5 rights workers abducted in Leyte - report
04/07/2007 | 02:07 PM

Five field workers of human rights group Karapatan were abucted in Leyte province by unidentified men, Ruth Cervantes, Karapatan public information officer, said on Saturday.

One of the five abducted was identified as Charlie Fortaliza, who was reportedly included in the list of suspected Communist rebels charged with multiple murder in connection with the alleged purge of suspected New People's Army rebels in Leyte during the 1980s.

Cervantes said soldiers of the Philippine Army's 19th Infrantry Battalion, "arbitrarily arrested" Fortaliza's wife last year and was charged with rebellion.

She is still detained at the police headquarters in Tacloban City.

Leo Velasco, another co-accused in the Leyte murder was also abducted by unidentified men on February 19. Cervantes said Velasco was abducted before the release of his arrest warrant.

On Wednesday, two militants, both leaders of the peasant-based organization Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) who had campaigned for party-list group Anakpawis, were found dead, their bodies floating down a river in Cagayan Valley.

It was reported that vendors walking on a bridge near the river, found the bodies of Arthur Orpilla and Dionisio Battad at about 8 a.m., Wednesday.

The two, both 50 years old, are reportedly from Bagunot village in Baggao, Cagayan. Orpilla's body was found with multiple stab wounds, while remains of Battad sustained gun shot wounds.

Carl Ala, KMP media officer said Orpilla and Battad were abducted on March 27 allegedly by soldiers of the 17th Infantry Battalion headed by Second Lt. Johny Calob.

On that day, Ala said the two went to a detachment of the 17th IB to report to the military, but they did not come back home anymore. He said the two received numerous threats allegedly from the military before they were abducted.

Ala said village residents are required to report to the military in the morning, before they go out for work or other activities and at night, before they go back home.

Ala said that prior to this incident, five other peasant leaders and supporters in Cagayan, died through extra-judicial killings. - GMANews.TV