“We are aware that Samar and Leyte, and the provinces of Negros and Panay are among the priority areas of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ counterinsurgency program, Oplan Bayanihan. We do not want a repeat of human rights violations experienced by the survivors of typhoon Pablo in 2012. We do not want another Cristina Jose who was killed because she demanded relief goods for her and her community members,” said Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay.

The AFP, on its website afp.mil.ph, claimed that as of 16 November, there are “12,000 troops on the ground under the Central Command,” aside from what it called as 3,400 “external troops” and “follow on forces” for augmentation.

Palabay warned the BS Aquino government not to take advantage of the situation saying, “there were many instances in the past that combat operations, as part of military psywar, are disguised as humanitarian operations in communities considered by the government as ‘red-areas’. Already, Samar, Leyte, Negros and Panay are among the provinces with high incidents of human rights violations because of the government’s counterinsurgency program” Palabay added.

The AFP admitted that while it is engaged in relief efforts, it maintains “sufficient equipment and support to Internal Security Operations.” Earlier, police and military checkpoints were already set-up in the disaster-stricken areas, while photos of policemen arresting “looters” circulated in social media.

US troops and warships

Karapatan expressed alarm over the statement of Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario citing the need for increased presence of US troops in the country through the framework agreement, as demonstrated by the “assistance” provided by the US in the aftermath of typhoon Yolanda.

“The cat then is out of the bag — the so-called humanitarian assistance by US troops in the disaster areas is a justification for their permanent basing and operation in the Philippines. Even without this disaster, the US was pushing for an increased and permanent presence of their troops and warships in the Philippines for its Asian pivot,” Palabay said.

“While we welcome all aid extended to our brothers and sisters in the Visayas, we don’t see the necessity of deploying missile cruisers and missile destroyers, and amphibious assault vehicles and other warships,” added Palabay.

News reports said at least six US warships led by USS George Washington with 5,000 troop members were deployed in the typhoon-battered areas. Members of Karapatan who joined the relief mission in Tacloban described the presence of US troops there as “virtual takeover.”

“Aside from the support from international groups, what we really need is a government that is responsive to the needs of the people. The BS Aquino government has obviously failed the people, with or without disasters,” Palabay ended.

Reference:
Cristina “Tinay” Palabay
Secretary General
+63917-3162831
Angge Santos
Media Liaison
+63918-9790580

http://www.karapatan.org/Karapatan+raises+concern+over+heavy+presence+of+AFP%2C+US+troops+in+disaster+areas

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PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publicinfo@karapatan.org
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Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights
2nd Floor Erythrina Building
#1 Maaralin corner Matatag Streets
Central District, Diliman
Quezon City, PHILIPPINES 1101
Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146
Web: http://www.karapatan.org

KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties.  It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign. 

Rights lawyers group formed to push for release of political prisoners worldwide

The continuing impunity for various human rights violations in the Philippines was scored anew before an international forum of human rights lawyers and law students. The event was also attended by around 200 progressives, social activists, peasants, workers, academicians, artists, and other human rights defenders in Lima, Peru.

The 21-22 November 2013 forum was sponsored by the Moviminento por Amnistia y Derechos Fundamentales (MOVADEF) and Instituto de Asesoria e Investigacion Juridica (Ratio Iuris). Secretary General of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) Edre U. Olalia as first speaker presented a paper entitled “Impunity for Violations of Human Rights and International Law Through the Legal and Judicial System: The Philippine Experience.”

The participants in the forum entitled “Criminalization of People’s Struggles in Peru and Around the World” initiated the formation of a new International Committee of lawyers to work for the release of political prisoners in Peru, Turkey, Philippines, and other parts of the world.

It elected  the officers of the Committee, namely: renowned international lawyer and law professor Peter Erlinder  (US) as Chair;  Alfredo Crespo (Peru), a counsel of political prisoner Dr. Abimael Guzman; Olalia (Philippines), also a counsel of former political prisoner Prof. Jose Maria Sison; Eduardo Soares (Argentina) of General de Abogados; and Mazlum Dinc (Turkey), a counsel of political prisoner Abdullah Ocalan, as members. Lawyers from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico also participated in the event.

Members of the Committee visited Elena Iparraguire and women political prisoners in a penal facility in Chorrillos, Lima. They denounced, however, the summary denial  by the Instituto Nacional Penitenciario of their written request  to visit Dr. Guzman who has been in solitary confinement for twenty years in a maximum security facility in Centro de Reclusion de la Base naval (CEREC).  The request was based on applicable Peruvian law, international law and on humanitarian grounds. The authorities did  not provide any reason at all for the denial.

The Committee is considering attending the 6th Congress of the International Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL) in Brazil in February 2014 and the 18th Congress of the UN-accredited International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) in Belgium in April 2014 to push for the release of political prisoners worldwide, among others.

Olalia said that the formation of the new Committee is important and relevant to the struggle of NUPL’s clients and said its activities shall certainly be taken up in the 3rd NUPL Congress in Bacolod this 30 November to 1 December. Around 200 human rights lawyers, law students, paralegals, and local and international guests are expected to attend the assembly with the theme: “Consolidate our Ranks to Defend, Protect and Advance the People’s Rights, Resist the State’s Various Schemes to Violate Human Rights.”

Reference:
Edre U. Olalia
NUPL Secretary General
+639175113373

November 23: International Day to End Impunity

“The BS Aquino regime knows nothing about justice, and everything about injustice,” Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general said on the 4thyear commemoration of the Ampatuan Massacre where 58 individuals, 32 of them media persons, were massacred by the paramilitary groups of Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr. “Four years after one of the most heinous crime in Philippine history was committed, the Ampatuans are still not convicted,” Palabay said.

