plain clothes later identified to be policemen
Date of incident: 20 March 2008 at 4pm
Place of incident: In front of a convenience store along Daang Hari in Molino 3, Bacoor, Cavite
AHRC-UAC-056-2008
Vilma Madrazo met Jimmy Soledad and the latter’s wife, Clarita, in front of a convenience store. The couple had come to Bacoor on the invitation of Madrazo to discuss a deal regarding a small store Clarita was selling. As they were about to leave to board a tricycle, about ten men in plain clothes approached them and tied their wrists behind their backs.
One of the men told them they were under arrest, but he did not identify himself nor did they show them any identification. The three victims were then forcibly taken to separate vehicles nearby. They pushed the victims inside their vehicles before going to the direction of a shopping mall in the area of Molino.
One of the clerks of the convenience store later recounted that a traffic enforcer attached to the Metro Manila Development Authority was able to recognize the perpetrators as members of the Talaba Police, a local police unit. One of the victims, Madrazo, was released later that evening. When interviewed she recounted that the perpetrators blindfolded her and seized her mobile phone.
They were traveling for about two hours when she asked them to let her use a bathroom. She was told however to wait because they were already close to their destination. Soon after they arrived, she was led towards a toilet where her hand ties and blindfold were removed. There she was locked inside.
After she finished using the toilet, Madrazo was again blindfolded and had her hands tied. She was led to an airconditioned room she presumed could have been an office. There she heard conversations of male voices speaking in native dialects, Waray and Tagalog. One of them asked: “Siya na ba? (Is she the one?)” to which her captors replied: “Oo, siya na (Yes, it’s her)”. Madrazo was asked for her name and address, which she gave. She heard shuffling of papers and then a man spoke to her captors telling them to let her go as she was not on their “list”. When Madrazo asked them about the whereabouts of the Soledad couple, she was told by her captors not to ask too many
questions.
Madrazo said she was again taken to another vehicle by her captors. Again, they traveled for almost two hours before she was released in the area of Alabang, near the Metropolis Mall. Her hand ties and blindfold were removed. When she asked about her cousin, Clarita and her husband Jimmy, she was told by one of the men: “Huwag ka na makikialam at magtatanong kung ayaw mong ibalik kita roon! (Do not meddle or ask questions if you don’t want me to take you back there!)” Then the perpetrators sped off. Madrazo went back home to Cavite and informed Clarita’s siblings about the incident.
On March 22, Clarita’s sister, Robisita Abenoja, was accompanied by Karapatan to inquire with the local authorities and the police in Cavite but there were no reports of abduction or arrest recorded in their offices, nor was there a report on requests for coordination with other local authorities. The local police detachments had also no records of the said incident.
Under the existing procedures, the police and military operating outside their jurisdiction should have obtained permission or are required to closely coordinate with the local authorities or law enforcement agencies that have jurisdiction over the area. The absence of information or records regarding the incident suggests that no such coordination had been made at all.
On March 23, a Karapatan member accompanied the relatives to the Police Regional Office (PRO IV) of the PNP in Camp Vicente Lim, in Canlubang, Laguna to find out whether or not the Soledad couple was in their custody. A staff member of an intelligence division denied holding the couple.
But on the same day, a newspaper tabloid, the People’s Journal, reported the ‘arrest’ of Jaime Soledad. He and Clarita were reported to have been detained at the headquarters of the 2nd Infantry Division of the AFP. No further information was given though as to why they were in military custody and not in police custody. In the report, the military claimed that Jaime Soledad was one of the high-ranking leaders of the CPP/NPA in Eastern Visayas.
Story 46: Labour leader who survives an earlier attempt on his life is killed
Victim: Gerardo Cristobal, 35,of Barangay Malagasang II, Imus, Cavite
Alleged perpetrators: unidentified armed men
Date of incident: 10 March 2008 at 8am,
Place of incident: Barangay Malagasang, Imus, Cavite
UA-142-2006; UP-098-2006; AHRC-UAU-011-2008
Gerardo Cristobal survived an attempt on his life on 28 April 2006 by gunmen later identified as a policeman and members of the security forces. On 10 March 2008, he was killed. Gerardo had been actively involved in organizing labour unions in Cavite, South of Manila and his involvement in this work lead to the continuing threats to his life. (photo source: WAC)
On March 10, Gerardo was driving his car from his house when armed men riding in another vehicle chased him and open fired at him near a crowded place. The Scene of the Crime Operatons unit who are supposed to conduct an onsite investigation allegedly asked a local funeral home in Dasmarinas to collect Gerardo’s body instead of conducting an investigation at the crime scene.
