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UA Date : 27 March 2003

UA Title: TWO SIBLINGS KILLED AND BURNED

WITH HOUSE IN ORIENTAL MINDORO, PHILIPPINES

I. Case: Harassment, Illegal search, Killing and Destruction of Property (burning)

II. Victim/s: FRANCISCO RABANO (killed)

· 42 years old

· a farmer and a resident of Sitio Pinagturian, Brgy. Villflor, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro

MARIANO RABANO (killed)

· 25 years old

· a farmer and a resident of Sitio Pinagturian, Brgy. Villflor, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro

III. Place of Incident: Sitio Pinagturian, Brgy. Villflor, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro

IV. Date of Incident: 22 March 2003 between 11:00PM – 12:00 MN

V. Perpetrator/s: Undetermined number of men wearing fatigues and carrying high

powered guns

VI. Account of Incident/s:

At around 11:00 PM on March 22, 2003, Julita Rabano and her husband Francisco heard someone shouting outside of their home in Sitio Pagturian, Brgy. Villflor, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro. Thinking that it could be one of their neighbors asking for help, husband and wife decided to go out and take a look, bringing with them a lamp and a flashlihgt. After descending from their house, someone snatched Francisco’s flashlight and blew out the light from the lamp. Then they were ordered to surrender their gun. It was dark and Julita could barely see who gave the orders nor count how many were there surrounding them. Francisco denied they owned any gun. “Wala po kaming baril”(“We don’t own a gun.”), he said. But the men insisted and when Francisco repeatedly denied, he was forcibly separated from his wife who was then embracing him. Julita was left with three men who toted their guns at her. The men also ordered her to bring out her gun, but Julita could only deny their allegation and when they could not get anything from her ordered Julita to lie sprawled under a table. She saw two armed men go up their house and ransack it looking for a gun, while the rest stayed behind.

Gerry Camagon, a nine-year-old adopted child of the couple was roused from sleep by the noise generated by the ransacking being conducted by the armed men. He was also told to bring out the gun his uncle Francisco supposedly owned. Frightened, Gerry ran out towards his sprawled Aunt Julita and embraced her.

After a while, Julita saw their house on fire as well as two armed men in fatigues who descended from the burning house. The fire illuminated the place surrounding the house so, Julita was able to see that aside from the men who pointed their guns at her, there were many more armed men in fatigues surrounding their house. When she attempted to stand up, she was told to stay down otherwise they will shoot her, “huwag kang aalis dyan, babarilin kita” (“Don’t dare leave that place or else I’ll shoot you.”) Julita had no choice but to stay where she was along with Gerry. But, when she saw the men running away from their house, she and Gerry crawled away to safety. Later, she heard five gunshots near their house.

Julita was barely able to save anything from their house. She lost their appliances, P25,000 cash which she saved with her husband and their clothings.

Meanwhile, according to Miguela Rabano, mother of Francisco and Mariano, the younger Rabano just came from watching tv from a neighbor near their house. When he realized that they no longer had any food that night, Mariano left to ask for food from their neighbors. That was the last time Miguela saw her son alive. The following day, his burnt body was found embraced to his brother Francisco inside the burnt house of Julita and Francisco. Their bodies where brought down at exactly 3:00 PM on March 23, 2003.

Both showed two gunshot wounds on the head. Aside from that, Francisco had five bullet holes on the body including one on his breast while Mariano had three gunshot wounds on his back.

According to a resident, the siblings were being implicated by the military to the ambush of elements of the 204^th Brigade last November 24, 2002.

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 killing and the burning of Franciso and Mariano Rabano as well as the burning of Francisco’s house.

2. The prosecution of the perpetrators of the crimes of harassment, illegal search, killing and destruction of property as well as investigations of other atrocities committed by elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Oriental Mindoro, Philippines.

3. The immediate and proper indemnification of the family/relatives of the victims; and

4. That the Philippine Government be reminded that it is a signatory of 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] / [email protected]

Hon. Eduardo R. Ermita

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

Email: [email protected]

Hon. Angelo T. Reyes

Secretary, Department of National Defense

Camp Emilio Aguinaldo

E. de los Santos Avenue,

Quezon City, Philippines

Voice: (+632) 912-9281

Fax: (+632) 911 6213

Email: [email protected]

Hon. Purificacion Valera Quisumbing

Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights

SAAC Bldg., UP Complex

Commonwealth Avenue

Diliman, Quezon City

Philippines

Fax: (+632) 926 6188

Email: [email protected]

Please send 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

9B K-9 St., West Kamias Quezon City, Philippines

TeleFax: (+632) 926 7877

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

Website: www.karapatan.org