A two-month old baby boy, his parents and grandfather were abducted allegedly by soldiers on the night of October 28 in Quezon province. The baby’s great grandfather filed a Writ of Amparo to save his kin from the fate suffered by the disappeared.

By Dabet Castaneda
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Bulatlat
Vol VII, No. 41, november 18-24, 2007

Roperto Malapote, 61, was at home with his family in Barangay Sildora, Agdangan, Quezon on the night of October 28. His son Edwin, who was with them on a vacation went out of the house at about 8 p.m.. Shortly thereafter, they heard a commotion outside the house.

Roperto and his wife Adelaida heard Edwin saying “Bakit ninyo ako ginaganun? Sasama naman ako sa inyo (Why are you doing this to me? I am willing to go with you.)

Edwinalyn Reduta, Edwin’s daughter, went out to check and came back asking for a piece of rope which she brought outside. When she came back inside the house she told her grandfather that she, her husband Primo Reduta, and her father Edwin were being taken away by soldiers. Her two-month old baby boy was with her at that time.

The rope she fetched, she said, was used to tie the hands of her father Edwin. A soldier in civilian clothes armed with an M-16 rifle then barged into their house looking for more rope. The soldier then proceeded to chop off a piece of rope from the batalan (kitchen)

Before leaving the house the soldier told the couple “Hindi namin sasaktan ang inyong anak ni gapitik. Pagbabaguhin lang namin,’ (We will not hurt your son, not even a flick. We will only make him mend his ways.)

More victims

During the same night, Luil and Marivic Robles, who are neighbors of Reduta, heard noises outside their house. The couple went out to check if there were thieves moving around their home. The men they thought to be thieves turned out to be soldiers who held them at gun point and told them to lie face down on the ground.

Another neighbor, Rosalia Sanchez, was about to buy cigarettes from the store when she was accosted by soldiers from the same unit who ordered her to drop to the ground face down.

That night, eight people namely, Edwin, the Reduta couple and their baby, Luil and Marivic Robles, and Nestor and Rosalia Sanchez were arrested without warrant and brought to the camp of the 76th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army (IBPA) in Barangay Marao, Padre Burgoz, Quezon. At the army camp, they were interrogated separately.

The Robles and Sanchez couples were released the following day.

But as of this writing, Roperto said, Edwin and his family have not yet returned. Fearing that something terrible might happen to his kin, Roperto and his wife asked for the assistance of KARAPATAN-Southern Tagalong.

The Robles and Sanchez couples related that they were accused of being members or supporters of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. They also confirmed that all eight of them, including Edwin, the Reduta couple and baby, were taken to the same military camp. Marivic Robles said that she heard soldiers say that the baby is to be taken to a hospital in Lucena City.

Writ of Amparo

The Roperto couple filed a Writ of Amparo for their son Edwin, granddaughter Edwinalyn Reduta, her husband Primo and their baby before the Supreme Court on November 14.

Named as respondents in the petition were Lt. Col. Ramon Tello, battalion commander of the 76th IB PA, and soldiers of the 1st Special Forces unit of 76th IB stationed in Barangay Marao, Padre Burgos, Quezon.

In the petition, Roperto asked the High Court to issue a temporary protection order for him and his wife and to compel the 76th IB to release their kin and/or to allow representatives of the court to search the camps of the 1st Special Forces unit, 76th IB in Barangay Marao, Padre Burgos, Quezon and the 76th IB camp in Barangay Villa Prinsipe, Gumaca, Quezon.

“The petitioners…are in constant fear for their lives and for their families’ security… and need special protection that only the Court can provide,” the petition said.

The petition also asked the respondents to “immediately bring the bodies” of Edwin, the Reduta couple and their baby before the court and to “immediately desist from approaching or coming near the petitioner and his witnesses and their families and their residences and from doing any such acts as would threaten the security of the said persons.” (Bulatlat.com)

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