Numbers of political killings in the Philippines are increasing for a second year, with at least 51 killings in the first six months of 2006 compared to 66 collated by Amnesty International in the whole of 2005. The leadership of the armed insurgency has threatened to form retaliatory assassination squads, according to an Amnesty International report released yesterday.
The killings follow a pattern of unidentified men shooting leftist party members before escaping on motorcycle and have taken place in the context of an intensified counter-insurgency operation. The Philippine government has failed to protect individuals.
“Stemming this tide of killings requires genuine political will to ensure prosecutions in all cases — not only the ten cases in ten weeks recently called for by President Arroyo,” said Tim Parritt, South East Asia researcher at Amnesty International.
Attacks rarely lead to the charge, arrest, or prosecution of the murderers.Amnesty International is concerned that a long-existing failure to prosecute and convict those suspected of human rights violations is having a corrosive impact on public confidence in the rule of law.
Of 114 killings recorded since 2001 by Task Force *Usig *– the unit that coordinates investigations into political killings — the police have arrested suspects in just three cases and no convictions have been reported.
“Solving these crimes does not mean simply the police filing a report with the prosecutor. It means an independent and effective investigation followed by a fair trial and punishment of those found responsible. Only then can justice be said to be done.”
Reverend Edison Lapuz, a member of his church’s national council, worked for the rights of farmers and fisherfolk and served as a regional co-ordinator for the Bayan Muna political party. He was active in seeking justice for the killing of a local human rights lawyer, Felidito Dacut, who had been shot dead by two men riding a motorcycle.
On 12 May 2005 Reverend Lapuz was killed by two unidentified men in the house of his father-in-law, whose funeral he had been attending earlier that day. Local residents said they had seen four men on motorcycles parked at a nearby store before the shooting, wearing their helmets.
Before his death, Reverend Lapuz had complained to fellow church workers in Manila that he was under surveillance by the military. His sister said that uniformed military personnel had come to their father’s house and asked for detailed information about her brother the previous October.
There are serious concerns about police investigations into Reverend Lapuz’s death, with witnesses not being offered adequate protection. The investigation remains stalled, and over a year since the attack no charges have been filed or arrests made.
“The failure to identify and investigate suspects is fuelling a lack of trust in the police and aggravating the lack of convictions. Witnesses are afraid to come forward. Victims’ families are liable to refuse to involve themselves in police investigations or to withdraw from court proceedings,” said Tim Parritt.
“Those responsible, including any from the security forces, must be prosecuted and punished. It must be established whether there was an official chain of command underlying both the crime and its cover-up.”
The organisation is concerned that the government’s declaration of “all-out war” on the Communists paves the way for further increases in killings. Most of those killed are members of legal leftist political parties which despite their legal status have been accused by senior government officials of being front organisations for illegal communist armed groups.
“No-one deserves to die for their political affiliation,” said Tim Parritt. “It should be a deep embarrassment to the government that people in the Philippines cannot freely exercise their rights of political expression and association.”
The increasing killings have contributed to the breakdown of the peace process with the Communists. Amnesty International believes that only when the government takes decisive steps to prevent and prosecute political killings can any hope for peace be realised.
To see the report, *Philippines: Political killings, human rights and the
peace process*, please go to :
http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/
engasa350062006.
For further information and interviews please call London, UK : +44 (0)
7904
398288 (UK is currently seven hours behind Philippines time)
Public Document
****************************************
For more information please call Amnesty International’s press office in
London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566
Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web:
http://www.amnesty.org
For latest human rights news view http://news.amnesty.org
The President announced in Cebu city (according to PCIJ blog today) that she’ll be bringing in a judge, maybe a retired SC justice as special prosecutor to go after the resolve the polical killings that are going on. I said what? Bring in more “clowns to complicate matters? Or to cover them up even better? And what wrong with the present prosecutors and police authorities” Are they not cabable of solving a single one of the hundreds of Political killings? I’d say the situation is the reflection of your administration Ms President. The culture that you have developed among the very people that may or may not have your approval, assumed they do tacitly. And not being brought to justice confirmed their assumptions. Ms President, one more “clown” will make the scene funnier or the clown can also make the it sad..
My mistake it was in MLQ blog today not PCIJ. Sorry for the rush. Getting ready to go to work.