Gerardo’s body was later transferred to another funeral home. In April 2006, Gerardo first survived an attempt on his life after having exchanged fire with his attackers who were later identified as Senior Police Officer-1 Romeo Lara, a member of the police intelligence unit in Imus, Cavite and his companion, Larry Reyes, a member of the Civil Security Unit of the same municipality. Gerardo at the time had to carry his own licensed firearm for protection due to continuing threats against him.
After the first ambush, the local police claimed instead that it was Gerardo who had ambushed the police and security forces, and subsequently filed charges of frustrated murder against him.
Story 47: Soldiers constantly threatened a labour leader
Victim: Dante F. Senillo, 37, regional staff of the National Federation of Labor Union-KMU, Eastern Visayas Chapter, of Purok 3, Barangay Dolores, Ormoc City, Leyte
Alleged perpetrators: Elements of 19th IB-PA based in Camp Aguiting Kananga, Leyte
Date of incident: Beginning in April 2004. The threat on him subsided only after the CTUHR and the AHRC issued appeals in his case
AHRC-UAC-044-2008; AHRC-UAU-024-2008
On 16 December 2007, soldiers attached to the 19th IB attempted to enter the house of Dante Senillo’s friend in Barangay Dolores, Ormoc City, where he stayed overnight. Fortunately, he was able to escape. The following day, his friend told Senillo to go to some other place for his safety because the 19th IB were looking for him and offered a reward of 100,000 Pesos (USD 2,500) for anyone who could help them locate him.
Since then, Senillo had been moving from one place to another without knowing why the military offered a hefty sum for his capture. Even until January 2008, Senillo’s neighbours informed him that they often see some armed men from the 19th IB roving around at the back of Senillo’s house. He, however, was afraid to report to the police as he believed the military may come to know of his whereabouts instead.
On 4 April 2008 at 1pm, two police officers, one of who identified himself as Sergeant Bereso, visited his house. The officers told him that they have received a letter regarding his situation (the letter was from Ms. Margaret Sekaggya, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, acting on the AHRC’s appeals). He was asked about, at that time, his present situation.
They asked him whether he is still experiencing harassment from the soldiers and whether he had witnesses to prove the incidents regarding the threats mentioned in the copy of letter they had. However, no protection was subsequently offered. Meanwhile, on April 9 at 9:45am, Senillo took a ride on a van going to Isabel, Leyte to attend the monthly board meeting of Naflu-KMU. He arrived in Barangay Libertad, Isabel at 11am and noticed that someone was following him. This person approached and started asking him questions about his job and what he was doing in the company. The man was wearing short pants and fatigue shirt with the abbreviation “PA” (Philippine Army) printed on it.
Story 48: Soldiers kill eight persons on pretext of “legitimate encounter”
Victims:
1. Kirah Lahim,35, a seaweed farmer
2. Arnalyn, 19, daughter of Kirah
3. Rismin, 9, son of Kirah
4. Sulayman Akub, 25, seaweeds farmer
5. Nasriya Bin Akub, 24, four months pregnant
6. Marisa Failan, 4
7. Eldisin Hashim, 40, a member of the village council
8. Corporal Ibno Wahid, a member of the 40th IB-PA assigned in San Mateo, Cotabato City; a former member of the Moro National Liberation Front who was integrated into the army
Alleged perpetrators: Elements of the Special Warfare Group,
Philippine Navy and Light Reaction Company
Date of incident: 4 February 2008 at 2:30am
Place of incident: Barangay Ipil, Maimbong, Sulu
AHRC-UAC-027-2008
Soldiers of the Special Warfare Group of the Philippine Navy and Light Reaction Company raided a coastal village in pursuit of an illegal armed group, the Abu Sayyaf Group, holding a kidnap victim Rosalinda Lao. Lao was a local Chinese businesswoman.
The soldiers were reportedly acting on information relayed to them by one of their assets of the supposed group’s presence there. The place, an islet populated with mangroves, had over 30 households. When they arrived on rubber boats, the soldiers started shooting at the house of Eldisin Hashim, a member of the village council. Eldisin was seen by his wife, running towards their door to avoid being hit by bullets. When the soldiers stopped shooting, her husband was found lying dead outside their house. She was ordered to come out. She saw that some of her neighbours had also emerged from their houses. Eldisin’s wife, her children and her neighbours were told to kneel down the ground. As they kneeled, they could hear the soldiers shooting close by.
Three families in their neighbourhood, the Lahims, the Akubs and the Failans, tried to flee to a safer place because of fear. About eleven of them rushed to the shore to ride on a small wooden boat to another island close by. Inside were Kirah Lahim, his daughter Arnalyn and son Rismin; Myrna Lahim; Rudy Failan, his wife Saida and their daughter Marisa; Risalyn and Sherdalyn Failan; Sulayman and Nasriya Bin Akub. But as they paddled, the soldiers opened fire on them. They did not stop shooting even after they told them that those inside were civilians. Six of those onboard the boat died instantly while five others survived.
Also at the same time, Corporal Ibno Wahid, a former member of the MILF who joined the PA as a reintegrated soldier, was visiting there where his parents-in-law are residing. Ibno and his wife, Rawina, were in their sleep when awakened by thuds of footsteps and stones thrown at a store owned by the latter’s mother. Someone from outside shouted at them to come out threatening they would be shot if they refused. Ibno and his wife Rawina and her parents immediately went outside. Rawina’s father had his hands tied with plastic behind his back. Her parents were also told to drop with face on the ground.
Ibno had then introduced himself to the soldiers by saying “Papa Alpha”, a military language to suggest that he was a member of the PA. Ibno is attached to the 40th IB-PA assigned in San Mateo, Cotabato City. But the soldiers did not listen nor believed him. They tied his hands behind his back with plastic, forced him to drop with his face on the ground and stomped on his back with combat boots, before shooting him dead. The soldiers later took Rawina and her husband’s body to a small boat towards another boat by the Philippine Navy anchored at the sea. Inside she allegedly saw four U.S. soldiers together with Filipinos soldiers.
Rawina was later ferried to a commercial wharf in Jolo, Sulu where she was dropped and was later transferred to a van going towards a military camp. There she was held inside a room for hours. She was released after a local politician went to the military camp to negotiate for her release. The politician asked to take custody of Rawina and her husband’s body.
When the regional office of the CHR later conducted their investigation into the incident in the area, they concluded that the villagers were shot at and their village was raided while in their sleep.
On February 8, the former CHR regional director Jose Manuel Mamauag told the media: “It was an attack on the sleeping residents as far as our team’s finding is concerned”. In rejecting the soldiers’ claims it was a legitimate encounter, CHR Commissioner for Mindanao Dominador Calamba argue the wounding of soldiers could have come from their fellow soldiers’ guns and not from the villagers whom they claimed to have exchanged fire at them. He stated that there was “no proof” of the Abu Sayyaf Group present in the area when it happened.
Story 49: A farmer abducted and tortured by soldiers survives attempt on life
Victim: Renante Romagus, 32, farmer, married with three children, of Purok 4, Barangay Casoon, Monkayo, Compostela Valley
Alleged perpetrators: The perpetrators were wearing uniforms and carrying firearms similar to those worn and used by soldiers. They also spoke Tagalog to the victim at the time of questioning–a language not native to locals.
Date of incident: 12 December 2007 at 7am
Place of incident: Purok 4, Barangay Casoon, Monkayo, Compostela Valley
AHRC-UAC-002-2008; AHRC-UAU-021-2008
On 12 December 2007, Renante Romagus was abducted in Purok 4, Barangay Casoon, Monkayo, Campostela Valley. He was walking towards his farm to make charcoal from coconut shells and harvest bananas at 7am. An unknown number of heavily armed persons were positioned at an elevated area. They were wearing uniforms and carrying firearms akin to those worn and used by soldiers. They called him. As he walked towards them, one of them blindfolded him, covered his mouth and bound his hands behind his back and took him to an unknown location.
There, they started questioning Romagus as to whether or not he was a member of a rebel group. They started torturing him severely. They attempted to suffocate him by wrapping his head by a plastic bag. They forced him to lie down and filled the plastic bag with water. He repeatedly asserted his innocence.
Romagus recounted that the perpetrators were speaking to him in Tagalog, a language not native to locals but spoken by some soldiers who had just been deployed in the area. He was taken to a different location where he was kept in a small room. The gag in his mouth was removed but his blindfold was kept on. For three days, Romagus was held in this condition. While in captivity, he was refused the use of the toilet. He had to defecate and urinate in his pants.
On December 16 in the evening, Romagus was taken to an unknown place from where he was held in captivity. His captors forced him to sit down and started repeatedly stabbing him; first in his right shoulder, then his back, right arm and in his abdomen. He received seven stab wounds. Assuming that Romagus was already dead, the perpetrators removed his blindfold and untied his hands before carrying him to a nearby place where he was thrown. But sensing that he could still be breathing, they came close to him and stabbed him in the back one last time. They carried him back to the vehicle and took him to another place where they left him for dead.
After the perpetrators left, Romagus struggled, crawling and walking for hours in heavy rain until he reached at the Barangay Hagimitan, Monkayo. He was taken to the municipal hall and the people there took him to a hospital in Davao City. Romagus was treated and confined to the Intensive Care Unit of the Davao Regional Hospital in Davao City until he fully recovered.
The senior military officials who have the jurisdiction in the area where the incident happened created a board of inquiry; however, the result of the inquiry, if there was any, was not made public.
