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SERYE BABAE: Hinagpis ng isang ina’t hamon sa kababaihang biktima ng dahas ng Estado

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Ni Nuel M. Bacarra

Naalala ko ngayong buwan ng kababaihan ang isang kanta ng aking ina noong siya’y nabubuhay pa. Ani ng kanyang awit: “Mahirap nga pala itong mahirap / Api-apihan sa pagliyag / Mayaman sa dusang masasaklap / at aliwan ng dusa’t bagabag.”

Bagamat tila sagot ito sa isang harana, larawan ito ng pagtitiis ng mga ina, na siyang sariling danas at katangian ng aking ina. Hindi dumadaing kahit nahihirapan at sagad sa buto ang pagtatrabaho para sa pamilyang itinataguyod ng nag-iisa. Single parent ang siyang tawag ngayon sa mga katulad niya.

Ngunit nais kong bigyang halaga ngayon ang mga ina at kababaihan. Hindi maitatatwa ninuman ang kanilang papel sa buhay ninuman. Karaniwang katawagan na kabiyak sila ng buhay, ilaw ng tahanan ng isang pamilya. Sila ang punlaan ng buhay na nagluluwal ng mga anak na siyang magtutuloy ng lahi.

May mga babaeng tipong Maria Clara. Meron din namang tulad ni Gabriela Silang. Meron ding naghuhubad na para lang kumita at meron ding nagpapayaman lamang gamit ang bulok na pulitikang namamayani sa bansa.

Sa kasalukuyan, hindi na solong gawain ng kababaihan ang magluto, maglaba, mag-alaga ng mga anak, mamalengke, maglinis ng bahay o magtrabaho sa mga upisina at paggawaan. Malayo na ang inabot ng pakikibaka ng kababaihan sa buong mundo pagdating sa paglaya nila sa tradisyunal na konsepto sa papel ng kababaihan sa buhay. Mayroon nang mga drayber ng bus, dyip, traysikel at habal-habal, mga welder, construction worker, piloto, sundalong sumasabak sa gera at samutsari pang gawain sa ibang bansa.

Isa na rito si Rodaliza Baltazar. Babae. Ina.

Isa siyang babaeng katuwang ng asawa na nagtataguyod sa pamilya sa pamamagitan ng pagiging overseas Filipino worker (OFW) sa Middle East. Ina siya na nagsasakripisyong mawalay sa mga anak para lamang matiyak ang magandang kinabukasan. Nais niyang maging marino o seaman ang pinaslang niyang anak na bunso. Magpapadala pa sana siya ng pera sa kanya bilang regalo kahit nakalipas na ang kaarawan niya noong paslangin ito.

Umuwi sa bansa si Rodaliza noong Agosto 11, 2023  dahil napatay at “napagkamalan lamang” si Jerhode, 17 taong gulang at mas kilala bilang si Jemboy. Inakala ng mga pulis na ang menor de edad ay suspek sa isang kaso ng  pagpatay. Gumuho ang pangarap ni Rodaliza para kay Jemboy at nagpasya itong huwag nang bumalik sa Qatar para tutukan ang paghahanap ng hustisya.

Nitong Pebrero 28, dalawang araw bago ang buwan ng kababaihan, tila pinatakan ng asin at kalamansi sa sugat sa puso ng pamilya. Nag-baba ng desisyon ang Regional Trial Court 286 ng Navotas ang kaso na hindi katanggap-tanggap sa pamilya.

“Lima silang makakalaya, isa lang ‘yung na-convict, tapos apat na taon lang. Pero ‘yung anak ko habambuhay siyang wala na,” hinagpis ni Rodaliza. Isa na namang kaso ito ng tila hindi pantay pagtimbang ng batas. Mula sa kasong murder, ginawa lamang itong homicide. Sentensyado si Staff Sgt. Gerry Maliban, PNP, at pinagbabayad ng tig-₱50,000.00 na bayad-pinsala kaugnay ng pananagutang sibil at moral. Ayon pa sa Huwes, “Walang dudang ginampanan lamang ni PSSgt. Maliban ang kanyang tungkulin sa pangyayari.”

