Thursday, February 15, 2007 Salay killings part of UN probe: Karapatan By Lizanilla J. Amarga
THE alleged political killings of two militant peasant farmers in Misamis Oriental will be among those investigated by the United Nations (UN), Karapatan local leaders said during the burial of their colleague Wednesday in Salay, Misamis Oriental.
No less than Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Satur Ocampo joined Wednesday his members and other local militant groups in the burial of slain peasant leader Dalmacio "Tatay Daki" Gandinao.
Karapatan local leader Beverly Musni and Bayan Muna regional coordinator Henry Trugillo said the murder of Nestor Ladica and Gandinao will be among those looked into by Philip Alston, UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial killings.
"The UN representative will be swinging in this month to Davao City, and the murder of Nestor Ladica and Dalmacio Gandinao will be among those investigated," she said.
But Musni and Trugillo said they do not expect much out of the UN investigation.
"But at least this is now the United Nations that is conducting an investigation in the political killings in our country," Musni said.
She added that, at least, the international community will not just take cognizance of this 'political-killings phenomenon' in the country, but also, actually conducting a probe in this matter.
Last year, militant leader and farmer Nestor Ladica, who was a resident of Salay, Misamis Oriental, was shot by unidentified men.
Then just last week, Gandinao, also from Salay, Misamis Oriental, was gunned down in his own residence in front of his family.
Both Ladica and Gandinao are high-ranking leaders of Bayan Muna and Misamis Oriental Farmers Association (Mofa) who were also reported as among those listed in the military's "Order of Battle."
Gandinao was the 833th militant leader killed and the 127th Bayan Muna "martyr" in the country.
Karapatan, Bayan Muna and Gabriela among other militant groups are convince that the government is behind the twin incidents, even calling it a "State-ordered execution."
Meanwhile, Ocampo flew to Cagayan de Oro City Wednesday and expressed his anger on what he believes an act toward 'total annihilation' of their group.
He joins the call for the UN to really conduct an investigation on the death of Ladica, Gandinao and all those who were allegedly summarily killed for opposing the Arroyo administration.
Ocampo is appealing to Alston to look, report and judge the political killings in its entirety.
He said the UN should go beyond the 'cover-up lies' projected by Malacañang in conspiracy with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The Promotion of Church People's Response (PCPR), a church-based human rights group, echoes Ocampo's pleas to the UN.
In a statement to this paper, PCPR is urging Alston to "look, listen and judge beyond the Malacañang-AFP-PNP cover-up on state accountability over the 833 cases."
The church group cited that they received information that in one of Alston's meeting with government representatives, the case of Bishop Alberto Ramento was cited as a "plain case of robbery."
PCPR said the family and co-workers of Bishop Ramento believe that he was killed "not by plain thieves but by state agents ordered to eliminate groups and personalities advocating regime change."
"As we have wrote to Mr. Alston earlier, the fact that Bishop Ramento and 24 other church people were not spared is a glaring manifestation of extreme level of state repression," the statement reads.
"We respectfully ask Mr. Alston to probe into the level of official state policy pertaining to the massive vilification, harassment, unjust arrests and summary executions of members of progressive political parties and community activists across the nation."
