By RONALYN V. OLEA
“While we commend the courage of the mothers of Karen and Sherlyn, now human rights defenders themselves, in pursuing the criminal case, it is equally significant that the Aquino government must take concrete steps in making the roads to justice accessible for the victims and their families.” – Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law, and Development
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
“It’s never right to live in fear. Those who attack the civil, political and human rights of the Filipino people thrive on fear and persist in their attacks because of a culture of impunity. To remain silent is to play along with your own victimization.” -human rights advocate Ma. Isabel Aquino
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star “Cases of extrajudicial killings need to be solved, not just identify the perpetrators but have them captured and sent to jail.” This was Noynoy Aquino’s statement in a meeting with European Union ambassadors just a few weeks before being elected president last year. One…
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
The children of political activists and human rights workers who fallen victim to extrajudicial killings are orphaned, their young lives marred and damaged by the experience of losing their parents to state violence. As for the child victims of extrajudicial killings themselves, their brutal killing at the hands of the military prove the extent of the AFP’s impunity—not even the most innocent are spared.
The National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas today condemned the massacre of a prominent botanist and his two assistants last Nov. 15, and pinned responsibility on the 19th IB, calling for its expulsion from the region for committing mass killings and other human rights violations for so many years. “The NDF-EV condoles with the families and friends…
By RONALYN OLEA
Carlo “Caloy” Rodriguez, 41, president of the Nagkakaisang Lakas ng Manggawa ng Calamba Water District, became the 22nd victim of extrajudicial killings under the Aquino administration when he was gunned down by two motorcycle riding men last November 12.
By ROD TAJON Northern Dispatch Bulatlat.com STA. LUCIA, Ilocos Sur — Human rights advocates condemned the murder of an Ilocos peasant and the continuing violations of people’s rights as a result of joint military operations in the area by the 50th and 86th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IB PA). The fact-finding mission (FFM)…
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Casiano Abing is the sixth activist killed since President Benigno S. Aquino III assumed power. Human rights lawyer Katrina Castillo deems the killing a result of the extension of counterinsurgency program Oplan Bantay Laya.
Letter to the Editor August 2, 2010 I am Chandu Claver. My family was the target of an ambush by suspected State agents nearly four years today on July 31, 2006 in the province of Kalinga. My wife Alice was killed, as a result. Because of continuing threats on what remained of my family, I…
By LYN V. RAMO Bulatlat.com BAGUIO CITY – With the oath taking of Pres. Benigno Aquino III on June 30, college students here called on him to veer away from his predecessor’s practice of favoring the military in budget allocations and to prioritize education instead. The students also condemned the worsening campus repression. The school…
