|
Relatives Remember the Disappeared, Urge Government to Enact Law,
Ratify Covenant Against Enforced Disappearances
Published on November 3, 2010
“Today, as the whole nation remembers the lives of the departed, we
commemorate the missing. We light a candle not for their souls to rest in
peace but to shed light on their way home. We offer flowers not because we
believe they are no longer with us but because they are deeply missed,”
Mary Guy “Ghay” Portajada, daughter of a missing labor leader, said.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com
http://www.bulatlat.com/main/2010/11/03/relatives-remember-the-disappeared-urge-government-to-enact-law-ratify-covenant-against-enforced-disappearances/
MANILA – Lydia de Castro, 62, still sheds tears whenever she narrates how
her husband Saulo disappeared 22 years ago.
Saulo, then organizer of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) in Pandacan, was abducted
on Oct. 6, 1988 at a public market in Lucena City. He remains missing to
this day.
Life has never been easy after Saulo disappeared. Lydia did all kinds of
odd jobs just to feed her four children. At 16, her eldest daughter Lorena
went to Japan and worked as the lead singer of a band to support her
siblings.
Every November 2, Lydia joins other families of the disappeared in a
gathering at the Redemptorist Church in Baclaran. Together, they light
candles, offer flowers and say prayers for their missing loved ones. The
Catholic congregation also lost Fr. Rudy Romano who was abducted 25 years
ago and remains missing to this day.
“Where do we light candles and offer flowers? We do not even know if they
are still alive,” Romy Ancheta, brother of missing consultant of the
National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Leopoldo Ancheta,
said.
Ancheta was reportedly abducted by unidentified men believed to be
military intelligence agents on June 24, 2006 in Barangay (village)
Tuktukan, Guiguinto town in the province of Bulacan.
“It has been four years since he went missing. People are asking me if I
am still hoping that he is still alive. If you were in my shoes, would you
not hope?” Romy said in a trembling voice.
Romy said Leopoldo’s youngest daughter celebrated her birthday last
August. “There was a party but she was not happy. She still asks about her
father.” Leopoldo’s eldest daughter recently gave birth to her first
child. “She told me she wished her father is here to see his grandchild,”
Romy said.
Meanwhile, Neo Roxas, does not know if he was lucky to have found his
father.
Neo’s father Nicasio, then a community organizer in Caloocan, was abducted
allegedly by state agents on Nov. 12, 1992. Neo, then only 13 years old,
went with his mother to search for his father.
“We went to prisons, hospitals and funeral parlors to find him,” Neo said.
Finally, sometime during the last week of November 1992, they received
information that a body was found somewhere in San Juan. Neo, accompanied
by relatives of the disappeared, went to recover the body of his father.
“I saw all his wounds, the bloated veins due to electrocution, the gunshot
wound on his eye, the forcibly removed nails…” Neo recalled.
After his father’s burial, Neo underwent psychotherapy for post-traumatic
stress. “I do not know if we were lucky to have found him, that at least,
we had some closure unlike the others but the pain and the loss seem the
same. Pain is difficult to measure,” Neo said.
At 35, Neo said he still misses how his father used to carry him. “He was
a person with a sense of humor. I miss our simple conversations,” Neo
said.
Like Neo, Mary Guy “Ghay” Portajada was still young when her father went
missing. At 12, Ghay experienced searching for his father Armando Sr.,
then union president of Coca-Cola company. Armando was abducted by 15
armed men in broad daylight on July 31, 1987.
“Today, as the whole nation remembers the lives of the departed, we
commemorate the missing. We light a candle not for their souls to rest in
peace but to shed light on their way home. We offer flowers not because we
believe they are no longer with us but because they are deeply missed,”
Ghay, secretary general of the Desaparecidos, says.
According to Desaparecidos, hundreds have been victims of enforced
disappearances since the Marcos dictatorship. Under the new Aquino
administration, two have been disappeared.
