Wednesday, January 03, 2007
 

Gov condemns killing of Bayan Muna leader

 
LEGAZPI CITY: Gov. Fernando Gonzalez of Albay condemned Tuesday the killing of another party-list group leader, Rodolfo Alvarado, chairman of Bayan Muna in this province.

On New Year’s Eve, a gunman aboard a motorcycle ambushed Alvarado who was then riding his Toyota car at about 4:45 p.m. Sunday in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Ligao City. He died instantly.

Gonzalez urged the Melo commission to conduct the necessary investigation for the immediate resolution of the case.

“The Melo commission is tasked to resolve all extrajudicial killings and the incident that happened in Ligao City is another job for them,” Gon­zalez stressed.

The governor also ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) provincial office to come up with an early solution of the crime and for the immediate identification of the perpetrators.

“We do not know yet the motive of Alvarado’s killing but what we are sure of is that the incident is similar to other extrajudicial killings that happened in the country,” he said.

Gonzalez added that the authorities should look into the real perpetrators. “We do not want to presume or pinpoint the responsible group for the killing of Alvarado.”

The killing of Alvarado marks the 128th victim in the Bicol region, Vince Casilihan of Bayan Muna and Karapatan Bicol told The Manila Times.

Alvarado last spoke to The Manila Times a couple of months ago after a number of leftist leaders and Bayan Muna members were killed under mysterious circumstances. Alvarado along with Bayan Muna party-list Reps. Satur Ocampo and Joel Berador visited the wake of former rebel chief Sotero Llamas of the Bicol Regional Party in Tabaco City.

In December 2006, Atty. Gil Gojol and his driver Danilo France were ambushed by motorcycle riding armed men aboard his service van from Gubat, Sorsogon, after attending a court hearing. Both died on the spot and suffered several gunshot wound.

Gojol is a former Board Member of the First District of Sor­sogon, former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), Sorsogon Chapter, Legal Counsel of ADLO-KMU and Human Rights lawyer.

A day before Gojol’s killing, Crisanto Frivaldo, 35, law student of Aquinas University College of Law, was shot dead by gunmen wearing a bonnet inside their house at San Julian, Irosin, Sorsogon, suffered 5 gunshot wounds one in the head and four in the chest. Crisanto is the younger brother of former Councilor and Bayan Muna Municipal Coordinator Maximo Frivaldo who was also shot dead on January 30, 2006, while tending to his 2 months old baby in their house.

The attacks on the prog­ressives militant left in the Philippines never ceased despite government’s declaration that the extra-judicial killings must be stopped.
--Rhaydz Barcia and PNA
   

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/jan/03/yehey/prov/20070103pro4.html
Manila Times