“Hindi ba nila alam yung itsura nung hinuhuli nila? Tapos yung anak ko yung pinagbabaril nila, tapos pinabayaan nila sa ilog,” hinagpis ni Rodaliza.

Maraming katanungan ang namutawi sa labi ng mamamayan sa nangyari kay Jemboy. Bakit hindi muna nag-imbestiga ang mga pulis sa tinarget nila na nasa ilog? Bakit ninais na palabasin pa nila na may dalang baril at droga ang biktima, tulad ng testimonya ng kaibigan ni Jemboy na pinaglalabas siya ng salaysay para sabihing may dalang baril at droga noon ang pinaslang? Mga tanong ng pagdududa, ng paghahanap ng mga karagdagang impormasyon, ng patas na imbestigasyon, ng katiyakan bago kumitil ng buhay at, higit sa lahat, katarungan.

Maging ang estado ay hindi rin mapakali sa naging desisyon ng korte. May pabalat-bungang utos naman si Justice Sec. Jesus Crispin Remulla kay Justice Asst. Sec. Jose Dominic Clavano na repasuhin ang kasong ito dahil mukhang may mali sa desisyon at kung gayon ay maaaring mag-apela.

Ayon naman kay Clavano, batay sa inisyal nilang pag-aaral, may mga kailangang argumento para kwestyunin ang desisyon tulad ng elemento ng pagsasabwatan, kapasyahang pumatay, at ng pagiging makatwiran ng aksyong ginawa ng mga pulis.

Ang lahat ng ito ay panibagong hiwa sa puso ng nagdadalamhating ina, maging ng buong pamilya. Hindi na kayang sukatin ng dami ng luha at tindi ng hinagpis, ni ng mga pampalubag-loob para lamang pagtakpan ang kawalang-katarungan.

Hindi nag-iisa si Rodaliza Baltazar sa ganitong sinapit—isang inang naulila ng anak na biktima ng dahas ng estado. Hindi biro ang mga binitiwan niyang salita na larawan ng dalamhati at pagpupuyos sa desisyon ng korte kaugnay sa kaso ng pagpatay kay Jemboy. Ani Rodaliza, “Nararamdaman ko ngayon at ng pamilya ko ang sakit dahil inaasahan namin na anim silang mahahatulang may sala subalit kabaligtaran ang nangyari.”

Isang araw matapos ang pagbababa ng hatol ng korte, dagdag ni Rodaliza sa isang press briefing sa Senado: “Tila pinatay nila nang paulit-ulit ang anak ko dahil sa desisyon ng korte sa anim na pulis. Napakasakit nito para sa aming pamilya. Napakahirap talagang makakuha ng katarungan kung ikaw ay mahirap.”

Ramdam ko sa aking kaibuturan ang sakit na nararamdaman ni Rodaliza. Nakikita ko sa kanya ang wangis ng sarili kong ina.

Marami pang pamilya, hindi lamang ang kababaihan, ang dumaranas ng iba’t ibang uri ng pisikal, emosyunal at mental na karamdaman dahil sa matitinding dagok sa buhay. Maaaring ito ay aksidente, bunga ng pagkakasakit, mga maling desisyon sa buhay, mga suliraning hindi hinaharap nang mabuti o anupaman.

Subalit kung ang trahedya ay bunga ng patakarang ipinapataw ng estado sa mamamayan, tulad halimbawa ng pambobomba sa mga komunidad sa kanayunan, ekstrahudisyal na pamamasalang, sapilitang pagkawala, at iba pang paglabag sa mga karapatang pantao, para lamang malubos ang sabwatan, lansakang pagyurak sa mga saligang karapatan at para lamang may masabing may ginagawa ang pulisya at militar, hindi ito kailanman magiging katanggap-tanggap. Marapat itong tutulan at labanan.

Ang pagpaslang sa kanilang bunso at ang tila kawalan ng hustisya para kay Jemboy ang nagbubukas sa pintuan para kay Rodaliza at kanyang pamilya para humanay sa mamamayang naggigiit ng katarungan, kapayapaan at pagbabago ng sistema ng ating lipunan. Hindi dapat pahintulutang mamayagpag ang pwersa ng estado sa paggawa ng krimen laban sa mamamayan, ang inhustisya at kawalang-pananagutan sa mga kaso ng paglabag sa mga saligang karapatan ng mamamayan. Laging may paraan at angkop na entabaldo para lumaban na kasama ang nakikibakang taumbayan.

