This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 4, February 27-March 5, 2005
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 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 © 2004 Bulatlat
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Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat