Victims, kin express solidarity to families of Ampatuan massacre
victims Dismantle para-military groups, Aquino told
GENERAL SANTOS – Families of victims of extrajudicial killings and other
human rights violations under the banner of Hustisya! (Unity for Justice)
expressed solidarity to the families of the Ampatuan
massacre victims as they join the different activities today one year
after the gruesome massacre of 57 individuals.
Hustisya! national chairperson Evangeline Hernandez went to Mindanao to
join the families and friends in the activities today, including the
caravan from General Santos going to Maguindanao where they will offer
prayers and messages to the families.
In Manila, a torch march will commence at Morayta going to Mendiola led by
the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and Bagong Alyansang
Makabayan. Victims and their families shall join both activities, as well
as in activities held in different parts of the country.
“On behalf of all the families of victims of political repression, we
express our sympathy and solidarity will all the victims, and demand that
justice may finally be given to all the victims and their families,”
Hernandez said.
Hernandez is mother of Benjaline Hernandez, deputy secretary general of
Karapatan Southern Mindanao, massacred along with two others while on a
fact-finding mission in Arakan Valley, North Cotabato in 2002.
“We understand the pain of losing a loved one, and not getting any justice
after long years of waiting. Let us not allow this to happen again and
again to every family, especially to the families of the
Ampatuan massacre victims. They need justice now,” she said.
Aquino told: Dismantle para-military groups, prosecute Arroyo Hustisya!
strongly called for the dismantling of para-military groups, which serve
as auxiliary groups for the military, as they are being
used to sow fear and terror among the people.
“Allowing such to exist and persist despite countless cases of human
rights violations including the Ampatuan massacre perpetuates
state-sponsored violence. They are far more dangerous than so-called
private armies because in the first place, they are allowed to exist by
the state,” Hernandez said.
AFP said that it will not dismantle the para-military groups sends a
chilling effect to the victims and the people.
“Aquino’s sincerity in ending impunity and warlordism begins with the
dismantling of these armed groups,” she added.
The group also demanded to prosecute not only the Ampatuans but also
president-turned-congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
“Thousands were killed, including 58 in the Ampatuan massacre, and Arroyo
as the former commander-in-chief of the AFP sits comfortably in the halls
of Congress? As the AFP’s present commander-in-chief, Pres. Aquino should
know the bloody hand of Arroyo in all the killings.
Arroyo should be prosecuted immediately,” Hernandez ended.
Hustisya! said it shall continue to call for justice, as long as it
remains elusive to the victims of the Ampatuan massacre, and to all
victims of state-sponsored violence. ###
-----------
Hustisya! is a national organizations of
victims, their families and supporters of victims of extrajudicial
killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other forms of political
repression. It was founded in 2006 at the height of extrajudicial killings
under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Now, it continues as an organization that
shall gather and unite all victims of political repression under any
government, with chapters in almost all regions of the country composed of
victims, their families and supporters
Press Release
23 November 2010
KARAPATAN CALLS ON PNOY FOR CAFGU DISMANTLING AS PART OF JUSTICE TO THE
AMPATUAN MASSACRE VICTIMS
AS THE NATION commemorates the first anniversary of the November 23
Ampatuan Massacre in Maguindanao, the national alliance of human rights
groups, KARAPATAN, called for the dismantling of the Citizen's Armed Force
Geographical Units (CAFGU) and all paramilitary units used by political
warlords as their private armies. “Like other sectors, we in Karapatan,
also express our sympathies for the families of victims of the gruesome
carnage and our unity with them in their call for justice, one year
after,” said Marie Hilao Enriquez, chairperson of the human rights
Alliance.
"It's public knowledge and an open secret that state-sponsored
paramilitary groups are being widely used by feudal warlords as a pillar
of support for their political and landed interests to the detriment of
human rights. The Ampatuan massacre in which 57 civilians were killed, is
a grim reminder of the prevailing culture of impunity surrounding these
forces," Marie Hilao-Enriquez added.
"It is high time that Malacanang consider disbanding these state-sponsored
armed groups. President Aquino, as head of state and commander-in-chief of
the armed forces, should take the initiative in doing so.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its own report this
November entitled, "They Own the People: The Ampatuans, State-Backed
Militias, and the Killings in the Southern Philippines," calling for an
executive order "banning all paramilitary and militia forces" and for the
PNP and AFP to disarm them.
Aside from the CAFGU, the HRW recommended to ban and disarm Civilian
Volunteer Organizations (CVOs), Police Auxiliary Units (PAUs) and even
barangay tanods. There are also tribal groups being used as part of the
auxiliary forces of the military, such as Bungkatol Liberation Front (BULIF),
Intergrated Tribal Defense Forces (ITDF formerly ALAMAKA), Bagani Force,
Salakawan Force. These have brought disunity in the tribal communities"
The AFP command has reportedly admitted that they cannot let go of the
CAFGUs, otherwise their regular forces of ten divisions would be spread
too thinly. They repeatedly pronounced though the media that human rights
would be respected.
"The AFP's so-called respect for human rights has been belied by the
killing of civilians Leonardo Co and his two companions in Leyte last
November 15. There are numerous cases pointing to the utter disregard of
the AFP for human rights -- from the martial law years to the present.
State-sponsored militias and even private vigilante groups have been used
by the AFP time and again in committing grave human rights violations.
Banning and disarming them would be a good start in ending the culture of
impunity in the country," Enriquez said.
"Fundamentally, state violence has relied on US military support but is
applied widely at the grassroots by local warlords through political
patronage. The nation and the world has seen the result of Macapagal-Arroyo’s
coddling of the Ampatuans, if the Aquino government is really set to walk
its talk of “daang matuwid”(righteous path) it must now stop state
violence and terrorism at all levels. It can start by doing away with the
counter-insurgency programs and weeding out the armed militias of
political clans as their base of support and conduit for war,” Enriquez
concluded. ###
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
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National Union of peoples' Lawyers
NEWS RELEASE
November 23, 2010
REFERENCE: Atty. Edre U. Olalia, NUPL Secretary-General
Cellphone Number: 0917-5113373
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE
Peoples’ Lawyers Group Joins Call for Justice and An End to Impunity
In commemoration of the first year anniversary of the Maguindanao
Massacre, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) joins the nation
and the international community in the call for justice to the victims of
the brutal massacre which claimed the lives of 57 victims. Two feisty
members of the NUPL, Attys. Concepcion Brizuela and Cynthia Oquendo were
among those who were killed on November 23, 2009.
In a press statement, the NUPL, speaking through its Secretary-General,
Atty. Edre U. Olalia, called for an end to the climate of impunity that
has blanketed the country, making the Philippines one of the most
dangerous places for journalists and lawyers.
