January 28, 2003

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo                                                     

President of the Philippines

Malacañang Palace

 

Dear Ms. President:

 

We, members of People’s Rights International Solidarity Movement, comprised of Filipino and American citizens residing in the Los Angeles area, are concerned of massive human rights violations of Filipinos in the Philippines.

 

KARAPATAN, an alliance of human rights organization in the Philippines, has documented

1, 545 cases in at least 407 barangays. The Philippine Army, the Philippine National Police and paramilitary groups are the perpetrators of these violations.

 

Under your administration, two persons are being killed every week. A total of 167 activists, mass leaders and suspected NPA sympathizers were reported killed since January 2001. In the past 20 months, 27 victims have been disappeared. Amnesty International has protested the on-going incidence of torture committed by the military.

 

On November 23, 2002, Victor “Jun” Saducos, Jr., a resident of  Sitio Hulo, Barangay Tabinay Maliit, Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro, was abducted by 20 unidentified men wearing fatigues and combat shoes carrying  M14 and M16. The abductors are believed to be members of 204th Brigade under the command of Col. Jovito Palparan.

 

As a civilized society, we cannot allow this barbaric treatment of a civilian population who are the victims of the government’s war against the New People’s Army.

 

We, therefore, ask Your Excellency to uphold and defend human rights by:

 

1. Immediately forming an independent fact-finding investigation team composed of representatives from human rights groups, the Church, local government and the Commission of Human Rights. The team will look into the abduction and forced disappearance of Victor Saducos as well as forced evacuation of Tagalog and Mangyan families from Sitio Hulo, Barangay Tabinay Maliit in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro. We would like to be part of this fact-finding mission.

 

2. Prosecuting the perpetrators of the crime of abduction, harassment as well as investigating other atrocities.

 

3. Immediately and properly indemnifying the family of the victims.

 

We look forward to your positive response.

 

Sincerely,

PRISM Representatives:                                                      Mary Ochs, Nuclear Free Asia Pacific Committee

 

 

Pastor Roy Padilla, Rosewood United Methodist Church              Frank Kim, Director, Orange County Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice

                                                                                                

 

Tony Doroño, Amn esty International                                          Fr. Joe Tobin

                                                                                                 Pastor, Assumption of Mary Church

 

 

Fr. Teody Holgado, Redemptorist Missionary                             Grace Sison, People’s Initiative to Advance Filipino            Com munity

                                                                                                                                                             

People’s Rights International Solidarity Movement

354 0 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1040, Los Angeles, California 90010

(213) 427-3781; (909) 312-7130, E-mail: [email protected]