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TANGGULAN Youth Network for Human Rights and Civil Liberties
879 National Council of Churches in the Philippines, EDSA, Quezon City
(Email: scmpinas@gmail.com ; Contact:09289526973)
July 16, 2008 MEDIA RELEASE
Youth group slams AFP's lies, urge military to turn over Fatima to
Nanay Maria
The youth group TANGGULAN Youth Network for Human Rights and Civil
Liberties slammed the Armed Forces of the Philippines' continuous cover-up
of the Gumanoy sisters' abduction on July 3.
According to Biyaya Quizon, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines
and TANGGULAN convenor, the abduction is back-firing to the military and
said there must be a graver motive behind the abduction other than
harassment.
The group suspects the AFP might be concocting a scenario by holding
Fatima Gumanoy, a minor, under military custody in time for the UN Special
Representative on Child Soldiers visit in the country in August.
"Just that the plan boomerang and now the military wants to transfer
Fatima's custody to the Department of Social Welfare and Development
against the will of their mother Nanay Maria Gumanoy," Quizon said.
"We believe Nanay Maria Gumanoy's claim that Rose Ann was made to admit
they voluntarily sought help from the military due to pressure and
possible blackmail especially that Fatima is also being detained illegally
in the Fort Bonifacio hospital," Quizon said.
TANGGULAN condemns the military's dirty war and use of the Gumanoy sisters
to prop up its "damaged" reputation due to extra-judicial killings and
enforced disappearance attributed to the military's implementation of the
government's counter-insurgency OPLAN BANTAY LAYA since 2001.
The girls' father, peasant leader Eddie Gumanoy was murdered together with
human rights defender Eden Marcellana in 2003 at the height of OPLAN
BANTAY LAYA implementation under Col. Jovito Palaparan.
"It seemed very far-fetched that Rose Ann would suddenly change heart and
trust the military like friends. The entire childhood of Rose Ann and
Fatima was full of anguish primarily due to the murder of their father Ka
Eddie and relentless military harassment until today," Quizon said.
TANGGULAN asserts that aside from Rose Ann, it is Fatima who has suffered
heavy trauma since 2001 when the Gumanoy family was displaced by
countryside militarization and sought shelter at the Union of Theological
Seminary in Cavite, becoming the first community of "internal refugees" in
Southern Tagalog under Arroyo administration.
The youth group condemned the relentless militarization of the
countryside, "which chooses no victims, old and young" citing KARAPATAN-Southern
Tagalog's data showing 30, 133 displaced individuals. "Like Fatima, there
are many children suffering as 'permanent internal refugees' in Southern
Tagalog, leaving one community after another, stopping school and
shattering their dreams to live a normal childhood due to military
operations."
"We hope that Court of Appeals will heed Nanay Maria's prayers for
Fatima's custody while Rose Ann be freed from military harassment. The
military has already caused too much heart-ache to Nanay Maria and we hope
the court can help them get a temporary reprieve."
Today, the Court of Appeals is set to hear the petition for the writ of
habeas corpus filed by Maria Gumanoy with the Lt. Gen. Victor Forado,
general commander of the Philippine Amy headquarters, together with the
director of the Fort Bonifacio General Hospital as the main respondents.#
Reference:
Biyaya Quizon, TANGGULAN Convenor (Contact:09289526973)
Leni Valeriano, Public Information officer (09154386099)
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