mendiola rally on desaparecidos day

Families of desaparecidos ring out bells for justice,

warning to GMA in Mendiola

Mendiola

August 30, 2009

Some of the Desaparecidos since 2001

The Netherlands Baguio City San Francisco

Mothers looking for their dearly beloved children abducted by the military:

(L-R) Linda, mother of Sherlyn Cadapan; Edita, mother of Jona Burgos; and, Coni, mother of Karen Emperño

Photos courtesy of DESAPARECIDOS


Pamilya ng Desaparecidos para sa Katarungan 2/floor Erythrina bldg., #1 Maaralin cor. Matatag sts. Barangay Central, Quezon City Press Release August 30, 2009 Contact Persons: Mary Guy Portajada, Secretary General Families of the Disappeared for Justice Mobile No. 09278249352 Telefax 4342837 Families of desaparecidos ring out bells for justice, warning to GMA in Mendiola, Ringing golden handbells, some 200 families and friends of victims from different sectors gathered at Bustillos Church to commemorate the International Day of the Disappeared. Bustillos is a busy district in Manila where three Bayan Muna members were abducted in broad daylight on August 18, 2004. After five years, the families of Ronaldo Comiso, Mario Detroz and Joseph Gonzales are still looking for their missing loved ones. “These hundreds of bells ring out a warning to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo: her immunity will soon be over and we victims and families of victims of enforced disappearance will get the justice we deserve. She will pay the price for her crimes against the people, “ said Lorena Santos, Deputy Secretary General of Desaparecidos. Lorena’s father, Leo Velasco, was abducted on February 19, 2007 in Cagayan De Oro City and remains missing. To date, 201 have been abducted and remain missing since Arroyo assumed the presidency in 2001. The administration’s first victims were two farmers, Rodrigo Doria and Onofre Diaz, abducted in Lumban, Laguna on April 20, 2001 or just three months after the second People Power. The number of victims of enforced disappearance rose to 162 in 2006 as the government was nearing the deadline of its counterinsurgency program Oplan Bantay Laya 1. Among those abducted in that year alone, 78 remain missing, including the two students of the University of the Philippines (UP) Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan, and 57-year old farmer Manuel Merino who were abducted on June 26, 2006 in Hagonoy, Bulacan. That same day Prudencio Calubid, his wife Celina Palma, his niece Gloria Soco and their companion Ariel Beloy were abducted in Bicol. Prudencio Calubid is a National Democratoc Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant in the peace talks with the government and is supposed to be covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG). “The human rights violations of the Arroyo regime became sporadic when the international community began to put pressure on Arroyo to put a stop to the political killings and disappearances. But we fear that violations will start rising rapidly again now that the government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are rushing to try and meet their 2010 deadline of defeating the CPP-NPA,” lamented Mary Guy Portajada, Desaparecidos Secretary General. “This is why we are calling on the people to be vigilant. Let us ring bells as a warning to this fascist government that we are watching,” stressed Mary Guy Portajada,. STOP ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE! STOP OPLAN BANTAY LAYA! ACCOUNTABILITY OF ARROYO, JUSTICE TO ALL VICTIMS!









