Killing of Panay Fair Trade Center (PFTC)’s Chair and Founder

Dear all,

FIAN Philippines, through FIAN International, has been recently informed by DWP, a German Fair Trade Corporation, about the killing of one of their long-time friends and partners in the Philippines, Romeo Capalla.

On March 15, 2014, Romeo, a social justice advocate and chair and founder of Panay Fair Trade Center (PFTC), was shot by two armed men in front of his 90-year-old mother in law several times into his head near the Otin market on Panay island in the Philippines. Only 1 1/2 hours later the sugar cane mill of a group of small-scale farmers KAMADA was set on fire. Fortunately nobody was harmed during the attack.

DWP believes that these two attacks were a surgical strike towards the successful work of PFTC that created through their fair trade greater social justice on the island. The PFTC was also highly engaged in humanitarian aid and rehabilitation work when super typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines last year.

Neither have the perpetrators been identified, nor has an investigation been initiated. Therefore DWP is requesting support to demand an immediate investigation on the said incidents.

http://www.manilatimes.net/philippine-fair-trade-manager-assassinated/84600/

http://www.wfto.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2016&Itemid=314

http://lnx.imcert.it/v3/index.php?doc_id=5&lan=en&indeep=225

http://bayanihan.org/2014/03/31/capallas-gun-slay-a-cleared-case-pnp-newsfeature/

Click to access THE%20DAILYGUARDIAN%20Mar%2021,%202014.pdf

Should you have any intervention/action planned in this regard, please forward it to Claudia of DWP (claudiazieger@gmx.de).

Please also disseminate the information to your networks.

Thank you very much.

Kate Atienza
National Coordinator
FIAN Philippines

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