BAGUIO City Mayor Benjamin Magalong is open to a dialog with activists once schedules will allow.
The mayor said he is not evading the group of activists who have sought an audience from him for the second time but claimed has many meetings and concerns to attend to first.
“Di ko sila ini-evade, gusto ko sila kausapin. I even sent out word that I am willing to talk to them,” Magalong said.
Magalong added the issue of red tagging has to be addressed and admitted it is unfair for those red tagged without basis.
Groups seeking dialog since last year were Tongtongan ti Umili, CPA, Cordillera Human Rights Alliance, Organisasyon dagiti Nakurapay nga Umili iti Siyudad (ORNUS), Kilusang Mayo Uno, Kabataan Partylist Cordillera, Dap-ayan ti Kultura iti Kordilyera.
On January 8, 2019, the group was given an audience with representatives from the City Council, Commission on Human Rights-CAR, Commission on Higher Education-CAR, Department of Interior and Local Government-CAR, University of the Philippines Baguio, and officials of the Baguio City Police Office, Philippine National Police-Cordillera, and Philippine Army’s 503rd Infantry Brigade (503rd IB PA) Commanding Officer BGen. Henry Doyaoen to tackle concerns with human rights violations in the City in lieu of Duterte’s Executive Order 70.
Geraldine Cacho, TTU chairperson, said they did not expect the very same forces red-baiting them to be in a meeting adding the group still welcome this opportunity to get their points across the institutions that are spearheading the smear campaign against progressive organizations.
Cacho said despite the absence of the mayor, the meeting is a step forward in efforts to confront the issue of political vilification and the dangers of Duterte’s Executive Order (EO) 70 to democracy as it targets the healthy and legitimate exercise of dissent by activist groups.
“This engagement enabled us to raise the dangerous implications to human rights of the smear campaign by state forces such as the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police,” she said, adding that state-perpetrated vilification is inimical to people’s safety and security, rights to organize, and free expression,” Cacho noted.
Among the cases presented during the meeting were the information and education campaigns (IECs) being conducted by the PNP and the military in schools, including nine recent cases documented by Kabataan Partylist Cordillera in Saint Louis University and Benguet State University.
Cacho is part of an esteemed panel of activists present during the meeting which included Baguio Outstanding Women Leader for Human Rights Jeannette Ribaya-Cawiding, and Gwangju Prize for Human Rights laureate Joanna Cariño of original Baguio chieftain Mateo Cariño’s lineage.
Cacho also welcomed the presence of Councilors Arthur Allad-iw, Vladimir Cayabas, and Levy Lloyd Orcales in the meeting who were keen on proposing measures to curb political vilification against progressive groups.