SENIOR SUPT. REGONDOLA IS A CHRONIC LIAR AND HIS LAMEDUCK PERFORMANCE MUST WARRANT HIS RESIGNATION

MEDIA STATEMENT
Karapatan Sorsogon
December 29, 2006

RE: Sorsogon Police Chief blames Reds for activists' killings

"Sorsogon PNP Provincial Director Senior Supt. Joel Regondola should resign from his post because of his inability to look into the matter of extra-judicial killings that besieged this province since 2002 professionally and objectively." His statement quoted in the Philippine Daily Inquirer proves the "lame duck" performance of his force to ensure safety to the civilians. Based on our documentation, Francisco Bantog was the 41st person gunned down by the motorcycle-riding assassins. To date, not one perpetrator of the series extra-judicial killings has been put behind bars. Oftentimes, the investigation ends up with "fall guys".

Atty. Gil Gojol had been known in the province as a human rights lawyer defending the poor and the aggrieved sectors of the society. In some cases, he defended political prisoners as part of his duty as a lawyer. And these people were known or accused of being rebel leaders. Their acquittal and release were the consequence of the weak statements or false-statements. Thus by plain gratuity, these "rebels" were thankful of the legal help that Gojol extended to them. How come that this same lawyer would be killed by the very people he helped to regain their freedom? The statement of the "Protector of the Province" PD Regondola must be viewed as a filthy excuse of his inability to draw objective and fruitful investigation. Being the case, the PD himself legitimizes more killings in the province since the blame has been easily put on the rebels. Thus impunity will remain in this society for the PD himself reinforces it.

KARAPATAN challenges PD Regondola to do his job and avoid pointing fingers to other groups. The case of Toribio Mesa, a BM member in the municipality of Bulan should shake the mind of Regondola because it is very evident that the killing is the handiwork of the State Security Forces. Mesa was abducted by the military last December 16, 2006 in his house. The Brgy. Captain and other member of the council accompanied the victim and even been brought to the police station. Yet the military captors urged the group that it was "safe" for Mesa to be left in their custody. Hours later, gun shots were heard and Mesa was dead. The excuse was "Mesa grabbed a gun and tried to escape." Yet the marks in the body and hands showed that Mesa was tied in both hands. Until now, no prosecution against the perpetrators has been conducted.

The purging issue against the "Left" is the usual lameduck excuse of the government especially its security forces to hide their incapacity in protecting the civilians against the killing ramage. It is lamentable to hear such statement from the PD himself because the killers or assassins will continue their killing spree for there is already available accussed of the killings.

Justice for Atty. Gil Gojol and Danilo France! Justice for all victims of human rights violations!

Press Statement – December 20, 2006

Today, December 20, human rights advocates from KARAPATAN join thousands of people all over the country in bidding farewell to the lawyer who served the poor and oppressed in Bicol and to the man who assisted him as he went about his work.

We express our deepest sympathies for his mother Corazon, wife Edith and their three sons. We mourn with them and join them in their call for justice as we pay tribute to the exemplary life of service and commitment to humanity of this lawyer who has chosen to serve clients "who have less in life" obtain justice.

Atty. Gojol would have turned 46 yesterday, December 19. Instead, he is being interred today at the Holy Cross Memorial Park in Novaliches, after assassins' bullets claimed the life of this lawyer who never declined clients who were poor and discriminated against.

In the morning of December 12, the day he and driver Danilo France were killed by cowardly death squads of the Arroyo regime, Atty. Gojol had just defended poor clients at the Municipal Trial Court in Gubat, Sorgsogon against the demolition of and eviction from their homes.

The death of Atty. Gojol is a big loss not just for his loved ones but also for the human rights community and the impoverished people of this country. He served as public defender of Bicolanos seeking reparation for the havoc being wrought by Lafayette mining company, which he sees as his contribution to stop large-scale mining and its devastation. Though not wealthy, he gives free legal services to eight out of every ten clients that he attends to.

He took up the case of consultant to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Sotero Llamas, when the latter was illegally arrested in 1995, causing the suspension of the peace negotiations at that time. (Sotero Llamas was also shot to death in July of this year). Atty. Gojol took up again the case of another NDFP consultant, Danilo Borjal, when he was abducted and illegally detained in 1996. Cases of workers, peasants, women, urban poor and clients who cannot afford to pay lawyers' fees were taken up by Atty. Gojol who gave his services pro bono or free of charge. He was the untiring lawyer who helped Karapatan-Sorsogon in many of the human rights cases the organization handled.

KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights)
Press Statement – December 20, 2006
References:
Marie Hilao-Erniquez, Sec. Gen. (Mobile No. 09065064188)
Ruth Cervantes, PIO (Mobile No. 09153002684)

BISHOP BASTES CALLS FOR DEFENSE OF BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS – RIGHT TO LIFE AMIDST THE CONTINUING EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS IN THE COUNTRY

Bishop Bastes comforts Mrs. Julieta Caporal, mother of Bernardito Caporal who remains missing since Nov. 12, 2006, allegedly abducted by the military intelligence group (MIG) in Sorsogon City

Sorsogon City – Bishop Arturo M. Bastes, the Bishop of Sorsogon calls for defense of human rights in his homily at the opening salvo of human rights week organized by KARAPATAN ( Alliance for the Advancement of Peoples’ Rights) in Sorsogon. The families of the victims of human rights violations in the province gathered at the concelebrated mass in memory of their loved ones who were killed and/or remain missing until this day. According to KARAPATAN, 1 remains missing and 37 civilians have been added to the long list of extra-judicial killings in the country under the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Among these are farmers, journalists, member of militant organizations, women and even children.

“Life must be protected at all times for it is an inalienable right inherent to humanity. No one must be deprived of it even those who have different political thinking. All people have the right for food, shelter, education, decent living and work. Yet reality tells otherwise, peasants become landless, workers have meager income to survive and freedom of expression becomes too costly. Many people are being killed because they talked about peace and justice,” Bastes categorically stressed.

KARAPATAN also pointed that the “human rights situation is getting worse every day.” Many people are being killed amidst the overwhelming condemnation from the International Community against the worsening extra-judicial killings in the country. “Our country is becoming a military garrison wherein everyone becomes a moving target.” GMA as the defense minister can order to stop the killings yet it continues. It only means that the killings is a state-sponsored annihilative campaign against activists, journalists and priests who denounces injustices and works for peace”, KARAPATAN added.

The launching of Human Rights Week is held at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Sorsogon City , November 29, 2006. Present also were Social Action Center of the Diocese of Sorsogon and BAYAN (New Patriotic Alliance) and its member organizations.

Posted by Bicolnews

November 29, 2006

STATE REPRESSION VS. ACTIVISTS HINDERS ANTI-CORRUPTION EFFORTS,

MEDIA RELEASE
IBON Foundation, Inc., IBON Center 114 Timog Ave., Quezon City, Philippines
Tel. (632) 927-6986 * Fax (632) 929-2496 * E-mail: media@ibon.org* www.ibon.org
November 18, 2006

Repressive regimes and the lack of democratic space for people’s groups working against corruption are one of the reasons corruption continues to be a huge problem worldwide, according to civil society groups attending a global forum on corruption.

In the opening of the 12th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Guatemala yesterday, anti-corruption group Transparency International pointed out that people’s groups and civil society organizations play an important role in combating corruption worldwide, but the problem of repression and lack of democratic space hinders anti-corruption work to prosper.

Transparency International board chair Huguette Labelle cited various anti-corruption activists and leaders from countries like Congo , Nepal , and Bangladesh who were imprisoned or repressed.

The IACC is an influential biennial global forum organized by anti-corruption network Transparency International. Since 1983, government officials, civil society groups and business people attend the IACC to exchange information and ideas about the fight against corruption, assess existing strategies, and develop new approaches.

For his part, IBON research director Antonio Tujan, who also chairs the International Initiative on Corruption and Governance (IICG) and a participant in the said forum, raised the issue of the Philippines where the number of journalists killed has exceeded that of Iraq , many of them caused by exposing and reporting corruption cases.

Tujan added that Pres. Gloria Arroyo, who is accused of large-scale corruption and is currently subject to a broad ouster campaign, has retaliated by killing hundreds of activists, many of them journalists and leaders of people’s groups engaged in anti-corruption work.

“The extreme manifestation of repression, which is the political killings, does not only hinder anti-corruption work, but is also meant to perpetuate anti-people practices including corruption,” said Tujan.

The opening plenary of the IACC made a resolution to improve mechanisms to defend whistleblowers and provide support to anti-corruption activists and civil society groups in various countries, including the Philippines (end)


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