Tag Archives: Extra judicial killings

[Statement] The killings have to stop now or it never will -ALG

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#HumanRights #StopTheKillingsPH

The killings have to stop now or it never will

From ALG FB page

The Alternative Law Groups is, once again, deeply alarmed and disturbed by the continued brazen acts of killings in the country—particularly the double murder of Sonya and Frank Anthony Gregorio perpetuated by Policeman Jonel Nuezca.

This horrendous act of cold-blooded murder is not a mere coincidence nor an “isolated case”. The country has long been plagued by these symptoms of very sick and twisted government policies that emboldened individuals in and out of uniform. It is not a discussion about sweeping statements against the Philippine National Police, rather it is about pointing out a systemic problem deeply embedded to the absolute core that results to a culture of injustice and impunity.

It is not the first time that different groups have issued statements regarding these matters. The people are not truly safe until the administration genuinely corrects the unlawful, violent, and anti-people policies and principles it has set as standard.

The killings have to stop now or it never will.

#StopTheKillingsPH

Alternative Law Groups

Ateneo Human Rights Center

BALAOD Mindanaw

Environmental Legal Assistance Center, Inc. – ELAC

ERDA Foundation, Inc.

KAISAHAN

Process Foundation Panay,inc

Tanggol Kalikasan Inc.

Women’s Legal and Human Rights Bureau – WLB

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[From the web] Philippine Police Kill Another City Mayor -HRW

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Philippine Police Kill Another City Mayor
Questions Arise Around Reliability of Police’s Account of Raid, Killings
By Phelim Kine
Deputy Director, Asia Division
@PhelimKine

Human Rights Watch

Philippine National Police raided the home of the mayor of Ozamiz City in Mindanao, killing more than a dozen people, including the mayor, who Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte had linked to the drug trade.

Police say they entered Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog’s home with a search warrant early Sunday morning, prompting a gunfight with Parojinog’s “private army.” The shooting left Parojinog, his wife, two of his brothers, and 11 other people – including several security guards – dead. Police say they recovered weapons and methamphetamine from the house.

But there are already questions about the reliability of the police account of the incident. Senator Francis Pangilinan questioned why the raid occurred at 2:30 a.m. and why police “paralyzed” close circuit television cameras in and around Parojinog’s home, which could have provided evidence of how the operation unfolded. Parojinog’s daughter, Nova, Ozamiz City’s vice-Mayor who police arrested on Sunday, accused police of planting drugs at the scene.

Skepticism of the accounts by Philippine National Police of anti-drug operations is fully-justified. Human Rights Watch has debunked government claims of the lawful nature of the deaths of more than 7,000 suspected drug users and dealers killed since Duterte took office on June 30, 2016. Interviews with witnesses and victims’ relatives, and analysis of police records, show a pattern of unlawful police conduct designed to paint a veneer of legality over extrajudicial executions.

The majority of those victims have been urban slum dwellers. But police killings of two other city mayors implicated in drug trafficking have also raised questions about police methods and accountability. In October 2016, police killed Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom of Datu Saudi Ampatuan town, in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao in a similar shootout.

On November 5, 2016, police shot to death Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. of Albuera City in what police described as a firefight in his cell after he brandished a concealed pistol. Espinosa had surrendered to the policefollowing public accusations by Duterte that he was a drug trafficker. Both the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine Senate concluded the police officers had committed “premeditated murder.” Despite that ruling, earlier this month, the 18 officers implicated in Espinosa’s death returned to work.

Duterte has repeatedly reassured police officers engaged in his “drug war” that they will not face accountability for their actions. He has even promised to pardon them if they face prosecution for killing people. That means police will continue to kill with impunity for the foreseeable future.

