There were no dry eyes when the lights opened at the auditorium of Bantayog ng mga Bayani last Saturday evening- the last show of “Mrs B”, a theater presentation about Edith Burgos’ search for her son, Jonas.
As we all know , Edith Burgos, widow of Jose Burgos, Jr. founder of Malaya and considered a press freedom icon, has been in search of her son since April 28, 2007 when he was abducted by unidentified men and a woman while having lunch at the Hapag Kainan restaurant in Ever Gotesco Mall in Quezon City.
Last Saturday’s performance had Bibeth Orteza as Edith ( Gina Alajar was the other Edith). It’s a moving 45-minute monologue.
There’s the part when Edith narrated his encounter with former Army Chief Romeo Tolentino in the court room. She said,” Naglalakad siya, parang wala lang ang lahat. Dumaan sa harap ko. Gusto pa yatang makipagkamay. Hindi ako nakatiis.”
She confronted Tolentino:” “Do you have sons, General. I hope what happened to mine does not happen to yours. Remember this: the sins of the father shall be visited on the heads of his children.”
It was heartbreaking when she cried, “ Walang kasing-sakit mawalan ng mahal sa buhay. Kahit gaano ka katibay, kahit gaano ka katapang, kahit gaano ka kabuo, mababasag at mababasag ka rin.”
The search warrant was defective (didn’t specify the address and the subject of the warrant is not the owner of the house) and those arrested were not given access to their lawyers and relatives until after several days of detention.
I got a list of those arrested with only 42 names. They are Dr. Merry Mia, health eduaction and training services coordinator for Council for health and Develoment, wife of Roneo Clamor (Karapatan Deputy Secretary);Dr. Alexis Montes;Gary Liberal, registered nurse (Jose Reyes Memorial Center);Teresa Quinawayan, midwife;
Community health workers Lydia Obera; Reynaldo Macabenta; Angela Doloricon; Delia Ocasia; Jane Balleta; Janice Javier;
Franco Remoso; Ailene Monasteryo; Pearl Irene Martinez; Elen Carandang; Dany Panero; Rayom Among; Emily Marquez; Emelia Marquez; Glenda Murillo; Ace Millena;
Ely Castillo; Lalyn Saligumba; Jovy Ortiz; Samsung Castillo; Mark Estrellado; Miann Oseo; Selvia Pajanosta; Lolibeth Donasco; Jenelyn Pizaro; Ramon de la Cruz;
Jacqueline Gonzales; Maria Elena Serato; Mercy Castro; Lea de Luna; Judilyn Oliveros; Valentino Paulino; Yolanda Yaun; Edwin Dematera; Sherilyn Riocasa Tawagon; Gerry Sustinto; Jenmark Barrientos; Mark Escartin.
The military defied the order of the Supreme Court to present the 43 health workers to the Court of Appeals last Friday. The chair of the Commission on Human Rights Leila de Lima, who visited the detainees last Saturday is concerned of the military’s attitude. She said “ the AFP’s failure to produce the 43 detainees at last Friday’s hearing is really a dangerous precedent in our justice system.
She does not find the AFP reason (lack of material time to prepare for transit) “valid”.
De Lima said, “It goes against the very essence of a writ of habeas corpus. If the AFP authorities had the will to obey the order, they could, with best or earnest efforts, have done so. A contempt citation would have been in order.”
Update: AFP says NPA plans to spring the 43
De Lima is resorting to “ hoping and praying ” that the detainees would no longer be subjected to further interrogations, mental torture, indignities and other human rights violations.
Although her interviews with the detained health workers did not show traces of physical torture, she said, “ Our initial findings of mental/psychological torture remain i.e., continuous blindfolded and handcuffed for 36 hours, the resultant indignities (somebody else feeding them or removing their under wears, forced to wear pampers), repeated interrogations using scare tactics like making them believe that they can be killed or disappear anytime or that something will happen to their families if they don’t cooperate. “
She bewailed the repeated denial to right to counsel at the time of the arrest, during interrogations and inquest. She said she had told Maj. Gen. Jorge Segovia , chief of the 2nd Infantry Division, to stop the interrogations at odd hours.