			Tuloy ang paniningil sa huling taon ni Gloria! Agosto 18, 2004, tatlong aktibista ang dinukot ng mga armadong lalaki dito mismo sa Bustillos sa harap ng daan-daang tao. Sila sina Joseph Gonzales, Mario Detroz at Rolando Comiso, na mga kasapi ng Bayan Muna. Naniniwala ang kanilang mga kaanak na mga elemento ng ISAFP (Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines) ang dumukot sa kanila. Sa katunayan, ay kinumpirma ng ilan sa mga pulis mula sa Western Police District na nag-imbestiga ang kaso. Hanggang ngayon, makalipas ang 5 taon, hindi pa rin sila nakikita. Ang pangyayari kina Joseph, Mario at Rolando ay ilan lamang sa libo-libong kaso ng sapilitang pagkawala dito sa ating bansa. Simula noong panahon ng diktadura ni Marcos at hanggang sa kasalukuyan aabot na sa mahigit 1,800 ang bilang ng biktima ng sapilitang pagkawala sa ating bansa, 207 dito ay biktima ng kasalukuyang rehimen. Ngayong Agosto 30, 2009, kaming mga kaanak ng mga biktima ng sapilitang pagkawala, o enforced disappearances, ay ginugunita ang International Day of the Disappeared. Ang paggunita ay nagsisilbing pag-alala sa aming mga kaanak na dinukot ng mga ahente ng estado, at iba pang mga biktima ng paglabag sa karapatang pantao, sa ilalim ng programang Oplan Bantay Laya ng rehimeng Arroyo. Oplan Bantay Laya ni Gng. Arroyo Ang Oplan Bantay Laya ay ang mabangis na programang kontra-insurhensya ng Rehimeng US-Arroyo na sinimulan noong 2002 at nagpapatuloy hanggang sa kasalukuyan. Layunin ng OBL na “patahimikin” ang mga mamamayang pinaghihinalaan nitong “kalaban ng pamahalaan.” Subalit, kahit sinong mamamayan o indibidwal ay maaaring maging biktima ng programang ito. Pangunahing target ng mga pasistang militar ay ang mga simpleng mamamayan na nakikipaglaban upang ipagtanggol ang kanilang mga kabuhayan at ating mga batayang karapatan -- mga estudyante, magsasaka, manggagawa, mangagawang pangkalusugan, taong-simbahan at mga aktibista -- na naghahangad ng tunay na demokrasya at tumutuligsa sa mga di-makatarungang polisiya ng rehimeng Arroyo. Pilit ipinagtatanggol ng mga alipores ni Gng. Arroyo na ang OBL ay lokal na bersyon ng “war on terror” ng Imperialistang Estados Unidos upang tugisin ang mga sinasabi nilang terorista sa bansa. Ngunit ito ay isang kabalintunan. Mismo ang pamahalaan ni Arroyo ang naghasik ng terorismo laban sa mamamayan. Bukod sa mga biktima ng sapilitang pagkawala, umabot na rin sa 1,032 ang bilang ng mga biktima ng pampulitikang pamamaslang, 1,010 ang mga biktima ng torture, samantalang daan-daang libo mga kababayan natin ang biktima ng militarisasyon at sapilitang lumikas ng kanilang mga tahanan at kabuhayan, at may 221 ang nanatiling bilanggong pulitikal. Dahil sa pasismo ng estado, kami ay nagdadalamhati sa pagkawala ng aming mga kaanak. Subalit kami ay hindi titigil sa aming paghahanap. Mula sa mga presinto, ospital, morge, hanggang sa kampo militar ay patuloy naming hahanapin ang aming mga mahal sa buhay. Hangga’t hindi inililitaw ang aming mga kaanak, hindi kami titigil sa paniningil sa rehimeng Arroyo. Hindi kami titigil sa paghahanap ng hustisya para sa mga biktima ng paglabag sa karapatang pantao. Ang ganitong mga paglabag at paglapastangan ng rehimen sa ating mga karapatan ay kailangang wakasan na! Kailangang tayo ay magsama-sama at magkaisa upang labanan ang terorismo ng estado. Kaya’t sa araw na ito ng International Day of the Disappeared ating isigaw at ipanawagan: ITIGIL ANG SAPILITANG PAGKAWALA! ITIGIL ANG OPLAN BANTAY LAYA! PAPANAGUTIN SI GLORA! KAMTIN ANG HUSTISYA, PATALSIKIN SI GLORIA! DESAPARECIDOS