“There should be an end to the rampant killing of journalists, social
activists and even lawyers in the country. The Maguindanao Massacre is a
concrete example of the state of human rights in the country today where
extrajudicial killings have been a recurrent nightmare and an
institutionalized manner of quelling dissent and the search for truth and
change,” Olalia stated.
“‘To be unable to put a stop to the bloody record of the administration of
Gloria Arroyo, deny justice to the victims, and fail to institute decisive
measures against state-sanctioned paramilitary groups would be tantamount
to making the present administration of Noynoy Aquino complicit in this
outrage,” Olalia added..
“Justice must be immediately accorded to the families of the victims in
this gruesome and brazen killing of very vulnerable community-based
journalists and other innocent civilians.”
The NUPL further noted that despite the national and international uproar,
most of the perpetrators remain at large and the suspected masterminds –
members of the Ampatuan clan – despite being in jail, apparently continue
to enjoy the luxuries of comfort, influence and political accommodation.
The peoples’ lawyers group likewise called for the speedy disposition of
the case and for the court to thwart the dilatory tactics being employed
by the Ampatuans It supports the widespread clamor to open the court
proceedings to public scrutiny under certain reasonable safeguards.
“Let us all remember and we must not forget. Let us all be vigilant in our
quest for justice and our struggle to put an end to rampant human rights
violations which continue to plague us ,” Olalia further stated, citing an
alarming rise of incidents of extrajudicial killings of members of
militant organizations under the Aquino administration and its wishy-washy
rhetorics. # # #
Remembering the Ampatuan Massacre
Communist Party of the Philippines
November 23, 2010
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the entire revolutionary
movement join the Filipino people in marking the first anniversary of the
hideous massacre in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao, where 57 people, including
journalists and political rivals of the Ampatuan warlord clan were
mercilessly slaughtered.
We join the relatives, colleagues and friends of the victims of the
Ampatuan massacre and the rest of the people in pressing for justice. The
people worry that the way it is proceeding, the Ampatuan massacre trial
may take years, or even decades, before it can be concluded. In the
meantime, witnesses are being killed one after another, with many of them
remaining under heavy threats and pressure. We denounce the delays and
pathetically slow and tedious system of justice and support the widespread
clamor for swift justice.
The Ampatuan warlord clan which aggrandized itself through feudal
exactions, spoils of power, gross corruption and the indulgent support of
the military and national political leadership continues to wallow in
wealth, pomp and privilege, even as their leading figures happen to be
under detention. The people of Maguindanao continue to suffer from feudal
exploitation and fascist oppression. So do the mass of the impoverished
and downtrodden people where feudal and fascist rule prevails, especially
in the countryside, where feudal warlords in collaboration with local
military and police forces are a power by themselves.
The system that engenders feudal warlordism continues to prevail
throughout the country. Feudal power in wide swaths of the countryside
continue to buttress the rotten reactionary state. Feudal lords such as
the Ampatuans are propped up through the armed suppression of peasants and
farm workers. Military and paramilitary units deployed in the countryside
are treated as private armies and are at the disposal of these feudal
warlords.
The supposed campaign of the national government to dismantle private
armies remains a wimp of a call. Neither the rotten national government
nor its military and police has shown any real determination to disband
these armed groups. They matter most significantly in elections and
intra-clan wars, and their important role in the reactionary government's
"counterinsurgency" operations continues to be highly regarded.
The demand to dismantle private armies have persistently been raised for
the past several decades. Not one reactionary regime has shown genuine
resolve to do so. Marcos appeared to dismantle them only to absorb and
utilize them under his supreme warlord and fascist rule. His successors
even promoted the spread of paramilitary forces that became adjuncts of
private armies as well as government military forces.
Recently, they have also become adjuncts of mining companies, corporate
farms, haciendas and other big private enterprises. Like all past
presidents, Aquino fails to address this demand. The way he protects his
clan's Hacienda Luisita, and his camp of the biggest feudal warlords in
the country--like Eduardo Cojuangco, Peping Cojuangco and others-- Aquino
himself is now the biggest symbol of the feudal oligarchic rule in the
Philippines.
In the course of advancing people's war, the people's armed revolutionary
movement will continue to resist feudal warlordism and fascist suppression
and act to dismantle and disarm private armies and paramilitary units
alongside launching offensives against regular government military forces.
The Filipino people seek the revolutionary overhaul of the ruling
political and socio-economic system and the decimation of feudal
warlordism alongside semifeudal and semicolonial rule throughout the
country.
After a year, the NDFP - Mindanao joins the
people in continuing to call for: JUSTICE FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE
MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE! JUSTICE FOR ALL VICTIMS OF EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLINGS!
Jorge "Ka Oris" Madlos
Spokesperson
National Democratic Front of the Philippines-Mindanao
November 23, 2010
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines in Mindanao (NDFP-Mindanao)
joins with the families of the victims of the Maguindanao massacre,
together with media groups and the Filipino people, in demanding for
justice and in challenging the Aquino III administration to prosecute and
to mete out punishment for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Ampatuan
warlords as perpetrators of the said atrocious crime.
A year after the massacre, the process to attain justice has become overly
strained and snail-paced under Noynoy Aquino's watch. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
has not yet been tried for her complicity in cases of grand malfeasance
and of extra-judicial killings during her term. And, thus far, the current
regime has offered nothing but the vague assurance that the case against
the Ampatuan warlords would be "concluded within its six-year term."
The Aquino government is not serious and uses kid gloves in prosecuting
the Ampatuans and in disbanding their private armies, giving the latter
the propensity to downplay the court trials and thrash witnesses with
bribe, threats and even murder.
Two senior members of the Ampatuan warlord clan may be behind bars for the
murder of 57 civilians, but, back in their turf, their clan still holds
governmental posts and their private army continues to operate. These
armed goons of the Ampatuan warlords have committed scores of other acts
of rape, torture and murder, which have somehow escaped investigation,
broadcast through media and, even, retribution.
The Aquino regime is able to flaunt, at best, a semblance of its resolve
to punish the culprits yet is unable to tear down the political power
built by the Ampatuans as well as dismantle its private army. The fact is:
Aquino III needs the Ampatuan war machine to neutralize the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) and the whole struggle of the Moro people in order
to greatly satisfy US imperialist interests in the country.
These private armies operating as CAFGU or CAA and are in cahoots with the
AFP and the PNP, are mainly used by the Ampatuan warlords (and in
parallel, the private armies of Romarate in Surigao del Norte, of the
Parojinogs in Misamis Occidental, of Jalosjos in Zamboanga del Sur, etc.)
in carrying out their political manoeuvres and illicit activities, such as
prohibited drugs, illegal numbers game and even the summary execution of
their rivals.
It should be noted that it was the US-Arroyo regime that consolidated the
Ampatuan dynasty for her election ticket in 2004 to deliver over a million
votes.