Ang mga inang naghahangad ng magandang bukas sa mga anak ay hindi dapat manahimik. Bagkus ay kailangang maging dagdag na tinig para sa hustisya, kaunlaran at pagbabago ng lipunan. #

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Ang pitak na ito ay una sa serye ng awtor para ngayong Marso, buwan ng kababaihan.

Paggunita sa Pamamaslang

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ni Bienvenido Lumbera

Tuwing umaga tumitilaok pa rin ang mga tandang,

Nag-iinat ang murang dahon ng damong ligaw,

Humahagibis ang trak ng military.

Sa hukay na inukab sa parang ng backhoe ng Ampatuan,

 Nakanganga ang lupang naghihintay

Sa mga bangkay ng mga pinaslang.

Sa kagubatan, humihilab ang bunga ng durian,

At may isinasabog ang hangin na masangsang na halimuyak

Na pagdaan sa gilid ng nakangangang hukay

Ay mistulang amoy ng nalulusaw na laman.

Walang pakialam ang mga tandang, ang damong ligaw

At ang kumakaripas na mga sasakyan at ang hinog na durian,

Wala silang gunita na may naganap na pamamaslang.

Paano na ang mga inulila na naghihintay pa hanggang ngayon

Na malapatan ng katarungan ang mga berdugo at mastermind?

Sino ang babalot ng kumot sa bunsong giniginaw?

Papaano babahawin ang sugat ng malay

Ng asawang binalo ng pamamaslang?

Paano hihilumin ang pusong winindang ng biglang pasabi

Ang anak na wala namang kaaway ay walang awang pinatay?

Sumusubo ng pandesal ang abogado ng mga Ampatuan.

Minamasahe ni misis ang hita at baywang ng hukom.

Kinakamot ng burukratang kagigising lamang ang kanyang bayag

Habang tinutunghan ang pahayagan.

May nagmamartsang mga kabataan, may tarpulin na iwinawagayway:

Usigin ang mga Kriminal! Hustisya sa mga Biktima!

Ang pangkat ng mga manggagawa ay nagpipiket sa gate ng hukuman.

Nananawagang makilahok ang bayan sa paghingi ng katarungan

Ang mga pari at madreng nagdarasal.

Ang kabuktutan ng mga Ampatuan

Ay krimeng politikal na pinasikal

Ng Pangulong hayok sa kapangyarihan.

Wakasan ang pagtangkilik sa naghahari-harian,

Kamao ng hustisya, idagok sa mga kriminal!

Pag kimi ang pamahalaan, dumarahas ang sambayan.

Unang binasa ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining at tagapangulo ng Kodao Productions na si Ka Bien Lumbera (+) ang tulang ito noong Hunyo 23, 2010 sa ika-7 buwang komemorasyon ng Ampatuan Massacre sa programang inisponsor ng National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). Ngayon ang ika-14 na anibersaryo ng masaker. Kahit may mga nahatulang nagkasala at ngayo’y nakakulong sa krimen, mayroon pa ring nagtatago at nakakatakas sa hustisya. Samantala, hindi pa rin nakikita ang biktimang si Reynaldo Momay.

Panata ng Naiwang Panyapak

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Ni Pia Montalban

Hindi na namin sila nasamahan

kahit amin nang nakasanayan

na hindi mag-iwanan

liban pahinga ang nananawagan.

Kasama nila kami sa mga pamayanan,

nakinig ng hinaing ng mga mamamayan,

nakilakbay sa mga mamamalakaya,

naging kaisa sa kanilang mga panawagan.

Subalit, nang gabing iyon, maulan

sa kalsada ng Manrique, iniwan

ng mga hiyaw na pumailanlang

sa pamayanan—ang aming paalamanan.

Tigalgal kaming mga naging piping saksi,

mga naiwang ulila sa may-ari at kapares,

mga walang buhay na bagay

pero punumpuno ng ingay.