Source: www.hrw.org

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[From the web] Karapatan calls on victims of Palparan to come out and charge him in court -KARAPATAN

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Karapatan calls on victims of Palparan to come out and charge him in court

Karapatan welcomes the long overdue arrest of The Butcher Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr. Those who harbored and kept Palparan from arrest in the past years should be accountable as well.

karapatan_logo4

Palparan’s arrest is due to the persistent and untiring struggle for justice of victims and kin, and the Filipino people against state repression. His arrest does not absolve BS Aquino from accountability for the human rights violations—killings, torture, and enforced disappearances—committed by the Palparans under his reign.

He should be immediately in jail for the disappearance of Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan.

Palparan should be fully accountable for all the evils he committed—extrajudicial killings, torture and disappearances—under Macapagal-Arroyo’s Oplan Bantay Laya.

Among those killed under Palparan are human rights defenders Eden Marcellana and peasant leader Eddie Gumanoy in Southern Tagalog; UCCP Pastor Edison Lapuz, Leyte; Atty. Fedelito Dacut, Leyte; Supreme Bishop Alberto Ramento of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente.

Read full article @www.karapatan.org

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[Urgent Appeal] Three indigenous miners were found buried in a shallow grave -AHRC

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Asian Human Rights Commission

PHILIPPINES: Three indigenous miners were found buried in a shallow grave
April 16, 2014
ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME
Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-052-2014

16 April 2014

——————————————————
PHILIPPINES: Three indigenous miners were found buried in a shallow grave

ISSUES: Extra-judicial killings; Indigenous people
——————————————————

Dear Friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that after being missing for several days, three people were found buried in a shallow grave near their hut. The three victims were last seen by their family on 2 March. The continuing presence of the military has heightened the threats and harassment in the community.

Asian Human Rights Commission

CASE DETAILS: (Based on the documentation by the Alliance for the Advancement of Peoples Rights (KARAPATAN) and Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) and Bulatlat)

On 7 March 2014, Freddie ‘Fermin” Ligiw, (29), Eddie Ligiw, in his mid thirties and Licuben Ligiw in his mid sixties were found in a shallow grave near their hut. Their bodies were piled one on top of the other in the grave. The body of Eddie was at the bottom. He was shirtless when found. On top of him were the bodies of his father, Licuben and his brother, Fermin.

Read full article @www.humanrights.asia

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[Statement] Extrajudicial killings are inconsistent with the “straight path” of PNoy.It must stop now! -FIAN

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Extrajudicial killings are inconsistent with the “straight path” of PNoy.It must stop now!

The killing of Dutch missionary Willem Geertman, in broad daylight, is a gravely serious assault on human rights. It reflects the failure of the state to protect the most basic of all human rights – the right to life.

It highlights the apparent continuing impunity in post-Arroyo administration where killings of journalists and those suspected of being sympathetic to the armed left movement, even if they are civilians, continue.

As an advocate of basic human rights, the Food-First Information and Action Network (FIAN), condemns in the strongest terms this latest act of violence. These killings are inconsistent with the “straight policy direction” of Benigno Aquino III who time and again declared that his administration will correct the wrongs of the previous government. This policy, however, must go beyond the issue of corruption. Equally important is for the Aquino administration to uphold human rights and resolve the extra-judicial killings during the Arroyo administration.

Two years into his term, however, the Aquino administration has not only failed to resolve extra-judicial killings, as reported by many local and international human rights groups but has steadfastly de-emphasized human rights by studiously remaining silent on the issue.

The continuing failure of the government to arrest former General Jovito Palparan, who was believed to have masterminded many killings under the Arroyo administration, highlights failure to resolve human rights violations. Worse, the killing of Dutch missionary Geertman gives us reasons to believe that extra-judicial killings continue with impunity under the Aquino administration.

We remind the President of the Philippines that the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva has condemned extra-judicial killings in the Philippines and that 69 countries recommended that the government take measures to stop them. FIAN Philippines welcomes the creation of a special investigation group to probe Geertman’s murder. We urge for the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible in order to serve justice to the victim, his family, and Filipinos whom he has served faithfully for over four decades.