The nine years of the Arroyo-Ampatuan clique in Mindanao launched the
brutal assaults against the MILF and the entirety of the Moro
revolutionary struggle through Oplan Bantay Laya 1 & 2. This resulted in
the mass evacuations of millions of Moro and non-Moro peoples. These
criminal acts have been tolerated concomitant to Arroyo's own
extra-judicial killings of more than a thousand activists, of more than a
hundred media workers and the perpetration of other suchlike human rights
violations in the country.
Extra-judicial executions continue unabated under Aquino III, and are seen
to become more virulent especially now that his US imperialist master
foisted the full implementation of its counter-insurgency (COIN) strategy
in the country. And, given the conscious lackadaisical attitude of the
Aquino government towards the Ampatuan case and other cases of political
murders, the killings would not stop in the next six years of its term.
Having to witness that a year has passed and the perpetrators of the
Maguindanao massacre still stand unpunished is great cause to resolutely
struggle further for justice amid the tomfooleries of the Aquino
government.
The Filipino people must ceaselessly press for the immediate dismantling
of private armies and other such fascist instrumentalities wielded by the
ruling clique to wreak fear, havoc and mass murder.
The NDFP-Mindanao calls on the people to unite and never lose sight of
working towards the attainment of true justice for the victims of the
Maguindanao massacre and of extra-judicial killings!
With the Aquino regime deliberately ignoring and floundering along in its
handling of the Maguindanao massacre case and of the numerous cases of
extra-judicial killings, the only recourse available to the Filipino
people for justice to be attained is through revolutionary justice!
=
==
Arpil 23, 2010 Rage against injustice.
Protesters, including lawyers and media groups, stormed the mansion of
the Ampatuans in Davao City in the
commemoration of the 5th month of the Ampatuan Massacre.
▼
Photos by Karlos Manlupig ▼
PAGGUNITA SA PAMAMASLANG
(Binasa sa komemorasyon ng ika-7 buwan ng Maguindanao Ampatuan masaker)
ni Bienvenido Lumbera
Tuwing umaga tumitilaok pa rin ang mga tandang,
Nag-iinat ang murang dahon ng damong ligaw,
Humahagibis ang trak ng military.
Sa hukay na inukab sa parang ng backhoe ng Ampatuan,
Nakanganga ang lupang naghihintay
Sa mga bangkay ng mga pinaslang.
Sa kagubatan, humihilab ang bunga ng durian,
At may isinasabog ang hangin na masangsang na halimuyak
Na pagdaan sa gilid ng nakangangang hukay
Ay mistulang amoy ng nalulusaw na laman.
Walang pakialam ang mga tandang, ang damong ligaw
At ang kumakaripas na mga sasakyan at ang hinog na durian,
Wala silang gunita na may naganap na pamamaslang.
Paano na ang mga inulila na naghihintay pa hanggang ngayon
Na malapatan ng katarungan ang mga berdugo at mastermind?
Sino ang babalot ng kumot sa bunsong giniginaw?
Papaano babahawin ang sugat ng malay
Ng asawang binalo ng pamamaslang?
Paano hihilumin ang pusong winindang ng biglang pasabi
Ang anak na wala namang kaaway ay walang awang pinatay?
Sumusubo ng pandesal ang abogado ng mga Ampatuan.
Minamasahe ni misis ang hita at baywang ng hukom.
Kinakamot ng burukratang kagigising lamang ang kanyang bayag
Habang tinutunghan ang pahayagan.
May nagmamartsang mga kabataan, may tarpulin na
iwinawagayway:
Usigin ang mga Kriminal! Hustisya sa mga Biktima!
Ang pangkat ng mga manggagawa ay nagpipiket sa gate ng hukuman.
Nananawagang makilahok ang bayan sa paghingi ng katarungan
Ang mga pari at madreng nagdarasal.
Ang kabuktutan ng mga Ampatuan
Ay krimeng politikal na pinasikal
Ng Pangulong hayok sa kapangyarihan.
Wakasan ang pagtangkilik sa naghahari-harian,
Kamao ng hustisya, idagok sa mga kriminal!
Pag kimi ang pamahalaan, dumarahas ang sambayan.
*Programang inisponsor ng National Union of Journalists (NUJP), sa
Broadcast City, Hunyo 23, 2010.
Bienvenido Lumbera
Chair, Concerned Artists of the Philipines {CAP}
Chair, Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)
April 23, 2010
No to Whitewash!
Justice for the Victims of the Ampatuan Massacre!
We rage again for another injustice, as we remember the 5th month
commemoration of the Ampatuan massacre. We, advocates for justice and
peace must muster ourselves for a day of rage for the continuing injustice
to the victims of the Ampatuan massacre aggravated by the callous decision
of Justice Secretary Alberto Agra to drop charges against two suspected
perpetrators of theAmpatuan Massacre.
We from Kalinaw Mindanao and Alliance Against Impunity in Mindanao (AIM)
enjoin the people to collectively rage against injustice. We call for the
reversal of Secretary Agra's decision and his immediate resignation.
Let us condemn the culture of impunity and whitewash! President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo should be held accountable for the crimes committed by
her political allies and the perpetuation of the culture of impunity and
injustice in her role to absolve and coddle warlords and criminals like
the Ampatuans.
President Arroyo’s failure to dismantle private armies and the eventual
release of the Ampatuans will further intensify election-related violence
in Maguindanao and possible retaliation against families who testified
against the Ampatuans.
We call on candidates for this year’s national elections to condemn
outright the government’s exoneration of the Ampatuans and the injustice
suffered by the families.
We challenge the candidates to commit themselves in pursuing justice for
the victims of the Ampatuan Massacre by ensuring that President Arroyo and
other coddlers of political warlords and criminals are held accountable
for the massacre. The next administration should pave the way for the
filing of criminal charges and should support potential class suits from
victims of human rights violations against Mrs. Arroyo even if she will
imminently become a member of the House of Representatives or the Speaker
of the House.
Let us condemn the ulterior motives of the Arroyo administration to
perpetrate cheating and violence in the elections through the release of
Zaldy Ampatuan, suspended governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao. Since 2001, the family has long played the role of ensuring the
victory of candidates fielded by the Arroyo government and Mrs. Arroyo’s
padded vote margin in 2004.
Let us continue our Fight and Rage Against Injustice!
For Reference:
Atty. Carlos Isagani Zarate, Alliance Against Impunity in Mindanao
Sr. Elsa Compuesto, MSM, Sisters Association in Mindanao
Amirah Ali Lidasan, Kalinaw Mindanao
Please Contact: KALINAW MINDANAO Secretariat: Mobile # 0929-351-0670
Telefax (82) 2994964 l Email
kalinawmindanao@yahoo.com
April 23, 2010
ATTY. CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE and the rest of
the lawyers of UPLM protested in front of the Ampatuan mansion in Davao
City and spoke at a broad multisectoral solidarity vigil in commemoration
of the 5th month commemoration of the Ampatuan massacre.
▲ Photos by Union
of Peoples' Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM) ▼
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Public Statement
ASA 35/005/2010
21 April 2010
Philippines: Handling of Maguindanao massacre case raises concerns
about justice system
Dropping the charges against two prominent members of the Ampatuan family
charged with involvement in the November 2009 Maguindanao massacre three
weeks before national elections smacks of placing politics before justice
and human rights, Amnesty International said today.
The decision by the Department of Justice, on 17 April, a Saturday, to
drop charges against Zaldy Ampatuan, Regional Governor of the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao, and Akmad Ampatuan, acting Vice Governor of
Maguindanao province was based largely on their alibis showing that they
were not in Maguindanao at the time of the massacre.
However, that they were not physically present during the murder is
immaterial, as the two men were charged with conspiracy rather than direct
participation. The timing and the manner in which the executive decision
was made raises questions as to the reasons why the Secretary of Justice,
a political appointee, intervened.
The worst pre-election violence in Philippine history—the Maguindanao
massacre which killed 63 people including 33 journalists—focused global
attention on the human rights situation in the country. The victims were
on their way to file a certificate of candidacy for a provincial
gubernatorial candidate when they were ambushed and killed by armed men.
Acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra said that he made the decision to
drop the charges because there was no probable cause, and their names
should be struck off the charge sheet in the multiple murder case. The
panel of government prosecutors, however, say that as they are pursuing a
theory of conspiracy in the multiple murder case, the two men did not need
to be in the scene of the crime to have been involved.
The government prosecutors also complained that they only found out about
the executive decision by the Secretary through the media. They said:
“The evidence we have against the accused, our individual conscience, our
sense of right and wrong and notion of justice and injustice, leave us no
room to follow Secretary Agra’s orders….We are deeply concerned that the
resolution will all the more convince a long sceptical public that our
criminal justice system is impotent when the accused are politically
influential…. We can not be a mute party to the grant of impunity to
privileged accused.”
The Maguindanao massacre has placed the Philippine government under
increased international scrutiny. The onus is now on the Department of
Justice and the courts to demonstrate through the handling of this case
that justice can be achieved.
Allegations of election fraud during the 2004 polls, particularly in
Maguindanao where paramilitaries and militia groups are known to have
abducted and unlawfully killed people under orders of local politicians,
have cast a heavy shadow on the upcoming elections. With the elections
coming up in May, the Philippine government needs to demonstrate that it
will not tolerate impunity for human rights abuses for political gain.
The Maguindanao massacre illustrated all too clearly that local
politicians and their armed groups can kill more than 50 people in broad
daylight to forward their political interests.
The Philippines must abide by its obligations under international human
rights law to ensure effective remedy for victims of human rights abuses
and their families, and to prevent impunity, Amnesty International said.
Additional information:
Initially, the Maguindanao multiple murder case had been assigned to a
local court. Under Philippine law, the local court can either honour the
decision of the Secretary or assert its own jurisdiction as a separate
branch of government.
In Philippine law, for a person to be charged, the quantum of evidence
needed is “probable cause”, to be determined through a preliminary
investigation conducted by prosecutors. If the prosecutors find probable
cause, the case is assigned to the court. It is the court’s responsibility
to then assess the evidence and to rule on the accused person’s guilt or
innocence.
Acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra ordered the multiple murder charges
against Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan to be dropped based on a flight
manifesto, a phone bill and a witness testimony against other evidence,
including from a former member of the Ampatuan’s private army testifying
that the two accused participated in the planning of the murder.
Mr. Agra had assumed the post in February 2010. He was President Arroyo’s
election lawyer during the 2004 presidential elections and again her
private counsel during the 2006 impeachment proceedings against her.
197 people have been named suspects in the multiple murder case. According
to media reports, as of 13 April, 59 suspects are in government custody:
47 policemen, two militiamen, and some members of the Ampatuan clan. Media
reports also indicate that the remaining identified suspects, including 97
Civilian Volunteer Organization militiamen, 13 policemen, four soldiers,
13 other members of the Ampatuan family and other suspects, are still
at-large.
NEWS RELEASE
April 21, 2010
References: Atty. Edre U. Olalia, NUPL Acting Secretary-General |
09175113373
Atty. Julius Matibag, NUPL Spokesperson | 09279293989
In a press statement today, the national human rights lawyers’ group,
National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) condemned the resolution issued
by Acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra absolving two members of the
Ampatuan clan in the senseless and gruesome Maguindanao Massacre.
“The Resolution issued by Sec. Agra is not only questionable and
irregular, it also violated established legal doctrines and principles on
basic criminal procedure,” NUPL Acting Sec-Gen. Atty. Edre U. Olalia,
stated. “The move not only had further contributed to serious public
doubts about the integrity of the entire DOJ, it also grossly tainted the
country’s criminal justice system in general.”
NUPL cited the landmark case of Crespo vs Mogul (G.R. No. L-53373 June 30,
1987) where the Supreme Court set the jurisprudential rule that once ruled
that “once a complaint or information is filed in Court any disposition of
the case as its dismissal or the conviction or acquittal of the accused
rests in the sound discretion of the Court. Although the fiscal retains
the direction and control of the prosecution of criminal cases even while
the case is already in Court he cannot impose his opinion on the trial
court. The Court is the best and sole judge on what to do with the case
before it.”
It should be noted that RTC Judge Solis-Reyes has ruled that there was
probable cause against all the accused in the Ampatuan massacre and
subsequently issued arrest warrants against them.
In their press statement, the NUPL not only questioned the irregularity of
the said Resolution but went straight to the point when it said that,
“There is no doubt that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is behind the
Agra decision absolving the two Ampatuans,” Olalia stated. “President
Arroyo has the record of whitewashing cases against her and her allies
while prosecuting the opposition on the other hand.”
It should be noted that Agra served as an election lawyer for PGMA during
the elections. He was also in the forefront of the charter change attempt
being pushed by PGMA through people’s initiative.
The NUPL believes that as a mater of principle, Sec. Agra should forthwith
revisit the recommendation and consider resigning and expressed support
for the DOJ prosecutors who protested against the said Resolution. The
lawyers’ group called on other prosecutors, especially those in Mindanao,
to express the same outrage.
NUPL said that the move to absolve the two Ampatuans is a painful insult
and an added injustice to the families of the victims of the massacre.
