By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – Tension filled the room as the Department of Justice (DOJ) started its preliminary investigation on the complaints filed in by the relatives of two missing University of the Philippines (UP) students and a farmer against officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Col. Jovito Palparan Jr. faces…
Tags: enforced disappearances
SC: Military officials liable for abduction of UP students
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“It’s good news but it [the decision] took so long. Unfortunately, the decisions of the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court have not resulted in the surfacing of the disappeared.” – Mrs. Concepcion Empeño, mother of missing UP student Karen Empeño
Military officials charged for disappearance of Jonas Burgos
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“We have done everything. This is the last bastion. If nothing happens to this, the whole justice system is not working at all. If they will continue to cover up [the crime], then there is no hope for the Philippines.”
Mothers of missing UP students file charges against notorious Army general
By SHARMAINE ANNE B. VILLANUEVA and RONALYN V. OLEA
“We will not stop seeking for justice. We will not stop until the perpetrators are punished. I cannot settle with the fact that I can only embrace my daughter in my dreams,” Erlinda Cadapan, mother of Sherlyn, said.
Sidebar: Rights groups, Justice Secretary push for bill to criminalize enforced disappearance
Watch video of the press conference held after the filing here.
Rights groups, Justice Secretary push for bill to criminalize enforced disappearance
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA — With the filing of charges against state security forces in relation to the enforced disappearances of University of the Philippines (UP) students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan and the update on the case of another missing activist Jonas Burgos, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and human rights groups…
Mother of missing activist to Army major: ‘Who ordered you to get my Jonas?’
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“Harry, listen to the innermost voice of your heart and correct the wrong done to this mother. Tell me where I can find my son.” — Mrs. Edita Burgos
Burgos Family Urges Government, AFP to Surface Jonas After CHR Found Army Culpable
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“After almost four years of waiting, we finally see a glimmer of hope…While we seem to have won this battle, the real measure of success is the recovery of my son. We shall continue the fight until Jonas is returned to us, alive and well and justice is served.” – Edita Burgos
Relatives Remember the Disappeared, Urge Government to Enact Law, Ratify Covenant Against Enforced Disappearances
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“Today, as the whole nation remembers the lives of the departed, we commemorate the missing. We light a candle not for their souls to rest in peace but to shed light on their way home. We offer flowers not because we believe they are no longer with us but because they are deeply missed,” Mary Guy “Ghay” Portajada, daughter of a missing labor leader, said.
Kin of Victims of Killings, Disappearances Hit Aquino Gov’t for Inaction on Rights Cases
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“I had hoped that my father’s case would be the first and the last case of extrajudicial killing but the culture of impunity is still here. There has been no effort from the President to stop the killings. His inaction has allowed the killings to go on,” Ernan, son of Fernando Baldomero, first victim of extrajudicial killing under the Aquino government, said.
Two Surigao del Sur Farmers Missing
Agustito “Tito” Ladera, 38, and Renato Deliguer, 21, were last seen by their relatives tending their farms before they went missing. Witnesses point to soldiers of the 36th Infantry Battalion who were seen arresting two farmers.
Germans Call for a Stop to Enforced Disappearances, Other Abuses in the Philippines
Over 90 people in Oldenburg, Germany gave their picture and signed the petition to put a stop to political killings and enforced disappearances in the Philippines. By BULATLAT MANILA — In Oldenburg, Germany, a group of Germans mobilized themselves to call for a stop to enforced disappearances and political killings in the Philippines, Sept. 4.…