It is in this regard that we would like to call on the Aquino government to swiftly resolve the killing of Geertman and bring the perpetrators to justice. His pronouncement of “Tuwid na Daan” or “Straight Path” rings hollow in the face of continuing extra-judicial killings. The killings must be stopped and they must be stopped now.
FIAN Philippines
(+632)-3517553

Contact Person:
Aurea G. Miclat-Teves
FIAN Philippines President

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[Urgent Appeal] Gunmen killed a government worker opposing construction of a dam that threatens to submerged villages -AHRC

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Asian Human Rights Commission

May 18, 2012
—————-
PHILIPPINES: Gunmen killed a government worker opposing construction of a dam that threatens to submerged villages
ISSUES: Extrajudicial killings, Human rights defenders
—————-
STOP EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS
http://www.pinoyhr.net/
—————-

Dear Friends,

Asian Human Rights CommissionThe Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) was deeply distressed to learn that a government employee, who opposed the construction of a huge dam that threatens to submerge the villages of indigenous communities, has been killed. He was murdered after he had allegedly been subjected to an overt surveillance.

CASE DETAILS: (Based on the documentation by KARAPATAN-Northern Mindanao Region)

Margarito Cabal was an employee of the Municipality of Kibawe, Bukidnon. Cabal was known for his opposition to the proposed construction of a Hydro-Electric Mega Dam – Pulangi V project. The proposed dam was the project of First Bukidnon Electric Cooperative (FIBECO). He was also a member of the Save Pulangi Alliance, a coalition of people in Bukidnon and Cotabato that are opposing the dam project.

The alliance has opposed the construction as, once completed, it threatens to submerge 22 villages in the provinces of Bukidnon and Cotabato, which includes the land, small farms and the communities of the indigenous people. One of the villages, Tumaras village, is where Cabal’s family live.

On 9 May 2012 at 6:30pm, Cabal returned to his rented home in Palma village from the Kibawe town proper where he worked. He stayed in his rented house during weekdays and returned home on weekends at Tumaras village with his wife and three children. As he was parking his motorcycle, he was shot several times by gunmen riding on a red motorcycle. Some of the neighbours, who heard the shooting, hid in their homes for safety.

After the shooting, his neighbours immediate took him to the nearest hospital but he was declared dead on arrival. He sustained three gunshot wounds in his chest and one in the back from a .45 calibre pistol. The attackers were seen fleeing onboard a red motorcycle with no licence plate number after the shooting. The driver was wearing a helmet and black jacket and the gunman wore a ski mask, dark jacket and denim pants.

Prior to Cabal’s murder, in April 2012 he had already informed his colleagues that a police mobile was suspected to have been tailing him. On one occasion, a police officer riding in a vehicle directed his flashlight at the boarding house he was renting. On 6 May, men onboard a motorcycle were seen near his residence.

Cabal had been suspected by the authorities of having “connection with the communist ‘left'” simply because he has had his frequent trips in the mountain villages of Kibawe which the soldiers labelled as “red areas” (areas of the rebels).

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the concerned authorities listed below expressing your concern about this case.

The AHRC is also writing a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

To support this appeal, please click here:

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear _____________,
PHILIPPINES: Gunmen killed a government worker opposing construction of a dam that threatens to submerged villages

Name of the victim: Margarito “Boy” Cabal, 47 years old, resident of Tumaras village, Kibawe, Bukidnon; married with three children, he works as a utility worker of the Municipality of Kibawe, Bukidnon. He was a member of Save Pulangi Alliance, a coalition of peoples in Bukidnon and Cotabato resisting the dam project.
Background of his work: Cabal, known for his opposition to the proposed construction of a Hydro-Electric Mega Dam – Pulangi V, was an employee of the Municipality of Kibawe, Bukidnon. The project threatens to submerge 22 villages in the provinces of Bukidnon and Cotabato
Alleged Perpetrators: Two unidentified men onboard a red motorcycle with no plate number.
Date of incident: 9 May 2012 at 6:30pm
Place of incident: Palma village, Kibawe town, Bukidnon

I am writing to draw your attention about the killing of Margarito Cabal, a utility worker who worked for the Municipal government of Kibawe, Bukidnon. I have learned that Cabal’s murder was a result of his advocacy opposing the construction of a dam, the Hydro-Electric Dam. The dam threatens to submerge 22 villages, including the land, small farms and communities of the indigenous peoples. The Tumaras village, where Cabal’s family resides, will also be affected by the dam.

