This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 38, October 30-November 5,, 2005
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
New Alliance to Hold
Palparan Liable for Rights Abuses
“Stop Palparan” is a newly formed group that aims to consolidate and coordinate
moves to remove, investigate, prosecute and arrest the Philippine Army’s 7th
Infantry Division chief Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan.
By Jhong dela Cruz Maxima Punzal, 64, of
Norzagaray, Bulacan was among the many women and men who had joined together to
seek the prosecution of Maj.Gen. Jovito Palparan, alleged brain of human rights
violations in Mindoro, Eastern Visayas and now in Central Luzon. Punzal’s 41 year-old son
Leo was felled by two shots from a .45 caliber pistol by two suspected military
men on Sept. 13 while finishing a banner for a client in his shop. She recalled
watching an afternoon television show when the perpetrators, wearing bonnets,
barged in the house and fired at Leo. Leo died shortly after from a bullet that
pierced his head, just under the ear. Punzal knew that her son
was an active member of the Anakpawis party-list group, but she was unaware of
the widespread killings and other attacks against activists. Until her son
became one of the victims. Called “Stop Palparan”, the
alliance aims to fortify moves to remove, investigate, prosecute and arrest the
Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry Division chief Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan. Stop
Palparan aims to work for justice and indemnification of all human rights
victims. Dangerous mind In less than two months
since Palparan assumed post, the number of activists and civilians killed in
Central Luzon has reached 19, based on reports. Ecumenical Movement for
Justice and Peace (EMJP) deputy secretary-general Lovella de Castro called
Palparan a “dangerous mind” under the present administration, as allegedly shown
by the string of killings in Central Luzon, in Mindoro and Eastern Visayas where
Palparan was assigned to head the military. De Castro pointed to some
pronouncements of Palparan during past Congress hearings and interviews with the
press. She quoted the general as saying that, “Bayan, Karapatan, Gabriela, Anak
ng Bayan are all front organization of the CPP-NPA-NDF with Bayan Muna (partylist)
as the umbrella organization,” during a September 2004 hearing of the Committee
on Civil and Political Rights at the congress. Back in Eastern Visayas
while commanding the 8th Infantry Division of the army, Palparan
openly pledged “to end anti-government rallies in Samar island within six
months” adding, “It should be complete. Clearing – dapat mawala sila talaga
completely rito at the fastest means available. So sa pinakamaiksing panahon na
puwede natin maayos ito...sila ang inuuna, ang mga lider, kasi sila ang pasimuno
ng gulo,” (They should be removed completely from here at the fastest means
available, in the shortest possible time… They should be targeted first, the
leaders, because they are the initiators) he said in the radio program, “Express
it at the Park.” De Castro noted that
Palparan’s alleged “butcher’s character” (sic) shows whenever he opens his
mouth. During his stint in Eastern Visayas, Palparan announced the military
would be abducting one peasant every month from “rebel-infested” barrios:
“Pasensya na kayo sa paisa-isang kinukuha at ninunyutralisa natin sa mga baryo...yung
masasamang tao na nawawala, mabuti naman na mawala sila. These are bad eggs.
Gumagawa sila ng kagaguhan.” (Please excuse us if we have to take and neutralize
those in the barrios one by one. It is good for the bad elements to disappear.
These are the bad eggs. They promote chaos.) De Castro denounced
Palparan’s all-out support and leadership in forming vigilante groups: “Nabuo
yung Alsa Masa sa Mindoro noong dumating ako. Kumikilos ang mga ito sa
alanganing oras. Nakakatulong naman sila sa paglaban sa NPA. Gayundin ang mga
katulad ng RHB” (The Alsa Masa in Mindoro was set up when I got there. It works
during odd hours. They help in fighting the NPA, even the likes of the RHB). In an interview, Palparan
claimed the rebel groups he tagged as enemy “is just within the civilian
populace” which “allows it to move against us”. On Oct. 25, barely three
hours after a forum on the rash of killings, Ricardo Ramos, president of the
Central Azucarera de Tarlac Labor Union, was killed by sniper bullets near his
home in Mapalacsiao village, inside Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac. The next day,
four others were killed by suspected military men. In the morning of Oct. 26,
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance or Bayan) leader Francisco
Rivera and his companions Dr. Angel David and Van John Maniti were killed by
van-riding men who sprayed bullets on the three as they rested after jogging.