Two NUPL lawyers, Atty. Connie Brizuela and Atty. Cynthia Oquendo, were
among those killed in the Ampatuan massacre. # # #
NEWS RELEASE
22 April 2010
Reference: Joms Salvador, Deputy Secretary General, 371-2302 / 0919182150
We shall not forget.
GABRIELA, WRIT condemns Agra ’s decision
Five months after the gruesome Ampatuan massacre, women brought a black
coffin in front of the Department of Justice to “mourn” what they deem as
the “death of justice” after Justice Secretary Alberto Agra dismissed the
charges against Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan and his son Mamasapano Mayor Datu
Akmad Ampatuan.
GABRIELA, a militant women’s group, notes that despite mountain of
evidence that proves the involvement of the two Ampatuans along with Andal
Jr. and others in the massacre, Agra had the gall to tell the victims’
families and the people that he could not find probable grounds to bring
to the court the two.
“We were all shocked beyond belief by the gruesome crime the Ampatuans
committed in the name of power, and the least that was expected from the
state was to act swiftly to serve justice to the victims and their
families, which Agra denied with such finality,” said Joms Salvador,
GABRIELA deputy secretary general. Salvador noted that among the women
victims of the massacre was GABRIELA member Atty. Connie Brisuela.
For GABRIELA, it is a travesty like no other. Agra uses the cloak of his
office to let mass murderers like the Ampatuans off the hook. On the other
hand, the women’s group expressed that it is not beyond Agra to commit a
blunder against the people this grave.
“His record shows how he sides with Arroyo without regard of the law and
at the expense of the people’s interest. Of the members of the Judicial
and Bar Council, he was the only one who did not criticize the Supreme
Court ruling allowing Arroyo to appoint the new SC chief,” said Salvador .
According to Women Resist Against Impunity and Tyranny (WRIT), Agra has to
come to the Ampatuans' aid and absolve them of their crimes, them being
staunch allies of Arroyo who delivered her the votes of Maguindanao.
“With nothing to expect from the DOJ, the more that we should rally behind
our call for justice for the victims. We shall not forget our sisters; we
shall not forget Connie; we shall not forget the journalists and the rest
of the innocent lives sacrificed in that bloodbath,” said Salvador .
WRIT and GABRIELA register that for justice to be meted out to the
victims, it is necessary that the people ensure the end of Arroyo’s rule
and weed out undesirable elements in the government like Agra . ###
Public Information Department
GABRIELA National Office
(+632) 3712302
UNION OF PEOPLES' LAWYERS IN
MINDANAO (UPLM)
PRESS STATEMENT/ 19 APRIL 2010
Boldly Confront the Arroyo
Regime’s Shameless Exoneration of the Butchers of Maguindanao
As we have already warned before, it is shamelessly happening now!!
In the run-up to the May 10 national elections, the treacherous Grloria
Macapagal-Arroyo regime is now pulling all the stops for the eventual
exoneration of its No. 1 warlord allies in Mindanao – the members of the
Ampatuan clan -- who are the principal accused in the barbaric November 23
Ampatuan Massacre.
The observance of the Lenten Season may have been over, yet, we still have
in our midst a modern-day Judas Iscariot in the person of Acting Justice
Secretary Roberto Agra. His callous and shameless decision to drop
suspended ARMM Governor Zaldy Ampatuan and Mayor Akmad Ampatuan Sr. from
the multiple murder charges is nothing but a cruel betrayal of the quest
for justice for the senseless death of 57 innocent lives, including of our
own, UPLM founding member, Atty. Connie Brizuela. Agra’s act also truly
reveals the bloodied Malacañang hands in this continuing sordid episode of
bringing to the bar of justice the ruthless butchers of Maguindanao.
While gasping for survival in the twilight of its stolen mandate, still
the Arroyo regime will stop at nothing in further bastardizing and
brutalizing our country’s democratic institutions, if only to protect its
questionable hold to power, as well as protect its equally hated allies.
We have to frustrate the brazenness by which the Arroyo regime is
flaunting impunity as a curse to the Filipino people.
UPLM calls on the judiciary – particularly the judges handling the cases
against the members of the Ampatuan clan and its accomplices – to assert
its independence against the onslaught of the executive department.
Also, if there is still some sense of shame in him, we also call on Acting
Justice Secretary Agra to “follow” the example of Judas Iscariot by
“hanging” his political career by immediately resigning from his posts as
acting Justice Secretary and Solicitor General.
Finally, while we support moves to exhaust available legal remedies to
thwart this latest attempt to pursue the ends of justice, the Union of
Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM) calls on the people to take bolder and
stronger actions to express our outrage.
UPLM believes that only the collective rage and action of our people can
frustrate the desperate moves of the Arroyo regime and its allies. Only
the collective rage and action of our people can bring about the genuine
justice that our fallen colleagues, relatives and friends truly deserve.
Refer to:
ATTY. CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE
Secretary General
The Structure of Reactionary Violence and
Human-Rights Violations in the Philippines
By PROF. JOSE MARIA SISON
Chairperson
International League of Peoples’ Struggle
The International Coordinating Committee and all member-organizations of
the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) condemn with all
their moral conviction and strength the monstrous massacre of at least 57
people, including many women and children, 29 journalists and two human
rights lawyers, in Ampatuan, Maguindanao last Nov. 23, 2009.
The abominable crime against humanity was perpetrated by the private army
of the Ampatuan ruling clan in collaboration with units of the Philippine
National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Army (PA). The private army
consists of armed units designated as Ctizen Armed Force Geographical
Units (Cafgu) and Civilian Volunteer Organization (CVO), subsidized by
public funds and operating as auxiliary paramilitary units of the PNP and
PA.
The Ampatuans are governors of both Maguindanao and the Autonomous Region
of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and include a cabinet undersecretary,
congressmen and several town mayors . They have maintained their dominant
warlord status because they are aligned with the Arroyo regime and have
delivered to it large numbers of fraudulent votes in the 2004 and 2007
reactionary elections. Thus, they are allowed to oppress and exploit the
people and crush with armed force any opposition.
But it is not enough to see only the relationship of the Arroyo ruling
clique and the Ampatuan ruling clan in Maguindanao or even the rotten and
violent character of the entire oppressive ruling system in the
Philippines. The official designation and government financing of the
Ampatuan private army as CVO and Cafgu paramilitary auxiliaries of the PNP
and PA are in line with the national internal security plan called Oplan
Bantay Laya (OBL or Operation Freedom Watch). This has been designed and
directed by the US under its global war of terror policy.
The structure of reactionary violence and human rights violations in the
Philippines has several levels, including those of the US, the puppet
Manila-based government and the local tyrants like the Ampatuans. The US
has been the most culpable for whipping up state terrorism and vigilantism
by local tyrants and by army and police commanders unter the pretext of
combating communists and Muslims who are unjustly labeled as terrorists.