Unidentified gunmen shot dead Cabal on 9 May 2012 at 6:30pm at his rented house in Palma village, Kibawe. He was shot as he was parking his motorcycle close to his house. The attackers were riding a red motorcycle with no number plate. The driver was wearing a helmet and black jacket and the gunman wore a ski mask, dark jacket and denim pants. Cabal was taken to the nearest hospital, but was declared dead on arrival. Cabal sustained three gunshot wounds on the chest, and one to the back from a .45 calibre pistol.

Prior to his murder, Cabal has already been the object of an overt surveillance. In April 2012, he had informed his colleagues that he noticed a police vehicle following him. At another occasion, the police riding the vehicle had directed their flashlight at his boarding house. On 6 May, men onboard a motorcycle were seen near the victim’s boarding house in Palma village. Also, he was suspected of having alleged connections with the rebel group for the simple reason that he had been going to the hinterland villages of Kibawe that the military had reportedly labelled as rebel areas.

I urge you to ensure that an investigation be conducted in his murder. Also, the witnesses and family of the victim should also be guaranteed with adequate security and protection to ensure they would have possibility of obtaining remedies should they decide to take legal action. I trust that you will take appropriate action in these cases.
Yours sincerely,

——————————
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. Mr. Benigno Aquino III
President
Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace
JP Laurel Street, San Miguel
Manila 1005
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 736 1010
Tel: +63 2 735 6201 / 564 1451 to 80

2. Ms. Loretta Ann Rosales
Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue
U.P. Complex, Diliman
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 929 0102
Tel: +63 2 928 5655 / 926 6188
E-mail: chair.rosales.chr@gmail.com

3. Director General Nicanor Bartolome
Chief, Philippine National Police (PNP)
Camp General Rafael Crame
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2724 8763
Tel: +63 2 726 4361/4366/8763
E-mail: ruth_cossid@yahoo.com

4. Ms. Leila de Lima
Secretary
Department of Justice (DOJ)
DOJ Bldg., Padre Faura
1004 Manila
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 521 1614
E-mail: soj@doj.gov.ph

 

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
AHRC Philippines page: http://www.humanrights.asia/countries/philippines
Follow us on:
Facebook: ahrc pilipinas
Twitter: @ahrcphilippines
Podcast: AHRC Philippines Rights Cast
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All submissions are republished and redistributed in the same way that it was originally published online and sent to us. We may edit submission in a way that does not alter or change the original material.

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[From the web] CIVICUS Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review 13th Session of the UPR Working Group

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Philippines
Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review 13th Session of the UPR Working Group
Submitted 28 November 2011
Submitted by CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation

1. (A) Introduction

1.1 CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation is an international movement with members in more than 100 countries worldwide. Established in 1993, CIVICUS nurtures the foundation, growth and protection of citizen action throughout the world, especially in areas where participatory democracy and citizen’s freedom of association are threatened.

1.2 In this document, CIVICUS outlines urgent concerns related to the environment in which civil society activists and human rights defenders operate in the Philippines. This submission highlights the major breaches of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

· Section B highlights concerns regarding assassinations and extra-judicial killings of
activists and other civilians
· Section C focuses on the disappearance, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention of
civilians
· Section D highlights attacks on freedom of expression and association of civil
society organisations
· Section E highlights the militarisation in rural and urban areas and the
displacement of civilians
· In Section F, CIVICUS makes a number of recommendations to the Philippine
Government.