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UA Date: 24 August 2009 UA Title: Arbitrary Killing of peasant organizer by suspected paramilitary elements in Negros Occidental, Philippines UA Case: Extajudicial Killing Victim/s: Carlito Belarma Dacudao - Male, 49 years old - Married with seven children - Organizer and District Council Member of National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW)-Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Place of Incident: Hda. Minoro, Brgy. Estado, Victorias, Negros Occidental, Philippines Dates of Incident: At around 7 o’clock in the morning, August 21, 2009 Alleged Perpetrators: Six (6) believed to be elements of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army- Alex Bungcayao Brigade (RPA- ABB) led by a certain “Ka Maitan” Casiple, together with Atanacio de Dios alias “Takoy”, alias “Ka Dodoy” and “Ka Allan”. Atanacio de Dios is a resident of Hda. Minoro, Brgy. Estado, Victorias, Negros Occidental, Philippines. The RPA-ABB is a paramilitary group funded by the Philippine Army and Department of National Defense. Account of Incident: On August 21, 2009 at around 7:00 o’clock in the morning, Carlito B. Dacudao was on his motorcycle selling fish in Brgy. Estado and adjacent places in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. As Dacudao was nearing Hda. Minoro, Brgy. Estado, Victorias, he was flagged down by Atanacio “Takoy” de Dios, a former member of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army- Alex Bongcayao Brigade (RPA-ABB). When Dacudao stopped, an unidentified man, believed to be a member of the RPA-ABB, approached and bought fish from him. Four (4) more unidentified men, also believed to be members of the paramilitary group, suddenly approached the victim. After Dacudao packed the fish bought from him, he was shot at close range by one of the men with a .45 caliber pistol, hitting him in the face and lower jaw. Recovered from the scene of incident were two (2) empty shells of .45 caliber pistol and one live ammunition. Combat shoes and used dining utensils were also recovered near the area. Dacudao was an active member of the National Federation of Sugar Workers, a federation under the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Peasant Movement of the Philippines), labeled by the Armed Forces of the Philippines as front organization of the CPP-NPA. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Send letters, emails or fax messages calling for: 1. The immediate formation of an independent fact-finding and investigation team composed of representatives from human rights groups, the Church, local government, and the Commission on Human Rights that will look into the extrajudicial killing of Carlito Dacudao. 2. The military and paramilitary groups to stop the labeling and targeting of activists as “members of front organizations of the communists” and “enemies of the state.” 3. The Philippine Government to be reminded that it is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that it is also a party to all the major Human Rights instruments, thus it is bound to observe all of these instruments’ provisions. You may send your communications to: H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo President of the Republic Malacañang Palace, JP Laurel St., San Miguel, Manila, Philippines Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80 Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968 Cell#: (+ 63) 919 898 4622 / (+63) 917 839 8462 E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph / opnet@ops.gov.ph Gen. Avelino Razon, Ret. PNP Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) 7th Floor Agustin Building I Emerald Avenue, Pasig City 1605 Voice:+63 (2) 636 0701 to 066 Fax:+63 (2) 638 2216 osec@opapp.gov.ph Atty. Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. Secretary, Department of National Defense Room 301 DND Building, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo, E. de los Santos Avenue, Quezon City Voice:+63(2) 911-9281 / 911-0488 Fax:+63(2) 911 6213 Email: osnd@philonline.com Atty. Raul M. Gonzalez Secretary, Department of Justice Padre Faura St., Manila Direct Line 521-8344; 5213721 Trunkline 523-84-81 loc.214 Fax: (+632) 521-1614 Email: raulgonzalez_doj@yahoo.com Atty. Leila De Lima Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights SAAC Bldg., UP Complex Commonwealth Avenue Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines Voice: (+632) 928-5655, 926-6188 Fax: (+632) 929 0102 Email: chr.delima@yahoo.com Please send us a copy of your email/mail/fax to the above-named government officials, to our address below. URGENT ACTION Prepared by: KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights) National Office 2/F Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin cor Matatag Sts., Brgy. Central, Diliman, Quezon City 1100 PHILIPPINES Voice/Fax: (+632) 435 4146 Emails: urgentaction@karapatan.org Website: www.karapatan.org -- KARAPATAN Urgent Action Alert KARAPATAN Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights 2/F Erythrina Building, #1 Maaralin cor. Matatag Sts., Central District, 1101 Quezon City, Philippines Telefax: (632) 435 4146






















SOME OF THE DESAPARECIDOS SINCE 2001













	. . . . . . . . . .	■ For Families of Desaparecidos, Hope Springs Eternal By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO The International Day of the Disappeared on Aug. 30 was marked in the Philippines with a ringing of the bells to honor those taken by the regime — a warning to the government that the families left behind by these desaparecidos “are watching” to make sure that, soon, “we will get the justice we deserve.” View slideshow ■ Video: Remembering the Disappeared By RONALYN V. OLEA and AYI MUALLAM Today, Aug. 30, is the International Day of the Disappeared. In this video, Bulatlat.com honors the men and women who have fallen victim to enforced disappearances in the Philippines. ■ View: ultimedia Presentation

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