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In remembrance of Rafael Markus Bangit: another call to STOP EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS
A year ago today, Rafael Markus Bangit – a leader of Bayan Muna, of the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance, of the Binodngan Peoples’ Organization, and of the Malbong tribe of Kalinga; a social activist, a political warrior, and a tribal peacemaker; a husband and a father – was assassinated by one of the Arroyo regime’s death squads. The wound that his assassination has inflicted on us continues to fester. The anger and the anguish in the hearts of his family have not healed. And this is because the perpetrators of the crime have not yet been brought to justice; indeed, their bosses remain in power and continue to order the killing of activists.
In remembrance of Rafael Markus Bangit: another call to STOP EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS!
Baguio City, Philippines --- A year ago today, Rafael Markus Bangit – a leader of Bayan Muna, of the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance, of the Binodngan Peoples’ Organization, and of the Malbong tribe of Kalinga; a social activist, a political warrior, and a tribal peacemaker; a husband and a father – was assassinated by one of the Arroyo regime’s death squads. The wound that his assassination has inflicted on us continues to fester. The anger and the anguish in the hearts of his family have not healed. And this is because the perpetrators of the crime have not yet been brought to justice; indeed, their bosses remain in power and continue to order the killing of activists.
Earlier this year, investigations conducted by United Nations Special Rapporteurs Rodolfo Stavenhagen and Philip Alston resulted in strongly worded condemnations of the extrajudicial killing of activists by military and police elements under the command of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Last March in the Hague, the Permanent People’s Tribunal issued an even stronger condemnation, stating that the crimes perpetrated by the Arroyo regime against the Filipino people qualified as crimes against humanity. In May, public demonstrations against the killings attended Mrs. Arroyo’s state visits to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. This June, a similar demonstration met Mrs. Arroyo on her arrival in Rome.
Yet the Arroyo regime shamelessly goes on killing. More than 50 people have been added to the list of its victims since the time of the Alston inquiry – raising the total to over 850. In Kalinga, hitmen have again made their appearance, this time stalking Andres Wailan and Theodore Ngayaan, Makoy’s successors in the leadership of CPA-Kalinga.
It appears that no amount of embarrassment before the international public can stop Mrs. Arroyo. Perhaps only economic pressure can force an end to her political killings.
In this light, it is with hope that we await the Canadian Parliament’s action on a petition filed 30 May for Canada to intervene for an end to the killings, using as leverage the $25 million in aid and the $1.5 billion in bilateral trade that it has committed to the Philippines. The petition was signed by more than 5,000 Canadian citizens and endorsed by 13 Ministers of Parliament.
The petition is the result of a campaign launched last March by church workers and Filipino political refugees in Canada, among them Makoy’s former colleague in the Kalinga chapters of the CPA and Bayan Muna, Dr. Chandu Claver – himself the victim of an assassination attempt that instead took the life of his wife Alyce.
A similar petition has been filed by Japanese NGOs with their government.
We call on the citizens of other countries that invest heavily in the Philippines, or that extend official development assistance and even military aid to the Philippine government, to follow their example.
And we call on our fellow-Filipinos to fearlessly persist in public actions against the atrocities of the Arroyo regime:
Assert our democratic rights and freedoms!
Stop the killing!
Oust GMA!
CORDILLERA PEOPLES ALLIANCE
CORDILLLERA HUMAN RIGHTS ALLIANCE
STOP THE KILLINGS NETWORK-CORDILLERA
HUSTISYA-NORTHERN LUZON
CORDILLERA PEOPLES' ALLIANCE
# 2 P. Guevarra Street, West Modern Site,
Aurora Hill, 2600 Baguio City, Phils.
Tel. +63-74-442-2115 Fax: +63-74-443-7159
Website: http://www.cpaphils.org
Baguio City, Philippines --- A year ago today, Rafael Markus Bangit – a leader of Bayan Muna, of the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance, of the Binodngan Peoples’ Organization, and of the Malbong tribe of Kalinga; a social activist, a political warrior, and a tribal peacemaker; a husband and a father – was assassinated by one of the Arroyo regime’s death squads. The wound that his assassination has inflicted on us continues to fester. The anger and the anguish in the hearts of his family have not healed. And this is because the perpetrators of the crime have not yet been brought to justice; indeed, their bosses remain in power and continue to order the killing of activists.
Earlier this year, investigations conducted by United Nations Special Rapporteurs Rodolfo Stavenhagen and Philip Alston resulted in strongly worded condemnations of the extrajudicial killing of activists by military and police elements under the command of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Last March in the Hague, the Permanent People’s Tribunal issued an even stronger condemnation, stating that the crimes perpetrated by the Arroyo regime against the Filipino people qualified as crimes against humanity. In May, public demonstrations against the killings attended Mrs. Arroyo’s state visits to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. This June, a similar demonstration met Mrs. Arroyo on her arrival in Rome.
Yet the Arroyo regime shamelessly goes on killing. More than 50 people have been added to the list of its victims since the time of the Alston inquiry – raising the total to over 850. In Kalinga, hitmen have again made their appearance, this time stalking Andres Wailan and Theodore Ngayaan, Makoy’s successors in the leadership of CPA-Kalinga.
It appears that no amount of embarrassment before the international public can stop Mrs. Arroyo. Perhaps only economic pressure can force an end to her political killings.
In this light, it is with hope that we await the Canadian Parliament’s action on a petition filed 30 May for Canada to intervene for an end to the killings, using as leverage the $25 million in aid and the $1.5 billion in bilateral trade that it has committed to the Philippines. The petition was signed by more than 5,000 Canadian citizens and endorsed by 13 Ministers of Parliament.
The petition is the result of a campaign launched last March by church workers and Filipino political refugees in Canada, among them Makoy’s former colleague in the Kalinga chapters of the CPA and Bayan Muna, Dr. Chandu Claver – himself the victim of an assassination attempt that instead took the life of his wife Alyce.
A similar petition has been filed by Japanese NGOs with their government.
We call on the citizens of other countries that invest heavily in the Philippines, or that extend official development assistance and even military aid to the Philippine government, to follow their example.
And we call on our fellow-Filipinos to fearlessly persist in public actions against the atrocities of the Arroyo regime:
Assert our democratic rights and freedoms!
Stop the killing!
Oust GMA!
CORDILLERA PEOPLES ALLIANCE
CORDILLLERA HUMAN RIGHTS ALLIANCE
STOP THE KILLINGS NETWORK-CORDILLERA
HUSTISYA-NORTHERN LUZON
CORDILLERA PEOPLES' ALLIANCE
# 2 P. Guevarra Street, West Modern Site,
Aurora Hill, 2600 Baguio City, Phils.
Tel. +63-74-442-2115 Fax: +63-74-443-7159
Website: http://www.cpaphils.org
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