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Court orders CAFGUs arrest

For HR worker’s slay 12 years ago

BONTOC, Mountain Province (Sept. 15) — Branch 59 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Baguio City issued a warrant of arrest against three members of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU), who belong to the Betwagan tribe of Sadanga municipality of this province for killing a human rights workers 12 years ago.

The arrest warrant identified Mateo Fanao, Kengeb Fayno, and Panyong Rongan, who have been freely roaming since the slay of Christopher Batan, former worker of the Task Force Detainees Philippines (TFDP). Two of their co-accused have been jailed.

Judge Iluminada Cabato-Cortes, presiding judge, issued the warrant on July 5 this year and furnished copies to the Philippine National Police (PNP) station commander of Sadanga town, the regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

NORDIS sources claim that the three accused are active CAFGU members based in Betwagan under the command of 1st Lt. Julio Sakupaso, commander of the Alpha Company, 77th IB based in the capital town of this province.

Since the immediate arrest of the three was not made, another warrant was applied at the Branch 59 on August 18 where 1st Lt. Sakupaso was requested to immediately arrest the trio, added the sources.

Documents obtained by NORDIS show that in the early period the three remained unidentified when the murder case was filed against the CAFGU perpetrators. It was only when a second culprit was arrested that the three were identified.

The murder

Court documents show that on February 23, 1993, , a CAFGU team fired at Batan, Anglican priest Eduardo Solang, and Mila Fanaang, who were on the way to Betwagan after crossing the Chico River. Batan was hit first on the hip but a second close-ranged shot caused his instant death. His companions who were unharmed run for safety and later called for help to bring Batan’s body home.

The three were in the area to document, for a class suit, human rights violations committed during the Marcos period.

A case was later filed in this town against the two identified perpetrators and their unidentified companions. Due to the severance of the relationship of Batan’s Lias tribe of Barlig and the Betwagan, the Batan family petitioned the Supreme Court, through their lawyers, that the case be transferred to the case in Baguio City so as not to frustrate justice. The high court granted the petition.

Agustin Agpawan was the first accused to be arrested. He was convicted by the court as among the principal for the conspiracy to murder Batan. He appealed to the higher court, which affirmed the decision of Branch 59.

Ten years after the murder, another accused Bonifacio Chumacog was arrested and on June 29, 2004, pleaded guilty to the murder charge. The court sentenced him with reclusion perpetua, or life sentence.

Trio identities revealed

A month after his conviction, Chumacog revealed the identities of his three companions.

“I am not yet at peace with myself and God in as much as the deceased Batan has not been given full justice since three of my companions who are as guilty as I am remain at large,” he claimed in his notarized affidavit.

Aside from himself and Agpawan, Chumacog said three other CAFGUs stationed in Betwagan at the the time conspired to shoot the TFDP workers.

In his affidavit, he narrated that at about 3:00 P.M. on February 23, 1993, Agpawan approached Fayno and Rongan in the “ator” (socio-political institution). Agpawan urged them to bring their firearms as they were going to meet a group of persons.

With their firearms, they waited for Batan’s group in the area. He alleged that Agpawan separated from the group and positioned himself 20 to 25 meters from the approaching group. Agpawan hit Batan’s hip and Fanao commanded him to go near and shoot Batan with his M 14. His companions served as lookouts. They later fled and left Batan’s body, Chumacog claimed.

NORDIS sources claimed that Fanao was even elected as Barangay Captain of Betwagan after his involvement in the murder.

Meanwhile, human rights groups and advocates in the region urged the authorities to immediately arrest the three accused. They decried why the accused could have run for public office and with his co-accused un-arrested. # Arthur L. Allad-iw for NORDIS

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