Story 50: Colleague of a murdered bishop receives death threats
Victim: Reverend father Gilbert Garcia, parish priest of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church (PIC)) in San Clemente, Tarlac
Persons responsible of threatening him: Unidentified persons using mobile phone number +639289457701
Date of incident: 3 and 12 December 2007
Place of incident: San Clemente, Tarlac
AHRC-UAU-001-2008; AHRC-UA-331-2006
Reverend father Gilbert Garcia was a colleague of Bishop Alberto Ramento of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church) murdered in his convent on 3 October 2006. Two months after Bishop Ramento’s murder, Garcia reported to the police that unidentified persons broke into his church in Barangay Poblacion Sur, San Clemente in Tarlac. Garcia was not present when it happened. The entered the rear door of the church where they gained entry. They stole his wallet containing cash and papers from his room. When that incident happened, a witness noticed an unidentified man standing in front of the church. The witness, however, could not recognize the person because it was dark. On December 3, Garcia started receiving threatening messages on his mobile phone. The SMS sent to him written in Tagalog was:
“FR. KUMU STA KANA, MASAKIT ANG MAWALAN DIBA. HINDI KA NATATAKOT. DIBA NAMATAY OBISPO NIYO NANAKAWAN PA SIYA. KAMI YON. KAMI DIN ANG NAGNAKAW SAYO KAYA MAG-INGAT KA LAST ANG MAWALAN KA IKAW NA ANG SUSUNOD NA MAWAWALA.
(Father how are you. It pains to have lost someone, right? Isn’t it that your bishop died and he was also robbed? We were responsible for it. We were also responsible in breaking into your place. Be careful, you will be next)”.
On 12 December 2007, Garcia again received another threatening message from a mobile phone number +639289457701 that read: “PAG UWI MO SA BAHAY MO INGAT KA LANG. PAPATAYIN KA TALAGA NAMIN. REST IN PEACE. (When you go home be careful. We will surely kill you. Rest in Peace).” The AHRC tried calling the number but found the phone unattended. Garcia reported these incidents to the municipal police station.
Story 51: Renewed surveillance on a priest facing threats
Victim: Rev. Eleuterio J. Revollido (a.k.a. Terry), the rector of the Aglipay Central Theological Seminary (ACTS) of the Philippine Independent Church (PIC)
Alleged perpetrators: Unknown persons riding on motorcycles and car
Date of incident: 29 November to 7 December 2007
Place of incident: At the Parish of the Divine Shepherd,Nancamaliran West, Urdaneta City
AHRC-UP-164-2007; AHRC-UA-252-2006; AS-178-2006
On September 2007, a person claiming to be a soldier told the seminarians assigned in one parish that their rector, Rev. Eleuterio Fr. Terry, was in the “OB” (Order of Battle). After learning about this, the seminarians noticed that they and their parish had been the object of overt surveillance.
At 1:45am on November 29, while they were preparing for an early trip to the National Cathedral in Manila, they noticed the presence of three men outside the gate near the garage. These men asked if “all the seminarians are leaving”. Later, another student noticed a car and two motorcycles parked in front of the seminary.
One of the two men in the front gate entered and approached and asked again about the seminarians. The other one came in also and told him that they want to talk to the head of the seminary. On one occasion, a couple in their community informed the seminarians that they have noticed people spying on the seminary. One approached a woman in the community and asked if she knows Fr. Terry. Also, a woman was asking questions about the seminary from a convenience store just in front of the seminary.
Story 52: Widows of murdered activists threatened for seeking remedies
Victims:
1. Hilda Orpilla, 55, farmer, widow with four children, a resident of Barangay Bagunot, Baggao, Cagayan Valley, wife of murdered farmer and village council member Arthur Orpilla, member of Alyansa iti Mannalon iti Cagayan (Kaguimungan) or Peasant Alliance of Cagayan
2. Natividad Battad, 56, farmer, widow with four children, a resident of Barangay Bacring Bunugan, of the same municipality, widow of murdered farmer leader Dionisio Battad, also a member of Kaguimungan
Alleged perpetrators: Joey Domingo, a member of a paramilitary group Cafgu; Lorenzo Ramos (a.k.a. Kabug) and Juling Domingo, intelligence agents of the 17th IB-PA
Date of incident: 12 April 2007
Place of incident: Barangay Bagunot and Bacring Bunugan, Baggao, Cagayan Valley
AHRC-UP-147-2007
Hilda Orpilla, wife of Arthur; and Natividad Battad, wife of Dionisio, started receiving threats in April and May 2007 after the murder of their husbands. Their husbands, who were last seen alive on March 27, were taken for questioning at the camp of the 17th IB-PA days before they were found dead. Arthur accompanied Dionisio after he was asked to go with the latter to the soldiers who were to ask him questions. The soldiers’ camp is located few metres away from Arthur’s house. Dionisio asked the presence of Arthur because he was a village council member in their community.
But at the camp, not only was Dionisio questioned, but also Arthur. This questioning was done in the absence of a legal counsel by the soldiers who suspected that one of them had taken over the position of Joey Javier, provincial chairman of the Alyansa iti Mannalon iti Cagayan (Kaguimungan) or Peasant Alliance of Cagayan. Javie was murdered on 11 November 2006. Dionisio was compelled to report to the military camp, at least twice a day, by sergeant Orpilla. Arthur and Dionisio’s bodies were later found on March 28 and April 4 respectively. The injuries they sustained indicate they were tortured.
After Arthur’s burial on April 12, Hilda had become the subject of overt surveillance by her neighbours, particularly Joey Domingo, Lorenzo Ramos (a.k.a. Kabug) and Juling Domingo. The three men were reportedly recruited by soldiers and were often seen drinking with the soldiers attached to the 17th IB. On one occasion, Hilda had overheard one of them, Joey, as saying: “if these women would not stop, they will be next.” The threat Hilda had overheard left her in constant fear for her and her family’s safety.
Meanwhile, Natividad was told that her entire family members would be killed if they would report who were responsible for the murder of her husband. Natividad started getting threats when she and Hilda were processing documents seeking financial assistance from the CHR. The said agents had been overheard to have said, “She [Natividad] would be next because she is an officer of Gabriela [a political party for women] and that she is recruiting members for the organization.”
Story 53: Activists advocating against enforced disappearances threatened
Victims:
1. Olivia Bernardo, 34, single, coordinator of Karapatan Services Desk
Alleged perpetrators: a man on board a motorcycle
Place of incident: At the corner of East Avenue and V. Luna Street, Quezon City
Date and time of incident: 2 November 2007 between 4:45pm to 5pm
2. Mary Guy Portajada, 32, single, spokesperson of the Families of Desaparecidos for Justice (Desaparecidos) ,daughter of Armando Portajada, a labour leader disappeared since 31 July 1987
Alleged perpetrators: Mobile phone user with number +63 9168397804
Date and time of incident: 2 November 2007 at 7:10pm
AHRC-UP-147-2007
On November 2, Olivia Bernardo was riding in a passenger utility jeepney on her way home. The jeepney she was riding in had stopped in traffic. While seated beside the driver, a man riding a motorcycle that had no license plate number stopped close to her. His presence there had caught Olivia’s attention when he angrily yelled at her: “Masyado kang nakikialam! (You’re meddling too much!)” The man pulled his camera out and took a photograph of her before leaving towards the direction of Epifano De Los Santos (EDSA) Avenue.
Olivia’s work in Karapatan was to organize Quick Reaction Teams and Fact Finding Missions on cases involving enforced disappearances. They check on the military headquarters and camps once they receive information of a case of disappearance. She also coordinates with other institutions and organizations that provide psychosocial assistance and sanctuaries to families and relatives of victims of enforced disappearances and witnesses. Also in the same day at 7:10pm, Mary Guy Portajada received an SMS message containing threats to her life from a mobile phone number +63 9168397804. The message, written in Tagalog was read: “HANAPIN NINY O SA IMPIYERNO ANG MG A KALULUW ANG HINAHANAP HUWAG NA KAYO MAGPAPOGI SA MEDIA KAW NA ANG SUSUNOD (Search for the souls you’re looking for in hell.
Quit preening before the media or you’re next)”. The AHRC dialled the phone number that sent the threatening message but it could no longer be contacted.
On the same day, Olivia and Mary Guy led the annual activity of the Desaparecidos, which is scheduled every November 2 at the Redemptorist Church in Baclaran, Paranaque City. The purpose of the activity was to remember and pay tribute to victims of enforced disappearances.
Story 54: Torture and arbitrary detention of a man by a paramilitary group
Victim: Luicito Bustamante (a.k.a. Yongyong), 21, farmer, of Sitio Quarry, Barangay Malabog, Paquibato District, Davao City
Alleged perpetrators: A paramilitary group under the 73rd IBPA led by Noli Obat
Place of incident: At a checkpoint by elements of a paramilitary group under the 73rd IB-PA in Sitio Quarry, Barangay Malabog, Paquibato District, Davao City
Date of incident: 27 October 2007at 2pm. He was released on November 14 after being held in custody by the soldiers and paramilitary.
AHRC-UP-158-2007
Luicito Bustamante was illegally detained, tortured and deliberately denied contact with his family while in military custody for 12 days in Paquibato District, Davao City. He was together with his friends, Salazar Amad and Avelino Lorenzana, distributing election handbills when Noli Obat, a member of a paramilitary unit under the control of the military, took him for questioning. (photo source: Davao Today)
Obat and eight of his companions in military uniform and armed with M16 and Carbine rifles stopped Bustamante’s group at a checkpoint. Noli questioned them demanding disclosure of their names, addresses and the place they were going. While they let Salazar and Avelino go, Noli held Bustamante in their custody to question him claiming they received reports that he was a member of an illegal armed group, the NPA.
