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 UA Date:       24 November 2004

 

UA Title:                    National Fact-Finding and Medical Mission in Mindoro Occidental raided by paramilitaries and soldiers, 10 were hurt

 

UA Case:      Physical assault and injuries; coercion; threat/ harassment/ intimidation; restriction or dispersal of a legal public gathering; preventing the undertaking of humanitarian mission and activities  (Art. 4, Par. 7, CAHRIHL); assault upon medical professionals and religious persons (Art. 4, Par. 8, CAHRIHL)

 

Victim/s:        Participants of the KARAPATAN National Fact-Finding and Medical Mission, namely:

                        Dr. Reginaldo Pamugas, MD;

                        Lovella De Castro;

                        Rev. Rey Gelloagan, UCCP;

                        Rev. Jonash Joyohoy, IFI;

                        Fr. Jerry Sabado;

                        Atty, Alfonso Cinco IV;

                        Jennifer Rose Jadorminio;

                        Maria Cora P. Larobis;

                        Bert Sinigman;

                        Grace Cuasay;

                        Albert Pascual;

                        Amylyn Sato;

                        Che Aguilar;

Gaylord Duespuez;

Bruce Dig;

Roberto Pascual, Jr.;

Ma. Luisa Posa;

Ginalyn Blancaflor;

Samuel Torata;

Manny Mamon;

Olive Bernardo;

Maryguy Portajada;

Reynaldo Astoveza;

Ferdinand Mendoza;

Melvin Pornaza;

Rosie Latagan;

Tresedela Calaguis;

Victoria Ferrer;

Lydia de Castro;

Roberto Pascual;

Dorris Cuario;

Josephine Musico;

Tonette Precilla;

Dina Jean Capitiko;

Avelino Ferrer;

Ventura Ferrer;

Guillermo Bautista;

 

Injured were:

Hernani Batugon, Filipino, 19 years old, and a resident of San Pablo, Laguna, Philippines;

Ariel Talisic, 36 years old, Filipino, and a resident of Lucena, Quezon, Philippines;

Augustus Caesar Mapeso, Filipino, married, 41 years old, from Kalibo, Aklan, Panay, Philippines;

Poroy Serrudo, Filipino, 39 years old, single, from Lucena, Quezon, Philippines;

Jesus Villamor, Filipino, 18 years old;

Rommel Latagan, Filipino, 17 years old, from Lucena, Quezon, Philippines;

Myradel Reyes, Filipino, 22 years old, from Quezon City, Philippines;

Gladys Sisigan, Filipino, 16 years old, from Sto. Tomas, Batangas;

Jo-ann Capoquian, Filipino, 21 years old, from Diliman. Quezon City;

Lisie Montano; Mexican-American; an exposurist in the Philippines.

 

 

I.                     Date of Incident:     November 22, 2004 at around 4:00 in the afternoon; and November 23, 2004 at around 1:00 in the afternoon.

 

II.     Place of Incident: Brgy. Armado, Abra de Ilog. Occidental Mindoro and   Municipal gym inside the municipall hall compound of Sta. Cruz, Occidental Mindoro in Philippines

 

III.                  Perpetrators: Col. Salih Indanan, Commanding Officer of the 16^th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army based in Brgy. Casage, Sta. Cruz, Occidental Mindoro; soldiers from the same unit and paramilitary unit under the command of the battalion.

 

IV.               Account of the Incident:

 

Last 21 November 2004, KARAPATAN launched the National Fact-Finding and Medical Mission to deliver basic health services and relief to the municipalities of Abra de Ilog, Sta. Cruz, San Jose and Magsaysay of the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines as well as to investigate reported human rights violations in the said province. The mission was composed of participants from Manila, Southern Tagalog, Panay and Central Visayas regions and was supposed to end on 25 November 2004.

