Ambushed Pastor Urges Arroyo to Stop Killings, Repression 

The activist pastor who survived an assassination attempt last month in Ilocos Sur urged the Arroyo administration to stop political killings and repression. This developed as human rights advocates and relatives of victims gathered last week to commemorate the first death anniversary of Jose "Pepe" Manegdeg III and Albert Terredaño.

BY ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat

BAGUIO CITY (246 kms. north of Manila) –The activist pastor who survived an assassination attempt last month in Ilocos Sur urged the Arroyo administration to stop political killings and repression. This developed as human rights advocates and relatives of victims gathered last week to commemorate the first death anniversary of Jose "Pepe" Manegdeg III and Albert Terredaño.

Manegdeg was murdered Nov. 29 last year in San Esteban, Ilocos Sur while Terredaño was slain that same day in Bangued, Abra.

Ptr. Billy Austin of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) explained that one of the reasons for the commemoration is to draw inspiration and courage to continue the work undone.

"What can we do but to celebrate that amid the uncertain situation of the people if they rely on this (GMA) regime, the lives of these two gentle persons sowed the seeds of hope for people to dream and act towards a nation that would be truly for the Filipino people most especially the children," Austin told relatives of Manegdeg and Terredaño in an ecumenical service at the Holy Innocents Church, Easter College Compound, here on Nov. 28. 

Austin, who is also chairman of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) in Ilocos Sur, urged the audience to salute Pepe and Albert by renewing their commitment and making their lives useful, adding: "We thank them for their lives given unselfishly for the cause of the people as they deserve our highest respect."

Grand plan

Austin shared that since the Nov. 9 attempt on his life, there were three people killed in Ilocos Sur including one barangay (village) captain of Sta. Cruz, one missing barangay captain of Candon City, and death threats on three well-known individuals who received black ribbons. He said that the killing of Pepe and Albert, the failed attempt on his life, the latest violations in Ilocos, and the continuing killings nationwide are all part of a grand plan by the military.      

"These political killings and the repression are part of a grand design contained in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) comprehensive plan called Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL or Operation Freedom Watch) which aims to end the ‘insurgency’ and destroy the ‘political infrastructures’ of the insurgents," he explained. The document was downloaded by his officemate from the Internet.

"Majority of these so called ‘political infrastructures of the insurgents’ listed in the Knowing the Enemy, a Power Point presentation being used as propaganda material by the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) are legal organizations which are anti-GMA.  Major church denominations in the country – and the CBCP – were not spared," added Austin in the ecumenical service to commemorate Manegdeg and Terredaño. 

Based on data from Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights), there have been more than 700 cases of political killings in the country since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took over in 2001. The victims include activists, journalists, lawyers and judges, church workers and others.

Austin said that the list includes 16 UCCP members.

Perpetrators

Austin pointed to the Arroyo administration and the military as the perpetrators of the killings and repression in the Ilocos and Cordillera regions by citing what he said were evidences pointing to state agents as perpetrators.

He adds that the victims were critics of the Arroyo administration’s anti-people, anti-poor, and anti-Filipino policies and were active in the campaigns for Arroyo’s ouster. All of them, he adds, were harassed and had been under surveillance by either the Philippine National Police (PNP) or the AFP, citing Manegdeg who had been harassed and placed under military surveillance a month prior to his death.

Call for justice

In the mass, relatives and co-workers of Manegdeg and Terredaño said they are still longing for justice for the two murdered activists.

Peter Macagne, a brother-in-law of Manegdeg, claims that Pepe’s family, relatives, and friends are still longing for "immediate justice."

Their call for justice is being pursued while they are trying to recover from the "brutal" murder of Manegdeg, he said. Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat

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