The US is the imperialist master that has dictated upon the Arroyo regime
to adopt and implement Oplan Bantay Laya and use the regular armed forces,
the police and the paramilitary forces of the Ampatuan type to suppress
the national and democratic rights of the people. Along the way, the
puppets use their armed power to intimidate and kill their intrasystemic
political rivals.
The US has provided the doctrine of warfare against the people and
supplied the military equipment and training and other wherewithals of the
reign of terror. It has embedded advisors, trainors and operatives within
the reactionary armed forces and has deployed its own units in Mindanao
and elsewhere to ensure puppet obedience to its imperialist dictates.
Together with the Manila-based puppet government, local tyrants like the
Ampatuans and all their military, police and paramilitary minions, the US
is culpable and condemnable for pushing state terrorism and the gross and
systematic human rights violations and emboldening the human rights
violators to commit their crimes with impunity under the pretext of
combating terrorism.
Further Information on the Ampatuan Massacre
In a land that is familiar to violence by foreign aggressors and local
tyrants, the recent massacre of at least 57 people in Ampatuan
municipality, Maguindanao Province, Philippines still managed to shock and
outrage the Filipino people as well as the rest of the world.
A convoy of journalists, lawyers and women relatives of Esmael Mangudadatu,
a local politician contesting the governorship of Maguindanao Province,
were en route to file registration papers for the May 2010 elections on
the morning of Nov. 23, 2009 when they were abducted and executed by over
100 gunmen. Twenty-four of the victims were women, some of whose bodies
were later found mutilated. At least 28 journalists were also killed in
the attack which the Reporters Without Borders described as the worst loss
of life in the history of journalism.
The perpetrators were allegedly led by Andal Ampatuan Jr., the mayor of a
nearby town and son of the incumbent governor of Maguindanao, who was
being groomed to take over his father’s position. He was assisted by
senior police officials, local police and paramilitary forces who function
as a private army of the Ampatuan clan. A backhoe registered to the
provincial government was even on hand to bury the victims in pre-dug
common graves.
Clearly the Ampatuans consider themselves untouchable because of their
loyal ties to the incumbent President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who has
deliberately created a climate of impunity for human rights violators and
mass murderers in the Philippines. Since her ascent to power in 2001, over
800 extra-judicial killings have been committed in the country, including
51 incidents of massacres victimizing a total of 255 persons. Not one has
been punished for these vilest of crimes.
In the case of the Ampatuan massacre, it took four days before the
principal suspect was taken into custody and only after intense public
outcry for justice. The Arroyo government’s initial response was to
declare a state of emergency in the province which would be enforced, of
course, by the local state apparatus controlled by the Ampatuans.
The Ampatuan clan is a prime example of feudal-fascist warlords who are
coddled and nurtured by the national ruling clique in order to secure
their hold over local populations and resources. The Ampatuans are among
the most loyal vassals of the Arroyo ruling clique and responsible for
orchestrating the electoral fraud in the region through which Arroyo has
kept herself in power.
It was Arroyo who gave the Ampatuan clan the authority to recruit and arm
civilians to assist in fighting “insurgents” in the region. As a result,
the Ampatuans now have a 500-strong army, which includes 200 special armed
civilian auxiliary forces, as well as entire regular military and police
units assigned to ensure the security of the clan members.
These local warlords and their “armies”, particularly in Mindanao, are not
only interwoven with the national security apparatus of the ruling
classes, they are also backed by the US imperialist state which has a
special interest in Mindanao. The US military considers Mindanao strategic
for its force projection in this part of the world. It maintains military
facilities in the island in direct violation of the Philippine
Constitution. It has conducted at least seven military exercises in
Mindanao since 2001, poured millions of military aid and has trained local
security forces to enhance “inter-operability” with US troops.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has funded tens of
millions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects throughout the region
to support US military operations and US investors in the region. To
accomplish their objective of securing strategic resources, facilities and
suppressing revolutionary and democratic challenges to US interests in the
region, the US necessarily works with the local state apparatus and allies
with feudal-fascist rulers such as the Ampatuans.
Given the intimate ties of the Ampatuans and other fascist criminals with
the US-Arroyo regime, there is no reason to expect that any fact-finding
body or investigation initiated by the corrupt, oppressive and brutal
government will be credible or will bring justice to the victims of
massacres and other human rights violations in the Philippines.
The ILPS calls on all freedom-loving peoples of the world to denounce the
Ampatuan Massacre and all other extra-judicial killings in the
Philippines, to demand an independent probe of these killings; and condemn
the Arroyo government for coddling mass murderers and human rights
violators.
Stop the killings!
End impunity!
Justice now!
The interfaith peace movement Kalinaw
Mindanao gathered for the 3rd month commemoration of the Ampatuan
Massacre. Relatives of Atty. Connie Jayme-Brizuela and Pinky and Ella
Balayman were accompanied by 50 participants from the Church, Moro people
and Indigenous peoples in an interfaith liturgy of prayers, flowers,
songs, and symbolic offerings for the victims.
Through this activity, Kalinaw Mindanao shows the unity of the Mindanao
people in crying out for justice, not only for the victims of the tragic
massacre on November 23, but also for all victims of the impunity of the
all-out war and counter-insurgency campaign.
▼ Photos by
Kalinaw Mindanao ▼
Bayan joins protest to mark first anniversary
of the Maguindanao Massacre
News Release
November 23, 2010
Bayan joins protest to mark first anniversary of the Maguindanao
Massacre
Umbrella organization Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) will join
different groups in a march to Mendiola today November 23 to commemorate
the Maguindanao massacre and call for justice for the 58 victims of the
“worst election-related violence in Philippine history”.
BAYAN reiterated its call for the investigation of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
and the Armed Forces of the Philippines for their role in supporting the
Ampatuan family during the past decade. The militant group also demanded
the dismantling of all paramilitary groups including the Civilian Armed
Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) and various Civilian Volunteer
Organizations (CVO) becauase of their involvement in the massacre.
Arroyo and the AFP are believed to have supported the Ampatuan family
politically and militarily and tolerated many of the alleged other crimes
of the clan.
“We have not forgotten. Today we march with the members of the media as we
demand justice for the victims and the prosecution of all those who were
directly and indirectly responsible for the massacre,” said Bayan
secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.
“The case of the Maguindanao massacre is a major test for the executive
and the judiciary. Considering the gravity of the crime and the threat it
posed to institutions like the media, not to mention the existence of
overwhelming evidence that point to the involvement of the Ampatuans, a
year has passed and victims continue to seek justice,” Reyes said.
Bayan lamented the fact that former president Arroyo has not been
investigated for her possible culpability in the massacre. The Aquino
regime has also rejected calls for the dismantling of paramilitary units
that were involved in the massacre.
