Hold those behind the killing of Geertman responsible—Dutch envoy

The Dutch government on Friday urged Philippine officials to seriously go after those behind the killing of its national, a non-government organization worker, shot dead in Pampanga last Tuesday.

Dutch Ambassador Robert Brinks said he was “shocked and saddened” by the recent murder of Willem Geertman, 67, and “conveyed his sympathy to those dear him.”

Brinks, in a statement, noted Geertman’s years of involvement with local development and humanitarian organizations and expressed his “sincere hope that authorities will hold those behind the killing accountable.”

Police said Geertman may have been killed in a robbery attempt following witnesses’ accounts that he went to a bank before he was shot.

Earlier reports said the Dutch national was shot at close range at the Alay Bayan-Luson Inc. (ABI) office, where Geertman works as its executive director, in San Fernando, Pampanga by two unidentified gunmen who fled in a motorcycle.

“Human rights remain one of the important pillars of Dutch foreign policy,” Brinks said, adding the embassy has partnered with local human rights organizations, supported dialogues with the Philippines Commission on Human Rights, law enforcement and human rights defenders to help Manila address extrajudicial killings.

“It is our hope that these projects will also contribute to addressing impunity,” Brinks said. –KG, GMA News

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Palparan should end up in jail not in congress—lawyers group

“Gen. Palparan’s incorrigible, remorseless and unmitigated demonization of defenseless civilians merits him a place behind bars more than a seat in Congress.”

This was the statement of Atty. Edre Olalia, Secretary General of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), in response to reports that retired Major General Jovito Palparan was planning to run for a partylist seat in Congress in 2013 on the basis of his “expertise in security.”

“He should not be daydreaming this early. It would be healthier for him if he deals with the reality that he is facing and will be facing a string of multiple charges in different fora and that sooner or later, justice will catch up on him,“ Atty. Olalia added.

Trying to smokescreen the strength of the evidence against him, Palparan manifested his intention to run for Congress in an interview during a break in the clarificatory hearing of the preliminary investigation conducted by a panel of the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the enforced disappearance of University of the Philippines (UP) student-activists Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan.

“The partylist system is intended to empower the marginalized sectors and not to perpetuate into power those who marginalize them. It is supposed to be a social justice mechanism intended to give more in law to those who have less in life and not to those who have destroyed many lives,” Atty. Olalia pointed out.

Palparan continues to label activists, progressive groups and members of Congress as enemies of the state. This fascist way of thinking and messianic delusions, according to Atty. Olalia, is the mindset for extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances as it makes no distinction between armed rebels and defenseless civilians and as it gives no regard to legal processes and to human rights.

Meanwhile, during the pendency of the preliminary investigation, Wilfredo Ramos, one of the eye-witnesses for the complainants, was approached three times in their barangay by military men to recant his testimony in exchange for economic considerations.

Ramos vividly recognized a security aide of Palparan as one of the abductors. The aide was later named as Staff Sergeant Edgardo Osorio of the 24th Intelligence Service Unit of the Philippine Army based in Fort Bonifacio.

“This is clearly a case of subtle harassment by the military in a desperate attempt to weaken the merits of the case and to relieve of any criminal responsibility all those who are part of the conspiracy,” Atty. Olalia commented.

Also, Raymond Manalo identified during the clarificatory hearing one of his abductors as Major Harry Baliaga, the identified suspect in the abduction of activist Jonas Burgos.  Manalo is a human rights victim himself and an eyewitness for the complainants in the case of Sherlyn and Karen.

“Baliaga’s involvement both in the enforced disappearance of the Manalo brothers and of Jonas only attests to the  fact that security forces systematically perpetrate extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in that they should not be taken simply as individual cases of human rights violations unrelated to each other,”Atty. Olalia insisted.

Criminal Charges Against Palparan Nears Resolution

The clarificatory hearing last Friday concluded the preliminary investigation on the criminal charges against Palparan et. al. for the enforced disappearance of the two UP students.   “The clarificatory hearing reinforced that the testimonies of the witnesses for the complainants were vivid, candid, consistent and straightforward.” Atty. Olalia noted. “This is as opposed to the telling inconsistencies between the testimonies of the respondents denying the accusations against them to save their skin.” In fact, Palparan was compelled to make damning admissions that further “connect the dots,“ he added.

“Given the strength of the evidence against Palparan and his cohorts, the context and the circumstances of the case and related incidents, we trust that there is a sufficient ground to hold the respondents for trial and that corresponding charges will be filed soon,” Atty. Olalia asserted. “We should not let up and be vigilant in ensuring that the perpetrators of this horrendous crime will be accountable for their felonious acts,”   he concluded.

The legal team for the complainants and their witnesses include Atty. Julian Oliva, Atty. Ephraim Cortez, Atty. Cristina Yambot, Atty. Jobert Pahilga, Atty. Jill Santos and Atty. Olalia, all members of the NUPL. .

Reference: Atty. Edre U. Olalia, NUPL Secretary General (09175113373)

Oplan Bayanihan’s brutality hides under the slogan of “human rights, peace and development”—Karapatan

Extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations continue despite the government’s claim that its new counter-insurgency program Oplan Bayanihan adheres to human rights and that the AFP is in the communities for peace and development.

The killing of Rabenio Sungit, 44 years old, is the latest incident of extrajudicial killing under the P-Noy government.  Sungit was shot dead on September 5, 2011 in a public market in the Municipality of Quezon, Palawan.  He was with his wife Trinidad and son Rocky when the incident happened. Trinidad saw the long-haired triggerman who left the scene through a motorcycle driven by another person.

Prior to the incident, Trinidad said that elements of the Philippine Marines visited them frequently. A known military informer in the community was also constantly asking for Sungit’s whereabouts. Shortly before the killing, Sungit attended a human rights seminar in Puerto Princesa.  Rabenio Sungit was a lay leader of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), leader of the indigenous group PAGSAMBATAN (Pagkakaisa ng mga Katutubo or Unity of Indigenous Peoples) and a member of ANAKPAWIS Partylist.

Rabenio’s brother Abe Sungit, who was listed in the military’s “order of battle”, was killed in 2005 under GMA’s Oplan Bantay Laya. Both were killed by motorcycle-riding men. Both were leaders of the indigenous peoples who fought for their ancestral lands against the encroachment of large-scale mining companies in their communities.

Previous to this, on the night of September 2, 2011, seven-year old Sunshine Jabinez, a second grade pupil, was killed while sleeping in their home in Purok 3, Biasong, Bgy. Napnapan, Pantukan, CompostelaValley. A drunken PFC Baltazar Ramos went wild, fired his gun into the air and the bullet found its way into the sleeping child. The girl was wounded on her right buttocks and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. According to the doctor, the bullet made its way to the spinal cord and to her stomach. Earlier in the evening, PFC Ramos of the Bravo Company of the 71st IBPA, 10th ID had a fight with a fellow soldier then with a civilian after a drinking spree with other members of the military stationed in the community of Bgy. Napnapan.

The military has become more visible in the community since 2010 when the Napnapan Mineral Resources, Inc. (NMRI) was granted a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau. The MPSA gives the NMRI the right to mine, for 25 years, the nearly 5,000 hectares of land in Sitios Napnapan and Sitio Ayan in Brgy. Kingking. The military justifies their presence in the community as part of their peace and development efforts.

Sunshine Jabinez’s death is one of the 14 documented cases of violation of children’s right to protection of safety by the state in Bgy. Napnapan, Pantukan, CompostelaValley since 2009.

Both the deaths of Sunshine Jabinez and Rabenio Sungit are related to military presence and operations in mining areas. The military deployed in the areas hide behind the catchphrase of peace and development to justify their presence in the communities or as an excuse for combat operations. But no matter what they say, their mere presence in the communities poses risk on the lives of the people as evidenced by the concrete actions they take against the people such as harassment, intimidation, arrests and detention, enforced evacuation, enforced disappearances and killings, among others.

Now, the military says that their counter-insurgency program, Oplan Bayanihan, is for winning the peace.  We hope they don’t mean the peace of the grave or the people’s meekness and silence over human rights violations.

As of end June, there are already 50 incidents of extrajudicial killings under the P-Noy administration, 19 of these are under the banner of Oplan Bayanihan.