The truth is Amnesty International Japan is making a formal launching of the campaign in Japan likewise of the above on Sunday during our activity at the Musashi Koyama Rinshi21 Kumin Shukaijo near a national park that is considered one of the biggest of such natural park in Tokyo.
Amnesty International has in fact invited a number of NGOs to the said meeting where we plan to show a documentary prepared by various concerned NGOs around the world aimed at educating both Japanese and Philippine public on this issue of the killings of human rightists tagged as Communists by this cheat who is likely more to be remembered not as a benevolent queen of some enchanted kingdom but a female version of Germany’s Hitler! 😛
We invite bloggers based in Japan to join us. You may try to contact 090-1814-4825 for directions. It is accessible from Musashi Koyama Station on the Mita Line, Nambu Line, and Meguro Line from JR’s Meguro Station.
The meeting will be from 12 pm to 4:00 pm with a short picket at the Philippine Consulate at Roppongi in the morning.
Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a worldwide campaign to remove the Hitler of the Philippines from her usurped position to stop her from calling herself “President of the Philippines” that she does not deserve to have as a title because she did not earn it the proper way even if there were Congressmen and Senators who connived with her and her husband to insure she got what she wanted from the time her father perhaps became president of the Philippines. 😡
Watch out for the other members of this clan, which has this tradition of betraying public trust as their ancestor, Lazaro Macapagal did more than a century ago, not to repeat this kind of betrayal of public trust ever again in the not so distant future. 🙁
What this gloria’s “goons” are doing is “THE SLAUGHTER OF THE MEEK AND THE WEAK”….yan na lang tayong mga Pilipino ngayon sa tingin nina gloria…ginagawa nila tayong parang mga “asong nakatali, kumakahol pero hindi makapangagat, at kapag naingayan na sila sa sobra nating pag-kahol…BANG!…tahimik na, patay na ang aso, namatay na nakatali pa rin”.
At dahil sa kapampangan ang ungas ay baka kainin pa ang aso, Spartan, di ba? Sa totoo lang, parang kinakain nga ng buhay ang mga pilipino na gusto nilang gamitin pulutan! Yuck! 😡
talaga lang ha!! GMA will appoint a judge or a justice to solve and put in jail those people involved in killing,legal militant and journalist!!to me am sure this are all gimmick or in local lingo ” gino gudtym tayo” just wait and see..she will be appointing no other than justice(si)Raul Gonzales or maybe ex justice Nani(guro) Perez.
Let`s all loving filipinos start civil dis obedience.. people power and put this rascal to where she belong..JAIL her evil legion`s six feet under and give them all their FINAL CURTAIN !!!
BLACK WEDNESDAY. Talo tayo sa substance issue. Kailangan talaga ang tamang number. Walang maaasahang tumino ang mga baluktot at ganid sa pera na mga congressmen. Masakit mang isipin, dito sa Pilipinas mas maraming crooked people ang yumayaman. Iyong mga disente at ethical na mga tao, sila ang napag-iiwanan. Christian value kasi iyon. Masuwerte ang ang mga naaapi dito sa lupa dahil sa langit ang kanilang punta! Iyong mga congressmen natin, saan kaya sila pupunta?
Ms. Ellen, I don’t think a reader should be allowed to attack one’s race or origin. Gender, religious or ethnic bashing should not be allowed here. What’s wrong with being a Kapampangan? How dare anyone refer them to dogs?
My father comes from San Fernando, Pampanga; but we all grew up in Manila. As a half-Kapampangan, you could see that I’m very much against this Gloria. There are good and bad Kapampangan as there are good and bad Ilocanos and Japanese. Not all the members of the Japanese Imperial army were bad. Many were forced to commit atrocities because they were orderd to do it.
so , what now ??? wait another year ???
i hope someone posts the pictures of those lawmakers who quashed the impeachment complaint para makasama sa “Ostracize” list.
Among the visible Congressmen were of course Villafuerte, Cagas, Dimaydatung, Nograles…and of course GMA’s number one salesman JDV.
IT IS a sad day for the Filipinos.
The impeachment was killed by TONGressmen who benefited an will benefit from the PORK[ which actually comes from the very people they betrayed. That’s our tax, people!]
