Posts

Aklan activists demand military withdrawal from communities

/in /by
‘Special Ops’ targeting chairperson and spokesperson, BAYAN says

Activists in Aklan province called on the military and police to stop its operations targeting their leaders and demanded the withdrawal of army troops in civilian communities.

In an alert, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan in Aklan said it condemns the harassment against its chairperson George Calaor and spokesperson Kim-Sin Tugna, as well as members of peoples’s organizations and other civilians.

“We will hold the 301st Brigade of the Philippine Army, the local PNP, and the Duterte government responsible for any harm done to Calaor and Tugna,” the group said.

BAYAN-Aklan reported that a coordinated police and military operation is ongoing against its leaders and members that is “clearly intended to sow fear and silence activists like Calaor and Tugna.”

“This could be a prelude to a wider violent crackdown in the province and region. We remember how state forces previously attacked communities in Capiz and Iloilo which led to massacres and extrajudicial killings,” the group added.

The Philippine Army denied BAYAN’s accusations.

‘Only for training’

In a statement, 301st Infantry Brigade-Philippine Army commander Brig. Gen. Marion Sison said the presence of soldiers Barangay Cawayan, New Washington, and Barangay Poblacion, Kalibo, is part of a 45-day immersion phase as students of the Civil-Military Operations Competency Enhancement Training (CMOCET).

“CMOCET is an In-Service Training of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division Training School focused on “community consultations and problem-solving sessions,” the general said.

“CMOCET students were not deployed to conduct surveillance on anyone but to apply their learning through community visitations, dialogues, symposiums, and awareness drives,” he added.

Sison also said that the deployment has the approval of local government officials.

Surveillance against activists

BAYAN-Aklan however reported that the soldiers are conducting surveillance operations against Tugna and Calaor, both red-tagging victims by the military.

The group said that Barangay Poblacion chairperson Neil Candelario has confirmed that a “special operation” is being conducted against the Calaor, also a well-established poet, and Tugna.

“In fact, our (Calaor and Tugna) pictures were first shown to him (Candelario) while investigating our persons to the Punong Barangay. It was also the barangay captain who told us about the “special operation” as verbalized by their personnel when they a paid courtesy call to Punong Barangay Candelario on June 20, 2022,” BAYAN-Aklan revealed.

“Moreover, there are people in the communities that can confirm their surveillance activities against Mr. Tugna and Mr. Calaor,” it added.

The group said it fears that the “special operations” would lead to warrantless searches and arrests, and possibly, extra-judicial killings, recalling the massacre of nine Tumandok indigenous persons and the arrest of 17 others in December 2020.

Like the massacre and mass-arrest victims, BAYAN-AKlan leaders and members have been the subject of intensified vilification and red-tagging by the military and the police, it added.

BAYAN-Aklan said the military have no business being in civilian communities except to so fear among the populace. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

DAR list affirms Tinang farmers are the real land owners—KMP

/in /by

The mass-arrested farmers at Hacienda Tinang in Concepcion, Tarlac on June 9 are the rightful owners of the property after all, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) announced.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has reaffirmed that all 94 members of local peasant group Makisama-Tinang are among the 178 beneficiaries of its revalidated list released on Monday, June 20, the KMP said in an announcement.

The announcement included photos of DAR banners announcing an “Initial List of Qualified Beneficiaries” the KMP said were displayed at Concepcion Municipal Hall, Tinang Barangay Hall and at the hut at the contested 200 hectare property.

“[The list] bolsters the rightful claim of the Tinang farmers to the plot they cultivated with supporters last June 9, cementing the utter baseless-ness of the charges filed against them,” the KMP said.

“At the same time, it further cripples the wobbly claims by land grabber and incoming Mayor Noel Villanueva, his puppet cooperative, and the police, of any offense from the part of the Tinang farmers and their supporters,” the group added.

The KMP said that the DAR’s announcement of its long-awaited list will pave the way for the Tinang farmer-beneficiaries installation “at the soonest possible time.”

The group however warned that Villanueva, incumbent Representative and incoming Concepcion mayor, is expected to continue opposing the move.

DAR employees displaying “Initial List of Qualified Beneficiaries” at Tinang Barangay Hall (top photo) and at the contested property (above). [KMP photo]

“(L)and grabber Noel Villanueva is expected to try and continue to deprive the Tinang farmers of their land, as their clan has done for decades. For this, we encourage everyone to stay vigilant,” the KMP said.

Many Makisama-Tinang members were violently arrested with their supporters last June 9 while having lunch and were charged with illegal assembly and malicious mischief by the Concepcion police.

