Bulatlat - The Philippines's alternative weekly newsmagazine

This story was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. VI, No. 4, February 26 - March 4, 2006

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Jensen Cristobal: Workers' Advocate Killed

The brutal murder of Jensen Cristobal, head of the Public Information Office (PIO) of the Santa Rosa City Government and Bayan Muna (People First) Partylist member has brought to 83 the total death toll for the progressive party-list group since 2001.

“No one will opt to have him silenced except those who oppose his principles and commitment,” said Luz Baculo, secretary-general of the Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (Pamantik or Solidarity of Workers in Southern Tagalog).

BY DENNIS ESPADA
Bulatlat

SANTA ROSA CITY, Laguna – The brutal murder of Jensen Cristobal, head of the Public Information Office (PIO) of the Santa Rosa City Government and Bayan Muna (People First) Partylist member has brought to 83 the total death toll for the progressive party-list group since 2001.

Cristobal, 30 and single, was shot to death by unidentified men in the morning of Feb. 18 near the Honda Cars building in Paseo de Magallanes, Makati City. He obtained six bullet wounds from .38 and .45 caliber guns. The assassins fled on board a black sedan car with plate number UHD 416. He was supposedly on his way to meet his girlfriend that day, according to Melvie Cristobal, the victim’s mother.

PIO staff Marian Navarrete said they are still waiting for the police report on the case. His remains have been buried in Ligao City, Albay – his hometown.

Cristobal also took up law and worked in the office of human rights lawyer Pura Calleja. For militant labor unions, his ability has aided troubled workers in their legal actions.

At the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, Laguna (UPLB) where Cristobal finished his Chemical Engineering course, he was elected student council chairman in 1997. By the late 1990s, he was chairman of the National Union of Students of the Philippines-Southern Tagalog Chapter (NUSP-ST). He also served as a staff member of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) in Southern Tagalog.

Gabriela Krista Dalena, a former colleague in UPLB, remembered him as being very frank and critical. “He leaves an impression of being intimidating and over-confident,” she reminisced. “He has a tendency to play devil's advocate, possibly to make discussions livelier. But I think he is actually sensitive and pensive. He would apologize later on and make amends.”

In addition, parallel incidents took place in Quezon – a rustic province recently torn by

successive hot-pursuit operations by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) against the communist-led New People’s Army (NPA).

Last February 8, Anakpawis (Toiling Masses) Partylist member Romeo Lleovet was abducted by suspected elements of the Philippine Army’s 74th Infantry Battalion along with two other peasants in Barangay Burgos in Mulanay town and was found dead the next day. Less than a month ago, Tritran Bus Lines’ union officer Robert dela Cruz was slain by motorcycle-riding men in Lucena City. Both were tagged – but never proved by the military – to be NPA guerrillas.

Congressman Crispin Beltran of Anakpawis Partylist condemned the murders. He said that all these killings of activists are alarming in their frequency and brazenness, for which Malacanang, up to now, has maintained its “ominous silence.” Bulatlat

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