Human rights groups such as Karapatan, peace advocates, press freedom advocates and progressive multimedia groups staged a protest action at Mendiola today to demand the BS Aquino administration to immediately act on the Ampatuan Massacre case and to call for an end to media killings and other human rights violations.

Palabay also criticized the statement of Presidential Communications Operations Office Sonny Coloma that “there is no more culture of impunity” in the country,” saying that “the sheer failure of accountability mechanisms under the Aquino administration is attested to by the continuing rights violations; that no high official especially among state security forces has been jailed and convicted for their heinous crimes; and that BS Aquino continues his blame games instead of owning up to his administration’s liability.”

“The slow pace by which the government handles even a high profile criminal case like the Ampatuan massacre is typically Aquino’s,” Palabay said. “The government’s inaction in the case of the Ampatuan massacre and other human rights violations is similar to his inaction and ineptitude in handling the disaster situation in areas hit by typhoon Yolanda—where people’s lives are put on the line.”

“Due to the slow process of the prosecution, witnesses to the massacre became vulnerable such that they end up being killed,” Palabay said. Alijol Ampatuan, one of the suspects of the massacre, was shot in February 2012 in Shariff Aguak. Alijol was supposed to turn state-witness. “The killing did not stop after the massacre. The killing continues to save those who were charged,” Palabay added.

“In the case of the people in the affected areas of typhoon Yolanda, the deaths did not stop after the storm surge; deaths continue even when the sun has come out and the floodwater has dried up. Survivors remain hungry,c old and sick. Many of those who survived are slowly dying for lack of medical attention, food and water,” Palabay said.

“So, we ask: where is the government in all of these? He is all over the mass media, making up excuses for his and his government’s negligence; blaming the victims. There is impunity and injustice because perpetrators are not punished, because human rights violations continue to be committed. There is injustice because the BS Aquino government is inept and negligent of the needs of its people. And BS Aquino should answer for this,” said Palabay.

“Parami na nang parami ang kasalanan ng gobyernong ito sa taumbayan: ang maraming kaso ng kawalang hustisya, kainutilan at pagpapabaya nito sa mamamayan. Ito na ang panahon para singilin at papanagutin si BS Aquino sa mga krimeng ito,” [This government’s crimes against the people are increasing by the day – cases of injustice, uselessness and negligence keep piling up. It is about the time that BS Aquino be held accountable for these crimes”], Palabay ended.

Reference:
Cristina “Tinay” Palabay
Secretary General
+63917-3162831

Angge Santos
Media Liaison
+63918-9790580
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PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publicinfo@karapatan.org <publicinfo@karapatan.org>
———————————————————————
Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights
2nd Floor Erythrina Building,
#1 Maaralin corner Matatag Streets
Central District Diliman, Quezon City,
PHILIPPINES 1101
Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146
Web: http://www.karapatan.org

KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign.

After the sham land distribution in Hacienda Luisita (HL), President Aquino’s kin filed charges versus critics and farmers. This only affirms the findings of the National Fact Finding Mission Report (FFM) which held the FFM September 16 -17, 2013.

An arraignment for the Hacienda Luisita 9 was held at the Tarlac City Municipal Trial Court (MTC) for physical assault at 1:30 pm today, while another hearing for them for malicious mischief filed by Tarlac Development Corporation (TADECO) will be held on December 12 at the same venue. TADECO is owned by the Cojuangcos.

Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita’s (AMBALA) legal counsel, Atty. Jobert Pahilga will also file a motion to dismiss charges against the Cutcut 81. 81 farmers in barangay Cutcut were charged by TADECO for unlawful detainer also in the MTC.

The grounds for the dismissal are that unlawful detainer is for lessee or a tenant who did not comply with the conditions of the landlord and who does not want to leave even if the contract expired. So there is no basis for this as the Cutcut 11 are not lessees nor tenants and have been cultivating the land since 2005. The rest is still planted to sugar cane.

Farmers under AMBALA are daring the Pnoy government to file this same case versus TADECO because it did not comply with the 1957 lease condition, whereby it should have given the lands back to the government for land reform a decade later.

TADECO suddenly appeared in the picture right after the Lot Allocation Certificates (LAC) were distributed in Cutcut on July 18. It is also grabbing lands in Barangay Balete and Mapalacsiao. In the former, it had already set-up a barbed wire fence and together with the police have been harassing the farmers ever since. TADECO is also the main suspect in the mysterious killing of Dennis de la Cruz on November 1^st.

The FFM which was organized by the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA), AMBALA and the office of Anakpawis Party-List Representative Fernando Hicap concluded that the land reform in Hacienda Luisita was a sham.

And that the Cojuangco-Aquino clan has evidently sabotaged land reform through every means within its disposal through the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). This includes the illegal, aggressive & immoral claims of TADECO over agricultural lands for a “Luisita master conversion plan” and the use of force, with both private armed personnel and state forces imposing the Cojuangco-Aquinos clan’s illegal authority.

Finally that government’s policy of institutionalized corruption and state terror and repression has made genuine land reform a distant reality for the thousands of farmworkers in Hacienda Luisita and for the millions of other farmers and tillers all over the country.

The recent developments stated above only confirm these findings.

Reference: 
Florida “Pong” Sibayan
Acting- Chairperson, AMBALA
CP # +639293201477

And Atty. Jobert Pahilga
CP no. +639394346930
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For further information on the continuing struggles at the Hacienda Luisita, please refer to:
http://bulatlat.com/main/2013/11/17/9-years-after-luisita-massacre-terror-continues/