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Sunday, May 04, 2003
Satur: Mindoro army officer lying
By Benjamin B. Pulta
A LOWER HOUSE lawmaker Saturday discounted as all lies statements made by officials of the Mindoro Oriental army unit denying implications in the killing of two civil rights activists.
"He's lying. There are no other units in that part of Mindoro," Bayan Muna party list Rep. Satur Ocampo said to the media in reaction to the letter made by the adjutant of the 204th Brigade of the Philippine Army who earlier denied their men and a military vehicle were involved in the April 20 mauling incident in Barangay Tambung, Gloria town.
The incident sparked the killing of activists Eden Marcellana and Eddie Gumanoy, who arrived in that town shortly after the mauling incident to document the alleged atrocities.
"We have nine witnesses remaining from the fact-finding mission whom we secured. We are still working on their affidavits," Ocampo said. He added that they are still trying to beat the Monday deadline in time for the scheduled congressional inquiry in the lower house on the matter.
The DOJ earlier warned officials of the Philippine Army based in Oriental Mindoro of possible charges of obstruction of justice if they refused to cooperate in the investigation on the April 21 killing of the two activists.
Lt. Col. Reynaldo Cabigao, acting adjutant of the 204th Brigade, made the denial in his April 28, 2003 letter addressed to Atty. Mario Menor, head of the National Bureau of Investigation office in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro.
"No unit of the brigade reported/claimed that one of their military jeep was used to tow a certain passenger jeepney at the time and place of incident," Cabigao said in his letter to Menor.
However, Cabigao attached in his letter a list of military jeeps issued to the brigade, including the names of their respective drivers, "for possible identification in the pursuit of the investigation."
"Concerning the list of the armed men involved in the incident, no names surfaced as who are they. The persons involved/witnesses are in a better position to identify those alleged military personnel who were involved in the incident," Cabigao added.
The incident, which occurred last April 20, started when armed men who identified themselves as members of the Philippine Army entered Brgy. Tambung, Gloria town and manhandled about seven residents suspected of being either members or supporters of the rebel New People's Army.
On their way out of the Brgy. Tambung, the civilian jeep the armed men were using stalled and was reportedly towed by a marked military jeep with at least four military men in uniform on board.
Marcellana and Gumanoy were among five members of a human rights group abducted by a group of armed men in ski masks. They were on their way to Calapan City on April 21 after completing documentation work on the April 20 mauling incident when they were abducted.
(May 4, 2003 issue)
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