Hilao-Enriquez said that this blatant violation of human rights and the law is being committed by the AFP because of the Arroyo government’s June 20 2010 deadline for the implementation of its counterinsurgency program Oplan Bantay Laya 2. She said that the military’s persistent vilification campaign directed against Karapatan and other progressive people’s organizations is aimed at justifying its attacks against legitimate people’s organizations that are vocal in criticizing and opposing the Arroyo government.

Karapatan also noted that the government has resorted to filing of “fabricated charges” against individuals and organizations.

Just this February 12, Cirila Estrada an organizer of a peasant group in Iloilo was reported to have been “illegally arrested” by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP). According to Karapatan, Estrada is asthmatic and went to the city for medical check-up but the PNP arrested her and charged her with the election gun ban even if no weapon was found in her possession. She is now detained at the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center (IRC). Karapatan said the upcoming election is being used by the military to strike at its perceived “enemies of the state.” 

Kin of Morong 43 and human-rights advocates slam military’s “disrespect” for human rights and judicial processes. (Photo by Anne Marxze D. Umil/bulatlat.com)

They said the military is intensifying its attack against human rights defenders. For the period January to February 2010, Karapatan documented 338 victims of threats, harassments and intimidation. According to its reports, Cesar Lopez Dionido, secretary general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-National Capital Region, was approached by intelligence agents who were forcibly-recruiting him early this year and has been receiving threatening text messages ever since. In Bohol, Ira Pamat of the Women’s Development Center, Inc., and members of progressive partylist groups were subjected to a smear campaign conducted by the Southern Command of the AFP. On Feb. 23 Ronaldo Capitania, a health worker, survived an attack in Negros.

Killing Democracy

Enriquez said the military’s “disrespect” for human rights and judicial processes are slowly killing democracy and the basic freedoms in the country. She added that the people should be more vigilant in asserting their rights “especially in the face of more repressive martial law tactics being foisted by the regime in the run up to the upcoming polls.”

Enriquez said these recent events bring the focus to the state of the judiciary, which is often referred to as the last bastion of democratic processes. She asked, “What is taking the Court of Appeals so long to hand down the decision on the habeas corpus petition of the Morong 43?”   

“We hope that the courts will not bow down to military pressure in the face of these repressive attacks against the rights of the citizens,” she said. (Bulatlat.com)

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