URGENT ACTION No: 2010-11-02
UA Date : 22 November 2010
UA Case : Assassination
Victim/s : Ireneo M. Rodriguez
38 years old, male, farmer, married with 4 children
A resident of Brgy. Coral ni Lopez, Calaca, Batangas
Member, Samahang Magbubukid ng Batangas (Sambat) or Peasant Association of Batangas, an affiliate organization of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas or Philippine Peasant Movement

Place of Incident : National Road,Brgy. Caybunga, Balayan, Batangas
Date of Incident : 7 November 2010, between 7:00 – 8:00 AM
Alleged Perpetrator(s): elements of the Philippine Air Force and military intelligence agents
Account of the Incident:

On 7 November 2010, between 7:00 – 8:00 in the morning, Ireneo M. Rodriguez (“Rene” to his friends) was riding his motorcycle on his way to the town of Balayan to visit his children who were staying with his in-laws. As he was traversing the National Highway, two men on board a motorcycle overtook his motorcycle and shot him using a .45 caliber pistol. The driver of the motorcycle was wearing a helmet, while the back-rider who shot the victim covered his face with a white handkerchief.

Rene fell to the ground not far from the barangay hall of Brgy. Caybunga sustaining gunshot wounds to his head, back, chest and thigh. The perpetrators turned back to where Rene fell down and shot him again to ensure his death. Then, they sped towards the direction of Balayan.

The day before the incident, Rene was at the house of his in-laws to visit his children when they noticed a tricycle parked near the house; on board the tricycle were two men armed with handguns.

On 3 November, unidentified elements of the Philippine Air Force went to the house of Rene’s parents in Sitio Baloc-baloc, Brgy. Cahil in the town of Calaca also in Batangas, looking for the victim.

It can be recalled that Rene was included in the Order of Battle (OB) list of the military in 2006. During this time, he was illegally arrested by combined elements of the Philippine Air Force and Balayan Philippine National Police (PNP). He was detained at the Balayan PNP but was released after two days with no charges filed against him.

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 assassination of Ireneo M. Rodriguez.

The military to stop the labeling 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 Bantay Laya (Operation Freedom Watch).

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: [email protected] / [email protected]

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
[email protected]

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: [email protected]

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:  [email protected]

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: [email protected], [email protected]

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: [email protected]
Website: www.karapatan.org

FOR IMMEDIATE Release
22 November 2010
Reference:  Marie Hilao Enriquez, Chairperson
Mobile Number:  +63917-561-6800

KARAPATAN denounces AFP and PNP raid of its Camarines Norte Office: Morong 43 template now being applied to legal offices and other human rights defenders?

The human rights alliance, KARAPATAN, denounced the “Gestapo-style” raid and search conducted by combined  troops of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) of the office shared by Karapatan-Camarines Norte, Makabayan and KMP at F Pimentel Ave., Pasig, Brgy II, Daet, Camarines Norte at ten thirty (1030) this morning.

Held in the raid by elements of the Daet Police and the 9th Infantry Division, 902nd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army are four activists: Smith Bardon, Denver Bacolod, Mherlo Bermas and Elpidio de Luna.

Bardon is the Chair of KMP (Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas or Philippine Peasant Movement), Bacolod is a KARAPATAN staff member, Bermas is a member of the Kabataan Party List, while de Luna is a former political prisoner just released last October.  Latest update from Daet is that Bardon, Bacolod and  Bermas, as well as de Luna are now together at the Daet PNP.  Bardon is reportedly charged with murder and the three are awaiting inquest tonight as they are held in the police station still without formal charges yet.

“The Morong 43 health workers were illegally searched, detained and tortured and are being refused to be released by Pres. Aquino; we hope they will not be joined by a Bicol 4,” Karapatan said.

Troops of the 9th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army has laid siege to the city office, refusing anyone to leave and enter the premises.  After some time, just like in the case of the Morong 43, the raiding troops supposedly were able to recover grenades from the office during the raid!

“This is a very alarming trend of raiding legal offices of non-government and human rights organizations; planting evidences and then saying that the office is a “safe house”of the rebels who ‘recruit the youth to become rebel NPA’s.’  This goes to show that the Oplan Bantay Laya counter-insurgency program is very much operational, resorted to by the state security forces to silence legitimate dissent and criticism,” KARAPATAN Chair Marie Hilao-Enriquez said.

“This is a direct attack on legal progressive organizations and human rights defenders. We know that trumped-up charges have been conjured against leaders and members of these organizations in Bicol and elsewhere.  But this is no justification for the state’s violence against them,” Enriquez said.

“We hold the Aquino administration directly accountable for the raid of our office, and illegal arrest of our staff and other activists.  We will certainly file counter-charges. The international human rights community will hear of this. And Aquino will sooner or later have to answer for that,” Enriquez added.  ###

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PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
[email protected]
———————————————————————
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.  It was established in 1995.