The dumping of the impeachment complaints also killled the entire nation’s hope for recovery. The nation is sick: sick, because its Congress is littered by wannabes, fakes, and greedy dogs who lap at every little thing its evil master dangle before them. Sick, because these very people whose basic responsibility is to protect the interest of its community.
HANGGANG KAILAN masasadlak sa dusa ang ating Bayan?
Sick, because these very people whose basic responsibility is to protect the interests of its community has shown that their personal and vested interests are served more than what is right.
I cry for the country.
I cry for the Filipinos.
HANGGANG KAILAN masasadlak sa dusa ang ating Bayan?
taipan, there’s no other way now but a REVOLUTION ! All options have been tried; yet, the Filipino have not been accorded the justice due them.
While there is no concrete proof that the military has a hand in all of these political killings now reaching in an alarming proportion, the circumstances and pattern of execution points to them as the perpetrators. The public perception then that the institution have a direct hand in these killings are justified. The public suspicions against the establishment is therefore not without basis.
As commander-in-chief of the AFP, GMA should absorb all the blame. It is no consolation to the public that she issued statement to the effect that she ordered the police establishment to solve 10 cases a week, or form another body to duplicate the work which has to be done by PNP. Her assurance is not so reassuring to the anxious public at all. That move is redundant and an additional budgetary burden to an already overburdened taxpayers, unless the purpose is merely to give job and extraordinary perquisites to her allies and supporters.
I would not believe that any sitting President is capable of adopting a sinister policy of killing anybody opposed to him or her. The problem is there are people who in an over zealousness to please the dispenser of power and privileges bureaucratic position brings, will do anything, even illegal, to call the attention of appointing power to himself hoping that doing so would raise him a notch higher in the bureaucratic ladder.
There is such thing as “sin by omission”. That is why, the President should absorb the entire blame because the general public perception is growing that she is not doing enough to stop all these killings.
npongco….kung babasahin mo iyong komento ko…hindi ko sinabing “aso ang kapampangan”…in fact, “inihalintulad ko ang sitwasyon ng mga Pilipino sa kabuuan na tulad ng isang aso, maingay, kahol ng kahol, at dahil nakatali ay hindi naman makapangagat…”, hindi ba’t iyan ang kasalukuyang “scenario” diyan sa ating bansa? Nag-iingay tayong mga Pilipino…pero dahil sa “tengang kawali” nga at ubod ng kapal ang mukha ni gloria…walang nangyayari, kundi ang “pagpatay” sa mga “nag-iingay” nating kababayan.
Now, with regards to the common saying…”kapangpangan, dugong aso…”, hindi ko alam kung saan nagmula ang kasabihan na iyan, pero magmula ng mag-kaisip ako ay naririnig ko na ang salitang iyan. Talagang masakit masabihan ng ganiyan…pero dapat ay itanong din natin..kung papaano at bakit naging “bansag” iyan sa mga taong mula sa bayan ng Pampangga. “Whatever is not true does not hurt, but the truth always hurt….and, it’s always hard to swallow.”
Spartan, I don’t think the statement about Kapampangan being referred to as dogs came from you. Please scroll up and see who wrote it. It came from someone from a country close to Korea who seems to have hatred for Kapampangan.
Anyway, if they want to find dogs…small or big…go to Malacanang and the Congress. They are all barking and waving their tails.
Hopefully, AI will not find itself being slapped with a libel suit by the Pidals, who must be looking forward to making money out of these lawsuits especially if they can have their friends or frighten some chicken judge to decide in their favor!
What a crap! Filipinos pride themselves of being democratic but you go against the Pidals, and you find yourself with a libel suit or 6 feet under ground!
Ang galing talaga!—sa kawalanghiyaan! Sising-sisi ngayon ang mga tumulong sa mga walanghiyang ito!!! I hope they have learned their lessons over there. Surely, there are other ways to remove the Pandak, the Dambuhala, et al even not by some EDSA. One way is to seek the help of the ICJ that tried crooks like Pinochet, et al. Best way in fact is to seek for judgment and elimination from Up Above!
Kudos in fact to what CODAL is doing trying to bring back sanity in that land of the Super Atsay and Super Ta-pu! Pandak, Patalsikin Na, Now Na!
