Arroyo Asked Not to
Release HR Worker’s Killer
The family of a
human-rights worker, killed by a member of the Citizens Armed Force and
Geographical Unit (Cafgu) in 1993, has urged President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
not to grant executive clemency to the convicted killer.
BY ARTHUR L.
ALLAD-IW
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat
BAGUIO CITY
—The family of a human-rights worker, killed by a member of
the Citizens Armed Force and Geographical Unit (Cafgu) in 1993, has urged
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo not to grant executive clemency to the
convicted killer.
Cirilo Batan, brother of slain
human-rights worker Christopher Batan, wrote Arroyo in November 2004 to
reiterate the family’s request not to grant executive clemency to Agustin
Agpawan, who was convicted by the Regional Trial Court on June 29, 1995,
in Baguio City for the murder of Christopher.
Agpawan did not appeal the court
decision and served his sentence at the penal colony in the island
province of Palawan.
The Batan family opposed the executive
clemency because the killing was part of a conspiracy between Agpawan and
several others; that 11 years is too short a sentence; Agpawan failed to
indemnify the Batan family with P 50,000 as ordered by the court; and that
he victimized fellow members of the various Mountain Province tribes.
Based on documents obtained by Nordis,
the move for executive clemency is traced to an endorsement by the
provincial government of Mt. Province. The latest was Gov. Maximo Dalog’s
endorsement of the executive clemency for Agpawan on Sept. 29, 2004.
Politics behind the executive
clemency
Documents showed that the clemency
dated back to Aug. 16, 2003, when barangay Anabel, a neighboring village
of Betwagan, passed a barangay resolution requesting the Mountain Province
Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) to endorse the executive clemency Arroyo.
Agpawan is from Betwagan.
The SP passed Resolution 542
supporting the executive clemency but was not acted upon by the president.
The Anabel Barangay Council passed on
July 30, 2004, the same resolution for executive clemency. The SP passed
Resolution 61 on Aug. 16 that same year endorsing the executive clemency
contained under the Anabel resolution.
Allegedly, many of Agpawan’s relatives
are from Anabel.
Human rights
Christopher Batan, then staff of the
Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), went to Betwagan on
February 23, 1993 with Fr. Eduardo Solang and TFDP staff Mila Fanaang to
document cases of human rights violations during the Marcos
administration. The documentation was part of a class suit filed by human
rights victims during the period.
After crossing the Chico River and
walking toward Betwagan, a group of Cafgu men fired at the three
human-rights workers, killing Batan instantly.
A case was filed in Bontoc, capital of
Mountain Province, but was later transferred to Baguio City upon request
of the private prosecutors for the safety of the witnesses and when the
bodong (peace pact) between the Betwagan and Lias tribes broke down
due to the killing. The Batans are members of the Lias tribe in Barlig of
the same province.
Agpawan, arrested almost a year after
the killing, was convicted for murder on June 29, 1995.
Another perpetrator of the murder of
Batan, Bonifacio Chumacog, also a Cafgu member and a member of the
Betwagan tribe, was arrested in 2004. He identified his companions in the
killing in a sworn affidavit on July 15, 2004.
Still at large
Chumacog named the other alleged
perpetrators of the murder as Mateo Fanao, Kengeb Fayno and Panyong Rongan,
all members of the Betwagan tribe.
The human rights desk of the
Cordillera Peoples Alliance of Mountain Province relayed that the three
are still active Cafgu members in that area.
“In fact, one of them has been elected
as Betwagan barangay captain in the past,” CPA said.
The government, however, has not acted
despite the identification made by Chumacog. According to court records,
Chumacog pleaded guilty and was imposed the penalty of reclusion perpetua
on June 29, 2004. The conviction was made 11 years after the murder.
NBP denied clemency
Nordis called the record office of the
National Bilibid Prison (NBP) to confirm the rumor that Agpawan has
already been granted executive clemency by Arroyo. Jenny Monge of NBP
claimed that they are not aware of the move as they do not have any
document for Agpawan’s release.
Arroyo was criticized in the past for
being too lax on human rights violations committed by the Cafgu and
paramilitary groups, including the integration of the Cordillera Peoples’
Liberation Army (CPLA) into the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and
the Philippine National Police (PNP). The CPLA is reportedly responsible
for numerous human rights violations in the region.
Nordis/Bulatlat
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