BY KARL G. OMBION
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Bulatlat
Vol. VII, No. 37, October 21-27, 2007

The family and kin of farmer Alano Clerigo, 34, demand justice for his killing. They blamed his military captors for his abduction-torture-murder.

Alano Clerigo was a member of a local farmers’ organization affiliated with the Kilusang Mambubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP or Peasant Movement of the Philippines)

Warlito Clerigo, brother of Alano, believed that the Citizen Armed Forces Geographjical Unit (CAFGU) and the military were responsible for the torture and killing of his brother.

He said that he saw a CAFGU member identified as a certain Silvestre Abiso accompanied by 16 unidentified Army elements forcing Clerigo to go with them in the afternoon of Oct. 10 to a farm nearby. Warlito said that the team insisted that they just wanted to invite Alano for some questioning on his supposed activities as the alleged courier of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the area.

He said he did not know anymore where they brought his brother after they took him from their house.

Fact-finding mission

A multi-sectoral fact-finding mission led by Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights) last week validated Warlito’s claims.

The Karapatan probe revealed that Alano was tending his cow near his home at Sitio (sub-village) Lagoc, when two armed men picked him up at around 4:00 p.m. on Oct. 10, 2007. One of the armed men was identified as Silvestre Abiso, a Special CAFGU Active Auxillary member in Calatrava accompanied by 16 military men.

They brought Alano to an undisclosed place, the Karapatan fact-finding report stated. His brother, Warlito (including two neighbors) saw the incident, but did not inform his family thinking that he will not be harmed.

Alano however failed to return home, and on the next day, Oct. 11, his family and some neighbors started to trace his whereabouts. While they were searching in a nearby sugar cane field, 17 military men, including Abiso, suddenly came out of the field and told them to talk about the matter to Barangay (village) Captain Ernesto Baynosa.

Later some of the people in the barangay found a shallow grave in a nearby place where a man’s corpse was buried. When called to confirm, Warlito came and positively identified the remains as those of his brother.

When they checked on Alano’s body, they found several torture marks. Parts of his body had melted plastic stuck on them, his mouth was filled with plastic, his head was covered with a plastic bag, his fingers were broken, and his sex organ was cut off.

Warlito said he blames no other person but the CAFGU and the military for his brother’s death. “They were the ones who were with my brother when they took him from our house,” he said.

He also said that his brother was a farmer and not a member of the NPA. Even barangay officials confirmed that Alano was a known farmer in the community, and a man “who had no enemies.”

The family strongly suspects that Alano was tortured by the military and that he was killed to sow fear among the people in Brgy. Menchaca. Witnesses also testified that military operations are ongoing, and the presence of government soldiers causes fear among the people, particularly their children who are becoming afraid of even attending school.

Bayan-Negros secretary-general Felipe Gelle said that the military is so desperate to make good scores against the NPAs but often fails and vents its ire on the innocent and unarmed civilians.

“They have been doing this everywhere; yet they are so callous (and they) deny their criminal acts,” he said.

“But this time, they can’t get away from their criminal accountability in this gruesome death of Clerigo because there are witnesses, and no less than the victim’s brother is one of them,” Gelle added.

Meanwhile, Calatrava Police Commander Insp. Danilo Zuniega said that they have already started their own investigation.

He also advised the victim’s family to coordinate with him in preparing their evidences and witnesses and filing of appropriate charges.

Maj. Nathaniel Villasor, civil military operations head of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade has not made any denial or affirmation of the allegations. He has only issued a statement that they have yet to get information from the concerned field commanders.

 Save as PDF