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>
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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.

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/

“Nine years after the Hacienda Luisita Massacre, the struggle of the farm workers continues. The killings, human rights violations and deceit continue. There has been absolutely no justice attained under the BA Aquino administration,” Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general said.

In November 16, 2004, thirteen Luisita farmworkers were massacred while they were on strike, demanding decent wages and land distribution. The big landlord clans of the Aquinos and Cojuangcos own the more than 5,000-hectare wide Hacienda Luisita.

“The Supreme Court may have decided to distribute the vast lands of Luisita in 2012, but the Aquinos and Cojuangcos, Dept. of Agrarian Reform and Tarlac Development Corporation (TADECO) are using all possible kinds of deception, bribery, state violence to prevent the lands to be actually distributed to all farmworkers,” Palabay said.

In those nine years, eight cases of extra-judicial killings and one enforced disappearance related to the Hacienda Luisita struggle was documented by Karapatan. This includes the murder of Obispo Maximo Alberto Ramento in October 3, 2006, a staunch supporter of the farm workers during and after the strike.

“Nine years after, those responsible to the massacre have not spent one day in prison. Former Dept. Of Labor and Employment secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas, is holding office at the Land Bank of the Philippines. Gen. Ricardo Visaya, head of the Philippine Army deployed in the Hacienda Luisita and a protege of Ret. Maj. Palparan is still sowing terror in the places where he is being deployed,” Palabay cited. Gen. Visaya’s recent stint of terror is the beheading of the village councilor Ely Oguis, justifying that the victim is an NPA tax collector. “Then Senator BS Aquino, whose family’s interests reign in the hacienda, is now the President,” Palabay said.

Meanwhile, Karapatan strongly condemns the latest case of extrajudicial killing in the town that recently suffered bombings by the Philippine Army.

While the whole world was witnessing the tragedy brought by typhoon Yolanda, Juban, Sorsogon in the Bicol Region suffered another case of extra-judicial killing. Wellington Brogada Jr., male, 50 years old was gunned down on morning of November 11, 2013 in front of his house in Brgy. Catanagan, Juban, Sorsogon.

Brogada, a tricycle driver, came from Brgy. Biriran to drop off a passenger. As he was nearing his house, a passenger of the motorcycle coming from the back of Brogada’s tricycle alighted and shot the victim four times. The first bullet came through Brogada’s nape which exited through his left cheek. Three other bullets were fired at his chest. The gun man casually aboarded the motorcycle bearing no plate number. The perpetrators went to the direction of the town center of Juban. Another motorcycle met with the perpetrator to receive the gun used to kill Brogada. It sped to the direction of the Brgy. Rangas where the headquarters of 31st Infantry Battalion Philippine Army is located. According to witnesses, Brogada was already being tailed by the gunman starting from Sitio Madlangaw, Brgy. Tabok.

Brogada is a member of Bayan Muna Sorsogon and was part of the Fact Finding Mission that documented the September 22 incident of bombing and strafing by 31st Infantry Battalion of the Phil. Army in Brgy. Calmayon and Brgy. Maalo, Juban, Sorsogon.

“Dito magaling ang gobyerno ni BS Aquino, ang mambomba ng mga komunidad, pumatay ng mga kritiko,” (This is what BS Aquino’s government good at, bombing communities and kill his critiques.) Palabay said in condemnation. “Yet, in addressing people’s concerns, preparing for disasters such as Yolanda and providing immediate relief to the survivors, we just don’t seem to see the government’s response,” Palabay ended.

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PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
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.