The Philippine Online Chronicles

Within ten days of the inauguration of the new Aquino administration, three activists have been killed; the third victim was a public elementary school teacher in Masbate.

Mark Francisco, 27, was heading home on Friday, July 9, at around 5:00 p.m. with four other co-teachers on board motorcycles. When they reached a river crossing in Sitio Umawas, Bgy. Malibas, Palanas, Masbate, their group was fired upon by two armed men wearing ski masks and camouflage uniforms. Francisco fell down dead, his body riddled with bullets from an M-16 rifle, according to ACT Teachers party.

Francisco taught at the San Isidro Elementary School in Palanas and was a member of ACT Teachers Party-Masbate. He actively campaigned for the party-list group during the last election.

Another co-teacher was pursued by the assailants, but managed to escape on board his motorcycle and reported the incident to the authorities.

“We condemn the brutal murder of public school teacher Mark Francisco,” said ACT Teachers Party Rep. Antonio Tinio. “We demand justice for our fellow-teacher and party-member.”

On the same day, Edgar Fernandez, 44, was shot dead on his way home, by unidentified men in Barangay Central, Masbate City, Bulatlat reported.

“Government must immediately take steps to put an end to the violence faced by teachers in Palanas town. The Aquino government’s ability to ensure the well-being and safety of its citizens is being put to the test,” Tinio said, and mentioned another teacher who survived an attack on his life three days before the murder of Francisco.

Dexter Legazpi, 36, was riding his motorcycle to school with his wife on the morning of July 6 when a group of five men wearing ski masks and military uniforms shot at them. Legazpi was able to speed away to safety on his motorcycle. He is also a member of ACT Teachers Party.

Tinio called on authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and for the perpetrators to be swiftly brought to justice. He also urged the Department of Education to work with the Philippine National Police and the local government authorities to extend protection to the teachers who survived the attack and who may now serve as witnesses.

Francisco is the third member of a progressive party-list group to be killed. On July 5, Bayan Muna-Aklan provincial coordinator Fernando Baldomero was gunned down by motorcycle-riding gunmen in Lezo, Aklan. On July 9, Pascual Guevarra, a leader of Anakpawis Party-list in Laur, Nueva Ecija, was shot dead inside his home.

Three days before Aquino’s inauguration, another farmer, Fernando Bejino, 45, was brutally murdered inside a passenger jeepney.  Bejino was an active member of the Casalaan Farmers Association who actively opposed the planned expansion of the jatropha plantation in Tamlang Valley, Negros Oriental. Bejino received threats from the 79th Infantry Battalion who had been guarding the plantation, Karapatan-Central Visayas said.

Aquino’s silence slammed

“These murders show that the extra-judicial killing of activists continues to take place under Aquino. It’s only been a few days, yet the death toll is already rising. Pres. Aquino must direct the necessary government resources to ensuring that the perpetrators of these three murders are caught, tried and punished,” said Tinio.

In a separate statement, human rights group Karapatan said “Aquino's silence on the political killings is giving the military the license to continue targeting unarmed progressive individuals with brazenness and impunity.”

“Up to now, the President has not issued a categorical statement to stop the killings,” Karapatan chairperson Marie Hilao-Enriquez, said.

Enriquez cited how the police and military reacted to Aquino’s inclusion of the “wang wang” (sirens) in his inaugural speech. “…[a]nd immediately, down the line, the police and military started looking for wang-wangs, apprehending violators of the President’s desire even in towns far from Manila.  It is therefore, important that the Commander-in-Chief issues a categorical statement that he wants the killings and other human rights violations stopped,” Enriquez said.

Meanwhile, Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano called on Aquino to implement the recommendations by United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions Prof. Philip Alston in order “to stop the seemingly rising body count of activists killed under the new administration.”

“In only a matter of 10 days of the Aquino administration, three activists have been killed. Mr. Aquino should immediately make concrete steps to stop the seemingly rising body count of activists,” said Mariano, who joined the fact-finding mission mission by Karapatan, Alyansa ng Magbubukid ng Gitnang Luzon, and Anakpawis, in Fort Magsaysay regarding the murder of Guevarra today.

In his final report on the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, Alston recommended that extrajudicial executions must be eliminated from counterinsurgency operations. Alston further recommended that:

(a) As Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, the President must take concrete steps to put an end to those aspects of counterinsurgency operations which have led to the targeting and execution of many individuals working with civil society organizations.

(b) The necessary measures should be taken to ensure that the principle of command responsibility, as it is understood in international law, is a basis for criminal liability within the domestic legal order.

(c) The Government should immediately direct all military officers to cease making public statements linking political or other civil society groups to those engaged in armed insurgencies. Any such characterizations belong solely within the power of the civilian authorities. They must be based on transparent criteria, and conform with the human rights provisions of the Constitution and relevant treaties.

(d) Transparency must be introduced to the “orders of battle”, “watch lists”, and similar list of individuals and organizations maintained by the AFP, PNP, and other elements of the national security system. While their contents might justifiably be considered secret, which lists exist, their purposes, the criteria for inclusion, and the number of names on each should be made public.

Mariano said that Aquino must immediately dismantle military-backed “death squads,” dismiss military officers involved in extrajudicial executions, and scrap the counter-insurgency plan Oplan Bantay Laya.

According to Karapatan, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's counter-insurgency plan has taken the lives of 1,205 unarmed individuals, mostly activists and members of progressive people's organizations, in its purported campaign to end the insurgency.

“We call on PNoy [Aquino] not to make his own list of victims; scrap this brutal and bloody campaign and desist from embarking on a similar program,” Enriquez said.

Photos: Alston from Flickr.com. Mark Francisco from ACT Teachers Partylist. Some rights reserved.