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Stop state-sponsored political killings!

They came. They shot. They ran away...

This is the “modus operandi” of those killers behind the murders of several community leaders, journalists, and leaders of peoples’ organizations all over the country who were simply vocal against the corruption and anti-people policies of the Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

In Northern Luzon, the most recently killed is Jose Doton, Secretary-general of Bayan-Pangasinan, a farmer and leader. His brother is presently in critical condition since the May 16 assault; Elena Mendiola and her spouse Ricardo Balauag of Bayan Muna-Isabela last May 10. The latest in Itogon, motor-riding men “kidnapped” a 7-year-old girl and demanded for the whereabouts of her father; a peasant and a community leader. These motor riding “kidnappers” showed the pictures of her father and another leader marked as “wanted.”

Apparently, the GMA administration, the military and police officials prefer to remain mum and are even reluctant to even just promise to solve the crimes – these political killings.

On the other hand, national human rights groups unearthed military information about the existence of Operation Bantay Laya (OBL) let loose to eliminate vocal anti-GMA and left-leaning figures and blame it on the New Peoples Army (NPA). As Brig Gen Jovito Palparan, an expert psy-war tactician, tells media that they (NPA) are undergoing a cleansing of their ranks of government spies as if trying to raise from the grave that painful stigma of the NPAs Kampanyang Ahos in the 80’s and stir the attention against that in order to cover the death squad’s or the OBL’s murderous tracks.

Like all government, the present administration, its military and police agencies are sworn to serve and protect the basic and constitutional rights of the people. The latest, Supreme Court decisions on PP 1017, pointed out the lapses committed by the administration through its military and police in disregarding the peoples’ fundamental rights. Yet the killings continue.

Based on these developments, we are confronted by the question; “If the State and its agencies no longer protect its citizens and even turn out to be the perpetrators, to whom will the people turn to? What has to be done? After all this is a Democracy… for the people, by the people, of the people.

Together let us vigilantly exercise our rights! Let us unite to stop these state-sponsored political killings. #

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