HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Water Firm Manager, 7 Others Charged for AnakPawis Leader’s Slay

Murder and frustrated murder charges have been filed against the general manager of a local water utility here and seven others for the killing of a leader of the progressive group AnakPawis  (toiling masses) last Oct. 15. 

BY MAUREEN JAPZON
Bulatlat

TACLOBAN CITY — Murder and frustrated murder charges have been filed against the general manager of a local water utility here and seven others for the killing of a leader of the progressive group AnakPawis  (toiling masses).

Ranulfo Feliciano, the general manager of the Leyte Metropolitan Water District (LMWD), and seven other suspects were charged before the City Prosecutors Office for the killing of Samuel Bandilla, a labor leader and regional coordinator of AnakPawis.

The Task Force “Justice for Sammy, Justice for All” filed the complaint last week.

Aside from Feliciano, the task force said the other respondents are four employees of the water district, a police officer reportedly serving as bodyguard of Feliciano, an intelligence officer of the 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, and a John Doe who is said to be the gunman.

“The circumstances and the accounts of the witnesses directly point to these eight respondents as the perpetrators,” said Johann Hein Arpon, secretary-general of the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR), which is one of the convenors of the task force.

“We believe both the police-initiated task force and our group are on the right track in pointing out the culpability of the LMWD management in the incident,” Arpon added.  

On Oct. 15, Bandilla and two companions, Bernardo Devaras and Jovito Susaya, were on board a motorcycle when two unidentified gunmen fired at them. Bandilla was hit in the back and died while Devaras, one of 26 dismissed employees of LMWD, was seriously wounded. 

Arpon pointed out the Oct. 15 shooting was the second LMWD-related killing during the administration of Feliciano at the water District. Eleazar Josef, a pioneer organizer of the LMWD Employees Association, was gunned down on Sept. 3, 2000, after he exposing alleged anomalies inside the utility company. 

Bulatlat tried to get Feliciano’s side but was told that the general manager was not available for any interview. The regional police chief, Gen. Dionesio B. Coloma, also refused to comment. 

Witness protection

Pax Diaz, the regional chairperson of the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (Courage) has requested the regional state prosecutor to put the witnesses and complainants under the government’s witness protection program.  

The LMWD Employees Association, which recently staged a protest action against the arbitrary dismissal of 26 workers at the LMWD, welcomed the filing of the charges.  “The filing of the charges has boosted the morale of the membership of our union.  At last, justice may be served for the untimely demise of a leader in the LMWD struggle,” said Ricardo Palencia, secretary of the union.

Earlier, Vicente Borja, AnakPawis regional chairperson, said Sammy was a victim of the attacks of the Arroyo administration’s Operational Plan “Peace in the Visayas” that targets militant organizations.

Sources in the intelligence community, Borja said, had warned them that some of their regional and local leaders are in the military’s Order of Battle (OB). The warnings coincided with the series of harassments, surveillance and death treats they have been receiving.

“Based on circumstantial evidences gathered at this point, we are critical on the idea of connivance between PNP and the LMWD management where the military was the brains of that operation,” said Alex Lagunzad, secretary-general of the human rights groups Katungod-Eastern Visayas.  Bulatlat 

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