Human Rights Violations Committed by the Gloria Arroyo Government vs. Government Employees

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/09/2008 - 17:00.

I.                   POLITICAL KILLINGS

 

1. April 11, 2005   -    Sammy Dote, COURAGE Samar Sec.  General

 

• 52 years old, married, with one child

• currently working at the Municipal Assessors Office of Catbalogan LGU

• a member Municipal Association of Catbalogan Employees (MACE)

• Chairperson Confederation for Unity, Recognition, and Advancement of Government Employees-Western Samar (COURAGE-WS)

• President of Rayhak 111

• resident of Purok 3, Brgy. Canlapwas, Catbalogan, Samar  

 

Date of Incident: April 11, 2005, around 9:30 o’clock in the morning

 

Place:  Near the Brgy. Hall of Brgy. 13 Catbalogan, Samar

 

Perpetrators: Two (2) still unidentified armed men believed to be military men in civilian clothes aboard a single motorcycle.

 

Motive of the Violation:

 

The said incident in accordance with the counter-insurgency operation conducted by the government soldiers under the 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.

 

The incident was perpetrated after Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan declared an all-out campaign against suspected insurgents and anti-government rallyists in the region, “clearing them out” within a six-month to one-year period.

 

Details/Circumstances: Last April 11, 2005, at around 9:30 o’clock in the morning, while Samuel “Sammy” Dote was riding his single motorcycle on his way to his work, an unknown civilian man suddenly rides at his back near the Brgy. Hall of Brgy. 13, Catbalogan, Samar then shot him seven (7) times in his different part of his body. After Sammy was shot, the said civilian man rides to a nearby single motorcycle (XL-red) that park 15 meters away from where the body of the victim lay unconsciously. Sammy Dote was brought to the Samar Provincial Hospital and later announced by the doctor, dead on arrival.

 

2. November 21, 2005  -        Albert Terredaño, COURAGE Abra Chairperson

 

Victim: Albert Terredaño

 

• married, with 2 children

• Male

• Municipal Agrarian Reform Officer – Department of Agrarian Reform

• Chairman, Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Eployees Abra Provincial Chapter (COURAGE ABRA)

• Coordinator, Bayan Muna

 

Place of Incident:  while going to his office at DAR Abra

 

Date of Incident:   21 November 2005 at about 9:00 a.m.

 

Alleged Perpetrators:  two unidentified men on board a motorcycle, with bonnet -concealed faces

 

Account of Incident – At around 9:00 am., while on board his motorcycyle on his way to his office, Albert was flagged down by men on motorcycles and who shot him several times on the chest.

 

He was rushed to the nearest private hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

 

Albert aside from his being a leader of COURAGE, was helping the farmers and organizing them.

 

3. July 6, 2006 - Pax Diaz, COURAGE Eastern Visayas Chairperson

 

Place of Incident: Palo, Leyte

 

Account of Incedent – Around 6:30 p.m. on July 26 in Tacloban City, Pax was standing in front of his house, when a two XRM-type motorcycle-riding men passed in front of him.

 

One of the men shot him with a .45 mm caliber pistol, hitting him in left cheek. When he fell, he was again shot in the left side of his body.

 

4. January 19, 2007 - Jose Ma. Cui, COURAGE Northern  Samar   Chairperson

 

• 53 years old, married with  3 children

• Male

• A resident of University of Eastern Philippines Village, University Town, Catarman, Northern Samar, Philippines

• Professor,  History and Communication Arts of the University of Eastern Philippines 

• Chairman, Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees-Northern Samar (COURAGE-NS)

• Chairman, Anti-Corruption Network (ActNow!)

• Chairman, University of Eastern Philippines Employees Association

• Resident Ombudsman, University of Eastern Philippines 

• Former Chairman and Secretary General of KATUNGOD-EV (an affiliate organization of KARAPATAN-Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights)

• Founding Member, Bayan Muna

 

Place of Incident: College of Engineering Building, University of Eastern Philippines, University Town, Catarman, Northern Samar, Philippines

 

Alleged Perpetrators:  two unidentified men onboard an XRM motorcycles

 

Account of Incident – At around 3:30 in the afternoon, while giving mid-term examination to his students at the College of Engineering Building, two masked men appeared at the door and shot Prof. Jose Ma. Cui in front of his students. Prof. Cui was easily identified by the assailants because all of the students were sitting down and he was the only one standing. The assailants were 3 to 4 meters away from the victim.

 

He died of two gunshot wounds, one in the head and another one in the chest.

 

Prior to the incident, Prof. Cui experienced a series of harassment from the military including a libel case filed by Col. Manuelito Usi in 2005. He was a known fearless critique of state terrorism in Northen Samar.

 

II. POLITICAL REPRESSION

 

1. Harassment/surveillance on Mr. Ricardo Palencia, current COURAGE Eastern Visayas Chairperson (February 4, 2007)

 

2. Intimidation, coercion against Cesar Cruz, COURAGE Region 12 Chairperson and Ms. Nelly Dillera, COURAGE Region 12 Vice Chairperson by National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) agents (from 2006 to present).

 

3. Harassment against Ms. Jeannette Ribaya Cawiding,    COURAGE Cordillera Coordinator (November 23, 2006)

 

4. Harassment of officers of COURAGE in Tony Alcain and other officers of unions affiliated with COURAGE

 

-          Most of them were secretly met by alleged military agents, asking them to disaffiliate to COURAGE

 

5. Military harassments to the residents of North Harbor

 

-          People are asked who they know in the Bureau of Customs Employees Association, who are their organizers, etc.

-          A military outpost was built in the vicinity, monitoring the activities of the people, especially members and officers of PIGLAS, an organization BOCEA helped to organize due to the privatization of the harbor

-          BOCEA members are asked by the military about their leaders, asking profiles, etc.

 

UNION HARASSMENT/BUSTING:

 

 

-          Elvie Prudencio, former president of the union was charged with administrative and criminal cases due to “falsification of documents” and “non-performance of duty.” The case is still pending with the DOLE.