Read full report @ upr philippines CIVICUS submission

[Statement] We Run, We Remember, We Struggle -Fr. Robert Reyes

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We Run, We Remember, We Struggle

Fr. Robert P. Reyes
March 21, 2012

September 21, 1972, a day that changed lives, a day that changed a nation. Many were young students and professionals who woke up suddenly deprived of their basic freedom and rights. A president, his wife, relatives and cronies who cannot accept the normal, constitutional transfer of power resort to the use of military might to perpetuate themselves in power. Thus, PD 1081 or Martial Law was declared using as justification, the growing threats to National Security posed by the Communist Party and the Muslim secessionist movement. Warrant-less arrests; torture; forced disappearances; extra-judicial killings; the suppression of human rights, etc. and countless abuses were imposed upon a peaceful and freedom-loving people.

I was then a First Year College Seminarian in San Jose Seminary. And for the next ten years until my ordination as priest in 1982 and another four years as a priest-student in Rome in 1986, I experienced the effects of militarization and the systematic plunder of our nations patrimony by the Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos.

On February 25, 1986 EDSA happened. Through the peaceful People Power revolution Marcos, his family and cronies fled. Cory became our president and immediately worked on the restoration of our basic freedoms and rights. She also restored our lost democracy. Twenty six years later, while we still do enjoy the restoration of our democracy, we ask, “But what kind of Democracy? Is it one that is of, by and for the people or, is it one that is of, by and for a few?” Is Martial Law over, or do we continue to suffer from complex and subtle forms of militarization?

While we no longer talk about Conjugal Dictatorship a related phenomenon has spread like cancer throughout the land. Political dynasties rule every province, city and municipality. While we no longer talk about ASO and Curfew, torture and forced disappearances still take place with many cases filed against suspected perpetrators but hardly any conviction. While we no longer talk about the suppression of the freedom of speech and the systematic spread of government propaganda, we continue to suffer from envelopmental journalism on the one hand and regular media killings either by hooded men or backhoes.

March 21, 2012 is six months before the fortieth anniversary of Matial Law. Through a run of remembrance from Chino Roces bridge to the Commission on Human Rights, we wish to invite and challenge everyone to both remember and to continue the peaceful struggle against both the blatant and subtle forms of the abuse of power; corruption; militarization; manipulation and co-optation of institutions and sectors. Join us, and the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) We Run, Remember and continue the Struggle for Genuine Freedom and Democracy. Join us…run with us at 7:00 a.m. from Chino Roces Bridge, Mendiola to the Commission on Human Rights.

[Isyung HR] Noynoying or not?

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[Isyung HR] Noynoying or not?

by Mokong

Photo by INQUIRER.net

Activist group AnakBayan introduced another way to protest in town, ‘Noynoying’. Nung una, binalewala lang ito ng Malakanyang at sinabing propaganda lang at hindi dapat pinapansin. Bandang huli narealized ng Malakanyang na doing nothing about it is an act of ‘noynoying’ itself. Hahaha!

Don’t just stand there, do something or be charged as ‘noynoying’!

Ginamit ang ‘noynoying’ to protest against inaction of the government sa patuloy na rumaragasang pagtaas ng presyo ng langis. To contribute sa pag-validate ng applicability ng noynoying sa iba pang issues, let’s to enumerate some of the human rights issues. Is the Government ‘noynoying’ or not? Let’s see…

Extra judicial killings, noynoying or not?
Enforced Disappearance, noynoying or not?
Media killings, noynoying or not?
Martial Law Victims Compensation Act, Human Rights Action Plan, Mining, Illegitimate Debt, noynoying or not?

Maiihelera na natin ang ‘noynoying’ ngayon sa mga ‘political terms’ o kaya ‘name callings’ or whatever.
1. Trapo – Traditional Politician
2. Imeldific – ostentatious extravagance
3. Brenda or Brendamage – brain damage
4. Bukol, S.O.P at Pabaon
5. Ma-ku-Cocoy Tulawie ka – threat of being incarcerated for defending human rights in Sulo
6. Wang-wang – mga pagmamalabis
7. Wah! – ask Senator Meriam about this
8. Atbp.

Mokong: Ok mga mokong at mokang, use noynoying in a sentence? Comment na!

 

[In the news] Statistics on various crimes against women alarming – CWR – Bulatlat

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Statistics on various crimes against women alarming – CWR – Bulatlat.

By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com
March 9, 2012

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, March 8, the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR) said that despite the existence and supposed enforcement of 37 Philippine laws, executive orders, resolutions that are supposed to protect and serve the welfare and development of women, violence against them continues.

The group defines violence against women as “an act or series of acts that involves coercion, intimidation, threat, and/or deception. It causes physical, sexual or psychological harm. The CWR also explained that violence against women also includes the neglect of women’s interests, needs, and welfare.

Victims of political repression

Listing what it said were “sins” being committed against Filipino women on a daily basis, the CWR said the Benigno Aquino III administration has yet to prove that it is genuinely pro-women. It also said the armed forces of the government are using violence against women as a means of political repression.

From July 2010 to December 2011, six women fell victim to extra-judicial killings that were politically-motivated. There are currently 35 women political prisoners in different jails in the country. Detained women are more vulnerable to sexual abuse and torture as seen in the cases of former political detainee and now Selda secretary general Angie Ipong and the women belonging to the Morong 43.

Out of the government’s 23 women detainees, 16 reported being subjected to torture.

Apart from the serious implications of political repression, counted among the more serious violations being perpetrated against women is the act of rape. Based on data from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Women’s Crisis and Child Protection Center (WCCPC) , there were 14,201 recorded cases of rape (76.56 percent of all crimes committed against women of a sexual nature), attempted rape (18.68 percent) and incestuous rape (5.74 percent) from January 2000 to August 2011.

From January 2011 to June that same year, there were 28 recorded cases of gang rape.

Another shocking statistic is that one child is raped every two hours and 30 minutes.

In the meantime, based from CWR’s 2012 monitoring records, the youngest victim of rape is three years old while the oldest is 86 years old. Majority or 54 percent of the victims are within the ages of 11 to 20 years old.

The CWR also recorded that from January to June 2011, there were 13 recorded cases of rape perpetrated by elements of the police, military, and paramilitary institutions of the Aquino government.

Only last month, the activist women’s group Gabriela launched a campaign demanding the arrest of six soldiers accused of raping a civilian in Masbate. The 21-year old victim charged the six soldiers, at the Masbate prosecutor’s office, of gang raping her on January 30 and again on February 2 inside the Bravo Company of the Army 9th Infantry Battalion camp in the town of Milagros.

Sexual harassment also remains a serious offense against Filipino women.

From January 2000 to August 2011, there were 757 recorded cases of sexual harassment or five (5) cases per month. In the meantime, the PNP-WCPC also said that one child becomes a victim of sexual harassment every seven hours.

On the home front, women are not spared from violence from their partners and spouses.

From January 2011 to August 2011, the CWR noted that police institutions recorded 5,989 cases of domestic violence as defined by Republic Act 9262. This translates to 748 cases per month, 25 cases per day or one case every 57 minutes and 36 seconds.

More startling is the report that from 2006 to 2011, a total of 29,737 cases of domestic violence were recorded by the PNP-WCPC from 2004 to August 2011.

The crimes of sex trafficking, prostitution and white slavery also continue to victimize women.

From January 2000 to August 2011, there were 619 recorded cases of trafficking. Some 500,000 women fell victim to prostitution during the same period, and 100,000 of these victims were children.

One recent case is that of eight women, four of them minors, who were rescued from a Korean bar in Baguio City. They came from Davao City and were promised high-paying jobs.

Poor maternal and health care

The other crimes being committed against women come in commonplace but no less outrageous forms.

The CWR said that despite the government’s promises to uplift maternal health and childcare services, most Filipino women still do not have access or have only limited access to the same.

Citing reports from the Department of Health and other sources, the CWR said 60 percent of birth deliveries occur at home where two out of three are delivered by an unskilled attendant. Only 25 percent of poor pregnant women are able to undergo medical checkups and give birth with the assistance of doctors or nurses.

