Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts

Volume 2, Number 17              June 2 - 8,  2002                     Quezon City, Philippines

Arroyo, AFP Top Brass Accused of Coddling ‘Death Squad’ in Mindoro

Suspected Army hitmen after 6 more militants in province, victim says

The secretary-general of the a militant fisherfolk organization, Pamalakaya, has put the blame squarely on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the latest spate of assassinations targeting leaders of party-list Bayan Muna and other groups in Mindoro Oriental.

By Gerry Albert-Corpuz

Bulatlat.com

The secretary-general of a militant fisherfolk organization, Pamalakaya, has put the blame squarely on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the latest spate of assassinations targeting leaders of party-list Bayan Muna and other groups in Mindoro Oriental.

Manolito Serrano, Pamalakaya secretary general, over the weekend issued the statement following the ambush-killing of Edilberto "Choy" Napoles, secretary general of Bayan-Mindoro Oriental and coordinator of Bayan Muna chapter in the second district of the province on May 28. Napoles, 25, was killed with six gunshots just as he came out of the Bayan Muna Office on Ignacio Street in Lumangbayan, Calapan City, Mindoro Oriental at around 6 p.m.

His companion, Ruel Landicho, 26, national council member of Pamalakaya, also sustained gunshot wounds but survived the attack.

Napoles is the 11th Bayan Muna leader to be killed in the heavily-militarized province. Including those summarily executed by suspected military and paramilitary hitmen in other provinces, the number of Bayan Muna personnel killed in recent months has reached 19.

Serrano accused Macapagal-Arroyo and the top military brass of giving their “blessings” in the formation of the alleged liquidation squad in Mindoro Oriental. Col. Jovito Palparan, commander of the 204th Brigade of the Philippine Army in the island province, was behind the formation of the squad as a “pilot project,” Serrano added.

"Let's call a spade a spade - Col. Palparan and the 204th Brigade were responsible for the series of political killings in Mindoro Oriental,” Serrano said.

Key witness and survivor Landicho, also revealed that Col. Palparan, has threatened to assassinate six more leaders and mass activists in Mindoro Oriental in a campaign of political repression against cause-oriented groups exposing military atrocities and human rights violations in the province.

Landicho demanded President Macapagal-Arroyo, Defense secretary Angelo Reyes and AFP chief of staff Gen. Roy Cimatu to dismantle the “death squad” and pull out all military troops in Mindoro Oriental.

"The Palace and the military should stop their mercenaries and war freak troops from killing and assassinating ordinary people and defenseless civilians in the name of state terrorism. We strongly urge the Macapagal-Arroyo government to cease and desist from firing their guns against legitimate and trusted leaders of the people," Landicho said.

Merry mix-up of dangerous men

Landicho described Palparan's alleged liquidation squad as a composite team of notorious elements and certified human rights violators formed to assassinate officials and members of legal militant groups in the province.

"It's a merry mix-up of mercenaries, hired hitmen, dime-a-dozen group of goons and trigger-happy troops tasked to liquidate mass leaders and active mass members of groups exposing military atrocities in the province", he added.

For his part, Serrano said the campaign of terror and political repression in Mindoro Oriental should be put to an end. He said his group would support efforts seeking a thorough investigation on the spate of political killings in the province, as well as the immediate prosecution of Col. Palparan and his men behind the massive political killings and crackdown on leaders and members of political groups in the province.

"Col. Palparan wants to achieve a brilliant military career the way militarists and dictators trekked their way to the top of the military hierarchy,” the Pamalakaya leader said.

The militant leader warned the Arroyo government not to make any move that would take Palparan and his men off the hook from possible criminal charges and civil suits to be filed against them.

"The government would take a strong political backlash if it insists on coddling these homegrown terrorists in the military", Serrano said. 

As this developed, Bayan Muna president and Rep. Satur Ocampo will lead a high-profile visit-cum-probe in Mindoro Oriental on June 3-4.

"We will seek an immediate and unconditional end to the ongoing murderous spree against our leaders and members,” Ocampo said in a statement. “We cannot allow Mindoro Oriental or any province for that matter to become 'killing fields' or cemeteries for our members."

Joining Ocampo are Dr. Carolina Pagaduan Araullo of Bayan, Robert De Castro of Bayan Muna, Rev. Alfredo Faurillo of the human rights alliance Karapatan, Dani Beltran of the church-based Ecumenical Movement for Justice and Peace, Rev. Mel Abesamis of Bayan-Southern Tagalog and a contingent from the Public Interest Law Center.

Apart from holding dialogues with Bishop Warlito Cajandig, Mindoro Oriental Gov. Bartolome Marasigan and municipal executives where they will see official assistance for the resolution of the murder cases, Ocampo’s group will go to Lumangbayan, Calapan City where Napoles was killed. 

Congress has been asked to conduct an investigation on the killings. The justice department has also reportedly vowed to conduct its own probe. Several international human rights groups have also reportedly expressed their concern over the reported killings. Bulatlat.com_

We want to know what you think of this article.