Reiterating its expressed commitment to respect human rights, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Baguio City as a collective body passed a resolution that denounced all forms of political persecution as they supported the speedy disposition of criminal complaints against a detained leader of the party-list group Bayan Muna.
BY ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat
Vol. VII, No. 43, December 2-8, 2007
BAGUIO CITY (246 kms north of Manila) – Reiterating its expressed commitment to respect human rights, the Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Council) as a collective body passed a resolution that denounced all forms of political persecution as they supported the speedy disposition of criminal complaints against a detained leader of the party-list group Bayan Muna (People First).
It passed the resolution last Monday, Nov. 26. The resolution was unanimously approved on joint and collective motion of all its 14 members, all councilors, including representatives of the Sangguniang Kabataang (SK or Youth Council) Federation and Association of Barangay (village) Captains, Nordis learned from the SP staff.
The resolution stated in its explanatory note that political persecution and human rights abuses still continue unabated and it is imperative to raise a public outcry to denounce these transgressions against human rights.
The resolution stated that the rise of human rights violation cases in the country is alarming despite complaints filed by United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Philip Alston on the escalating cases of extrajudicial killings.
Detained Bayan Muna leader
The resolution also calls for the speedy disposition of the criminal complaints against Jose “Joe” Cawiding, a Bayan Muna leader in Baguio-Benguet.
Nordis learned that the Philippine National Police (PNP) arrested Cawiding on Oct. 1 for criminal cases filed at the Regional Trial Court in Bontoc, Mountain Province. The cases were based on an alleged New People’s Army (NPA) ambush of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) troops in Mountain Province on July 14, 2003.
Despite a warrant of arrest issued by the Bontoc RTC in September 2004, Cawiding was never arrested while he was just in Baguio City freely attending to his tasks as Bayan Muna staff member and later as a local mediator of the Supreme Court Philippine Mediation Center for various ethno-linguistic groups in the region.
Nordis sources revealed that Cawiding was arrested this year because of a P500,000 ($11,695.91 based on an exchange rate of $1:P42.75 as of Nov. 29) reward for his arrest put up by the government.
No witnesses
A hearing for the cases against Cawiding was set by the Bontoc RTC for Nov. 7. It was reset however due to the absence of witnesses of the prosecution.
The hearing on Nov. 28 failed to push through again because the prosecution failed to present any witness despite Cawiding’s lawyer Jose Molintas attendance on that day.
The militant Tongtongan ti Umili (TTU or Public Forum), which salutes the City Council for the resolution, also said that the cases against Cawiding were trumped-up, and is a form of “political persecution” against him as a leader of Bayan Muna.
The Council resolution stated that on the day of the alleged commission of the crimes, Cawiding was a participant in the Bayan Muna National Council meeting in Teachers’ Camp here.
Cawiding is now detained at the Benguet Provincial Jail.
The resolution was earlier introduced by Councilors Perlita L. Chan-Rondez, Rocky Thomas Balisong, Richard Carino, Nicasio Aliping, Galo Weygan, Elaine Sembrano, Fred Bagabagen, Nicasio Palaganas and Isabelo Cosalan Jr. It was however adopted by all the 14 members of the City Council.
The City Council in the past adopted resolutions condemning the killings of human rights advocates Romy Sanchez and Rafael “Markus” Bangit. Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat
