Thwart Duterte’s Tyranny and Dictatorship!
Justice for Badayos, Moises and Timoteo and all victims of all out war!
President Rodrigo Duterte’s tyrannical and dictatorial actions further intensify the state of impunity, human rights violations and extra-judicial killings in the Philippines.
Over a year after Pres. Duterte was catapulted to power, he unravelled himself as a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ who devours the poor and powerless through his three-pronged wars – against illegal drugs, the so-called war on terror and counter-insurgency.
Even before his Proclamation 360 terminating the ongoing peace talks between the GRP and the NDFP, the communities of urban poor, peasants and indigenous people critical of his regime’s anti-people and neoliberal policies are already being terrorized by his military and police.
Following the footsteps of the deposed dictator Marcos, President Duterte is amassing political and economic power that will give him and his cohorts full control of the country’s affairs. He has been leading the charge to remove any strand of check and balance by muzzling the judiciary through the impeachment proceedings of the Chief Justice and Ombudsman.
Worse, Duterte’s blatant disregard for human rights and human rights advocacy and protection in the country is now victimizing even the human rights defenders. Peasants and indigenous people are labelled as NPA sympathizers to justify state atrocities against them.
Duterte’s all-out war is in full swing because of his failure to persuade the revolutionary forces to surrender without addressing first the root causes of armed revolution in the country. His repeated claims that there is no difference between armed and unarmed, combatants and non-combatants energize the blood-thirsty butchers and mercenary elements in the Philippine Armed Forces.
According to KARAPATAN and Tanggol Bayi there are now at least 98 victims of extra-judicial killings (17 of whom are women human rights defenders) under the Duterte administration. The latest case was killing of Elisa Badayos of Karapatan-Central Visayas, Elioterio Moises and Rodrigo Timoteo by suspected police and military men on November 29, 2017.
Badayos and a 30-member team were on fact-finding mission to investigate the alleged human rights violations due to intensified military operations in Negros Occidental when they were shot by armed men. Rodrigo Timoteo, member of Compostela Farmers Association (CFA) and a peasant rights activist, was shot dead by suspected agents of 66th Infantry Battalion-Philippine Army in Purok 20, Nursery Barangay Mambusao, Compostela, Compostela Valley.
The Asia Pacific Coordinating Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (APCCHRP) is in solidarity with the families of Badayos, Moises and Timoteo and all victims of extra-judicial killings and other forms of human rights violations in their struggle for justice. The APCCHRP call on the Duterte government to do the necessary actions to persecute the perpetuators of these dastardly acts against the hapless victims.
Moreover, the APCCHRP is calling the Duterte government to stop the all-out war against the Filipino people and instead go back to the negotiating table with the CPP/NPA/NDF to address the root causes of Filipino people’s malady.
The Duterte government must learn from history and from the experience of his idol – Ferdinand Marcos – that any military solution to the Filipino people’s call for land, jobs and decent living will only aggravate the already lamentable situation of millions and inflame their collective resistance and struggle towards a just and humane Philippines. ###
Reference:
Rev. Joram H. Calimutan
Faith Partnership and Solidarity
Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants
No. 2 Jordan road, Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong
Telephone number: +852-2723-7536
Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31: 8-9)