The group called on Congress to pass the Anti-Enforced Disappearances Bill
and the Aquino administration to sign the United Nations International
Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced and Involuntary
Disappearances. (Bulatlat.com)
|
 |
 |
Two farmers feared abducted by elements of the
36th IBPA in Marihatag, Surigao del Sur, Philippines
submitted on Mon, 10/04/2010 - 13:05
UA case type:
<span>Abduction, Enforced Disappearance</span>
Victim(s):
1. Agustito “Tito” Ladera
* 38 yearsold, male, single, farmer
* A resident of Pinagdayonan, Brgy. Mahaba, Marihatag, Surigao del Sur
2. Renato Deliguer
* 21 yearsold, male, single, farmer
* A resident of Brgy. Pong-on, San Agustin, Surigao del Sur
Place of the incident:
Ladera at Pinagdayonan, Brgy. Mahaba, Marihatag, Surigao del Sur;
Pagiwasan, Delaguer at Brgy. Mahaba, Marihatag, Surigao del Sur
Date of the incident:
Ladera on August 28, 2010, Deliguer on September 1, 2010
Alledged perpetrator(s):
<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium"><span
class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:
16px"><b></b></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span"
style="font-size: medium"><b><p>elements of the 36th IBPA</p><div><br
/></div></b></span><p> </p>
Inlate August 2010, residents of Brgy. Mahaba were forced to evacuate from
theircommunity when soldiers from the 36th IBPA conducted a
massivemilitary operation in the area that resulted to a spate of human
rightsviolations against civilians after a clash with the New People's
Army (NPA).(Refer to UA No: 2010-09-01)
Inthe course of the evacuation, two farmers went missing.
Agustito“Tito” Ladera was last seen by his brother, Geddion, and Glenn
Keliste whenthey left him behind in their abaca farm in Sitio Pinagdayonan
on 28 August2010 upon learning that
residentswere leaving the community to a safer place. Tito told Geddion
and Glenn to goahead because he still had some abaca fibers to dry.
Geddion and Glenn left and joined theirfamilies to the evacuation center.
On2 September, some evacuees from Brgy. Mahaba, with the help of local
governmentofficials, were allowed to visit their homes in the village to
get some oftheir things. Geddion and his fatherwere part of this group.
They went tothe farm to fetch Tito but he was not there nor was he outside
when theysearched for him. They noticed thatamong their things, a small
backpack and some clothes were missing. Hoping that Tito has gone to one
of theirrelatives’ house, Geddion and his father went back to the
evacuation center andcontinued to search for him.
Meanwhile,on 1 September 2010, Renato Deliguer, who lives with his
maternal grandfatherin Brgy. Mahaba, went to Brgy. Pong-on, San Agustin
(adjacent town toMarihatag), where his parents are residing, to ask
permission from his father,Hipolito, that he was going to harvest some
abaca from his farm in Pagiwasan,Brgy. Mahaba. From Brgy. Pong-on,
Renatowent home to apprise his grandfather of his plan then he proceeded
to Pagiwasan. Since the farm is in the mountainous part ofthe town and is
quite far from both his parent's and grandfather's house,family members
are used to Renato’s long absences when he visited the farm,sometimes
staying in the farm hut for days while gathering abaca.
On8 September, the day the evacuees finally went back to their homes in
thecommunities, Hipolito went to his father-in-law's house in Brgy. Mahaba,
toinvite Renato to go with him to the farm. It was then that he learned
that his son has not come home since the dayhe left for the farm on 1
September. Hipolito decided to check the farm on the 13th of
Septemberafter everything has settled down.
Onthat same day, Tito's father went back to their farm in Pinagdayonan,
but itwas still empty. Tito was nowhere to befound.
Ataround 10:00 in the morning of 13 September, Hipolito arrived at their
farm andfound the hut in total disarray. Therewere plenty of combat boot
prints on the ground around the hut. Their water containers and cooking
pot withrice were on the ground, with their contents all spilled. When he
entered the hut, clothes were strewneverywhere, the sleeping mat was
spread out on the floor and the mosquito nethas not been taken down.
Hipolitoquickly tidied the hut and went straight to the house of barangay
(village)chairperson Bernandita Abis to report what he discovered. He told
her that he suspected the military'sinvolvement with his son's
disappearance. Bernandita denied any knowledge of the incident.
Hipolitocame back to Brgy. Mahaba the following day, 14 September,
accompanied by LandoGerona, a councilor of Brgy. Pong-on; Jaime Padon and
Jake Lacerna who are allRenato's uncles. Bernandita told them togo to the
36th IBPA camp in Brgy.Dayoan in the town of Tago because she received
information from a reliable source that there were two men arrested bythe
military. Hipolito also received atext
message from his sister-in-law, Emilda Lacerna, thata certain Rene
Deliguer was brought by the military to the Philippine NationalPolice
(PNP) station in Tandag City.
