Victim/s: Diosdado “Ding” or “Fort” Fortuna

* PAMANTIK – Pagkakaisa at ugnayan ng mga Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (Union and Organization of Workers in Southern Tagalog)

** ANAKPAWIS in Filipino means “Toiling Masses” it is a Partylist Organization representing both workers and peasants at the Philippine House of Representatives.

*** BAYAN – Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance)

1. Place of Incident: Near Sagara Factory in Barangay Paciano, Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines
2. Date of Incident: 22 September 2005 between 6:00 AM – 6:30 PM
3. Perpetrators: Unidentified men riding a motorcycle, believed to be intelligence elements belonging to both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
4. Account of Incident:

After attending the All-Leaders Meeting of workers at around 6:00 PM, today, September 22, 2005, Diosdado “Ding” or “Fort” Fortuna passed by the picketline of striking workers at the Neste factory in Cabuyao, Laguna to talk with some students who were there on an exposure and share with them the union’s experience for the past three (3) years of struggle. After that visit, Fort went home on board his motorcycle.

Upon entering the street in their subdivision, near Sagara Factory in Barangay Paciano, Calamba City unidentified men who were also on board a motorcycle shot Ding at the back.

The union leader was immediately brought to the Calamba Doctors Hospital by responding concerned residents. He suffered two gunshot wounds entering his back and exiting through his right chest near his nipple, fatally injuring his heart, liver and spleen. He died instantly.

On September 21, 2005, at around 9:00 AM Fort was one of those who led and spoke during the mobilization in Laguna to commemorate the 33rd Anniversary of Martial Law. At 2:00 PM he also led an activity at the Nestle picketline in line with the day’s event. Both the military and the police where on red alert and were highly visible in Cabuyao and Calamba, where they put up checkpoints. While the activity was going on at the picketline, quite a number of soldiers and policemen where around the factory monitoring the activity, some were even documenting the event with their digital cameras, video cameras and cellphone cameras.

Send letters, emails or fax messages calling for:

1. The immediate formation of an independent fact-finding and investigation team composed of representatives from human rights groups, the Church, local government, and the Commission on Human Rights that will look into the summary execution of Diosdado "Ding" or "Fort" Fortuna;
2. The arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the crime of summary execution;
3. The immediate and proper indemnification of the family/relatives of the victims; and
4. The Philippine Government to be reminded that it is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that it is also a party to all the major Human Rights instruments, thus it is bound to observe all of its provisions

President of the Republic

Malacanang Palace,

JP Laurel St., San Miguel

Manila Philippines

Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80