state terror under the us-arroyo regime us-arroyo regime karapatan human rights report for t he...

State Terror under theState Terror under the US-Arroyo RegimeUS-Arroyo Regime

KARAPATAN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT FOR T

HE PERMANENT PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL, 2007

A People Power President who rules by force, suppression, and deception…

194 have been forcibly abducted and remain missing till this day.

839839 victims, all unarmed civilians have been killed.

(January 21, 2001-March 21, 2007)

Human Rights VIolations

839 documented killings

444 not affiliated with any political organization

839 documented killings

395 from “Left” organizations, including:

129 from Bayan Muna 42 from Anakpawis 2 from Gabriela Women’s Party 222 sectoral and community

leaders

Massacre

3535 cases of massacre

839839 documented killings

193193 victims

The VictimsThe Victims

Sector 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006Jan-March 2007

Total

Church 1 0 0 2 7 9 0 19

Peasants 25 63 61 43 94 101 13 400

Fisherfolks 10 3 0 0 0 2 0 15

Human Rights 3 5 1 2 4 3 0 18

Children (below 18) 8 7 18 6 4 7 0 50

National Minority 36 18 19 11 36 7 0 125

Urban Poor 9 6 5 2 7 6 1 36

Workers 2 5 3 10 10 25 0 55

Youth & Students 1 3 6 2 2 10 1 22

Women 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 4

Public Servant 0 1 2 0 5 7 1 16

Teachers 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2

Unidentified 3 2 19 2 21 35 0 77

TOTAL 98 115 125 80 190 213 17 839

All sectors including human rights and church

workers are targets

Even children are not spared!

50 children have died at the hands of suspected military death squads

This child survived the attack while one of his siblings and

his father Jericho Barbas, died.

Children victims of Kanangga Massacre in Leyte, 2002

REGION 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006Jan-March

2007

TOTAL

ARMM 23 12 7 3 4 0 0 49

BICOL 6 18 20 15 17 36 7 119

CAR 3 4 5 1 3 2 0 18

CARAGA 0 3 8 1 4 11 1 27

CL 15 0 9 11 53 54 1 142

CAGAYAN VALLEY

3 8 2 2 4 9 2 30

CENT. VIS 5 4 1 3 1 7 0 21

DVO 4 16 17 7 10 17 0 71

ILOCOS 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

EASTERN VIS

2 4 11 7 39 26 2 91

NCR 0 0 2 0 28 8 0 38

NMR 5 0 2 1 1 6 2 17

SCKSRGN 0 6 5 2 0 6 1 19

WEST VIS 0 2 0 0 8 4 0 14

ST 30 34 20 25 17 26 0 152

ZMBNG 2 4 16 3 0 1 1 26

TOTAL: 98 115 125 81 190 213 17 839

National in scope, with focus

on OBL priority areas

2001 – 30

2002 – 27

2003 – 26

2004 – 41

2005 – 202

2006 – 33

Total – 359

Alden Ambida,Bayan Muna provincial coordinator, Eastern SamarSurvivor, frustrated assassination April 9, 2005

there are also victims who

survived but will forever suffer from

serious physical injuries and/or

emotional and

psychological trauma…

Frustrated Extra-judicial Killings

Enforced Disappearances

2001 7

2002 10

2003 11

2004 31

2005 55

2006 79Jan-March

20071

TOTAL 194

Karen Cadapan, UP studentAbducted on June 26, 2006

Sherlyn Empeno, UP student

Abducted on June 26, 2006

194194 documented enforced disappearances

4141 belongs to organization identified with the “left”

Topographic Presentation of Killings and Topographic Presentation of Killings and Disappearances under Arroyo Regime from Disappearances under Arroyo Regime from January, 2001 to August, 2006January, 2001 to August, 2006

There is a patternThe victims are either leaders or active members of militant parties or organizations or ordinary folk in areas where the AFP conducts internal security operations.

There is a pattern

Prior to the attacks, victims are usually subject to a vilification campaign by the military or anti-communist vigilante groups. They are demonized as members of the CPP/NPA or its “front organizations”.

There is a pattern

Victims are usually subject to surveillance by the military, CAFGU or Barangay Intelligence Network (BIN) and told to stop their political activities “or else...” Many were warned that they were in the military’s “order of battle”.

There is a pattern

Killers are either uniformed men with no nametags, wearing bonnets or ski-masks and riding on motorcycles or vehicles with no plate numbers.

There is a pattern

Even the most brutal atrocities hardly elicit any decisive action or even condemnation from the government. All cases remain unsolved, with authorities seemingly helpless in or are not going after the perpetrators.

There is a pattern

The foregoing pattern results in a climate of IMPUNITY, with the killings and abductions getting more brazen by the day.

Why the widespread and systematic killings?

AFP’s Oplan Bantay Laya (2002-2006) Aims to destroy the CPP-NPA’s “political

infrastructure” (read: “front organizations”)

No distinction between armed rebels and unarmed civilians working within the legal framework

= ?

Why the widespread and systematic killings?

Bayan Muna’s triumphant entry into the parliamentary arena in 2001

Followed by Anakpawis and Gabriela in 2004

Despite liberal posturing, the Left’s phenomenal entry in the political mainstream is seen as a threat by the military and the ruling elite

Why the widespread and systematic killings?

AFP’s Oplan Bantay Laya (2002-2006)

The range of personalities subject to “target research” and “neutralization” are ranking officials of “front organizations” and even those who merely attend their activities

= ?

NUFC

KMUPISTONCOURAGEKMUKADAMAY

ANAKBAYAN CEGP LFS NUSP SCMP

PCPR KARAPATAN GOMBURZA (Priest) SAMIN (Nuns) AMRSP CBCP EMJP PIC UCCP

FLAG PLLP HEAD HEAL IBON Databank AGHAM NUJP PETA

ACT CONTEND

KMP

KMPCPA ROL, Lumad/ KAMP

SECTOR

PEASANT

LABOR

MIDDLEFORCES

NATIONALBOURGEOISIE

Agri-Workers (wood, mining, agro-industrial)

FisherfolksSmall FarmersIndigenous Peoples (IP)

Industrial LaborersTransport & Service SectorPublic Sector (gov’t employees)Agri-Workers (urban-rural)Community Labor (urban poor)

Youth & Students

Religious

Professionals (doctors, lawyers, bankers)

TeachersLocal PoliticiansSmall Entrepreneurs

PoliticiansBig BusinessBig Compradors

SUB-SECTORPPW

Framework

Support BldgSupport BldgSupport BldgBase & Army Building

Party BldgParty BldgParty BldgParty BldgGen Uprising

UF Building

UF Building

UF Building

UF BuildingBroad UFBroad UF

Broad UFBroad UFBroad UF

Neptali SANTOS @ ATONGCPP/NPA leader /Sec of KLG F2, Tarlac PCom, CLRC of the CPP/NPA

Danny Rosal LADERA @ AngelMember of Tarlac PCom, CLRC of te CPP/NPA and nephew of CPP Spokesperson Gregorio Rosal

Abelardo Rosal LADERABAYAN MUNA fielded Councilor of Tarlac City/nephew of CPP Spokesperson Gregorio Rosal

Angie LADERAPresident of IWS Labor Union, KMU member and wife of NPA member Danny LADERA

Marie PAMPOSATreasurer, BAYAN MUNA/ Deputy Sec WACOM, TARLAC PCOM,CLRC, CPP/NPA

Odeth BUNDALIANMember, White Area Committee (WACOM) of Tarlac PCom, CLRC of the CPP/NPA

Eliseo CADIANG Chairman, BAYAN-Tarlac

Francisco Pol VIUYAKMU member and Chairman Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng Tarlac (NMT)

Juliet CORPUZ KMU member of the IWSWU/Chairperson-NMT

Elmon DAVID Chairman of KADAMAY

CPP/NPA AND SECTORAL FRONT PERSONALITIES

Taken from a PowerPoint presentation of the NOLCOM

TortureTorture

799799 documenteddocumented victims

In most areas, torture cases are difficult to document for the victim’s fear for reprisal

Angie Ipong, Gabriela member,

tortured and detained

Reign of terror in rural areas A state of martial rule

is imposed in areas with counter-insurgency operations

The military conducts illegal census, profiling and house to house searches

Members of progressive parties and organizations forced to “surrender” as NPAs

Attacks on communities

263, 598263, 598 victims of Forced Evacuation/Displacement

21, 50621, 506 victims of Hamletting/Zoning

14, 50214, 502 victims victims

of of Food and Economic Blockades

Attacks on communitiesFrom January 21, 2001 to December 31, 2006 GMA

committed 7,4507,450 documented cases of human rights violations victimizing

480, 099480, 099 individualsindividuals

‘Legal offensive’ vs. gov’t critics

IALAG formed under the office of the National Security Adviser to manufacture cases vs. gov’t critics, especially from the Left

Six members of Congress charged with rebellion, other members of the Opposition and the media swamped with harassment cases

Intensified trade union repression

The CTUHR recorded 89 incidents and documented 163 cases affecting 1,043 victims

Cases of intimidation and surveillance increased by 73%

Whitewashing gov’t role in HRVs Task Force Usig appears more intent in proving the NPA purge theory than in a genuine investigation of the cases

Increased US intervention Subic rape case highlights the

continuing presence of US troops in the country since 2002

The Arroyo regimes stepped up counter-insurgency operations is part of the US global war vs. ‘terrorism’

RP state security forces receive massive US military aid, equipment and advice

…and the world is taking notice.

UNHRCInter-Parliamentary Union

World Council of Churches

Philip Alston Statement“The AFP remains in a state of almost total denial (as its official response to the Melo Report amply demonstrates) of its need to respond effectively and authentically to the significant number of killings which have been convincingly attributed to them. The President needs to persuade the military that its reputation and effectiveness will be considerably enhanced, rather than undermined, by acknowledging the facts and taking genuine steps to investigate.”

Professor Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur of the

United Nations Human Rights Council on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary

executions.MANILA, PHILIPPINES 21 February

2007

Melo Commission Report

Melo

Mantaring

Bp. Pueblos

Teodoro-

Gonzales

The Melo report confirmed what KARAPATAN have pointed out in its previous pronouncements – that state security forces are responsible in the political killings.

US Senate Inquiry“… we take the problem of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines seriously, and are committed to helping our Philippine allies as they bring those responsible to justice,"

Eric John, US deputy assistant secretary of

state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told a US Senate sub-committee

probing political murders in the

Philippines Washington DC, 15

March 2007