Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Volume IV, Number 14 May 9 - 15, 2004 Quezon City, Philippines |
HUMAN
RIGHTS WATCH
Alleged
Red Leader in AFP Custody Declared Missing
The
alleged secretary of the Communist Party’s provincial committee in Occidental
Mindoro and two other communist suspects were presented to the press May 3
following their arrest a day earlier. While his two companions were released on
May 5, the alleged leader has been declared missing. by
dabet castañeda
Still
dazed over the capture of his eldest brother, Jose Ceasar faced the media on May
6 bearing his brother’s photographs. He
said efforts to locate Eduardo’s whereabouts remain futile.
He also fears that his brother is being tortured.
“I
was shocked to see my brother on TV. I
don’t know where the military based their allegations that he is a CPP
leader,” he said. The
younger Serrano said that while he is not fully aware of his brother’s
affiliations or alleged connections with the CPP, he firmly believes that his
brother has a right to be visited by his relatives and by his counsel. “We
just want to make sure that he is doing fine,” he said. Abducted
Serrano,
together with Mendoza and Mesana, were reportedly abducted by a group of
plainclothes men on May 2, 10 a.m. at the Tritran Bus Terminal in Lipa City,
Batangas, a province south of Manila. Documents
gathered by Bulatlat.com reveal that the arresting officer was Wilfred
Gendivo Ilano, Senior Police Officer IV of the Regional Intelligence and
Investigation Division (R2) of the Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan Philippine
National Police (MIMAROPA-PNP). The
arresting unit subsequently turned him over to the Army’s ISG. On May 3, the
three were presented to reporters in a press conference held at the Philippine
Army Headquarters in Fort Bonifacio. Missing
Relatives
of Serrano sought the help of the regional chapter of the human rights alliance
Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of Peoples' Rights) in Southern
Tagalog and lawyers from the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) on May 3 to
assist them in looking for Serrano and the two other detainees.
The
group trooped to Camp Crame, then to Camp Aguinaldo and Fort Bonifacio to no
avail. According to Karapatan, the
Military-Police in Fort Bonifacio admitted that there were three people who were
brought to the camp and presented before the media that day.
But they denied that they have Serrano in their custody. After
being given the run around by the military for two days, Serrano’s relatives
filed a writ of habeas corpus before the Pasig Regional Trial Court last May 5.
ISG commanding officer Arnulfo Ylanan, ISG Deputy Commander Col. Ramon
Baldemor, Sr. Supt. VictorioCaragang Jr, commanding officer of MiMaRoPa-PNP,
Maj. Gen. Pedro Cabuay and Brig. Gen. Efren Orbon, officers of the 2nd
Infantry Division of the AFP, were named as respondents in the case. The
hearing is set on May 11 at Branch 155 of the Pasig RTC under Judge Luis Tengco.
Human
rights violation
“If
the military claims that they have cases against my brother, they should bring
him to court,” said the younger Serrano.
But first, his family should be allowed to visit him and he should be
allowed to confer with his lawyer. Lawyers
Marie Yuvienco and Rommel Quizon of the PILC said that the AFP and the PNP are
violating RA 7438, which states that an arrested individual has the right to
counsel and to be visited by his/her next of kin. Karapatan added that the abduction case of Serrano is a
violation of the Constitution and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for
Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL). The CARHRIHL is an agreement signed by the Government of the
Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the
Philippines (NDFP) as part of the ongoing peace talks.
Serrano’s
counsels fear that Serrano might be undergoing torture during these last four
days that he is being illegally detained and isolated.
The lawyers added that the AFP and PNP’s practice of illegally
detaining, isolating, and torturing suspected political offenders is a form of
state terrorism that the military routinely employs to break the emotional and
psychological will of the detainee. “This
is very alarming and unfortunate especially in view of the ongoing peace
negotiations between the GRP and the NDFP.
This hampers the peace process,” said Quizon.
Mistaken
identity
Meanwhile,
Mendoza and Mesana were released last May 5 after posting bail amounting to
PhP172, 000. They were charged with illegal possession of firearms (IPFA).
Mendoza was immediately brought to an undisclosed hospital for medical
attention. She was reportedly
suffering from hypertension triggered by their arrest.
Mesana, on the other hand, is in the custody of Karapatan.
Mesana,
18, of Poblacion Puerto Galera, Mindoro Oriental, said that she is innocent of
the charges brought against her. She said she was on her way to Lipa to look for
a job when she was arrested together with Medina and Serrano. Her
father, Rolando Mesana, is a coconut farmer while her mother, Cristina Mesana,
is a homemaker. “Hindi pa nga
alam ng pamilya ko na nagkaganito ako” (My family do not even know that
these things happened to me), she said. She
said she underwent strenuous emotional and psychological torture while in
detention. She said she was
interrogated by military men wearing ski masks. She recalled her interrogators
telling her, “Mahirap na kung makikilala mo pa kami, baka patayin mo kami
(We won’t allow you to identify us for you might kill us later)”. “Alam
mo ba na hinihingi ka na ng mga kasama namin sa Mindoro?
Gusto mo ba duon ka pa tumuga?” (Do you know that our colleagues
from Mindoro are asking us to turn you over to them?
Do you prefer to confess before them?), her interrogators reportedly
asked her. “Alam
mo ba na galit na galit sa inyo si Palparan?” (Do you know that Palparan
is very angry with you?) the military reportedly told her, referring to Col.
Jovito Palparan, former commanding officer of the 204th Infantry
Brigade (IB). Col. Palparan was
linked to a series of human rights violations committed against the people of
Mindoro. According
to Mesana, her interrogators even offered to help her continue with her studies.
“Makipagtulungan ka lang sa amin” (All we are asking from you is to
cooperate with us), the interrogators told her. Mesana, who still appeared confused during the press conference is currently in the custody of Karapatan. “Ayaw ko munang umuwi mag-isa kasi baka hulihin ulit ako ng mga sundalo” (I don’t want to go home alone because the soldiers might arrest me again), she said. Bulatlat.com We want to know what you think of this article.
|
|||