The farmers said the police acted upon orders of Villanueva who they blame for their four-day ordeal that drew widespread condemnation nationwide.

At their arraignment last June 19 at the Capas Municipal Trial Court in connection with their mass arrest, the farmers and their supporters were informed that the additional charges of Disobedience, Obstruction of Justice and Usurpation of Real Rights were filed against them by the police.

They will be arraigned on the additional charges at the Tarlac Regional Trial Court on June 28. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Environment defenders reveal new wave of surveillance, red-tagging

/in /by

Environmental groups complain of being targets of a new wave of surveillance and red-tagging activities they say come amid arrests of environment defenders and land rights activists.

In an alert, the Center for Environmental Concerns-Philippines (CEC) and the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment said posters were thrown at their Quezon City office Monday evening, June 13, red-tagging other progressive groups such as Gabriela, ACT Teachers Party and Bayan Muna Party.

The posters, still freshly-painted in red, were dumped in front of their gate as well as in front of their neighbors at Barangay Central, CEC and Kalikasan said.

The organizations share offices.

“Earlier today (Monday), one of our staff members reported seeing two uniformed policemen taking pictures in the direction of our office gate,” the groups said.

CEC and Kalikasan said that on Thursday, June 9, police officers in civilian clothes went to their office, looking for an individual not familiar with their staff.

“They took a picture of our staffer without consent and they did not present any warrant to search,” the groups said.

Thursday’s incident coincided with the mass arrest of 83 farmers and land reform advocates in Concepcion, Tarlac.

While the farmers and advocates were about to be released on bail on Sunday, June 12, an anti-dam activist was also abducted by the police in Pakil, Laguna.

The police dragged anti-Kaliwa Dam campaigner Daisy Macapanpan from her home into jail without presenting a court-issued warrant of arrest.

“The arrest of Daisy Macapanpan, reeks of many irregularities. Why send around 40 members of the Special Action Force to arrest a 68 year-old woman? That’s overkill. This is a clear reprisal against her for standing up against a potentially destructive dam project,” Kalikasan PNE  national coordinator Leon Dulce said in an earlier statement.

CEC and Kalikasan said they fear the threats and arrests may be the beginning of another crackdown against land and environmental defenders.

The groups revealed that their office has been repeatedly targeted by surveillance, red-tagging, and even an attempted raid since 2018.

They said they have reported the incidents with the Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations Human Rights System, and international NGOs such as Global Witness and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Karapatan lauds affirmation of Palparan’s conviction

/in /by

Human rights group Karapatan welcomed the affirmation of retired Major General Jovito Palparan’s conviction for the kidnapping of University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeno by the Court of Appeals last Tuesday.

“This recent legal victory affirms the need to pursue justice and accountability through and through — despite threats, harassment, reprisals, and patronage by those in power of these human rights violators,” the group in a statement said.

In a decision promulgated last May 31 by Court of Appeals (CA) First Division, the appellate court said Palparan and cohorts Lieutenant Colonel Felipe Anotado and Staff Sgt. Edgardo Osorio are sentenced to life imprisonment without eligibility of parole.

The three were also ordered to pay the families of the victims P300,000 in civil indemnity and moral damages, subject to six percent interest per year from the date of finality of the decision until full payment.

The CA affirmed Malolos Regional Trial Court Branch 15’s decision of September 2018 saying Palparan, Anotado and Osorio were responsible for the disappearance and serious illegal detention of the victims.

MUST READ: Abandoned Mount Samat Military Camp Yields Bones, Evidences, Quest for Justice Continues

Cadapan and Empeno remain missing to this day. Palparan meanwhile has started serving his 40-year imprisonment at the National Penitentiary in Muntinlupa City.

Karapatan said the affirmation of Palparan’s conviction could not have been possible without the strength and perseverance of the victim’s parents and the witnesses, as well as their lawyers and various local and international support groups.

“Sadly, Karen and She, along with many other desaparecidos remain missing, and Palparan should be made to divulge their whereabouts. This struggle for justice is for them and many other victims of State terrorism,” Karapatan said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Rights lawyers join calls for de Lima’s release

/in /by
NUPL says Espinosa, Ragos retractions must be given full and proper consideration

Public interest lawyers urged the release of Senator Leila de Lima in light of the retractions of two witnesses on her alleged drug links.

In a statement, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers(NUPL) said the retraction of both self-confessed drug lord Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa and former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Lagos last month must compel the Department of Justice to give both developments their “full and proper consideration.”

“These validate what we knew all along. That the legal and judicial process is being deliberately weaponized by the State and its agents for nefarious political reasons by unscrupulously constructing false narratives and peddling manufactured evidence,” the NUPL said in a statement today.

In an April 30 affidavit submitted to a Pasig City Court, Ragos said he was only “coerced” by former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre into testifying against de Lima.

In his own undated counter-affidavit, Espinosa said charges against de Lima are not true and were only the result of “pressure, coercion, intimidation, and serious threats to his (Espinosa) life and family from the police.”

Espinosa added the Philippine National Police instructed him to implicate the senator into the illegal drug trade.

Espinosa’s father, then Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa was killed by the police while in detention at the Baybay City Jail in November 2016 after President Rodrigo Duterte accused the local chief executive of being a drug personality.

De Lima’s lawyer and spokesperson Dino de Leon said that the “truth is starting to come out.”

Two of the three charges against Senator de Lima are still pending.

The NUPL said reports of wrongdoing at how the Duterte government went after its critic de Lima undermines the so-called rule of law and gnaws at the integrity of institutions.

“It is extremely lamentable and distressing that one can just be casually thrown in jail for years by using the whole State apparatus to silence critics and fiscalizers like Sen. Leila de Lima,” the NUPL said.

“Those who masterminded, goaded and enabled this brazen injustice must be held accountable in some way in time lest these outrages be repeated,” the human rights lawyers added. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

NUJP, PTFOMS back OSG to have ex-Palawan governor rearrested

/in /by
Mario Joel Reyes and brother are alleged masterminds in the murder of broadcaster Gerry Ortega in 2011

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) renewed its call for justice for slain Palawan broadcaster Dr. Gerry Ortega as the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) urged the Supreme Court (SC) to have former Palawan governor Mario Joel Reyes rearrested as alleged mastermind in the murder case.

The media union said it also supports Reyes’ continued trial in the 11 year case.

“We welcome moves by the Office of the Solicitor General and the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS) to have him (Reyes) rearrested,” the NUJP said.

In a formal motion earlier this month, the OSG has argued that “essential requisites” are absent in the High Court’s issuance of a temporary restraining order that allowed Reyes to leave jail.

“There is now a finding of strong evidence of petitioner’s guilt, there is no invasion, much less a material and substantial invasion of [his] right should he be ordered re-arrested,” the OSG argued.

NUJP said a murder suspect like Reyes who can that evade arrest and go about his political business can influence the case.

“[W]hile Reyes may be within his rights to run for office, it is likely that he does not have the right to do it outside of government custody,” the group said.

NUJP added that Reyes’ temporary freedom may only embolden those who seek to silence the critical press and put the entire media community at greater risk.

PTFOMS supports OSG petition

The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS) also said it “fully backs and supports” OSG’s move for the lifting of the SC’s March 23, 2022 TRO favoring the alleged mastermind.

“We believe that the evidence of guilt is strong in the criminal case filed against Reyes in connection with the slaying of Gerry Ortega,” PTFOMS executive director and Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco said in an April 27 statement.

PTFOMS pointed out that Reyes was tagged by his former bodyguard Rodolfo Edrad as the mastermind behind the killing of Ortega, who had criticized the former governor for the supposed destruction of the environment in the province.

Also implicated in the killing is his brother, former Coron Mayor Mario Reyes. The two are running for governor and mayor, respectively, in the May 9 elections.

Earlier, Egco also supported OSG’s investigation into the 2018 Court of Appeals decision to release Reyes from detention due to alleged insufficiency of evidence in the murder case.

In 2019, the CA reinstated the murder charges against the former Palawan governor.

Ortega family to press for justice

In a statement issued during a press conference on Wednesday, Ortega’s widow Patty said their family believes the slain broadcaster will still be given justice.

“I believe there is justice. I believe that the Supreme Court will do what is right so justice will prevail,” she said.

Patty said she is grateful to the NUJP, PTFOMs and other groups who have continuously offered support for their quest for justice for her slain husband. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Edith Burgos asks Robredo to include disappeared in electoral agenda

/in /by
It’s been 15 years since Jonas was abducted

The mother of missing activist Jonas Burgos appealed to Vice President Leni Robredo to be the voice of the forcibly disappeared who are the “poorest among the poor because they are voiceless.”

On the 15th anniversary of the abduction of Jonas today, Mrs. Edita Burgos published an open letter asking the presidential candidate to put the issue of the forcibly disappeared in her electoral agenda.

“[A]nd most of all knowing that above all you are a caring and loving mother to your children, I take courage in asking you to please be the voice of the voiceless. The victims of enforced disappearance were taken away from the protection of the law, their whereabouts are kept unknown to their families,” Mrs. Burgos wrote.

 “At this critical point of history in our country, the Philippines, I believe that each Filipino parent has that God-given opportunity to act concretely to secure a better future for their children,” Mrs. Burgos added.

Mrs. Burgos said she chose to write to Robredo based on what she has heard about the Vice President’s track record, her values from her speeches and interviews and seeing how she is drawn to the least served people in the country.

Mrs. Burgos said that she is confident Robredo will open her mother’s heart to a fellow mother and all relatives of victims of enforced disappearance, giving her confidence to ask the candidate to put the issue of enforced disappearance and their search for justice.

A video commemorating the 15th anniversary of Jonas Burgos’ abduction.

Jonas, a peasant rights activist, was abducted while having lunch at a Quezon City mall on April 28, 2007 his family believes were Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel under the command of Gen. Jovito Palparan.

The Burgoses filed arbitrary detention charges against then Philippine Army Major Harry Baliaga Jr. but was acquitted by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 216 in October 2017.

Baliaga was an officer assigned to the 5th Infantry Battalion based in Norzagaray, Bulacan were the vehicle used in Jonas’ abduction was reported to have been seen.

The Court said testimonies of the witnesses were “hearsay.”

Mrs. Burgos has repeatedly said she is confident they will still find Jonas.

In this interview immediately after the promulgation of the case, Burgos’ prosecuting attorney Edre Olalia said the setback is not end of their quest for justice.

“We commemorate his 15th anniversary of abduction with the same vigor and determination. Yet, though with sadness, in the spirit of joining our will to God’s will and accepting reality as it is, we look at this year’s commemoration in the context of the present socio-political situation in our country and endeavor to open new doors,” Mrs. Burgos wrote to Robredo.

“This perspective has given us hope,” she added. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Kin and friends demand dropping of ‘preposterous’ charges against NDFP consultant

/in /by

The family and supporters of political detainee Rey Claro Casambre pressed their demand to have “preposterous charges” against the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant dropped.

As another hearing was held last Monday at Branch 113 of the Bacoor Regional Trial Court , the Free Rey Casambre Campaign said it demands that the Rodrigo Duterte government withdraw the “fabricated and ridiculous charges” of illegal possession of firearms and explosives against the peace advocate.

The demand came after the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) attempted to submit digital photos of the Colt pistol and fragmentation grenade as evidence last February 22 but was rejected by the Court.

The Free Rey Casambre Campaign pointed  out that City Prosecutor who had earlier conducted the inquest had described the CIDG’s story preposterous, finding the “evidence” stashed in the dashboard with a laptop, claiming that these were seen “in plain view” from outside the car.

Casambre and wife Cora were arrested in December 2018 by police and military operatives.

The Court ordered Cora released.

The Free Rey Casambre Campaign said he would have been released with her but is kept in jail after another non-bailable charge was filed against him.

Casambre is also defending himself from the charge of attempted murder in connection with a New People’s Army ambush in Lupon, Davao Oriental in September 13, 2018.

Casambre earlier said the military’s allegation was false as he was at the House of Representatives the previous day urging the government to resume peace talks with the NDFP.

He said it is impossible for an ailing and elderly person like himself to travel to a place far as Lupon to help plan and execute a military action.

He added that he has never been to Lupon.

“This government has taken away Rey’s freedom to keep him from teaching many about the sore lack of social justice in the country and building unities towards genuine peace that will benefit the Filipino majority socio-economically,” the Free Rey Casambre Campaign said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Human rights stalwart Marie Hilao-Enriquez passes away

/in /by

Karapatan’s chairperson emeritus Amaryllis Hilao-Enriquez has died on April 24 in California, USA, the human rights icon’s family announced.

Hilao-Enriquez’s daughter Andrea said her mother died at 12 noon Sunday (California time). She was 68.

 “My mother, Amaryllis Hilao-Enriquez, passed away at 12 noon today. She is reunited with her sister, Liliosa, who died under martial law in the Philippines,” Andrea wrote on Facebook.

 “My mother dedicated her life to fighting for justice and human rights. She was a beautiful person, funny, intelligent, brave, and strong. She was loved and will be greatly missed,” she added.

Karapatan also announced her death, adding it mourns with her family along with human rights violations victims, their families and communities.

Hilao-Enriquez was also a former chairperson of the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensiyon at Aresto (SELDA) and former convernor of the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA).

Hilao-Enriquez had long been suffering from various illnesses.

Martial law survivor

Fondly-called Marie by the Philippine human rights community, Hilao-Enriquez was a scholar at the College of Medicine at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) taking up occupational therapy when she first became involved in activism.

She eventually joined the Kamuning chapter of the youth organization Kabataang Makabayan (Patriotic Youth).

Karapatan further described its former long-time chairperson as a stalwart in the anti-Marcos dictatorship struggle and in the relentless advocacy for justice and accountability of the Marcoses.

“[S]he and her family endured gross human rights violations during that dark period of our nation’s history. Her sister, student journalist and activist Liliosa, was the first reported case of killing under military detention after Marcos’s martial law was imposed,” Karapatan said.

After Liliosa’s death, Marie went underground and continued her work as community organizer.

In 1974, Hilao-Enriquez was arrested, tortured and was detained for two years. She became part of the Kapisanan para sa Pagpapalaya at Amnestiya ng mga Detenidong Pulitikal sa Pilipinas or Kapatid after she was released from prison and as she campaigned for the release of her detained husband, Karapatan said.

After the late dictator was ousted in 1986, she joined SELDA and helped in the filing of the historic class action suit against Marcos in Hawaii.

Hilao-Enriquez helped in consolidating the data and finding the lead plaintiffs for the class suit. Her mother and younger sister were two of the ten named plaintiffs in the case.

She led campaigns for justice and reparations of human rights violations victims against the Marcoses, including in the advocacy for the enactment of Republic Act No. 10368 or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013.

She led the formation of CARMMA in 2016, having campaigned against what Karapatan said are historical lies of the Marcoses throughout decades.

Hilao-Enriquez continued in leading the campaigns for people’s rights as the founding secretary general of Karapatan in its establishment in 1995 and became its chairperson in 2009.

“She worked for the release of political prisoners and the dismissal of trumped up charges against those detained, in pursuing justice for victims of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture, and in working for the signing and implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL),” Karapatan said.

“Hilao-Enriquez mentored numerous activists and human rights workers throughout decades. We are deeply indebted to her brilliant, selfless and passionate work as among the foremost human rights defenders in the Philippines. We vow to strive to honor her legacy of service to the Filipino people in every possible way that we can and as long as tyrants and dictators remain in our midst,” it added.

READ: Marie Hilao-Enriquez: An Icon of Human Rights Activism in the Philippines

Marie Hilao-Enriquez (Photo from Andrea Enriquez’s announcement)

‘From Manila to the world’

National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers president Edre Olalia said he is very sad at the news of Hilao-Enriquez’s passing.

“Tita Marie (Hilao-Enriquez) was very dear to me. We walked together in many a journey to defend, protect and promote human rights. From Manila to Geneva, from Utrecht to Oslo to New York, she was a partner, aunt, comrade, and friend,” Olalia said.

The lawyer added that Hilao-Enriquez was “unique, indefatigable, funny, thoughtful and selfless, even as she was naughty and sometimes pesky in her own adorable way. I got only the fondest, funniest and feistiest of memories of her.”

To say that Hilao-Enriquez is an icon of the human rights struggle is an understatement, Olalia said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

[NEWSFLASH] Leody’s meeting in Bukidnon fired upon, several injured

/in /by

Presidential aspirant Leody de Guzman and his companions were fired upon while conducting a consultation with an indigenous people’s group in Barangay Butong, Quezon, Bukidnon Province today.

In an alert, de Guzman’s official Facebook page that several were injured, including a local farmers’ organizer and a leader of the Manobo-Pulangiyon indigenous people’s group.

De Guzman was consulting with the community who are complaining of land-grabbing of their ancestral land.

The incident was caught on video and posted on Twitter.

In the video, several shots rang out as the group were walking on what appears to be an open field.

The victims were then seen scrambling for safety as more shots rang out.

They were blaming security guards and Quezon, Bukidnon mayor Pablo Lorenzo III for the incident, vowing to file charges.

Towards the end of the video, military vehicles were seen passing as the victims were gathering by the roadside.

The presidential aspirant was with senatorial aspirants Roy Cabonegro and David D’Angelo who are part of his Partido Lakas ng Masa slate.

De Guzman’s Facebook page said it is still gathering more details about the incident.

Its alert was posted at about noontime.

Makabayan and 1Sambayan senatorial aspirant Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog, de Guzman’s fellow labor leader, immediately condemned the attack.

“I am worried about the safety of Ka Leody De Guzman. I condemn the warlords who attacked them. Those responsible must be punished,” Labog said in Filipino.

“If they can do this to a presidential candidate, it is much easier for them to do this to ordinary citizens,” Labog added. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. REFRESH FOR UPDATES.