Obat deliberately refused to let Bustamante go. After he was questioned in custody, he was later turned over to his superior military officers at their headquarters in Sitio Balogo, Barangay Malabog. Obat angrily refused to allow Bustamante’s friends, Salazar and Avelino, who offered to stay with him to accompany him as they feared for his safety. They were forced to leave.
Salazar and Avelino sought the assistance Hilario Etolle, a community leader, who accompanied them back to the checkpoint. There they saw Luicito being held by Noli and other members of the paramilitary. When Hilario asked Noli why he was arresting Luicito, Noli arrogantly told him: “Don’t meddle in this, or you’ll be implicated!” Even Bustamante’s elder sister, who came to beg Noli to release her brother, was unable to see him. They held Bustamante in their detachment covering his head with balaclava.
Salazar and Avelino reported to the PNP station in Barangay Malabog about Noli and his group arresting and detaining Bustamante in their custody; however, the police did nothing. Bustamante’s relatives and neighbours had to form a group to locate him. His family and relatives also filed a complaint with the CHR in Davao City.
On November 7, the victim’s mother, Bebelita, filed a petition for writ of amparo at the RTC, Branch 11, in Davao City, to compel the military to bring Bustamante in court. The respondents were Noli Obat and Lt. Col. Alexander V. Ambal of the 73rd IB-PA. On November 8, the court issued an order served to Noli Obat at the Task Force detachment to present Bustamante in court. Bustamante was seen in court guarded by five military men.
On November 14, the court granted the petition after a summary hearing ruling that nobody should curtail Bustamante’s liberty and that his basic rights as a civilian must always be upheld. The judge ordered the military to release Bustamante from their military custody to his mother.
After he was released, Bustamante revealed how he was tortured in custody of the soldiers and paramilitary. They beat him with a rifle butt, tied his hands and legs, wrapped his head tightly with plastic bag laced with chilli, burnt his skin with cigarette butts, forced to swallow his own feces after urinating and defecating on his pants due to torture. The wrapping of his head with a plastic bag caused severe burning sensation to his nose, eyes and face.
Story 55: Activist forcibly taken by soldiers disappeared while in custody
Victims:
1. Ruel Munasque, 33, married with three children, leader of the Christian Youth Fellowship-UCCP, community development worker for Consortium of Christian Organizations in Urban Development (CONCORD-UCCP), organizer for political party Bayan Muna in Western Mindanao
2. Roger Morales, 32, farmer, married with four children, a resident of Barangay Mati, San Miguel, Zamboanga del Sur
Alleged perpetrators: Elements of the 53rd IB-PA under the Tabak Division based in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur
Date of incident: 24 October 2007at 9pm
Place of incident: At the soldiers’ check point in Barangay Poblacion, Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur
AHRC-UA-315-2007; AHRC-UP-158-2007
On 24 October 2007, Ruel Munasque and Roger Morales were on their way to Tigbao town in Zamboanga del Sur on board a passenger van. At 9pm, as they were approaching Pagadian City, when the van they were riding in was stopped by soldiers manning a checkpoint in Barangay Poblacion, Dumalinao. The soldiers were attached to the 53rd IB-PA. A jeep and a blue pick-up truck were also seen parked close to them.
The soldiers ordered all the passengers to alight for a routine inspection. Ruel and Roger alighted and were also subjected to a body search. After the search, they were ordered to return to their van. But when Ruel was about to enter the van, one of the soldiers squeezed hard on his knee, which was wounded. When the soldier noticed he was bleeding, they again ordered Ruel and Roger to alight to be searched again. The soldiers took their wallets, mobile phones and personal belongings.
The soldiers then handcuffed and blindfolded them. They also took them to a nearby place where they were subjected to questioning. The soldiers later took them onboard their jeep and traveled for about an hour. Roger recalled that he could hear music being place at the background in the place where he and Ruel were taken. While inside the jeep, the soldiers threatened to kill them if they refused to cooperate with them by clicking their guns as if making them ready to fire. They were made to choose whether they wanted to be freed, jailed or killed.
At the time, the soldiers also took with them persons in front of the victims they claimed to be rebel returnees. The victims were forced to disclose the names of their supposed rebel comrades, their connections and those who are giving them orders.
At around 2am on October 25, the soldiers took Ruel to the hospital for treatment of his now profusely bleeding knee. His treatment, however, was said to be in exchange for his cooperation with the soldiers. Ruel boarded a pickup truck that went in an unknown direction while Roger was left behind in the jeep. Roger was later taken somewhere with his blindfold still on, where he was released. They traveled for about an hour before stopping.