 

On 22 November 2004, while the group was conducting medical mission in front of the barangay hall of Brgy. Armado of the municipality of the Abra de Ilog, a group of about fifteen (15) men wearing bonnets and bandanas over their faces suddenly appeared and proceeded to harass the same by shouting invectives and threatening words at the participation while positioned twenty meters, more or less, there from the contingents of eth National Fact-Finding and Medical Mission (NFFMM). At about 4:00 p.m. the said group approached and disrupted the medical mission. Patients from the said barangays who were lining up to avail of the health services scampered out of sheer fear and the contingent was constrained to stop the activity and leave the area because of the imminent threat of violence from the same group. About twelve (12) patients that were registered were not given medical attention as a result of the violent disruption of the medical mission. The mission them went to Mamburao. Mindoro Occidental while being chased by the same group of hooded men who were then riding a government-owned dump truck with red plate. The mission was able to seek refuge and spend the nights at the day care center inside the municipal hall compound of the said town. A squad of soldiers from the 16^th Infantry Battalion, PA posted themselves thirty meters from the NFFMM contingent.

 

On 23 November 2004, the medical and fact-finding group proceeded to adjacent town of Sta. Cruz, Occidental Mindoro and conducted medical mission inside the municipal gym located inside the municipal hall compound and about thirty (30) meters, more or less, from the PNP station and the municipal hall itself. This was after representatives of the mission led by Rev. Rey Gelloagan visited and was granted permission by Mayor Leonardo Abelleda, the municipal mayor of the said town, to provide health services. Mayor Abelleda summoned OIC Chief of Police Aquino and personally directed him in front of the representatives of the mission to secure the mission from any harassment or threats from any group.

 

At around noon of the same date, a squad of soldiers arrived in an army truck and position themselves near the police station twenty-five meters, more or less, from the gym. At about 12:30 p.m., three (3) government-owned dump trucks with red plates arrived with about twenty to thirty five people on board. Most of them were wearing bonnets and bandanas over their faces. Some of them were observed to have pistols tucked in their waists.

 

The said group then started harassing the medical mission and its patients by shouting invectives and threatening words at the participants just like the day before in Brgy. Armado, Abra de Ilog. Representatives of the mission sought the assistance of OIC Chief of Police Aquino as the activity of the mission was already being disrupted and the patients were already distraught with fear. Rev. Gelloagan complained to Aquino about the ongoing harassment and requested him to check and confront the hooded men and to make arrests, if necessary. It was even suggested that a dialogue be held with the leaders of the group of hooded men but Aquino declined and instead told the mission to stay in the gym. Aquino hurriedly left after that.

 

At around 1:00 p.m. of the same date, the paramilitary group forcibly entered the gate of the gym facing the police station by kicking the same. Some of the participants tried to block them to prevent them from hurting the other participants and the patients but were instead pushed and mauled. One of them even tried to snatch the video camera held by Roberto Pascual, Jr., a member of the mission and was fortunate enough to run. The paramilitary group then proceeded to assault and disperse the team of Dr. Reggie Pamugas, which was attending to twenty local patients. Chaos reigned as the soldiers joined the group of hooded men in the assault and the mission participants and patients were pushed back towards the other gate where the mission bus was parked. About seventeen (17) patients that were registered were not given medical attention because of the violent disruption of the medical mission. At about this time the policemen were already inside the gym but could not do anything to stop the assault and dispersal. Neither did they make a single arrest or confront the hooded group or frisk them for deadly weapons. Nine (9) members of the fact-finding and medical mission were injured as a result of the violent assault and disruption of the medical mission, namely: Hernani Batugon, Ariel Talisic, Augustus Caesar Mapeso, Poroy Serrudo, Jesus Villamor, Rommel Latagan, Myradel Reyes, Gladys Sisigan and Joanne Capoquin. An undetermined number of patients were likewise injured.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

 

Send letters, email or fax messages calling:

 

To conduct an immediate congressional inquiry of the brazen assault and disruption of the fact-finding and medical mission in Occidental Mindoro as stipulated in Resolution 420 submitted by *BAYAN MUNA, GABRIELA Women’s Party and ANAK PAWIS at the House of Representatives;

The Philippine Government to take action as a signatory for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to address the worsening situation in Mindoro Island.

 

 

You may send your communications to:

 

H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

President of the Republic of the Philippines

Malacañang Palace,

J.P. 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

Email: [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. delos 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]