Agree with npongco about not allowing attacks on persons due to their race/origin. On the other hand I am positive to dogs because of their loyalty to the hand that feed them.. Npongco is now craving for a revolution. Di ko alam kung nasa pinas sya pero kahit na, may mga relatives din siguro sya duon na maaaring masalanta. If only the guilty will be punished in a revolution, maybe. But history say that the weak will suffer most. I am too old to crave for anything but still hope for the betterment of the fil race which I am not ashame to say I belong to.
norpil, there’s such a thing as bloodless revolution. If some blood should be poured as a result for fighting for freedom and seeking justice, then let it be. What are we to do now? Wait until next year and file another impeachment complaint then be junked again? Think about the evils and damages this Gloria would make within one year. Another year with her in Malacanang is equivalent to another 100 years of hell.
Tutoo naman ugaling aso o lahing aso ang mga Kapampangan. Hindi lang kasabihan iyan kundi tutoo. Tingnan mo itong si tiyanak na taga Lubao. Si Bong Pineda…si Supreme Court Chief Panganiban…si Senator Kiko Pangilinan…si Comelec Chairman Abalos…si Cory at kapatid niyang pangit na si Peping. Ang alam ko may pagkatraidor ang mga taga-Pampanga. Kaya ang umagaw sa kapangyarihan ng dalawang pangulo eh parehong Kapampangan…Cory at Gloria.
Circa 1901 Philippine-American War
U.S. occupation forces commander Frederick Funston with the help of Macabebe mercenaries captured General Emilio Aguinaldo. The Americans hired Macabebe natives in its counterinsurgency campaign in the Philippines. The Macabebes had a reputation as fierce guerilla fighter, bloodthirsty, butcher and torture their enemies especially the Tagalogs. Filipino nationalists regarded the Macabebe warriors as traitors.
Taipan88:
Come to Tokyo on Sunday. I will pay for your fare. You may bill me. I’ll charge it as company expense. What’s a few lapad if we can topple down an abusive illegal government run by criminals who cannot even follow the rule of law!
Diego,
You forget likewise that the Spaniards had been using the Macabebens against their fellow Filipinos especially when the Spaniard actually encouraged Filipinos to remain regionalistic in their divide and rule policy. They are the ones who gave the Kapampangans the unpalatable tag of “dugong aso.” Amazingly, even after over a hundred years of freedom from Spain and 60 years of self-rule, the kapampangans have seemingly still live up to this disgusting impression and labelling.
Bato-bato sa langit ang tamaan ay huwag magagalit!!!
Ka Diego…salamat sa binigay mong “lesson in history”…well, I guess what you said about the “Macabebes” would have “coined” that “terminology”…and HISTORY is still “trying to prove” that “saying” is true…because of what gloria had been doing. She “betrayed” Erap to steal the presidency…then she TURNED AROUND, and BETRAYED the very same people that HELPED her get what she want. Tapos, talagang me PAGKAMAYABANG din ang pandak na ito…another “traits”, as what the old folks said about our “kababayans” from THIS province in Central Luzon. Yes, bato-bato sa langit..and tamaan ay “sasama tiyak ang loob”…pero ika nga…”the sins of the father….”..’lam nyo na ibig kong sabihin.
Spartan:
I have met natives of Pampanga who would even deny they are kapampangan kahit na nawawala ang kanila “h” o nilalagyan nila ng “h” ang hindi nila dapat lagyan ng “h” dahil alam nilang may diperensiya talaga ang mga tao sa probinsiya nila dahil sa reputation nila na “dugong aso” sila na ang ibig sabihin ay traydor at saka mayabang. Gulat nga ako nang malaman kong pakawala rin ang reputation ng mga kababaihan doon at mas masahol pa raw ang pagkalikot sa mga Bikolana o Cebuana na mga mabili sa mga white slavers.
Sa totoo lang, I have provided a generalization of Filipinos to make it easier for police here to investigate them based on general observations as those who have stated and what I have observed from the various Filipino criminals I have interpreted for the last 20 or 25 years I have worked at the police and court here as interpreter and now as part-time paralegal. With the information I have provided, the police in Tokyo are having easier time investigating them.
