In behalf of our affiliate unions, associations, federations and regional chapters and formations, COURAGE is strongly condemning the brutal killing of our union leader, Carlo Rodriguez, President of Nagkakaisang Lakas Manggagawa ng Calamba Water District, an affiliate of Water System Employees Response (WATER) and an officer of COURAGE Southern Tagalog.
Karapatan, COURAGE condemn newest EJK in Southern Tagalog
Sectoral groups led by the human rights alliance KARAPATAN-Southern Tagalog (ST) held an indignation rally today, 8AM at Crossing Calamba City to condemn the latest case of extrajudicial killings (EJK) under the Aquino regime.
Carlo “Caloy” Rodriguez, 41 years old, was gunned down by motorcycle-riding men around 5:30PM yesterday at Brgy. Halang, Calamba. Rodriguez, a long time union leader, is the president of Lakas ng Manggagawa ng Calamba Water District and a member of the militant public sector organization COURAGE (Confederation and Unity of Government Employees)-ST. His death brings the number of EJK victims in the country under the Aquino administration to 22, and 7th in the ST region.
Some 100 protesters from various sectors joined the protest action, carrying with them placards calling for the immediate justice to Rodriguez’ killing. They were later joined in by members of COURAGE and leaders from Metro Manila.
Earlier, a fact finding mission (FFM) was conducted to document the killing. Data from the FFM showed that Rodriguez, who suffered 4 gunshot wounds, was on his way home when two motorcycles followed him along Brgy. Halang, Calamba, fronting Coca-Cola plant. Initial reports revealed that the gunmen were aboard a Honda Wave motorcycle.
Glen Malabanan, Secretary General of KARAPATAN-ST, said that this latest attack on union leaders manifests that the Aquino administration is trudging the same bloody path as that of his predecessor—former Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
“Aquino is no different from the previous regime where scores of cases of extrajudicial killings were accounted under the counter-insurgency program OPLAN BANTAY LAYA 2 which was extended by Aquino until January 2011”, Malabanan said. “OBL has been targeting political activists, attacking everyone the government considers as “leftist,” she added.
Rodriguez is the second activist killed in the Southern Tagalog region in a span of six days.
Last November 7, Ireneo Rodriguez, a farmer and member of the Samahan ng mga Magbubukid sa Batangas (SAMBAT) was shot dead in Balayan Town in Batangas by two masked men who were also riding a motorcycle.
“Unless his government scraps OBL, we fear the killings and human rights violations will continue,” Malabanan said. ###
Reference: GLEN MALABANAN,
Secretary General, KARAPATAN-ST
karapatan.st@gmail.com
November 13, 2010
Free Morong 43
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European HR Speaking Tour
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Surface the Disappeared!
MIGRANTE – Europe, a migrant advocacy organization for Filipinos in Western Europe based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, will be spearheading the promotional tour of the critically-acclaimed Philippine film, Dukot (Disappearance) in several cities in Europe (Amsterdam, Utrecht and Den Haag in The Netherlands, London, Austria, Rome and Belgium).
Dukot is a story about the extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances of members of the political opposition and government critics –a disturbing phenomena in recent years in the Philippines. It was produced and directed by Filipino film producers, directors and actors, who are also alarmed with the issue of political killings.
It was an official entry at the Montreal World Film Festival in 2009 and received critical acclaim. It was also shown in select theaters in the Philippines and has recently toured Japan, Hongkong, five major cities in Canada and in several major cities in the US. Its scheduled Europe tour begins in the last week of October and will end around December 10 – International Human Rights Day.
This film tour aims to bring awareness of the political killings currently taking place in the Philippines. Since 2001, over 200 cases of enforced disappearances and more than 1,000 cases of extrajudicial killings have been documented. Last November 2009, the Philippines made headlines worldwide for the massacre in Maguindanao of 57 people, including 30 journalists. We call for an immediate end to these atrocities.
MIGRANTE – Europe in partnership with Kabalikat, Pinay sa Holland (Gabriela), MIGRANTE Sectoral Party and MIGRANTE-Amsterdam, MIGRANTE-Den Haag, and the International Coordinating Council for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICCHRP) will be bringing Dukot to Netherlands. The Amsterdam premier is on November 6, Saturday, 7:00 PM in #150 Wibaustraat Bldg, Amsterdam. We plan to sell tickets at € 10 each and come out with a souvenir program to augment our expenses.
All film screenings will be followed by a public forum with the presence of two human rights victims from the Philippines – Mrs. Empeno, mother of disappeared student activist, Karen Empeno, and Raymund Manalo, who was able to escape after being disappeared for almost two years. Film producer, Dennis Evangelista and lead actor, Allen Dizon, will be present during the screenings.
We wish to seek your support to ensure the success of this important event.
All funds raised from the screenings will support human rights organizations Karapatan, Desaparecidos and Hustisya in the Philippines as well as educational and advocacy programs in the field of human rights and rights of migrants in the Netherlands and the rest of Western Europe.
- Den Haag, Netherlands: November 5, 2010
- Amsterdam, Netherlands: November 6, 2010
- Utrecht, the Netherlands: November 9, 2010