Ituturo namin na may naganap na dahas,

na may naisakatuparang krimen.

Patunay na totoo ang pananakot at teror.

Kami ang nagpangalan sa mga biktima.

Kami na saksi ng sapilitang pagkawala,

nang marahas na hatakin

ng mga armadong lalaki

ang mga katawang may suot sa amin;

Na pinilit pang umakyat ng tarangkahan,

magmakaawa na masaklolohan;

magpumiglas sa tangkang pagpapatahimik,

magpakaladkad huwag lamang mabitbit.

Saksi kami sa kanilang mga bigat,

sa bawat hakbang nilang lapat,

sa bawat mithi nilang payak,

sa bawat pangarap nilang tiyak.

Hindi na namin sila nasamahan.

Hindi na namin sila nasamahan.

Susunduin na lamang namin ang hustisya,

hahanapin ang dalawang kasama.

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Sina Jhed Tamano at Jonila Castro.

Dinukot ng mga hindi pa nakikilalang kalalakihan sina Jhed Tamano at Jonila Castro, mga dating mag-aaral ng Bulacan State University noong ika-2 ng Setyembre, 2023. Sina Tamano at Castro ay mga organisador ng mga pamayanan sa Bataan at Bulacan na apektado ng sari-saring proyektong reklamasyon sa Manila Bay.

Court again postpones promulgation of judgment on ailing NDFP consultant

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The Taguig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) again postponed the promulgation of its decision on the case against a National Democratic Front (NDFP) peace consultant, a move a political prisoner support group said only prolongs the suffering of those wrongfully accused.

Taguig RTC Branch 266’s notice did not even include a date for the next reading of judgment against NDFP consultant Frank Fernandez, his wife Cleofe Lagtapon and their help Ge-Ann Perez, the group Kapatid said.

“This means more waiting for heaven knows when,” the group told Kodao.

Last Tuesday’s postponement was the second in as many months.

Kapatid said the day of promulgation is when the innocent is expected to regain freedom.

Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim added that weaknesses in the technicalities that courts cite for delays may also mean further violations on the rights of the wrongfully accused.

“For me, there should be penalties for every delay in the promulgation of judgments, instead of the courts offering mere apologies and early notices. There is a need to reform how the judiciary system is being managed,” Lim said in Filipino.

‘Firmly maintaining innocence’

In a public letter released before the promulgation, Fernandez said they firmly maintain their innocence against “trumped-up charges” of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

The former Roman Catholic priest and long-time NDFP-Negros Island spokesperson said that he, Lagtapon and Fernandez were seeking medical treatment for their various ailments and were not keeping firearms and explosives in the house they were staying at in Laguna province.

Fernandez, 75, suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hyponatraemia, hypertension, atherosclerotic heart disease, and hyperplasia of prostate with obstruction, among other ailments that his continued imprisonment only worsens.

Lagtapon, 70, is pre-diabetic who also suffers from COPD while their 24-year old household help Perez suffers from Hansen’s Disease.

Fernandez recounted that when they were arrested at about five o’clock in the morning of March 24, 2019, they were handcuffed, blindfolded, and taken to separate safe houses where they were subjected to psychological torture to extract information about the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army.

Later, they were taken to a hospital for a checkup before being taken back to their rented house where firearms, grenades, ammunition, and a white powder unexplainably were seen on a table.

Kapatid said the complaints against the three were based on “planted evidence, perjured testimonies and sham witnesses.”

In his letter, Fernandez emphasized the groundless and trumped-up character of the cases against them.

“We believe that the trove of evidence, files of testimonies and several witnesses presented by the state authorities during court hearings failed miserably to prove beyond reasonable doubt that we committed such cited alleged criminal complaints,” he wrote.

He also mentioned the inconsistencies in the politically-motivated case, saying that “what was proven nonetheless was the altered and fictitious narratives; the lying, irrational logic and inconsistent statements by PNP officers.”

Dozens of Fernandez’s fellow NDFP consultants and staff arrested before and after him also face the same police charges in various courts all over the country. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Manila Court grants Tondo 3’s bail petition

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Nasino, Moran and Bautista have to raise ‘staggering bail amount,’ however

The Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) granted the petition for bail of three activists arrested by the police in a raid of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan’s office in Tondo District in February 2019, including well-known political detainee Reina Mae Nasino.