If some natives of Pampanga deny they are…I don’t. That’s one sickness we must cure…stereotyping people. In America, the Blacks and the Arabs are being targeted. Japanese nationals are not immune from this. I dare them try to push their weight in Korea or China. They would end up beheaded by the angry locals.
npongco Says:
August 18th, 2006 at 11:00 am
If some natives of Pampanga deny they are…I don’t. That’s one sickness we must cure…stereotyping people
I guess you’re right about the “sickness of stereotyping people”…but you said “cure”?….then you better start with yourself…why?, because you yourself is guilty of “stereotyping” your own person…you’ve REACTED so much about this issue as if “people here are directly telling you that you are dugong-aso”…but because as you said you are a “half-cabalen”, you felt “insulted” by the “insinuation” given to gloria in connection with her being a “kapangpangan”. Besides, you yourself have been “critical” about the americans in your previous “postings” on this same blogsite…did anybody told you that “you’re stereotyping” the american people?
I too like some of your “views and opinions” npongco…the only problem is your “consistency”, sometimes if not often times, I am having a hard time telling if you’re “black as black or white as white”? Anyways, enough of this thing about your “regionality”…in our passports it only says…FILIPINO as our NATIONALITY…not Bisaya, Kapangpangan, Ilokano, or Moro….ika nga dun sa kanta….PINOY AKO, PINOY TAYO… 😉
Spartan, if I join the Black & White Movement, you won’t have difficulty telling if I’m black or white. First time I heard about a person who can stereotype himself. Since I began contributing to this blog, I’ve observed at least two individuals who keep bashing Kapampangan. You know who they are. How can I not feel offended or insulted when they continue to bash all the Kapampangan? It’s even not correct to single out those in Macabebe. I’m sure many today realize the mistakes of their parents and grandparents who conspired with the Japanese. Why still blame this on the children and the present generation? If we blame all the Japanese for their grandparents’ atrocities during the last war, I’m sure many would also be offended. We can share our opinions; argue and say whatever we want, but basic ethics dictate that we must avoid attacking one’s race, ethnic origin, background, religion, gender, etc. If we only follow this simple procedure and respect one another, then this blog would be a lot healthier.
hey guys..npongco n spartan…u guys both have a point…lets just hold hands to form a strong fist to give a good blow to the bruha in the enchanted kingdom. i myself have “gave” out my lineage in another loop here…stereotyping or not, we are all the same come judgement day. whenever i hear comments of stereotyping i take it as an info and tell myself thankfully i wasnt in the same mold when the lord decided to include me in that “race”..life is so short and precious. the minions who are reading and monitoring this blog maybe laughing at us right now…i just came frm interviewing a parents whose 9yo daughter is striken with bone cancer and i cant help but admire their courage for going through the road being travelled by more and more people stricken with cancer – young babies ad old as 7-8 months can u imagine!…
So mga panyeros y panyeras, we are all here to kill the beast in the name of gloria macapagal-arroyo and her consorts of hoodlums…this is the ONLY GOAL we have here, to expose her MORE AND MORE AND MORE!!!!
I agree. Let’s point our missiles and fart bombs to illegitimate President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. She is the real enemy of the republic. We can settle our differences after the fall of abusive Arroyo regime.
“Can We All Get Along?”
Rodney King, 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Soleil:
Unknown to many Filipinos, there are a lot many children and even adults in Pampanga, especially near the old US base there, stricken with cancer because of the leakage of some nuclear bombs (suspected to be DUD) stored by the Americans there. Buti pa nga ang mga kaibigan kong hapon alam ang problema na ito. They have actually joined rallies and symposiums here and there regarding these bomb leakage causing cancer. Ang hirap kasi sa mga ungas wala nang ginawa kundi magnakaw.
Ingat sa pag-inom ng tubig diyan sa totoo lang.
