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Government Blamed on Spate of Disappearances in Central Luzon

The recent abduction allegedly by the military of several Bayan Muna leaders and members in Central Luzon has increased fears among militant organizations that after the bandit Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), cause-oriented groups often accused of being ‘communist fronts’ would be next targets of the U.S. troops and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

BY ROWENA CARRANZA
Bulatlat.com

Party-list Representative Satur Ocampo this week revealed that seven Bayan Muna leaders have been killed, five abducted and another four illegally arrested since March last year.

Ocampo also cited several cases of torture, illegal search, divestment of properties, harassment and physical assault, bringing to 37 the total number of incidents of human rights violation cases victimizing Bayan Muna members.

The most recent was the spate of abductions that took place last month in Nueva Ecija, Aurora and Tarlac – provinces north of Manila - which Bayan Muna has attributed to military and police officers.

Juan Sario Orcino, 44, a Bayan Muna organizer and veteran street parliamentarian in the region, and Honorio Ayroso, 34, a former activist now working as onion dealer, were on board a tricycle in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija when assaulted by a group of armed men. When Ayroso refused to alight and held on to the tricycle, one of the men pushed the driver and drove the tricycle himself. A few days after the incident, an agent of the National Intelligence Central Agency (NICA) visited Ayroso’s brother claiming that the former was a high-ranking rebel leader.

In Cabiticulan West, Maria Aurora, snatched were Edwin Villaruz, 36, tricycle driver, and Rowena Bayani, 32, a businesswoman in the nearby town of Dipaculao. In Tarlac, policemen from Camp Crame barged into the house of a farmer and arrested without warrant Rustico Pamintuan, 29, and Luz Patinga, 51. The abductors reportedly tortured the two, stole their personal belongings and surfaced them only after three days. Pamintuan and Patinga were charged with “kidnapping.”

Police director

A statement released by the party-list group reported that Chief Supt. Reynaldo Berroya, Central Luzon police director, ordered an intensive surveillance on the activities of grassroots leaders and organizers of Bayan Muna.

“We could have let pass the Berroya order as sheer foolishness. However, in the light of the abduction of our members, we condemn the order for being repressive of our party’s rights and legitimate activities,” said the statement.

The earlier pronouncements by U.S. and Philippine government officials listing the New People’s Army (NPA) as a “terrorist group” have alarmed progressive groups in the country. U.S. troops are currently holding joint military operations in Mindanao in the guise of training exercises against the ASG.

Bayan Muna topped last year’s Party-list elections with three representatives elected. Aside from Ocampo, Kilusang Mayo Uno leader Crispin Beltran and Gabriela secretary general Liza Maza are now holding House seats.

The party won overwhelming in the May elections despite killings and other threats committed against its candidates and members by government armed authorities and some Party-list groups.

Intelligence authorities were reported to have revealed after the elections they would step up surveillance against suspected Leftist leaders as well as counter-insurgency operations against the New People’s Army. Bulatlat.com

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