On that same day, Tito's family heard of thedisappearance of Renato and
the information that two men were arrested by thesoldiers of the 36th IBPA.
Geddion went to Hipolito to getany information. Hipolito told himabout the
two men allegedly arrested by the military and turned over to thepolice.
Geddion feared that one of thetwo men was his brother, Tito.
After his talk with Geddion, Hipolito accompanied byEmilda and village
chief of Pong-on, Efren Gozon, went to Tandag City PNP. The police showed
them the pictures of thetwo men reportedly from Brgy. San Pedro and San
Isidro who were turned over tothem by the military earlier thatday. None
of them was Renato. They requested to be allowed to see thedetention cell
to see for themselves if Renato was not inside, the policedeclined. They
were advised to go to the36th IBPA camp in Brgy. Dayoan.
They went straight to the camp, arriving there ataround 2:00 PM. Seven
soldiers in civilianclothes took turns in interrogating them. The soldiers
insisted that the detainees were not from Brgy. Pong-on andMahaba, and
dismissed the group's request for permission to see the saiddetainees. The
group left the camp ataround 4:00 PM tired and worried about Renato.
Hipolito went back to Tandag PNP bringing with himRenato's voter's
identification card, to show to the police that his son is notan NPA. He
became more worried uponlearning from the police that the military came
back for the two detainees andthey were not in police custody anymore.
Geddion and Hipolito are now being assisted by theKapunongan sa mga
Mag-uuma sa Surigao del Sur (KAMASS) or Farmers' Associationof Surigao del
Sur in lobbying with local government units both at themunicipal and
provincial levels in their search for Tito and Renato. They were also
accompanied by KAMASS leadersto radio stations to appeal to the public for
any information about the twodisappeared persons.
Governor Johnny Pimentel and the Provincial Board ofSurigao del Sur
requested for a dialogue with the military to take place on 4October to
discuss Tito and Renato's disappearance.
Recommended action:
Send letters, emails or faxmessages 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 alleged abduction and enforced disappearance of Agustito
Ladera and Renato Deliguer.
2. The military to stop the labeling and targeting of civilians as
“members of the New People's Army” and “enemies of the state.”
3. The Philippine Government to withdraw its counterinsurgency program
Oplan Bantay Laya (Operation Freedom Watch).
4. 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 yourcommunications to:
H.E. Benigno C.Aquino III
President of the Republic of thePhilippines
Malacañang Palace,
JP Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila, Philippines
Voice: (+632) 564 1451 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (+632) 564 1451
end_of_the_skype_highlighting to 80
Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph
Sec. TeresitaQuintos-Deles
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
Office of the Presidential Adviser on thePeace Process (OPAPP)
7th Floor Agustin Building I
Emerald Avenue
Pasig City 1605
Voice:+63 (2) 636 0701 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +63 (2) 636 0701
end_of_the_skype_highlighting to 066
Fax:+63 (2) 638 2216
E-MailAddress: osec@opapp.gov.ph
Ret. Lt. Gen.Voltaire T. Gazmin
Secretary, Department of National Defense
Room 301 DND Building, Camp EmilioAguinaldo,
E. delos Santos Avenue, Quezon City
Voice:+63(2) 911-9281 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +63(2) 911-9281
end_of_the_skype_highlighting / 911-0488
Fax:+63(2)911 6213
Email:osnd@philonline.com
Atty. Leila De Lima
Secretary, Department of Justice
Padre Faura St., Manila
Direct Line 521-8344; 5213721
Trunkline 523-84-81 loc.214
Fax: (+632) 521-1614
Email: soj@doj.gov.ph
Hon. Loretta Ann P. Rosales
Chairperson
Commission on HumanRights
SAAC Bldg., UP Complex
Commonwealth Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Voice: (+632) 928-5655 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (+632) 928-5655
end_of_the_skype_highlighting, 926-6188
|
|
News Release
August 30, 2010
Reference: Lorena Santos, Deputy secretary general 09294414270
Noynoy, where is justice?
Families of desaparecidos march to Mendiola today
Families of desaparecidos called on the Aquino administration to act
immediately to surface all victims of enforced disappearances, as they
march to Mendiola on the International Day of the Disappeared today.