Despite developments in global health care, leading causes of maternal mortality in the Philippines include complications related to pregnancy occurring in the course of labor, delivery and puerperium, hypertension complicating pregnancy, postpartum hemorrhage. All these complications can be easily prevented if the patients have been given proper medical attention.

Read full article @ bulatlat.com

[From the web] MINDANAO DECLARATION: Defending The Dignity Of Life, Securing Our Future- www.ecoteneo.org

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Official Statement of the ADDU- CEAP-International Conference on Mining, 26-27 January, 2012

 AWARE of the current state of the mining industry in the Philippines driven by corporate greed and the existing policy framework promoted by the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and inherited by President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III,

AWARE of the confession of the government that ‘there is no standard resource and environment valuation’ and institutional issues need to be addressed to ensure sustainability of the country’s fragile environment and natural resources’ (Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016, pp. 310, 320-322),

AWARE that harsh effects of mining on water systems, biodiversity, air, land and island ecosystems lead to environmental destructions and disasters aggravating the impacts of hydro-meteorological hazards and threatening agriculture and food security,

AWARE that the Philippines is the most vulnerable to typhoons in the world; ranked third in disaster risk and natural hazards; and sixth considered in extreme risk due to climate change,

AWARE that the mining industry’s available economic data on value added, employment, exports and revenue contributions are aggregated, thus not helpful in economic analysis; and revenue shares of national and local government amounting to only 0.91% average contribution to Gross Domestic Product,

AWARE that mining companies in collaboration with concerned government agencies have been grossly violating human rights of communities and advocates through threats, extra-judicial killings, Investment Defense Force, mining militias, fabricating ‘free, prior and informed consents (FPIC)’, dividing and exploiting indigenous peoples communities and perpetuating other acts degrading human dignity,

AWARE that small-scale miners and workers have been blamed for various environmental disasters by the Chamber of Mines in favor of large mining companies, however, further aware that the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and other agencies failed to fulfill its mandate to provide technical and, when displaced, extend immediate sustainable economic assistance,

AWARE that the number of local government units who are standing up to oppose mining in their respective jurisdictions is increasing, however, not recognized by the national government and mining companies,

AWARE of the aforesaid REALITIES,

We, therefore, call for the promotion of sustainable, responsible and equitable management and utilization of our natural resources, toward the conservation and protection of the environment and rehabilitation of mined areas.

We call for the REPEAL OF THE MINING ACT OF 1995 (RA 7942) and REVOCATION OF ARROYO’S REVITALIZATION OF THE MINING INDUSTRY (EO 270 and 270-A), which are ANTI-FILIPINO, ANTI-ENVIRONMENT AND VIOLATIVE OF HUMAN RIGHTS,

We call for the ENACTMENT OF THE CONSOLIDATED ALTERNATIVE MINERALS MANAGEMENT BILL pending in the House of Representatives,

We further call for an IMMEDIATE MINING MORATORIUM and suspension and cancellation, if applicable, of all mining operations, licenses and applications, while the relevant mining policies are being reviewed; and concerned government agencies be held accountable.

With this declaration, we therefore INVOKE

OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO A BALANCED AND HEALTHFUL ECOLOGY IN THE SPIRIT OF PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE AND INTER-GENERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY

Reiterating the words of our brother MACLIING DULAG, an environmental martyr of the Cordilleras:

“Such arrogance to speak of owning the land, when you shall be owned by it. How can you own that which will outlive you?”

LET THIS DECLARATION RECLAIM THIS LAND FOUGHT FOR BY THE HEROES AND MARTYRS OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE.

ALL THESE FOR TRUTH, COUNTRY, AND THE COMMON GOOD.

Source: www.ecoteneo.org

[In the news] Kidnap-murder case closed | Sun.Star

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Kidnap-murder case closed | Sun.Star.