Before the day ended, at 5 pm, Anakpawis Bulacan chair Federico de Leon was shot
dead in Malolos City, Bulacan. De Castro said that even as
cases of human rights violations blamed on Palparan were still being documented
and investigated, new victims were already being felled. In Mindoro Oriental, there
were 30 victims of killings from May 2001 to April 2003, 25 victims in Eastern
Visayas from February to August 2005, and 19 from September up to present in
Central Luzon. There were 12 victims of
frustrated murder, four in Mindoro Oriental and eight in Eastern Visayas. There
were 36 victims of forced disappearances, with five persons abducted in Mindoro
Oriental and 31 in Eastern Visayas. There were 66 cases of evacuation following
a series of military operations, with 26 in Mindoro and 40 cases in Eastern
Visayas. In Mindoro island a total of 3,026 individuals and 1,559 families were
affected while in Eastern Visayas, 7,250 individuals and 5,223 families were
affected. Palparan was appointed an
ad interim major general while he was commanding officer in Eastern Visayas in
February this year. EMJP charged that his confirmation as brigadier general was
railroaded with the Commission on Appointments in January 2004 to deny
petitioners from filing their opposition. Gabriela Women’s Partylist
Representative Liza Masa was one of the lawmakers who filed a petition against
Palparan’s confirmation. Masa vowed to block a pending motion announcing
Palparan as major general at the CA. Masa said they will continue to urge fellow
lawmakers to support moves to unseat and prosecute Arroyo’s “hatchet man” saying
there is a “general sympathy” among the legislators for the victims, she told
Bulatlat. De Castro said Palparan
continues to enjoy his position of power because no less than President Arroyo
“allows him to do so”. In August last year, Palparan was awarded a medal of
valor for “exemplary performance” in his counter-insurgency programs in Mindoro,
and for serving the third highest position in the armed forces as army chief of
staff. She said Palparan’s
deferred promotion, following orders by Sen. Sergio Osmena III to look into the
general’s performance of which rights groups and a handful of lawmakers deemed
questionable, has not quelled the general in his pursuit to eliminate “enemies
of the state”. Growing resistance The newly-formed alliance,
led by victims in Mindoro, Eastern Visayas and Central Luzon, rights groups and
civil libertarians, has declared Palparan a “failure as an army officer.” Cecilia Ruiz, chairperson
of Karapatan-Central Luzon, told Bulatlat the attacks targeting
progressive leaders in the region were aimed at suppressing what she described
as a growing resistance against the present regime. She claimed there has been
an increase in the membership of progressive organizations which lead the
protest against two major issues in Central Luzon: the wage and land issues in
Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac, and the impending dislocation of thousands of
families in Bulacan to give way to the North Rail project. She said that there is a
need for measures to protect their ranks, and that the new alliance could serve
as a “sanctuary for families of victims or those getting threats.” According to De Castro, the
alliance will also participate in filing a complaint against Palparan with the
United Nation Human Rights Commission this November. Also, Palparan will face
the class suit to be filed by victims’ relatives this December following an
indictment of an August tribunal by the International Solidarity Mission finding
President Arroyo, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, guilty of gross human
rights abuses. On Friday, rights advocates
and relatives of victims delivered a letter to the Department of National
Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, containing their demands for a thorough
investigation into the estimated 416 killings committed under the present
administration since in 2001. The letter was received by
Maj. Ernesto Cruz of the Headquarters Support Command, but the group was barred
from entering Camp Aguinaldo. Karapatan Eastern Visayas
reported that simultaneous rallies were also held to protest the
politically-motivated killings in Catarman, Catubig, Lao-ang towns in Northern
Samar. the rallies pushed through inspite of army blockades in the region.
Bulatlat © 2005 Bulatlat
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