In an order dated December 12, Monday, Manila RTC Branch 47 Presiding Judge Paulino Gallegos said the prosecution failed to prove that the evidence of guilt against Nasino, Ram Carlo Bautista and Alma Moran are strong.

Gallegos’ decision follows the Court of Appeal’s (CA) invalidation last August 31 of the search warrant used in the three’s arrest for “failure to meet the standards of a valid search warrant,”

The CA’s 12th Division added that “all evidence procured by virtue thereof are deemed inadmissible.”

The warrant was issued by Quezon City Executive Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert who had been called a “one person factory of defective warrants” by human rights groups.

Nasino and Moran are ordered to pay a total of P420,000 each for the two charges filed against them while Bautista is ordered to pay a total of P570,000 for the three separate cases he is facing.

The three activists were charged with illegal possession of firearms and of explosives, a standard charge by the government against activists.

Celebrated case

Nasino became known after she lost her three month old infant River Emmanuelle who she gave birth to while in detention. The original 36-hour furlough to attend to her daughter’s wake was also severely shortened to six hours.

Jail guards also ran away with the infant’s body during the funeral that earned widespread condemnation nationwide.

Nasino’s mother Marites Asis said she is happy that her daughter would soon be free.

“Masaya ako at muli kong mayayakap ang aking anak. Madadalaw na rin naming magkasama ang puntod ni Mikmik (River Emmanuelle) sa sementeryo,” Asis told Kodao.

(I am happy that I would be able to hug my daughter again and we can visit Mikmik’s grave together at the cemetery.)

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-National Capital Region (BAYAN-NCR) said the court’s decision to grant bail proves that Burgos-Villavert’s order was “a big lie.”

“This is a huge slap on the face of [former president Rodrigo] Duterte and his cohorts in their fascism. They merely wanted to silence their critics and activists who stood up against them through arrests and the filing of trumped-up charges,” the group said.

The group called for donations for the three’s bail totalling P1.410 million.

‘Excessive amount’

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), counsels of the three detainees, in a statement said that the “staggering amount” is tantamount to an “excessive bail” that impairs their capacity to post bail.

NUPL President Rey Cortez said that while they are not unmindful of the fact that the Court may have merely followed existing procedures in setting the amount, the detainees may have to spend more time in jail before they could raise the amount.

“The irony of it all is that, through machination, they were deprived of their liberty ‘as easy as pie’, and have to move heavens just to regain what is rightfully theirs,” Cortez said.

“Bring them home for Christmas,” the lawyer appealed. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

CA reverses conviction of KMU union organizer

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By Joseph Cuevas

The 10th Division of the Court of Appeals (CA) has reversed the decision of two trial courts in Rizal province convicting a labor union organizer of possession of illegal firearms.

In a 18-page decision released last September 15, the CA voided the conviction of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) labor organizer Marklen Maojo Maga by San Mateo Regional Trial Court Branches (RTC) 75 and 76, sentencing him from 8 to 14 years imprisonment.

The May 16, 2019 decision by San Mateo RTC 76 Judge Josephine Zarate-Fernandez and the January 21, 2020 resolution by San Mateo RTC 75 by Judge Maria Beatrice Cunanan are set aside for failure of the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt Maga’s guilt, Kapatid, families and supporters political prisoners, announced Saturday, September 18.

Maklen Maojo Maga (Kilusang Mayo Uno photo)

The appellate court ordered Maga’s immediate release in connection with the illegal firearms possession charge.

Arrested by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police on February 22, 2018, Maga was nabbed for his alleged involvement in a government soldier’s murder in March 2017.

The arrest warrant against the union organizer was issued by Branch 34 of the Cabadbaran RTC in Agusan del Norte.

In its decision, the CA said the prosecution failed to present absolute proof the bag containing a gun belonged to the accused.

The appellate court also said the Rizal courts took as gospel truths the testimonies of the arresting officers despite inconsistencies.

The higher court also said the RTCs denied Maga the right to present additional witnesses to corroborate his testimony.

