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Chair of a human rights group killed in Aurora province, Central Luzon, Northern Philippines

ICHRP Secretariat
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Chair of a human rights group killed in Aurora province, Central Luzon, Northern Philippines

Chair of a human rights group killed in Aurora province, Central Luzon, Northern Philippines
UA No: 2012-06-01
UA Case                                 :
Extrajudicial Killing

Victim                                     :
ROMUALDO “WALDO” PALISPIS
·         51 years old, married with three children

·         Chair of the Justice and Peace Action Group (JPAG)

·         Convenor of the Task Force “Walang Hatian ang Bayan ng Maria Aurora” (Do not Divide Maria Aurora Town)

·         Assistant Officer of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Maria Aurora

·         Member of Bayan Muna partylist

Place of Incident                    :
At the Palispis residence, Barangay 3, Maria Aurora town proper, Aurora province

Date of Incident                     :
June 30, 2012

Alleged Perpetrators :
Two men in motorcycle suspected to be state security forces  or have links to

Account of the Incident: From the Factsheet prepared by the Justice and Peace Action Group (JPAG) Aurora

On June 30, 2012, at around 8 pm, Romualdo Palispis, or Waldo, was relaxing in front of his home, playing the guitar, when he was shot in the head.  A witness said that two men on a motorcycle stopped a few meters from Waldo’s house, which was surrounded by a concrete fence.  Both suspects were wearing motorcycle helmets. One of the men got off and inserted a gun through a hole in the fence, and fired at Waldo, who was hit in the back of his head, with the bullet exiting through one of his eyes.  Waldo’s wife Sol rushed him to the nearby Maria Aurora Municipal Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

On June 29, at around 8 pm, Waldo’s neighbour noticed that two men on the same motorcycle passed by three times and stopped for a while in front of Waldo’s house.

Waldo had been the municipal chair of JPAG Maria Aurora chapter since 2002.

Recently, Waldo led the opposition against a proposed law splitting the municipality of Maria Aurora to create the Dr. Juan C. Angara municipality as the ninth town of Aurora province.  House Bill 3225 was filed by Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara in the House of Representatives, while Senate Bill 3132 was filed by four senators in the senate.

In May this year, Waldo was one of the convenors of the Task Force “Walang Hatian ang bayan ng Maria Aurora”, which assailed the bills as part of the projects being pushed by the Angara family in the province.  Gov. Bella Angara is pushing for the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Free Port (APECO) project in Casiguran, Aurora. Waldo is among the leaders of groups expressing the people’s opposition  to the project due to the extreme adverse consequences of these to the rural people and environment.

The Task Force had started a series of community assemblies and spurred village resolutions opposing the said bills, and also gathered support from various local groups.  The group also started a petition- signing campaign against the bills.

Recommended Action:

Send letters, emails or fax messages calling for:

The immediate formation of an independent fact-finding and investigation team composed of representatives from human rights groups, the Church, local government, and the Commission on Human Rights that will look into the extrajudicial killing of Romualdo Palispis.
The military to stop the labelling and targeting of human rights defenders as “members of front organizations of the communists” and “enemies of the state.”
The Philippine Government to withdraw its counterinsurgency program Oplan Bayanihan, which victimizes innocent and unarmed civilians
The Philippine Government to be reminded that it is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that it is also a party to all the major Human Rights instruments, thus it is bound to observe all of these instruments’ provisions.

You may send your communications to:

H.E. Benigno C. Aquino III
President of the Republic
Malacañang Palace,
JP Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila Philippines
Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80
Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph / opnet@ops.gov.ph

Sec. Teresita Quintos-Deles
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP)
7th Floor Agustin Building I
Emerald Avenue
Pasig City 1605
Voice:+63 (2) 636 0701 to 066
Fax:+63 (2) 638 2216
osec@opapp.gov.ph

Ret. Lt. Gen. Voltaire T. Gazmin
Secretary, Department of National Defense
Room 301 DND Building, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo,
E. de los Santos Avenue, Quezon City
Voice:+63(2) 911-9281 / 911-0488
Fax:+63(2) 911 6213
Email: osnd@philonline.com

Atty. Leila De Lima
Secretary, Department of Justice
Padre Faura St., Manila
Direct Line 521-8344; 5213721
Trunkline  523-84-81 loc.214
Fax: (+632) 521-1614
Email:  soj@doj.gov.ph

Hon.  Loretta Ann P. Rosales
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., UP Complex
Commonwealth Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Voice: (+632) 928-5655, 926-6188
Fax: (+632) 929 0102
Email:   chair.rosales.chr@gmail.com, lorettann@gmail.com

Please send us a copy of your email/mail/fax to the above-named government officials, to our address below.

URGENT ACTION Prepared by:
KARAPATAN Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights
National Office
2/F Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin cor Matatag Sts., Brgy. Central, Diliman, Quezon City 1100 PHILIPPINES
Voice/Fax: (+632) 435 4146
Email: urgentaction@karapatan.org
Website: www.karapatan.org

Human Rights Violations in the Philippines: A Recurring Nightmare

ICHRP Secretariat
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Human Rights Violations in the Philippines: A Recurring Nightmare

The recent spate of extrajudicial killings and illegal arrests in the Philippines is truly a worrisome development for all human rights advocates. Willem Geertman and Romulado Palispis, both development workers and activists in Central Luzon, were gunned down separately in just three days by men widely suspected to be members of the military’s death squads. Another activist, Agnes Tadeo-Mesina, was arrested while meeting with a partylist congressman

Since it was placed in power exactly two years ago, the government of President Benigno Aquino III has stacked up 96 cases of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) that include Geertman, according to the human rights watchdog Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights). Of this number, 43 were rights workers in civil society organizations (CSOs), while the rest were farmers, members of indigenous tribes and environmental activists.
The Hong Kong Campaign for the Advancement of Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (HKCAHRPP) fears that these dramatic cases may signal the resurgence of grave human rights violations against political activists in the country, and aggravates the existing culture of impunity for violators under the current dispensation. The situation is made all the more reprehensible by the fact that the fresh rash of human righs violations occurred just a month after the Philippine government was rigorously queried by the United Nations’ (UN) in its Universal Periodic Review in Geneva

The new President’s touting of a “Daang Matwid” (Righteous Path) is turning rapidly into a swing to the far-Right, as his government sheds off all pretensions of being different than that of his predecessor. More and more, it is adopting methods of dealing with development workers and activists that are grimly reminiscent of iron-fisted security policies under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In fact, Aquino’s national security plan called “Oplan Bayanihan” (Mutual Help) is but a rehash of of Arroyo’s “Oplan Bantay-Laya” (Freedom Watch), which saw hundreds of activists and media practitioners liquidated by military death squads and called the attention of then-UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston

That the current President’s own father, the anti-Marcos politician Benigno Aquino, Jr., was himself a victim of extrajudicial execution seems to have left no mark on the younger Aquino’s human rights policies. His government’s official pronouncements on the recent killings have not only been to deny the involvement of state agents in these crimes, but even to dare outraged activist organizations to provide proof of such involvement. Aside from reinforcing impunity, such inappropriate responses reveal an utter lack of accountability on the part of the government, and is tantamount to reneging on its essential obligations to various UN human rights statutes emphasizing the primary role of state actors in seeking redress for victims

HKCAHRPP is calling on all human rights advocates to continually monitor the situation in the Philippines and campaign for an end to to extrajudicial killings and other state-sponsored violence against the Filipino people. We must take the Aquino government to task for blatantly disregarding prima facie evidence on Geertman’s killing, which was caught by CCTV camera. Accountability must replace impunity in the government’s dealing with perpetrators, and this can only be accomplished through our renewed vigilance and committed human rights advocacy

We demand on the Aquino government to respect human rights, speedily investigate violations including those under the previous regime and prosecute state agents who are culpable. We urge it to stop suppressing political dissent through military means, and instead respond to the long-running demands of various sectors of society for better governance, social justice and genuine peace. #

10 July 2012

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Hong Kong Campaign for the Advancement of
Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines
c/o ASA, No. 4 Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
Tel. (852) 98105070, 97585935        Fax. (852) 27354559
E-mail: hkcahrpp@gmail.com

New Zealanders Call for Justice for Murdered Dutch Missionary

ICHRP Secretariat
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New Zealanders Call for Justice for Murdered Dutch Missionary

Members of Auckland Philippines Solidarity (APS) gathered at the peak of Mt Eden today to express solidarity with the Filipino and Dutch people in demanding justice for Willem Geertman.

We are seriously concerned about the safety of New Zealanders and other foreign social workers currently assisting poor Filipino communities. We mourn with the Filipino and Dutch people the loss of a great man who dedicated more than half his lifetime serving the indigenous peoples and peasants whose rights to land and livelihood have been constantly attacked by mining, landgrabbing and destructive business-government projects in Central Luzon.

Today we climb up the peak of Mt Eden, one of the highest places in Auckland, New Zealand, to symbolically pledge support of New Zealanders in raising to greater heights the efforts of international community to seek justice for all human rights victims in the Philippines.

Initial police reports suggested that robbery was the motive for Geertman’s killers. However, a number of human rights and social justice organizations in the Philippines have noted that the methods used by the killers are very similar to those used in the extrajudicial killings of Filipino activists in recent years, who like Geertman have dedicated themselves to supporting the rights of the most marginalized sectors of Philippine society.

An independent investigation is needed to ascertain the full facts of Geertman’s murder. Under the 2-year Aquino administration, it is deplorable that the extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and illegal detention of Filipino citizens involved in socio-political causes have continued.

We challenge the president to declare on his upcoming State of the Nation Address that as Commander-in-Chief of the Philippine military he would take decisive steps to end impunity and hold accountable all those responsible for the killings of Geertman, the Italian priest Fr Tentorio and as many as 90 Filipinos during his administration.

