The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Davao Region will resume its investigation on the rape-slay of Rebelyn Pitao, the daughter of Leoncio Pitao, also known as Kumander Parago, commander of the Pulang Bagani Command of the New People’s Army (NPA) to gather more pieces of evidence for the possible filing of cases.
SIPACO: Lacking evidence
Atty. Alberto Sipaco, CHR regional director, said the three public inquiries conducted by the commission en banc in 2009 failed to gather hard evidence that warrants the filing and prosecution of cases against possible respondents.
He said CHR Davao has been tasked to continue the investigation by the CHR en banc.
“The pieces of evidence (previously)gathered were not enough,” he said.
Sipaco said the CHR plans to invite certain members of the Military Intelligence Battalion.
REBELYN CODE
nearing completion
A proposed Davao City ordinance adding more strength to national legislation on human rights protection is on its final dash to completion.
We are now finalizing the draft of the ordinance before submission to the City Council for approval, said Councilor Karlo Bello, chair of the committee on human rights.
The ordinance known as the Rebelyn Code is named after Rebelyn Pitao, daughter of Leoncio “Ka Parago” Pitao, the head of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) First Pulang Bagani Command.
Rebelyn, a high school teacher, was seized by unidentified persons two years ago while going home from school to their residence in a subdivision in Davao City. Her mutilated body would later be found dumped in an irrigation canal in Carmen, Davao del Norte. Parago claimed military agents were behind the murder. Medical findings also showed Rebelyn was raped before being killed.
The provisions have to be carefully crafted to ensure that it is capable of effective implementation and would not run contrary to an existing national law or be deemed a duplication, said Bello in the I-Speak forum of the City Hall information office. RMB
Statement on the Release of GPH MayorDano and his two military intelligence escorts
October 9, 2011
Private armed groups of GPH politicians, landlords and comprador-capitalists face punitive actions
The detention of Mayor Henry Dano of Lingig, Surigao del Sur as an accused under the custody of the revolutionary people’s democratic government and not as a prisoner of war, ends today. His case is conditionally archived to give way to his release. But in the event that he wilfully commits an act or acts that constitute as violation of human rights, international humanitarian law and the laws and policies of the people’s government, he shall be rearrested and put to trial.
In compliance with the unilateral political decision of the Southern Mindanao Party Regional Committee-Communist Party of the Philippines ordering his release in consideration of his conveyance of an apology for acts with which he was charged, the custodial unit of the Conrado Heredia Command-New People’s Army undertakes his release to his family.
Mayor Dano was not a prisoner of war, much less a “kidnap victim,” contrary to erroneous and malicious pronouncements by the GPH and its AFP/PNP. Rather, he is a civilian who was charged in the people’s court, disarmed and arrested by the NPA, and detained to face the bar of revolutionary justice for organizing and maintaining a private armed group in collusion with the officers and intelligence personnel of the 75th IB-4th ID of the Philippine Army. Thus, it is patently wrong for the GPH and the AFP/PNP and even those in the mainstream mass media to call him a prisoner of war.
MAYOR DANO
Mayor Dano was arrested and detained to answer to his acts that resulted in his indictment before the people’s court of the People’s Democratic Government for serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. And much to the chagrin of the GPH and the AFP/PNP, the revolutionary movement has again showed in concrete action its strong political will to dismantle private armies, paramilitary groups and armed religious fanatical cults organized and armed by big landlords, big compradors and the AFP/PNP.
Unlike the NPA which is relentless against these PAGs (private armed groups), the AFP/PNP encourages its proliferation as part of the reactionary state’s US-directed counter-insurgency operations while promoting the greed of big landlords, big compradors in the plantation and mining businesses and local politicians who pay-off officers of AFP/PNP units.
As we release Mayor Dano today, we also warn those despotic big landlords, big compradors, environmentally destructive foreign mining firms, large agricultural plantation owners and politicians who maintain PAGs to exploit, oppress and terrorize the masses: you will have your day before the bar of revolutionary justice.
Politicians of the local GPH units are well-advised to stick to performing civilian functions and immediately disengage in armed and hostile activities. Armed collaboration with AFP/PNP military operations will rightfully result in the loss of your protective status as civilians as guaranteed by international humanitarian law and thus, lay the grounds for your justifiable arrest on the strength of complaints filed before the people’s court and found to be with probable cause by the prosecutorial arm of the People’s Democratic Government, and for disarming and corresponding punitive operations by the NPA.
