UA Date:             09 October 2004

UA Title:                     KARAPATAN AND EMJP STAFF HARASSED BY MEMBERS OF RPA-ABB

UA Case:              Harassment

I.                     Victim/s:                      Aya Reyes

·         22 years old; Single

·         female

·         staff of KARAPATAN, Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights

Ritchie Mendoza

·         30 years old; Single

·         Male

·         staff of KARAPATAN, Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights

Girlie Padilla

·         33 years old; Single

·         Female

·         Acting Secretary-General of the Ecumenical Movement for Justice and Peace (EMJP)

Nelson Cabrera

·         19 years old; Single

·         Male

·         A transient staying at the KARAPATAN office

Relatives and victims of human rights violations staying at the KARAPATAN office

Four families belonging to three households living within the same compound as KARAPATAN and EMJP

II.                  Place of Incident:            # 43 Masikap St., Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City, Philippines 

III.                Date of Incident:              09 October 2004 between 3:15-3:43 AM

IV.                Perpetrators:            Five masked men wearing bonnets allegedly belonging to the Rebolusyonaryong Proletarian Army – Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB)*

V.                  Account of Incident:

At 3:15 AM on October 09, 2004 staff members of KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights) and EMJP (Ecumenical Movement for Justice and Peace) were awakened by a loud banging on their gate. When they looked from the window at the second floor of their two-story-residential-type office, they saw at least three masked men wearing bonnets banging on their gate. They were shouting invectives and daring members of the KARAPATAN National Office to come out, at the same time calling, according to them,  for justice for the slain Arturo Tabara**. The disturbance lasted for about 30 minutes, before the masked men, hurriedly walked away from the place.

Later, neighbors told the KARAPATAN staff that there were five men outside the compound. They initially banged on a neighbor’s gate and when they realized it was the wrong place, moved to the next gate, which had a sign indicating that it was were the KARAPATAN office was located. They also said that the banging started at around 3:15 AM, with the men shouting and asking for an Edward Navarro to come out.  The terrorized neighbors belonging to families living within the compound didn’t dare come out and instead stayed inside while the incident happened. Relatives and victims of human rights violations staying at the office at that time were likewise frightened because of this.

After the men had left the staff went down to look if they did any damage to the property. The men put up posters on the gate, trees, and even on the walls and gates of some of the houses nearby. It contained messages maliciously and baselessy linking KARAPATAN to the New People’s Army who had admitted to the killing of Arturo Tabara last September 26. The posters had the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB)* as signatory. Strewn all over the front yard were flyers. In addition, the staff found a streamer hanging on the fence of the compound painted with the same message as the flyers.

The KARAPATAN staff took pictures of the posters and streamer before tearing them down.

Leaders of the human rights organization believe that the attack was made against KARAPATAN because it has been documenting human rights abuses the RPA-ABB* has done against civilians particularly in the Negros provinces in Central Philippines. Notable cases were those of the murder of Pedro Trabajador, a 67 year old leader of the National Federation of Sugar Workers in 2002; the burning of a house and shooting of a farmer Mamerto “Bebe” Acsimar in Sitio Langguni, Barangay Inayawan, Cauayan, September 21, 2004 as well as other reported cases of human rights violations.

*Rebolusyonaryong Proletarian Army (Revolutionary Proletarian Army) – Alex Boncayao Brigade – the RPA-ABB according to peasant organizations acts as the private army of bourgeois comprador Eduardo Cojuangco as well as Governor George Arnaiz in Negros Occidental. Reports from the province state that the armed group has entered into bogus and collaborationist peace negotiations and deals with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines; they have been issued licenses for their arms by the government and are actively and directly engaged in “police” operations and functions against purported drug users and criminals; they also conduct “intelligence operations” against the NPA and they likewise get training from the military.

** Arturo Tabara  was the founder and head  of the RPMP-RPA (Rebolusyonaryong Partidong Manggagawa-Pilipinas - Revolutionary Proletarian Army) which was formed in 1992 after Tabara was expelled from the Communist Party of the Philippines for alleged crimes against the Party and revolutionary movement. In 1997, RPA merged with the ABB of Nilo dela Cruz and formed the RPA-ABB which later forged a peace deal with then President Joseph Estrada in 1999 and President Arroyo in 2001.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

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 harassment of KARAPATAN and EMJP staff, relatives and victims of human rights violation staying at the office, and four families belonging to three households living in the same compound;

2.       The arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the crime of harassment committed.

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

You may send your communications to:

H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

President of the Republic

Malacanang Palace,

JP Laurel St., San Miguel

Manila Philippines

Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80

Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968

Cell#: (+ 63) 919 898 4622 / (+63) 917 839 8462

E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]

Hon. Teresita Deles

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process

7F Agustin Building I

Emerald Avenue

Pasig City, Philippines

Voice: (+632) 636 0701 to 0766

Fax: (+632) 638 2216

Hon. Eduardo R. Ermita

Secretary, Department of National Defense

Camp Emilio Aguinaldo

E. de los Santos Avenue,

Quezon City, Philippines

Voice: (+632) 912-9281

Fax: (+632) 911 6213

Hon. Purificacion Valera Quisumbing

Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights

SAAC Bldg., UP Complex

Commonwealth Avenue

Diliman, Quezon City

Philippines

Fax: (+632) 929 0102

Email: [email protected]

Please send us a copy of your email/mail/fax to the said government official to our address below.

URGENT ACTION Prepared by:

KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights)-National Office

43 Masikap St. Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City 1100 PHILIPPINES

Voice: (+632) 435 4146 / Fax: (+632) 928 6078

Emails: <[email protected]> / [email protected]

Website: www.karapatan.org