“We are appalled by the statement of the Task Force Usig branding the people’s martyrs and heroes, who died protecting and upholding the interests of the masses, as ‘thieves’ only to cover up the inutility of the government to solve these cases of political assassinations in the regions,” said Bayan-Eastern Visayas spokesperson Flor Pong Acbo, reacting to Task Force Usig’s report on the killings of local activist leaders Felidito Dacut, Rev. Edison Lapuz, and Pax Diaz.
BY JOHANN HEIN BENUSA ARPON
Bulatlat.com
“We are appalled by the statement of the Task Force Usig branding the people’s martyrs and heroes, who died protecting and upholding the interests of the masses, as ‘thieves’ only to cover up the inutility of the government to solve these cases of political assassinations in the region.”
These were the words of Flor Pong Acbo, spokesperson of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) in the region – referring to the task force’s supposed findings on the killings of lawyer Felidito Dacut, Bayan Muna (People First) regional coordinator; Rev. Edison Lapuz, chairman of Katungod-Sinirangan Bisayas, the regional chapter of Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights); Atty. Norman Bocar (Bayan-Eastern Visayas) and Pax Diaz, chairperson of the Confederation for the Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (Courage) in Eastern Visayas.
Dacut, Lapuz, Bocar and Diaz are among the 730 victims of extra-judicial executions since 2001 as documented by Karapatan.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) Task Force Usig headed by Gen. Avelino Razon, which is tasked to look into the extra-judicial killings of activists and journalists, has recently stated that Dacut, Lapuz, and Diaz were all slain because they committed “financial opportunism” against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Task Force Usig’s supposed findings on the killings of the three Eastern Visayas activist leaders were released on Aug. 21 and published in major newspapers.
“The three assassinated personalities were very good leaders of the people and have no tarnished records in their stint with militant and progressive groups,” Acbo said. “They lived a simple life but pursued a resolute determination of serving the struggling masses.”
Even the former PNP regional director, retired Gen. Dionesio B. Coloma, was surprised by the report of the task force. In an interview with local media, he was quoted as saying, “I am surprised by the findings of the Task Force Usig printed over the Malaya that the killing of Attorney Dacut and Fr. Edison were due to the financial opportunism (against) the CPP-NPA. I led the investigations then and this was not part of the result.”
Previously, the PNP investigating team headed by Coloma reported that “the modus operandi of Attorney Dacut’s killers has the trademark of the perpetrators in the killing of Samuel Bandilla as it had been executed (from) a moving vehicle.” The same modus operandi was also established for the rest of the assassinations in the region that followed.
Another threat
Acbo also expressed his alarm over the Task Force Usig report, which dragged his name in the issue. “Last January, a Flor ‘Jun’ Acbo confronted Diaz on the issue of financial opportunism,” the report stated.
Acbo said that nothing of the sort happened. He further viewed this as an open threat of arrest or another political assassination. Past victims of political killings were Red-smeared before being killed, Acbo recalled.
“Bogus” report
It can be remembered that at least five task forces were formed in light of the killings in Eastern Visayas before the formation of Task Force Usig. Previously, the PNP in Eastern Visayas launched one task force each for the killings of Bandilla, Dacut, Lapuz, Bocar and Diaz. However, none of the task forces prospered and the cases all remain unsolved
“It seems that Task Force Usig only collected unverified data from the local task forces and made a cruel script of blaming the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) to cover up the leads directed toward the state apparatus,” Acbo observed.
In a press statement, the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) commented, “It is deplorable that Razon and his ‘reliable informers’ grossly distorted the characters of Reverend Lapuz, Attorney Dacut and Diaz, who were actually admired for their work for the poor and consistent activism for human rights and social justice.”
Who are the perpetrators?
“Accounts of witnesses linked military men, intelligence assets and even the police to the killing of leader-activists,” Acbo said. “Also, the public pronouncements of the AFP-PNP, appearing in such works as Knowing the Enemy and the book Trinity of War support the claim that the military is out to destroy progressive legal organizations.”
Katungod-SB, a human rights group, conducted its own investigations on the series of political killings in the region. “During our investigations, we unearthed vital information which directly linked military men to the killings of our leaders,” Alex Lagunzad, Katungod-SB secretary-general, said.