Prisoners of War Cpl. Alrey Desamparado (Serial No. 832272) and Pfc. Alan Saban (Serial No 846458) of the 4th ID-AFP Intelligence unit are likewise being conditionally released despite a strong basis for the imposition of the maximum penalty of death by the military tribunal on account of the blood debts and acts of espionage they have committed against the revolutionary movement in the course of their performance of AFP military intelligence work. They have admitted their crimes and a decision by an NPA military court to order their deaths after due trial is justified and would not in any way contravene international rules governing armed conflict.
But they are being conditionally released to give them a chance to remould and rectify by ceasing any participation of the armed counter-revolutionary operations of the GPH. But should they violate these conditions by continuing acts of hostility and aggression against the masses and the revolutionary movement, they shall be consequentially placed in the NPA Order of Battle.#
*read by a representative of the Conrado Heredia Command
MANILA, Oct. 8 (PNA) -– The spokesman of the Philippine Army Saturday branded the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels as peace saboteurs and political terrorists following last Monday’s attacks by about 300 insurgents on three mining firms in Surigao del Norte.
Col. Tony Parlade, Army spokesman, said the coordinated attacks have “confirmed our earlier statements that their leadership (Communist Party of the Philippines/National Democratic Front (CPP/NDF) does not have control over their local terrorist leaders.”
Parlade said that the raids have shown that CPP/NPA/NDF leadership has no control over Jorge Madlos, a ranking rebel leader operating in north eastern Mindanao, or his son who have defied orders by carrying out attacks despite an ongoing peace talks.
“This is another cheap political stunt of the CPP that proves too costly to our economy,” Parlade said, adding that “your Army (Philippine Army) can only do so much.”
“Eventually, the people and other stakeholders should decide whether to support these bandits or their government to stop these saboteurs of peace and progress,” he said.
“We don’t want anymore of these ‘political terrorists’”, Parlade said.
Last Monday, some 300 heavily armed NPA rebels simultaneously attacked the Taganito Mining Company, Nickel Asia Corp., and the Platinum Metal Corp. all in Claver, Surigao del Norte and burned heavy equipment worth P3 billion.
NPA RAID. Burned equipment of Nickel Asia
Destroyed by the rebels were 132 dump trucks, nine barges, 22 backhoes, two cranes, two bulldozers, two compactors, one grader, several buildings and office equipment.
The rebels were infuriated when the three companies refused to pay revolution tax demanded by the NPA.
The coordinated attacks came at a time when the government and the NDF peace panels were scheduled to resume their peace negotiations in Oslo, Norway later this month.
Supt. Martin Gamba, spokesman of Police Regional Office 13, has confirmed the nefarious activities of the NPA in Surigao del Norte.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has launched a counter offensive against the NPA rebels who attacked the three mining companies.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles said that these atrocities by the communist have made the peace process difficult.
“Peace talks are more difficult when there is no accompanying ceasefire on the ground,” Deles.
“Hostile attacks such as the one conducted by the NPA in three mining areas in Surigao del Norte undermine people’s confidence in the peace process, creating a ‘disconnect’ between agreements made on the peace table and what is happening on the ground.”
But in spite of the attacks, Deles said the “government is still committed to push through with the peace negotiations. We continue to look for peaceful resolution to all armed conflict — and hope the other party will listen more to our people’s aspirations for peace and devote more energies on making the peace table work.” (PNA)
“We are serious and determined to protect our patrimony, sovereignty, and the general welfare and interests of the people and the environment. We will use the full potential of the revolutionary movement to carry out these just policies,” said Jorge “Ka Oris” Madlos, spokesman for the National Democratic Front (NDF)-Mindanao.
The NDF, which has an ongoing peace negotiation with the government to end a 40-year old communist insurgency, is the political arm of the communist movement in the Philippines.
Communist rebels recently attacked a foreign mining company in Surigao del Norte and burned down its heavy equipment worth P500 million.
The rebels would carry out punitive actions against those that “destroy the environment, exploit the workers and drive away indigenous people from their ancestral lands,” sa Ka Oris in a statement sent out to Mindanao-based media.
BY ROGER M. BALANZA
PUBLISHED IN THE DURIAN POST NO. 88
Karlo Bello, chair of the committee on human rights.
MANILA, Oct. 8 (PNA) -– The spokesman of the Philippine Army Saturday branded the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels as peace saboteurs and political terrorists following last Monday’s attacks by about 300 insurgents on three mining firms in Surigao del Norte.
attacks have “confirmed our earlier statements that their leadership (Communist Party of the Philippines/National Democratic Front (CPP/NDF) does not have control over their local terrorist leaders.”
DURIANBURGDAVAO News Forum For Peace In Mindanao
The rebels would carry out punitive actions against those that “destroy the environment, exploit the workers and drive away indigenous people from their ancestral lands,” sa Ka Oris in a statement sent out to Mindanao-based media.
THE DURIAN POST 