“The Arroyo government is no longer in power and the new regime is in a
position to investigate her and her generals. However, no steps have been
taken towards this despite public knowledge that the Arroyo regime
supported the Ampatuans. When will GMA and her generals be investigated?
When will the paramilitary groups be disbanded?” Reyes said.
BAYAN expressed concern that if the case drags on, evidence and witnesses
will continue to disappear – either voluntarily or involuntarily. The
group also supports the petition of various media groups for live coverage
of the trial.
Dismantle private armies
BAYAN likewise hit the continuing existence of paramilitary groups despite
calls for them to be dismantled and disarmed due to the human rights
violations attributed to their presence. Human Rights Watch in its recent
report pointed to the use of paramilitary groups as private armies of
local politicians.
The Maguindanao massacre was one such instance where the Ampatuans used
Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Units (CAFGUs) and Civilian Volunteer
Organizations (CVOs) to stop its rival clan – the Mangudadatus – from
participating in the 2010 local elections.
“The Maguindanao massacre clearly shows paramilitary groups cannot be
allowed to continue. It is ridiculous for the Aquino regime and the AFP to
claim that they are taking steps to professionalize the CAFGU’s. How can
they do this when they have problems professionalizing even the regular
troops when it comes to human rights?” Reyes said.
“The insistence of the Aquino government in employing paramilitary groups
in its counterinsurgency operations-- despite the gross human rights
record of these units-- shows a low regard for human rights. It shows a
lack of interest in pursuing complete justice for the victims and in
preventing a repeat of the gruesome murders that took place one year ago,
Reyes added.
The CAFGUs are considered as auxiliary units of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines and enjoy privileges such as access to military weapons and
exemptions from the gun ban during elections.
The recently concluded barangay elections which left 33 people dead were
characterized by violence caused by private armies. In fact, the election
hotspots identified by the police were private army-infested areas.###
Candle Lighting in Zamboanga City on
the occassion of the 2nd month on the Maguindanao Massacre.▼
Marking
the 1st anniversary of the Amptuan Massacre in Metro Manila
Photos by Abby Valenzuela
Filipino journalists produce
TV ads on the Maguindanao Massacre
Filipino
journalists working for various media outlets have joined hands to
produce the following television ads in memory of the 58 victims of
the Maguindanao massacre and their families' continuing quest for
justice. A total of 30 journalists were among those killed in the Nov.
23, 2009 massacre, perpetrated allegedly by political allies of former
president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. These ads will be aired by various
TV networks in the coming days.
Tutok
Families
Huwag Makalimot
Never Forget
Community radio broadcasters
worldwide to join commemoration of Ampatuan massacre
The 10th General Assembly of the World
Association of Community Radio Broadcasters AMARC in La Plata,
Argentina unanimously adopted a resolution, Nov. 13, calling on all
its members to participate in the Global Day of Action on the Ampatuan
Massacre on Nov. 23, 2010.
On Nov. 23, 2009,
57 persons, including the wife and relatives of Toto Mangudadatu, the
political rival of the Ampatuan clan, were killed allegedly by the
private army of the Ampatuan clan in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao.
Thirty-one journalists were among the dead and one of them remains
missing.
AMARC is an international non-governmental organization serving
the community radio movement in over 110 countries, and advocating for
the right to communicate at the international, national, local and
neighbourhood levels. AMARC has an international secretariat in
Montreal. It has regional sections in Africa, Latin America, Europe,
Middle East, North America and Asia Pacific and offices in
Johannesburg, Buenos Aires, Brussels, and Kathmandu.
The Assembly has
390 voting delegates from 110 countries, according to Raymund
Villanueva, director for radio of Kodao Productions, main host of Sali
Na Bayan! program over DZUP 1602 and sponsor of the said resolution.
In the resolution,
AMARC condemned, in the strongest terms possible, the culture of
impunity in the Philippines, particularly the unabated killing of
journalists, including community media practitioners and advocates.
In an interview,
Villanueva said, community radio broadcasters committed to write news
stories, editorials, messages of solidarity for the commemoration of
the Ampatuan massacre.
Villanueva said a
“Call to Action” webpage would be setup to encourage 5,000 members of
AMARC worldwide to participate in the Global Day of Action spearheaded
by the International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) .
The IFJ is the
world’s largest organization of journalists. AMARC has bilateral
relations with IFJ. In the Philippines, the National Union of
Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) serves as IFJ’s local affiliate.
AMARC also called
on the Philippine government to end the culture of impunity and work
for justice for all victims of human rights violations in the country;
Villanueva said
AMARC members would also send petitions to Philippine government
agencies calling for a swift and fair trial of the criminal cases
related to the Ampatuan Massacre and protection of witnesses from
further intimidation and violence.
The Philippine
delegation is composed of Kodao Productions, Radio Sagada, Rainbow
Rights Project and Isis International. bulatlat.com
AMARC Calls Upon the Philippines
Government to Stop Killings of Journalists and Broadcasters
June 28, 2010. Kathmandu. The World
Association of Community Radio Broadcasters-Asia Pacific (AMARC-AP)
condemns the recent killings of three more journalists last week, two of
whom were fellow broadcasters, in the Philippines. The deaths of Desiderio
Camangyan of Sunrise FM (Davao) last June 14, Joselito Agustin of DzJC
Aksyon Radyo (Ilocos Norte) last June 16, and Nestor Bedolido of Kastigado
Newspaper (Digos City) last June 20 bring the number of journalists killed
under the outgoing Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regime to 104.
We hold the outgoing administration
morally liable for allowing the Philippines to become the most dangerous
country for journalists. On the average, one journalist was killed every
month in the last nine years. This fact calls to question the country’s
claim as one of the region’s oldest democracies. To date, 141 journalists
were killed since the baseline year of 1986 when the dictatorship of
Ferdinand Marcos was ousted.
It is more lamentable that very few
cases have been successfully prosecuted. Even the Philippine Secretary of
Justice initially wanted to absolve two suspected perpetrators of the
Ampatuan Massacre that killed 33 journalists last November. We are also
alarmed that one of the witnesses to the most shocking crime against
journalists in history was killed last June June 22, endangering the quest
for justice. AMARC-AP has condemned the massacre in a unanimously-approved
resolution last February in Bangalore, India on the occasion of our second
regional conference.
We enjoin AMARC-AP’s collective voice
with local and international media and human rights organizations in
seeking justice for all victims of media killings and attacks in the
Philippines. AMARC-AP calls on the incoming Benigno Aquino administration
to stop the killings of journalists and other innocent civilians and to
prosecute suspects in all the killings. We also urge the new government to
immediately implement a program that would encourage the establishment and
unencumbered operation of community radio broadcasting in the Philippines.
