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Int’l campaign kicks off for punks tortured by PNP in Buguias

Free the Punks 11

BAGUIO CITY (Mar. 10) — An international campaign for the immediate and unconditional release of the 11 punks illegally arrested, detained and tortured from February 14 to 16 in Buguias, Benguet is gaining headway with the creation of the Free the Punks 11 Solidarity Campaign.

The group’s petition specifically calls on the Philippine government, the police, the military and the justice department to issue a public apology to the victims and their respective families, and for the termination of the responsible people from their duties as police officers and government workers, whether they are directly or indirectly involved.

The 11 backpackers, who hail from different parts of the country, are still in jail charged with robbery and homicide. The Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA), local counterpart of national human rights organization Karapatan, identified the perpetrators to be members of the 1604th Provincial Mobile Group (PPMG), 3rd Coy of Regional Mobile Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

As of March 3, over 670 private individuals and organizations mostly from the punk community and human rights advocates signed the said petition. In the Philippines, organizations such as a-Manila.org (web), Earth First! Philippines, Local Anarchist Network, Food not Bombs, Project Aperture and Not for Sale are among the initial signatories.

The PNP insists that the victims, the youngest of which is a 15 year-old girl, are members of the New People’s Army (NPA) responsible for the Army detachment raid in Cabiten, Mankayan. The victims just came from a gig in Tarlac and decided to hitchhike to Sagada, Mt. Province when the PNP arrested them in Buguias. From there, they were brought to Camp Molintas in Abatan, Buguias where they were subjected to various forms of intense physical and mental torture.

Discrimination condemned

“The actions done by the Benguet Police are definitely wrong, however you look at it. These acts deserve condemnation, if not punishment by recalling all those involved from their duties. The Sagada 11 are innocent, adventure-loving trekkers,” the Food not Bombs, a vegetarian anti-war group, said in a petition.

“Most likely, due to the macho, prejudiced and unintelligent nature of police officers and the backwardness of the police institution itself, they have assumed that these individuals are communists and armed rebels due to the fact that they look and dress different, as punks tend to dress differently,” continued the group’s petition.

Tourists, not NPA

The NPA Chadli Molintas Command issued a public statement on February 20, stating that the victims are tourists and not members of the NPA; and even if they were, the PNP should respect their right to due process.

In a separate statement dated February 23, the Jennifer Maria Cariño Command (NPA-Benguet) said that the 11 youngsters were neither NPAs nor were part of the NPA unit that raided the Cabiten detachment.

“PNP Benguet was awarded Best PNP Provincial Office in 2005 for serving and protecting the interest of the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company, harassing, intimidating, torturing, and killing people, including Lepanto union members and their families, Efren Agsayang, Joseph Coop, the people of Mankayan and neighbouring towns protesting the havoc wrecked by Lepanto’s mining operations, anybody they suspect of supporting the NPA, and now, even innocent punkistas,” the NPA-Benguet statement said. # A. T. Bengwayan for NORDIS

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