Initial victory

Maga’s wife Eleanor de Guzman told Kodao that the CA decision is a hard-fought victory, but a bittersweet triumph as the labor organizer still faces a criminal charge in Cabadbaran City.

Maga remains detained at the Metro Manila District Jail Annex 4 in Taguig City.

In a message posted on Facebook by de Guzman, Maga said he warmly welcomes his exoneration and considers it as a victory for all activists persecuted by the government.

“Unionists and activists are charged with trumped-up cases and manufactured evidence so they can jail and silence us and prevent us from our advocacies. Our imprisonment is the result of abuse of power and wrongful conviction by some courts who fail to truly study the cases before them,” Maga wrote in Filipino.

Maga added that the CA decision would greatly help in his defense against the murder charge in Agusan del Norte, a province he has never set foot in. #

Nasino’s lawyer hopes for her immediate release

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Court of Appeals declares another Burgos-Villavert warrant defective

A lawyer of jailed activist Reina Mae Nasino hopes for her immediate release and two other fellow activists after the Court of Appeals (CA) voided the warrant used for their arrest.

In a decision dated August 31, the 12th Division of the CA said the search warrant used by the police to arrest Nasino and fellow activists Ram Carlo Bautista and Alma Moran in 2019 failed to meet standards of validity.

The Court added that the evidence presented by the Philippine National Police for obtaining the warrant were inadmissible.

Upon learning of the decision, one of Nasino’s lawyers said they are working on her, Bautista and Moran’s release at the soonest possible time.

“Hopefully, maparelease na sila agad. Mag-uusap kami on what to do with their pending case sa trial court,” Atty. Kathy Panguban of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers said.

(Hopefully, they will be released immediately. We will discuss what to do with their pending case before the trial court.)

The three were arrested in a midnight raid on November 5, 2019 by the Philippine National Police at Bagong Alyansang Makabayan’s Tondo, Manila office and were charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives, a standard non-bailable charge against activists.

Nasino’s imprisonment became more controversial when she learned she was several weeks pregnant when arrested.

She eventually gave birth to her daughter River while in detention, despite pleas from her family and petitions by her lawyers for her release on humanitarian grounds.

Lacking maternal care, the infant died after three months. A Manila Court initially gave the grieving mother two days furlough to attend to her infant’s wake that was later reduced to just six hours.

At the infant’s funeral, jail personnel ran away with the cadaver, leaving family members and supporters behind.

The incident earned global condemnation against the “heartlessness” of the Rodrigo Duterte regime.

Irregular warrant

In its decision voiding the warrant, the CA pointed out that the police presented three different addresses in the documents it submitted while applying for the warrant.

The search was also conducted at a different address without the presence of barangay officials who have actual jurisdiction of the area.

“These apparent irregularities in the application and implementation of the subject search warrants are more than enough to debunk the presumption of regularity of performance of official duties,” the CA said.

The defective warrant was among the series of controversial ones issued by Quezon City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert  that were eventually quashed by other judges.

Other defective warrants issued by Villavert included those used to arrest journalist Lady Ann Salemn and union organizer Rodrigo Esparago on International Human Rights Day (December 10) 2020, activists and unionists called the Negros 57 on Halloween (October 31) 2019, and National Democratic Front of the Philippines peace talks staff Alexander and Winona Birondo in July 2019.

Villavert had been dubbed by human rights groups as a “defective warrant factory” whose credibility in issuing such warrants is “questionable”.

“The Supreme Court must investigate and hold Judge Villavert accountable for her travesty of justice by using our courts for judicial harassment and political persecution, along with other similar judges who have been involved in the issuance of questionable search warrants and their lying accomplices in the police,” human rights group Karapatan said in August 2021. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

KAPATID: ‘Jun Lozada should be regarded as a political prisoner’

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Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada Jr should be regarded as a political prisoner, human rights group Kapatid said, adding the whistleblower has done great service to the people and does not deserve to be in jail.

Kapatid said the Supreme Court’s decision finding Rodolfo and brother Orlando guilty of graft is a “travesty of justice” that sends the wrong signal to whistleblowers.