At 4am, Roger was ordered to alight soon after the jeep stopped. But before leaving them, the soldiers instructed him not to remove his blindfold until he could no longer hear the sound of their jeep’s engine. Roger found himself abandoned in an intersection going to the direction of Pagadian City Integrated Bus Terminal soon after removing his blindfold. Only his mobile phone was given back to him while his other belongings were taken by the soldiers. His phone though no longer had a SIM card in it.
At 12noon on October 28, a person who introduced himself as Frank or Paul Chua contacted Ruel’s sister by phone informing her that her brother was with them undergoing treatment. The caller also claimed he is a soldier. He warned her not to inform anyone about their conversation or attempt to file petitions for writ of habeas corpus or writ of amparo. The caller claimed to have been monitoring her and that he knew she sought a lawyer for legal assistance for Ruel. She was threatened that if she continued to do so, they would produce a lawyer that could eventually convict her brother.
Ruel’s sister was also able to speak with him after the caller unexpectedly gave the phone to him after she requested to speak with her brother. It is said that Ruel had ask her not to seek any assistance from any group particularly Karapatan. But Ruel’s relatives nevertheless filed a petition for writ of amparo before the RTC, Branch 20 in Pagadian City defying the threats made against them by the soldiers. The respondents named in the petition were Major General Nehemias Pajarito, chief of the 1st Infantry Division and Major Samuel Gayo Ngorsa, commander of the 53rd IB-PA.
On 7 November 2007, the petition was granted and Ruel was produced in court. The court also ordered his release from military custody.
Story 56: Policemen involved in murder of an activist killed another elderly activist
Victim: Arturo Tolentino, 64,of Samal, Bataan
Alleged perpetrator: Policemen attached to the Balanga and Samal Municipal Police Stations, Bataan
Date of incident: 26 October 2007 at 5am
Place of incident: At the victim’s place of residence
AHRC-UA-311-2007
At 5am on 26 October 2007, Arturo Tolentino, his wife and children were sleeping inside their house in Samal, Bataan, when policemen attached to the Balanga and Samal Municipal Police Stations respectively entered their home. The policemen came to Tolentino’s house to serve arrest orders on him at the time.
When the policemen entered, no explanations were given to them regarding the purpose of their entry. Soon after they entered, everyone was handcuffed and forced to drop to the floor facing to the ground. A commotion took place inside and shots were fired. For hours, the police did not remove the handcuffs on them. Shortly after, Tolentino’s wife stood up and she saw her husband’s dead body leaning against a nearby concrete wall. Tolentino’s handcuffs had already been removed. The policemen, however, accused Tolentino of shooting at them first obviously to justify their action of shooting him, as they approached his house. The claims of the policemen were contrary to the victim’s wife and those present inside the house.
The policemen involved in Tolentino’s death, however, have a record of having complicity in the disappearance and murder of another activist, Audie Lucero, in February 2006. Lucero was last seen alive in their custody before he was found dead.
Story 57: Disappearance of an activist involved in organizing communities
Victim: Pedro Calilung, 60, community organizer of market vendors, one of the leaders of the Movement for National Democracy
Alleged perpetrator: Unknown
Date of incident: From 24 October 2007 to present
Place of incident: Last seen at the public market in Guagua, Pampanga
AHRC-UA-311-2007
Pedro Calilung was last seen at 9am at a public market in Guagua, Pampanga. Calilung was a community organizer of market vendors in the area. After he was last seen, he could not be contacted until his colleagues were able to speak to him on 26 October via his mobile phone. Calilung sounded frightened and could not properly speak. When asked about his whereabouts, surprisingly he did not elaborate. However, he claimed that he was staying with his relatives. But when follow-up calls were made to his relatives they confirmed that he was not staying with them.
Neither, they said, were they aware of his whereabouts. Following that Calilung could no longer be contacted on his mobile phone. It is learned though that prior to his disappearance, Calilung had already shared with his colleagues and some people in his community his security concerns. He once mentioned that: “the military agents are spying on me”. His suspicion was prompted by several occasions in which unknown persons were inquiring about him and his activities.
Calilung came from a family of farmers who are natives of Bacolor, Pampanga. Calilung himself had been deeply involved in activism even before Martial Law was declared in the early 70s during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos. He had been arrested and detained for almost two years as a political detainee. He too had experienced brutal torture in the early years of his activism.
Calilung was also involved in organizing victims of the calamity when the Mt. Pinatubo volcano exploded in the early 90s, displacing thousands of villagers several municipalities in Pampanga province.
