By KIMBERLIE NGABIT-QUITASOL Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat.com BAGUIO CITY—Relatives and colleagues marked the third year of the disappearance of James Moy Balao with protests, Sept. 17. Balao or Manong James, as his colleagues fondly call him, was abducted on Sept. 17, 2008 in Lower Tomay, La Trinidad, Benguet. Eyewitnesses said Balao was taken by…
Tags: enforced disappearances
Eyewitness identifies Army major as one of Jonas’s abductors
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
The eyewitness, a busboy at the restaurant where Jonas Burgos was abducted, said he was about to help Jonas when a woman and three men approached him, one after another, to tell him not to intervene. One of them he later identified as Maj. Harry Baliaga Jr, who was then assigned to the 56th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Kin of victims mark Int’l Day of the Disappeared by calling for justice anew
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – Marking the International Day of the Disappeared, more than a hundred relatives and colleagues of missing activists gathered today in front of a mall in Quezon City where Jonas Burgos was taken. Protesters put up a signage that read: “Mag-ingat sa mandurukot. Dito dinukot ng mga militar si…
Hinahanap kita
Ni RON MAGBUHOS Hinahanap ko sa mga dahong nananalamin sa araw ang iyong larawan, sa tangang mga piraso nito’y pilit na inaaninag ang bawat kahulugan ng iyong pakikipag-diinang kamay sa Masa, bawat talakayan, bawat martsa, hinahabing paunti-unti sa pag-asang ito ay magtuturo ng iyong kinaroroonan. Inilalarawan tila ng mga ugat ng punong ito ang iyong…
Torture survivor appeals to UN, urges Aquino to bring perpetrators to justice
By RONALYN V. OLEA
While victims and their families continue to suffer, torturers walk free. So how can I be at ease in the world when human rights violations and torture exist? – Melissa Roxas
Military fails to present soldier linked to abduction of UP students
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – The soldier who has been implicated by one of the witnesses in the abduction of University of the Philippines (UP) students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan and farmer Manuel Merino remains unidentified. During the fourth hearing on the preliminary investigation of the Department of Justice (DOJ) panel this…
Groups call for probe on abduction of 3 farmers in Negros
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – Peasant group Unyon ng mga Mangggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) urged the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate the abduction of three farmers by suspected paramilitary agents in Canlusong village, Enrique B. Magalona municipality, Negros Occidental. Farmers Michael Celeste, Gerald Abale and Jully Devero have been missing since…
Aquino gov’t doing very little to end impunity – int’l rights groups
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Human Rights Watch noted that while the public rhetoric of senior military officers has changed somewhat since Aquino took office, the change in language “has not yet been reflected in action.”
Mothers of missing UP students angered but not surprised by Palparan’s denial
By RONALYN V. OLEA
In her speech after the hearing, Mrs. Erlinda Cadapan called on President Benigno S. Aquino III, the commander in chief of the AFP, to pay attention to the cases of enforced disappearances. “These are serious crimes committed by the armed forces.”
Risking their lives for truth, justice
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – It has been five years but Wilfredo Ramos could still remember the face of one of those who took Karen Empeño, Sherlyn Cadapan and Manuel Merino on June 26, 2006. During the second hearing of the preliminary investigation on the criminal complaint filed by the mothers of the…
Supreme Court directs AFP to produce Jonas Burgos
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“Aquino would know what to do. Now is the opportunity to act on the cases of enforced disappearances. I hope he grants this opportunity to show the world he is sincere in helping victims of human rights violations find justice.” — Mrs. Edita Burgos