I have a lot man
..Yuko..what did u mean re your last sentence…”i have a lot man”…the 9yo girl has osteosarcoma and shes not in the clear yet although she went to school na. off topic tayo sandali, but i thnk the public has to know din. and this is a fact if i may quote the father..”the cancer awareness is not enough in this country…only those who got involved directly with the disease go through the awareness and social consciousness of the issue. the scary thing is that there is no social concern for cancer in the form of financial support”…what he meant was if you have no money or you have no one to ask to, sorry ka nalang. They were fortunate enough to have all the support they could gt from the school community where they belonged to before, even frm strangers. There are good doctors as well as surgeons but when it comes to the financial issue, the bomb drops!…which mabalik tayo, ang gobyerno natin n this admin lalo, pagkahindi sila apektado, di sila kikilos. Lets wait and see if one of Arroyo’s niece or nephew or her grandchild nalang kaya has cancer…sige tingnan natin kung amo ang gagawin nila. Not even only this bruha, but the other minions nalang, like tongrales or jo-dementia or eghead, kung may cancer kaya sila sa atay at baga, ano kaya ang gagawin nila, baka bigka mawala ang pork barrel nila ha!…
isa sa mga ugat ng di pag unlad ng pinas ay itong regionalism. halos kasunod na ng racism ito. sa akin lang one must be proud of where one came from regardless. siguro kapag tayong mga pinoy ay naging individualistic ay saka pa lang tayo aasenso. nawawala na tuloy tayo sa topic.
To norpil and soleil, I’ve been very patient in this blog and I think I conduct myself properly. As a matter of fact, I don’t directly mention or accuse anyone by name. But this time, let me say that the two who are consistently bashing one’s regional background, Kapampangan specifically, are these Ystakei and Artsee. Ystakei has been more consistent from the very beginning. I’ve no idea why her hatred for the Kapampangan. There are also good Kapampangan. My father was born in San Fernando, Pampanga but came to Manila as a kid. He’s as Tagalog as anyone. He considers himself more as a Manileno. So, what’s the fuss about people from Pampanga? Even if there’s a saying that Kapampangans have the traits like that of a dog, it’s very inappropriate to state it here to say the least.
Soleil,
Putol ang message. Dapat nabura iyon. I was going to write I have a lot many …. Bawal sa religion ko ang adultery. Isa lang ang lalaki sa buhay ko—si Takei-san, guwapo na mabait pa! Walang ibubuga iyong babaerong kabit ni Vicky Toh!!!!
Kung may kasabihan man “dugong aso” ang mga Kapampangan, tutoo naman ah. Tulad ng kasabihan na kuripot ang mga Ilocano at matitigas ang dila ng mga lalaking Bisaya (kaya gusto ng mga babae). Let’s call a spade a spade (English iyan). Sa Tagalog, tawagin natin espada ay espada.
There is no such thing a Manileño.
Ang isa raw na pinakamagandang kombinasyon na lahi sa Pilipinas ay ang pinagsamang ilokano at kapampangan. Bagay daw silang magsama.
artsee:
ibig mo bang sabihin ay mahilig mag espadahan ang mga Tagalog?
Napag-iisip ko tuloy na duon na lang sa Mindoro mag-migrate para pagdating ng panahon ay matawag na lahing TAMARAW 😀
Nakakatuwa din ang mga Bikolano dahil palagi silang “Hot”. Siguro kapag itong mga Japayuki na galing ng Bikol hot na hot sa LAPAD ng mga matatandang Hapon.
i wonder if it is possible to place regionalistic discussions in another topic.
I agree with you, norpil. But in fairness to some who only reacted to ethnic and regional attacks, I advise you to check who started this all. I hope Ms. Ellen should now show us she has some control on some readers and prevent this bashing especially against Kapampangan. Without blaming her, I think she’s too tolerant with at least one favorite regular contributor of this blog.
Ang mga Sebuano at mga Ilonggo din ay hindi pwedeng magsama. Bakit kaya? Samantalang parehas naman silang mga Bisaya???
Hindi kaya dahil sa “ginapiko ginapala ang kwalta sa bacolod”?
Itanong na lang natin kay Monico ng Bacolod at ang mga supporter ni GMA sa Kongreso kung pupuwede na duon na lang nila ilaan ang kani-kanilang CDF sa Babuyan Is. para matawag silang HONORABLE BABUYEÑO!
Correct nelbar! Do you know that even Ilonggos do not get along? The ones from Bacolod don’t get along with those in Iloilo. Those in Iloilo consider those in Bacolod as arrogant while the latter looks down on the former. Crazy but it’s true.
kasabihan: if you cannot win them ay join them. as long siguro na not evil ang objective ay ok din na mag tuksuhan dito. siguro naiinggit lang ako sa iba dahil tila marami silang alam at ako ay walang mai contribute dito.