Led by Desaparecidos (Families of the Disappeared for Justice), families
brought masks bearing the faces of the 206 victims disappeared during the
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regime.
Desaparecidos deputy secretary general Lorena Santos criticized the
continued silence and inaction of the Aquino government on the cases of
enforced disappearances.
“How can we truly believe that Pres. Noynoy Aquino is sincere in resolving
cases of human rights violatios, if it continues to be silent on the
thousands of human rights violations under Arroyo? How can we be at peace
if Arroyo and her former minions who were behind extrajudicial killings
and enforced disappearances are comfortably sitted in the halls of
Congress,” Santos said.
A desaparecido in Luisita
“In Aquino’s SONA, he said that his administration has resolved the cases
of killings committed under his term. Now that he is president, we
challenge him to resolve the case of Intal, who was abducted right inside
Hacienda Luisita,” Santos said.
Ronaldo Intal, 24 years old and a youth leader in Hacienda Luisita, was
abducted in April 2006 in Brgy. Balete, one of the barangays within the
hacienda. According to Santos, Aquino cannot wash his hands clean for the
whole duration of his term, and say that it has only been 60 days in
office.
“Does the Aquino government need more than 60 days for it to do any
action? Each day that we wait and search for our disappeared relatives, is
a life missed and justice denied for the families,” Santos lamented.
Desaparecidos warned against new cases of abduction and enforced
disappearances as the AFP extended the implementation of Oplan Bantay Laya,
the former administration’s counter-insurgency program where even
activists and ordinary civilians were target of killings and enforced
disappearances.
“We will not hesitate to hold Aquino accountable if there will be another
victim of enforced disappearance as a result of the extension of Oplan
Bantay Laya,” Santos
|
 |
 |
October 1, 2010
Mother of missing UP student and torture
survivor to tell their story in UK and Europe
Mrs. Concepcion Empeno, mother of missing student Karen Empeno will cross
the seas to come to Europe and London to continue the search for her
daughter. Formally invited by London based Amnesty International and
supported by Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines-UK (CHRP-UK),
Mrs. Empeno together with Raymond Manalo will engage in a series of
speaking tours in the Continental Europe and United Kingdom to share their
personal experiences and the phenomenon of enforced disappearances in the
Philippines.
On June 26, 2006, Karen Empeno was abducted together with a colleague
Sherlyn Cadapan and a farmer Manual Merino. Karen is a UP Sociology
student volunteering in a local peasant organization in Bulacan.
“As the mother of Karen, my search will take me to any point of the world
just to let every person know about my disappeared daughter and to
continue to seek for justice,” Mrs. Empeno says. Nanay Connie, as friends
of Karen calls her, is currently the Vice Chairperson of Families of the
Disappeared for Justice (Desaparecidos).
Raymond Manalo, who was abducted on February 14, 2006 in Dona Remedios
Trinidad together with his brother Reynaldo, will tell about their
suffering in military detention, his encounter with Karen Empeno, Sherlyn
Cadapan and Manuel Merino during their captivity, the killing of Merino
and the brothers’ pursuit for an escape.
“The criminal cases I filed in courts against my torturers and abductors
are pending for more than two years now. The only weapon I hold right now
is my testimony that proves that the military is doing the terror against
its people. And I am prepared to share these stories, however disturbing
they are, to further expose the Arroyo government’s crimes,” Raymond
explains.
“The Aquino government does not seem to listen to the pleas of the
families of the disappeared so where else will I go but to other states,”
Empeno says. “Through this trip, I will urge the government of the
European countries and its people to pressure my government to correctly
address the issue of enforced disappearances and put the perpetrators to
justice,” Empeno continues.
Empeno and Manalo are set to leave the Philippines a few days before
President Aquino’s 100th day in office. “We are disappointed that the new
government has not made any concrete action to address the issue of human
rights in the Philippines specifically on enforced disappearances.
Instead, extra judicial killings and other human rights violations persist
and we fear, that with the counter insurgency program of the Aquino
regime, enforced disappearances will also continue.” both Empeno and
Manalo said. ###
---------------------------------------------------------------------
PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publicinfo@karapatan.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights
2nd Flr. Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin corner Matatag Sts., Central
District
Diliman, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES 1101
Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146
Web: http://www.karapatan.org
KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human
rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual
advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and
civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights
violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training
and campaign. It was established in 1995.
--
|