Story 58: Shot dead while driving a motorcycle rickshaw
Victim: Antonio Mercado, 54, a motorcycle rickshaw driver, married with children, a resident of Barangay Salamanca, Toboso; chairperson of the National Federation of Sugar Workers Food and General Trade (NFSW-FGT) in Barangay Salamangka
Alleged perpetrators: Two men wearing balaclavas and camouflage shorts riding on a motorcycle
Date of incident: 13 October 2007 at 10am
Place of incident: Purok (a sub-subsection of village) Malinawon Poblacion, Toboso, Negros Occidental
AHRC-UA-307-2007
At 10am on 13 October 2007, Antonio Mercado was driving his motorcycle three-wheeler. Two men, wearing camouflage shorts and balaclavas, shot him as they came close to him on their Honda motorcycle. The gunman used a .45 calibre pistol and the victim died instantly.
At the time of his death, he was the chairperson of the local chapter of NFSW-FGT in Barangay Salamangka. Their organization advocates for the rights and welfare of sugarcane workers by demanding an improved wages, adequate benefits, medical services, and for the distribution of farm lots. The NFSW is affiliated with the KMU, a national alliance of labour organizations.
Story 59: An activist body found severely mutilated and sexual organ cutoff
Victim: Alano Clerigo, 34, farmer, supporter of the KMP
Alleged perpetrators: Silvestry Abiso, a member of the Special Cafgu Active Auxiliary and soldiers attached to the Task Group North headed by Colonel Felicisimo Budyungan
Date of incident: 10 October 2007at 4pm
Place of incident: Sitio Lagoc, Barangay Menchaca, Calatrava
AHRC-UA-307-2007
Alano Clerigo was tending his cow when he was picked up by two armed men, one of whom was identified as Silvestry Abiso, a member of a government militia. His brother and two other neighbours witnessed the abduction. As they thought he would not be harmed his brother did not inform their parents about the incident.
Clerigo, however, failed to return home later that evening, prompting his family and neighbours to look for him the following day. As they were searching the vicinity where he was last seen, they were confronted by a team of 16 soldiers attached to the Task Group North and Abiso. They emerged from a sugarcane field. When they informed them that they were looking for Alano, the soldiers told them to discuss the matter with Barangay chairperson Ernesto Baynosa.
They also ask for a copy of Clerigo’s photograph supposedly offering to help them in looking for him. However, the presence of the soldiers in the area, and their offer to help, raised suspicion amongst the relatives of the victim and their companions. Together with some village officers, they retraced the direction in which Abiso and his companions were seen taking Alano the previous day.
In a bush close to where the victim was last seen taken, the group found a freshly dug hole covered with soil about 150 metres away from where the victim’s house is located. When they uncovered the hole they found Alano’s body. The corpse was severely mutilated and bore multiple contusions and burns, his mouth was stuffed with plastic, and the head was wrapped with a plastic bag. His sexual organ had been severed and it was clear that he was brutally tortured before being killed.
It has been reported that the military had suspected the victim of supporting a rebel group, the NPA. Before his murder, on September 10 a firefight had occurred between the military and a rebel group happened in the place close to Clerigo’s house. At the time he was killed, Alano and his fellow villagers in their community were in the process of forming an association to affiliate with the KMP, a national alliance of organizations of farmers and fisherfolks.
Story 60: Shot in front of his 10-year-old son
Victim: Rodrigo Siacor (a.k.a. Bador), 39, a member of a political party Anakpawis, of Sitio Makatagal, Barangay Cambayubo, Calatrava, Negros Occidental
Alleged perpetrators: Lando Baynosa and three other persons attached to an armed group Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB)
Date of incident: 8 August 2007 at 6pm
Place of incident: Sitio (subsection of a village) Makatagal, Barangay Cambayubo, Calatrava
AHRC-UA-307-2007
On 8 August 2007 at 5pm, three men arrived looking for Rodrigo Siacor (a.k.a. Bador) at his place of residence. They asked his wife, who was at home, whether he was around. Thinking that they were her husband’s friends, she told their 10-year-old son to inform his father that somebody was looking for him. Before her son left she noticed another man who remained outside their house just observing her and his three companions as they were talking inside the house.
She later identified the said person as Lando Baynosa. Baynosa is believed to be a member of Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB). The RPA-ABB is a former rebel group who had entered a peace agreement with the government. The government’s security forces – police and military – have been involving them in their operations against illegal drugs and criminal activities. In doing so, they are also allowed to carry firearms and conduct surveillance operations for the government. They also receive training from the military.
When the boy left to get his father, the three men followed him. They met Siacor at a charcoal pit where he was packing charcoal. They first confirmed his identity and then shot him three times in front of his son. The three men and their companion, Baynosa, immediately ran away after the incident. Siacor was a member of a political party conference in Madison, Wisconsin at the University
of Wisconsin on April 12, 2013.