By Teresa Ellera-Dulla

THE Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 27 sentenced to 120 years in prison 12 police officers who were accused of kidnapping and murdering three victims in August 2, 2003.

After eight years of waiting, the family of former Pahanocoy barangay captain Eleuterio Salabas, maritime instructor Ricardo Suganob and Maximo Lomoljo, finally achieved justice.

However, only three of the 12 accused policemen were apprehended: Chief Inspectors Clarence Dongail, Jimmy Fortaleza and Senior Police Officer 2 Freddie Natividad.

Twelve other civilians were also accused.

Elizabeth Orola Salabas, Eleuterio’s widow, said she believes that not only their family attained justice but also the other victims of the policemen who were convicted.

Read full article at Sunstar.com.ph

[In the news] No ‘cold case’ for widow on quest for justice – Nation – GMA News Online – Latest Philippine News

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No ‘cold case’ for widow on quest for justice – Nation – GMA News Online – Latest Philippine News.

By VERA Files
(Conclusion of the article “DOJ to reopen ‘cold’ cases of extrajudicial killings”)

BAGUIO CITY—It has been almost six years since her husband was killed along a lonely stretch of highway in Ilocos Sur, but Florence “Dom-an” Macagne Manegdeg refuses to end her quest for justice.

“Mabigat sa akin na hindi umuusad ang kaso (It’s a burden for me that this case is not moving forward). Others may consider it a cold case, but for me, it will always be a hot case,” Manegdeg said.

A health worker and flutist, Manegdeg was many miles away from the Philippines when her husband Pepe was killed in San Esteban town on the night of Nov. 28, 2005.

Pepe was waiting for a ride along the national highway in Barangay Apatot, hoping to be in Manila in time to fetch Manegdeg, then working in Hong Kong, who was arriving at 5 a.m. the next day. He never got on that bus; he was shot around 10 p.m., his body bearing 22 gunshot wounds.

The Ilocos police later tagged a member of the Army, Capt. Joel Castro of the 50th Infantry Battalion, as the main suspect. The provincial prosecutor initially said Castro was accompanied by five other men during the attack, but he dismissed the case in 2007, citing the retraction made by the lone witness.

Read full article at GMAnews.tv

[In the news] DOJ to reopen ‘cold’ cases of extrajudicial killings – Nation – GMA News Online – Latest Philippine News

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DOJ to reopen ‘cold’ cases of extrajudicial killings – Nation – GMA News Online – Latest Philippine News.

By LEILANI ADRIANO AND BOBBY LABALAN, VERA Files
(First of two parts)

In the chronicles of human rights violations, Judge Ariston Rubio is listed as one of the first victims of extrajudicial killings under the administration of Gloria Arroyo.

Almost a decade since he was slain in broad daylight by two unidentified gunmen on the Batac-Currimao road in Ilocos Norte on Oct. 31, 2001, Rubio’s murder remains unsolved.

Like Rubio, United Methodist pastor Isaias Sta. Rosa was also a victim of extrajudicial killings (EJKs), the 21st church worker killed during the Arroyo administration.

Taken from his home in Daraga, Albay by 10 hooded men in the evening of Aug. 3, 2006, Sta. Rosa was hogtied, beaten up and then dragged to a nearby creek where he was shot six times. His killers have never been punished.

In both cases, years of investigation ended in a blank wall, with police and prosecutors giving up either for lack of witnesses or insufficiency of evidence.

The Department of Justice, however, is set to wipe the dust off forgotten cases like these and reopen them, following a directive from President Benigno Aquino III to resolve and put closure to cases of human rights violations during Arroyo’s term.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima recently signed Department Order 848 creating a task force that will reopen cold case files on EJKs, torture and enforced disappearances.

“Those that didn’t even reach the investigation stage, are still under investigation by the police, by the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), other investigating agencies…we will address that issue,” said Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III who was designated head of the task force.

“I have sent several memoranda to our prosecutors in the field all over the country where there are pending preliminary investigations and pending court hearing involving human rights cases,” he added.

Read full erticle at GMAnews.tv