The High Court upheld Rodolfo’s graft conviction last week for leasing 6.6 hectares of idle public land to his brother Orlando and sentenced the siblings to six to 10 years of imprisonment and perpetual disqualification from public office.

Kapatid, the support group of families and friends of political prisoners, however said the Supreme Court should reverse its decision as Rodolfo deserves the protection of the law for reporting evidence of wrongdoing.

“Thanks to Jun Lozada’s courage [a] scandalous megadeal was cancelled. But because of the rotten double standard of justice in the Philippines, he is the one who will go to prison while the biggest masterminds of graft and corruption are exculpated and allowed to perpetuate themselves in public office,” Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim said.

Lim added that Rodolfo has become a victim of retaliation and persecution by powerful enemies who have in effect made him a political prisoner for speaking truth to power.

Rodolfo was former head of the Philippine Forest Corporation and a government information technology consultant when he revealed alleged anomalies in the establishment of a National Broadband Network (NBN) by the Chinese corporation ZTE in 2007 during the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo government.

Lozada said President Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband Miguel were “masterminds behind the NBN-ZTE crime” worth P17 billion of pesos. He also said former Commission on Election chairperson Benjamin Abalos stood to gain from kickbacks.

The Lozadas turned themselves in at the National Bureau of Investigation last Thursday after hearing the Sandiganbayan reportedly issued a warrant of arrest against them following Supreme Court’s affirmation of their conviction.

In a statement, Rodolfo said his enemies made good with their threats they will make him regret for his revelations.

“Yes, they succeeded in sending me to prison. But they will not succeed in making me regret my decision to side with the truth and the people. I do not regret my decision to side with the truth,” Rodolfo said.

“Our hearts go out to truth-tellers like Jun Lozada. Kapatid stands by him and with him in his statement that embodies the plight of the political prisoners in this country,” Kapatid said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Karapatan lauds affirmation of Palparan’s conviction

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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.

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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)

NUJP demands arrest of media killing ‘mastermind’

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Joel Reyes campaigning to reclaim Palawan governorship despite arrest warrant

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) called for the arrest of former Palawan governor Joel Reyes, alleged mastermind in the killing of Palawan broadcaster Gerry Ortega in 2011.

In a statement on Ortega’s 11th death anniversary on Monday, January 24, the NUJP said former Palawan governor Joel Reyes is campaigning to reclaim the top provincial post even as he remains a fugitive from law.

“[N]ot only is former governor Joel Reyes evading his warrant of arrest for Ortega’s killing, he is running for Palawan governor, according to news reports, and is campaigning while a subject of a manhunt,” the media group said.

Reyes and brother and former Coron mayor Mario fled the country in 2012 to evade arrest related to Ortega’s murder.

Both were arrested in Phuket, Thailand in September 2015 but were freed by the Court of Appeals (CA) in January 2018.

The appellate court however reversed itself and ordered the Regional Trial Court in Puerto Princesa to “issue a warrant of arrest against the petitioner (Joel) and to conduct proceedings in Criminal Case No. 26839 with purposeful dispatch” in November 2019.

“What is clear is that due to a Court of Appeals directive in 2019, the Regional Trial Court of Puerto Princesa had released an arrest warrant against him for [the] murder [of Ortega],” NUJP said.

Reyes is also facing separate graft charges over the alleged misuse of P1.5 billion in Malampaya funds.

Ortega, an environmentalist and known critic of the Reyeses, was the first media killing under the then Benigno Aquino government.

The broadcaster was shot in broad daylight in downtown Puerto Princesa City after leaving radio station DWAR.

The NUJP said the lack of justice over Ortega’s murder and Reyes’ bid for the governorship despite a graft conviction add to the impunity that has surrounded attacks against journalists as well as land and rights defenders.

READ: NUJP: Where is justice in Doc Gerry’s killing?

The group added the lack of justice in Ortega’s killing is emblematic of the culture of impunity in the Philippines, reminding them how the powerful seem to make a mockery of the justice system.

“We stand with the Ortega family, Doc Gerry’s colleagues and friends in the environmental movement and colleagues in the media in calling for justice and in demanding the service of the arrest warrant against Reyes,” NUJP said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)