This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 6, March 13-19, 2005
No Ordinary Man
At 5: 10 p.m. March 9,
shoppers at the city’s public market were taken aback when a shot rang out. The
shot felled Romy Sanchez, 39, who was shopping for second-hand clothes (ukay-ukay
or wagwag, locally) for his children. BAGUIO CITY – At 5: 10 p.m.
March 9, shoppers at the city’s public market were taken aback when a shot rang
out. The shot felled Romy Sanchez, 39, who was shopping for second-hand clothes
(ukay-ukay or wagwag, locally) for his children. Sanchez was secretary
general of Bayan-Ilocos and Bayan Muna party coordinator also in Ilocos. Arriving at the crime scene
on 3rd Kayang Street inside the market five minutes later, two
policemen asked bystanders if they recognized the suspect (s). Other policemen
cordoned the area, which is in front of the Cebuana Lhuillier Pawnshop and the
Western Union Bank. A string of ukay-ukay stores is located on
both sides of the narrow street. Sanchez’s body was later
brought to La Funeraria Paz for autopsy and servicing. Initial medico-legal
findings revealed that the bullet entered Sanchez’s lower left ear, pierced
through his brain and exited at his right temple. The bullet killed him
instantly. The doctor who performed
the autopsy said that the firearm was possibly one meter away from the victim.
“Whoever did it made sure the victim died,” the doctor commented. A .380 mm
handgun was possibly used, findings say. Sanchez’s companions, who
were in another ukay-ukay shop said they heard a loud bang, and found
Sanchez fallen and bloody. A one-day vigil was held at
the Cathedral of the Resurrection along Magsaysay Avenue on March 10. An
indignation rally led by militant groups here took place on the same day. At
around 5 p.m., candles were lit at the crime scene. Sanchez’s remains were later
brought home to San Fernando, La Union for the wake. Sanchez is a resident of
Cabaroan in San Fernando. The burial will take place
on March 23. Five
children Sanchez is survived by wife
Elvira, and five children namely, Arantxa Karizzah, Arianne Karollyn, Romeo
Alezzandro, Rosenda Kalayaan, and Angeliz Karynnah. The CHRA believes that AFP
intelligence operatives are directly behind the killing. But at 5 p.m. the following
day, the computer portal of Bombo Radyo Baguio reportedly received a message
from mobile number 09104372988 stating that paramilitary group Revolutionary
Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) in Ilocos is claimed
responsibility for the killing. A police sketch described
the suspected gunman as 34 years old, fair complexioned, medium built, about
5’4” to 5’5” tall, and spoke in Iloko. The suspect wore a black leather jacket,
brown shoes and maong pants. No ordinary man Friends and colleagues held
a tribute to Sanchez before his remains were brought home to La Union on March
10. In a statement, the
Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) said that Sanchez was “no ordinary man” and
described him as “a brilliant propagandist, a dedicated organizer and mass
leader, and selfless activist of the national democratic movement.” Since his involvement in
people’s issues, he was always under surveillance, his colleagues in Ilocos
said. Prior to his death, he received threatening text messages, one
specifically saying “maghanda na kayo, susunod kayo.” Elvira also
received threats in her cellphone prior to the killing. Just on Jan. 6, Sanchez
confronted a group of unidentified men who were looking for him. Sanchez was one of Abra 14,
a group of activists criminalized and tortured in 2000 for alleged involvement
in the Conrado Balweg slay. The case was dismissed two months later for lack of
evidence. “Romy suffered extreme
torture during detention,” said CHRA vice chair Beverly Longid. “They were
transferred from one military safehouse to another, from Rizal to Bulacan and
Manila. Romy’s head was badly injured. Even after their release, surveillance
continued,” she said. Josephine Perez of the
Ilocos Human Rights Advocates (IHRA) said that after the Abra 14 case,
harassment and intimidation of members of people’s organizations heightened.
Friend and STOP Ex
(Solidarity of Peasants against Exploitation) Secretary General Avelino Dacanay
described Sanchez as a person true to his word. “Di ‘yan nambibitin sa
usapan. Isuna ket naragsak a kadwa ken kabsat”.
He and Sanchez worked together as broadcast anchors in DzNL then. “We were like
brothers. Once, while attending an activity in Baguio, he said he wanted to
build a house here to come home to for vacation. He was always thinking of the
children and their schooling,” Dacanay said. Loving husband and
father His widow, Elvira, said
that Romy was always firm, telling her not to worry despite surveillance and
threats to his life. “Wala akong masabi sa
pagmamahal niya sa amin. Kapag nasa bahay siya, siya ang naglalaba, nagluluto…nagde-decorate
pa siya. Halos hindi ko ginagawa iyon dahil siya ang gumagawa”,
she said during the tribute. Romy would always tell the
children that it is always better to die fighting for what is just and right,
she said. He would always ask forgiveness from the children whenever his work
requires long periods away from the family. Their second child, Arianne,
will graduate from elementary on March 30. She said Romy promised to be there on
her graduation. State fascism What happened to Romy is
part of a more systematic plot of the state to suppress the growing militant
mass movement, because they cannot handle it anymore,” said CPA’s Joan Carling.
“The increasing cases of
cold-blooded assassinations against members of progressive organizations are
clear manifestations of the Arroyo government’s desperate moves to silence the
growing people’s movement,” the CHRA said in a statement. According to Bayan Muna
Rep. Teddy Casiño, two Bayan Muna members are either killed or abducted every 10
days. Just recently, Tarlac City Councilor Abelardo Ladera, also a Bayan Muna
member, was killed. Bayan Muna National Vice Chair Manny Loste said that Bayan
Muna members have become a hunted breed, a favorite target of human rights
violations. Bayan Secretary General
Renato Reyes Jr. asked if there is a government policy to kill activists
belonging to Bayan, Bayan Muna and its other allied organizations. “We fear that
the military is on a killing spree, shooting prominent leaders of the
progressive movement,” he said. The CHRA maintained that
the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regime is accountable for Sanchez’s death, and
challenged it to “disband the real terrorists, not people’s organizations with
legitimate issues and concerns. Nordis / Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
Bayan Muna–Ilocos leader assassinated in Baguio
By Abi Taguba Bengwayan
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat