Rights group want brains, perpetrators of killings punished

By Niņa Catherine Calleja
Southern Luzon Bureau
Last updated 07:01pm (Mla time) 01/29/2007

LOS BAŅOS, Laguna, Philippines -- The militant human rights group Karapatan called on the Melo Commission on Monday to recommend punishment for the masterminds and perpetrators of extrajudicial killings, which, it said, mostly came from the military.

The group's statement was in reaction to the disclosure Saturday of Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos, a Melo Commission member, that the military should share responsibility for most of the killings.

Dorris Cuario, secretary general of Karapatan-Southern Tagalog, said the initial report of the commission was not enough to solve the unabated political killings in the country.

"We are expecting that justice will be served after the report. We hope this is not just a facade of the commission to make people believe it was doing something," she said.

Based on Karapatan reports, the number of killings in the country reached 151 from January to December in 2006.

"If the Melo Commission is sincere enough to serve justice, it will demand for the punishment not only of the low-ranking policemen and soldiers but also of AFP generals and even (Ms) Arroyo -- the masterminds of the killings," Cuario added.

She said most of the relatives of the victims doubted the credibility of the commission because it only used the reports of the military-backed Task Force Usig.

Glendyl Malabanan, secretary general of Martir ng Bayan-Southern Tagalog, said the families of the victims still could not see that justice would be achieved.

"Reports of the real perpetrators of the killings are not enough. What we want is punishment for the murderers and the end of the killings," she said.

Martir ng Bayan-ST is an alliance of the relatives of the victims of extrajudicial killings in the region.