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Government supports extra-legal armed groups

The government policy in solving crimes committed against journalists was highlighted during the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) recent Manila press conference. They observed that the government had failed to act on the killings of the journalists. The IFJ visited the country for a fact-finding mission primarily to know how the government addresses the series of journalists’ killing.

Malacanang officials denied the findings of the IFJ and the host National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). The most visible officials were Secretary Ignacio Bunye and Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes. I understand the role of Bunye as a mouthpiece of Malacanang. He needs to defend his boss at any cost, even to lie if necessary.

What caught my attention was the statement of Reyes. He claimed that the national government will never tolerate the existence of death squads, vigilante or other such extra-legal armed groups to execute or otherwise physically attack citizens suspected of criminal activities or for any other reason.

But I want to point out to Reyes that he is wrong. The government has been acting favorably for para-military groups that have been killing civilians. The government supports a para-military group in the Cordillera region that killed journalists and human rights workers. I can cite cases to back up this observation of mine.

The killer of journalist Reynaldo Pedronio in 1999 was a member of the Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CPLA). The CPLA member shot Pedronio in the presence of the latter’s wife. It was established that the CPLA killer shot Pedronio due to the latter’s opposition to the CPLA’s squatting activities at the Sto. Rosario barangay in Baguio City.

The CPLA member was convicted by a lower court in Baguio due to the courage of Pedronio’s wife in pursuing the case despite the threat from the said para-military group.

The CPLA convict however appealed the decision to the higher court.

The same group, then under the leadership of Conrado Balweg, abducted in October 1987 a Kalinga leader named Daniel Ngayaan. Balweg admitted the crime in a radio interview.

Since the abduction and the death of Balweg in 2000, the group has not produced the body of Ngayaan for a proper burial by his family. The CPLA bastardized the “bodong” (peace pact) with former Pres. Cory Aquino and had been a privileged armed group since.

Government had been mute as to the offenses of the group. The CPLA on December that year killed Abra youth leader Romy Gardo.

The state’s CAFGU also killed human rights worker Christopher Batan in Betwagan, Sadanga, Mountain Province when Batan and his fellow worker went to the area to document cases of human rights violations committed during the Marcos period. Only two from the five CAFGU perpetrators were arrested and jailed. But the three are in Betwagan free from the government prosecution. I heard in fact that one of the alleged perpetrators won as Barangay chair of Betwagan.

Rubbing salt to injury, the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration integrated the CPLA into the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police. The integration was institutionalized thru an administration order. This notorious group, bullying and taking the lives of any oppositor like chicken, alas, became “law enforcers.”

Now Mr. Secretary, tell the people that you have not tolerated any death squad. Tell me that you haven’t institutionalized notorious armed groups like the CPLA. I can tell you straight faced, you don’t value human lives and rights. #

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