As the world’s biggest broadcasting
movement with more than 5,000 member community broadcasting stations and
advocates worldwide, AMARC believes that democracy and social justice is
only achievable when there is a free press.
-END-
About AMARC:
AMARC is an international
non-governmental organization serving the community radio movement in over
110 countries, and advocating for the right to communicate at the
international, national, local and neighbourhood levels. AMARC has an
International Secretariat in Montreal. It has regional sections in Africa,
Latin America and Asia Pacific and offices in Johannesburg, Buenos Aires,
Brussels, and Kathmandu. For more information, please contact Suman Basnet,
Regional Coordinator for Asia-Pacific, suman_basnet@asiapacific.amarc.org
or visit www.asiapacific.amarc.org. , ,
Call for Action to
Mark the One-Year Anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre In The Philippines
The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, AMARC and its
member in the Philippines KODAO Productions are calling on all community
radio broadcasters to participate in the Global Day of Action on November
23 to mark the one-year anniversary of the world’s biggest atrocity
perpetrated against journalists.
This Global Day of Action follows a
Resolution of AMARC 10 that was unanimously approved in La Plata,
Argentina on 13 November. The Global Day of Action is being commemorated
in coordination with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and
its affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).
Resolution:
A Resolution Condemning The Ampatuan
Massacre And The Culture Of Impunity In The Philippines Proposed by
Raymund B Villanueva, Kodao Productions, Philippines
WHEREAS, there have
been more than 1,100 victims of extrajudicial killings, 300 victims of
enforced disappearances, tens of thousands of victims of internal
displacement, among other human rights violations in the Philippines since
2001 under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regime;
WHEREAS,
extra-judicial killings and other forms of human rights violations
continue unabated under the new Philippine government of Benigno Simeon C.
Aquino III;
WHEREAS, more than a
hundred Filipino journalists, many of them broadcasters, have been killed,
harassed, and intimidated since 2001;
WHEREAS, the
Philippines is now acknowledged as “the most dangerous country for media
workers”, particularly after the massacre of 58 persons, including at
least 32 journalists, last November 23, 2009—the world’s single biggest
atrocity against journalists;
WHEREAS, it is
widely believed that the Philippine government is accountable for the
culture of impunity due to its implementation of counter-insurgency
programs that target civilians, particularly activists and community
development workers;
WHEREAS, the World
Association of Community Radio Broadcasters promotes the use of community
radio as a tool for development, peace, justice and solidarity, in
accordance with Chapter II, Item 2.1.2 of its Statutes.
IT IS THEREFORE
RESOLVED that:
AMARC condemns in
the strongest terms possible the culture of impunity in the Philippines,
particularly the unabated killing of journalists, including community
media practitioners and advocates;
AMARC shall likewise
call on the Philippine government to end the culture of impunity and work
for justice for all victims of human rights violations in the country;
AMARC shall call on
the new Philippine government to ensure the swift and fair trial of the
criminal cases related to the Ampatuan Massacre and protection of
witnesses from further intimidation and violence.; and
AMARC and its
general membership shall actively participate in the Global Day of Action
on the Ampatuan Massacre on November 23, 2010, in solidarity with its
Filipino members, media organizations in the Philippines and abroad to
mark the first anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre through news stories,
editorials, reports and messages of solidarity from its member community
radio stations, practitioners and advocates worldwide.
(Passed unanimously as the second
resolution of AMARC 10 General Assembly, La Plata, Argentina, 13 November
2010.)
Background: On November 23, 2009, 33
journalists and media workers were brutally murdered in a massacre of 58
people in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao in the southern Philippines.
AMARC is joining the IFJ and many
other international organisations that are coordinating global activities,
including online Facebook and Twitter protests, while the NUJP and its
local partners in the Philippines will run an intense program of events
throughout the Philippines in the lead up to and on November 23. AMARC
will coordinated efforts with AMARC and NUJP-member Kodao Productions.
IFJ Asia-Pacific will join the NUJP
in the Philippines for an international mission in the week of November 23
to provide solidarity to the families and colleagues of those murdered, to
support the NUJP in its tireless campaigning for justice, and to conduct
advocacy with the Government of Benigno Aquino III to demand justice and
an end to the culture of impunity that has gripped the Philippines for far
too long.
Join the campaign and remind our
colleagues there that we remain firmly committed to supporting them as
they continue their struggle for justice and protection.
November 23, 2010: Global Day of
Action
What you can do:
Organise for a delegation from your
organisation to meet with Philippine Ambassadors and consular officials
in your home countries, to alert them to your concerns for journalist
colleagues in the Philippines and to demand that all those responsible
for the Ampatuan town massacre are brought to justice.
Deliver a letter to the President
of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino III, via the Philippines consulate or
embassy in your country – click here to see the templates and fact
sheets. (Ricardo: please place links to the attached “Template Letter to
the Philippine Government.doc’ and ‘template letter to the Philippine
Embassies.doc at this point)
Write to Foreign Ministers and
officials of your home countries to request that your Government demand
that the Philippines administration takes action to address the massacre
and achieve justice.
Participate in online protest
actions which will be organised through social media such as Facebook
and Twitter. We will provide more detail on these actions shortly.
Lead-up to November 23:
Affiliates, partners and colleagues are encouraged to begin a series of
actions that will build up to the Global Day of Action on November 23.
Here are some ways you can show your support:
Prepare a condolence register or
book which can be signed by members of your organisation and all
concerned individuals and organizations. Share the signatures with AMARC,
IFJ, the NUJP and Kodao Productions.
Write letters of support and
solidarity to Kodao Productions and the NUJP. Send them to kodaophils@gmaill.com
and the IFJ at ifj@ifj.org or to IFJ Asia-Pacific at ifj@ifj-asia.org to
be delivered to the NUJP.
Encourage your colleagues working
in the media to prepare and run news and feature reports on the
Maguindanao atrocity and the continuing efforts to secure justice – do
not let this issue fade.
Let everyone know about the Global
Day of Action on November 23, and continue to express your outrage at
the Maguindano atrocity.
Publicity: Please
send photos and information about your protest actions to kodaophils@gmail.com,
the IFJ at ifj@ifj.org and ifj@ifj.asia.org. Photos from last year's
solidarity actions can be seen at the IFJ's flickr page here. Please add
your own photos, with the tags "ampatuan massacre" or "philippines
massacre". Your reports will be compiled and shared publicly by Kodao
Productions, the IFJ and the NUJP to show solidarity with our colleagues
in the Philippines and the strength of a united global demand for justice.
![[image]](http://asiapacific.amarc.org/images/ampatuan1.jpg)
The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, AMARC and its
member in the Philippines KODAO Productions are calling on all community
radio broadcasters to participate in the Global Day of Action on November
23 to mark the one-year anniversary of the world’s biggest atrocity
perpetrated against journalists.