Reference:
Cameron Walker
Spokesperson, Auckland Philippines Solidarity (APS)
ph.solidarity@gmail.com

Protest picket held at Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands to demand justice for killing of Dutch national Willem Geertman

ICHRP Secretariat
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Protest picket held at Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands to demand justice for killing of Dutch national Willem Geertman

A protest picket/vigil was held at the Philippine Embassy in The Hague, The Netherlands today, 6 July, to condemn the killing of Dutch national Willem Geertman, and to demand swift justice from the government of President Benigno Aquino III.

The action, which was organized by the Justice for  Willem Geertman Campaign, was attended by representatives of different advocate, solidarity and migrant organizations which banded together for the justice campaign.

Theo Droog, chairperson of the Nederlands-Filippijns Solidariteitsbeweging (NFS, Dutch-Philippine Solidarity Movement) led a delegation that went inside the embassy to talk with the Philippine ambassador and asked the ambassador to deliver their strong letter-petition to Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.

“Geertman is the 17th environmental activist who has been killed under the government of Aquino and the sixth this year. After the death of Italian missionary, Fr. Fausto “Pops” Tentorio in Mindanao, he is the second European NGO worker who has been killed under the Aquino regime,” the petition stressed.

“Because of his involvement with people’s organizations that criticize the government, there are strong suspicions that this murder is politically motivated.

“We call on the Philippine government under Aquino to carry out forthwith a thorough and impartial investigation and to criminally prosecute the suspects.

“We will also call on the Dutch government to do everything possible to bring out the truth so that justice for Willem Geertman can be attained,” the petitioners emphasized.

The Justice for Willem Geertman Campaign explained that the call for an investigation, prosecution and justice “ is all the more compellingly urgent, because under Aquino almost 80 activists have been murdered and there has been no justice for any one of them”.

The letter, which was endorsed by the brothers and sister of Willem, was signed by a member of the Dutch Parliament, high-ranking Dutch church leaders and pastors, lawyers, university professors and academics, union leaders, development workers, medical doctors, Carmelite priests, human rights and migrant rights advocates and former Dutch development volunteers in the Philippines.

A mural, which says “Rechtvaardigheid voor Willem Geertman en alle slachtoffers van mensenrechtenschendingen in de Filippijnen” (Justice for Willem Geertman and all victims of human rights violations in the Philippines), flowers and candles were mounted in front of the embassy with the photos of Geertman.

A memorial service is scheduled on July 15, Sunday, for all Dutch and Filipino friends, colleagues and relatives of Willem. Details will be announced later. Willem Geertman will be buried Sunday, July 8, in a place in Aurora province that he had called home.

For Reference:

Theo Droog
Chairperson, NFS
Tel: +31 (0) 725610169
Email: nfs@enefes.demon.nl
Website: http://www.nefiso.nl

 

ARMAN ALBARILLO, a testimony of the Filipino people’s quest for justice

ICHRP Secretariat
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ARMAN ALBARILLO, a testimony of the Filipino people’s quest for justice

Karapatan Public Info Desk, PRESS STATEMENT, July 5, 2012 – Karapatan is deeply saddened by the death of Arman Arbarillo, a human rights defender and a guerrilla fighter.

Arman reminds us of the terror of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL) and how her favorite butcher, the fugitive Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr., left a trail spattered with blood of more than a thousand people killed. Palparan then led the 204th Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that was deployed in the island of Mindoro where Arman’s family lived.

Arman’s father and mother were victims of extrajudicial killing. Expedito and Manuela Albarillo were among the first victims of the OBL in Mindoro. Killed on April 8, 2002 by suspected members of the 204th brigade, the killing of the Albarillo couple were among the most gruesome deaths documented in the course of the implementation of the OBL. Arman was once again victimized when he, along with 71 other leaders in the Southern Tagalog region, were charged with fabricated cases because of their involvement in the people’s movement for justice and democracy.

Arman’s journey in search of justice for his parents’ death led him to the courts and to various forum with fellow families and survivors of human rights violations; into the streets, as secretary general of Bayan-Southern Tagalog, where he joined peasants and workers in protest against state terrorism, landgrabbing and other anti-people policies; and finally, into the New People’s Army for what he believed as the only way to truly achieve justice, not only for the death of his parents but for all those who are exploited and oppressed by the social system we are all in. His grief turned him from a victim to defender, to a freedom fighter for the oppressed.

Karapatan pays its highest tribute to Albarillo who remained steadfast and offered his life so justice may be served to all those who were wronged and for freedom and democracy to finally reign in his land.

“Sa ngayon ay patuloy akong maglalantad ng ginagawa nila sa akin at sa iba pa, nakahanda akung mag-alay ng sarili para (sa) katotohanan, kalayaan at pagbabago. Mabuhay ang mga nagtatanggol sa karapatang pantao at nakikibaka.”  – Arman Albarillo

Rough translation to English: “Now, I will continue to expose what they are doing, not only on my person, but to many others, I am ready to offer myself for truth, freedom and change. Long live human rights defenders and all who are struggling! – Arman Albarillo

For the full text (in Filipino) please refer to his blog site: http://armanalbarillo.blogspot.com/2008/05/liham-ng-nuon-at-ngayon-ni-arman.html
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PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publicinfo@karapatan.org
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Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights
2nd Flr. Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin corner Matatag Sts., 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.*

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