She said: “ May I take this opportunity to issue this stern warning to the AFP authorities and detention officers/personnel to CEASE AND DESIST form performing such and similar acts. Irrespective of who they are, alleged NPAs or not, they all have human rights. No one deserves to be treated inhumanely.”
Because as Mrs. B said, “The sins of the father shall be visited on the heads of his children.”
is it true that Government prosecutors on Thursday filed charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives against 43 health workers the military alleged were members of the New People’s Army (NPA). There were seven criminal cases, three are for illegal possession of firearms and three cases for violation of (the) Comelec gun ban and one for illegal possession of explosives?
and is it true that during the press conference, the military and police presented Valentin Paulino alias “Ka Deloy,” who they said was among those arrested in the raid and who had readily admitted to being a communist rebel?
To help the community, organizations whether public or non government entity must work together for the common goal in that particular community.
Any independent activity must be fully transparent and must be registered including their meetings so that the local community will be aware of what’s truly is going on .. mahirap kasi kung walang registration at sila sila lang because that can be interpreted differently by many people.
From retired ambassador Hermie Cruz:
I hope you and other influential members of the media lobby for the creation of the counter part of the Rettig
Commission in Chile ( called the Committee on Truth and Reconciliation) after the coming national elections.
Let us hope that the incoming administration will not be beholden to the GMA regime.
The Rettig Commission in Chile investigated the human rights violations during the dictatorship of Augusto
Pinochet. I was then the Ambassador to Chile and I sent many recommendations to then President Cory
Aquino to form a similar commission in the Philippines. Nothing came out of my recommendations. Had
such a commission been formed, the military officers who committed human rights violations during the FM
regime, while still junior and field grade officers of the AFP, would not have attained flag rank. gotten stars. This includes the likes of Palparan et al.
A commission with this mandate in the Philippines will undoubtedly be able to provide a definitive answer to
who committed human rights violations during the GMA administration e.g the Burgos abduction. The military officers who participated in such offenses will be marked and their future advancement in the AFP couild be stopped in the Commission on Appointments. At least the officers who reach flag rank in the incoming administration will not be tainted with human rights violation.
This was one of the good effects of the Rettig Commission in Chile. Many officers who participated in human
rights violations during the Pinochet regime never reached flag rank and were forced into early retirement.
Please note this is a good solution, since it is difficult to convict AFP human rights violators, the main
reason being the problem of getting witnesses to testify against the erring officers. Unless somebody in the
military spills the beans, a court case is a forlorn hope.
Something is very wrong in the military so i can assume that there is something wrong with the way PMA educate these soldiers. The weakness of our military can be traced 20 years back. Many became NPA’s and has continued to recruit using different avenues.
Ngayon alam niyo na kung bakit si Marcos ay mas pinili niya yong hindi PMA’yer na Chief of Staff niya. Magmula ng nawala na si Marcos … yang mga PMA’yer ay nagwala na hanggang sa ngayon. Yong isa nga naging Pangulo pa pero anong ginawa di ba nagpayaman siya. Sa Ayala, Alabang na nakatira. Hindi ko naman nilalahat at sigurado ko mas marami ang matitino(oks ba pareng Henry?).
“Something is very wrong in the military so i can assume that there is something wrong with the way PMA educate these soldiers. The weakness of our military can be traced 20 years back. Many became NPA’s and has continued to recruit using different avenues.”
Pero marami ring reformers (na hindi NPA) ang lumalabas sa PMA…kaya hindi naman siguro and institusiyon and dapat pagbintangan sa mga paglabas ng mga korupt at human rights violators, et. al.
Siguro ang dapat targetin ay ang patronage system, whether sa PMA o sa ibang agencies.
But I think the bulk of the problem comes in after they leave PMA and enter the politicized military branches, at which time they have to unlearn all the military idealism they had learned in PMA to become monsters like Palparan.
asian: since arroyo became the pang gulo something went wrong sa military…siya ang nag bago ng curriculum ng PMA marami ata siyang dinagdag at binawas na mga subjects..ang expertise ata niya s math ay bawas-dagdag.kaya dapat siya na
ibawas sa gobyerno..
they were charged with illegal possession of firearms? sila amputans were they also charged with illegal possession of firearms..hindi nga pala! galing sa NDC.. ang mga tatak galing sa Nat defense na ang chairman ay si Gibo..