‘1 activist killed each week since Noy assumed office’

MANILA, Philippines – At least one activist has been killed every week since President Aquino assumed office on June 30, the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said.

Citing data provided by human rights group Karapatan, Bayan noted there have been at least 22 cases of unexplained killings recorded since Aquino became president.

“That is one (unexplained killing) a week. The trend is truly alarming. There has been no letup in the cases of extrajudicial killings even under the Aquino administration,” said Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes.

“Despite government claims that killings are being solved, there are fresh cases every month. The fact that the killings continue indicates that the Aquino administration is not doing enough,” he said.

This month alone, two alleged politically related killings have been reported. Last Nov. 12, two men on a motorcycle gunned down Caloy Rodriguez, president of the Calamba Water District.

On Nov. 7, peasant leader Ireneo Rodriguez was shot dead by unidentified men in Batangas.

“Many human rights groups have called on the Aquino government to abandon the counter insurgency program called Oplan Bantay Laya which targets unarmed activists on the basis that they are suspected communist rebels,” Reyes said.

“There has been no headway in this regard. The old policies and practices remain as far as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is concerned,” he said.

Human rights lawyer Al Parreno in his report on unexplained killings from 2001 to 2010 has called for the creation of a “truth commission” that would seek to determine if it was a policy of the previous Arroyo administration to kill political activists.

Parreno also recommended the formation of a dedicated team of prosecutors to handle cases of such killings, citing the low conviction rate of 1.05 percent for over 300 cases filed between 2001 and 2010. –Rhodina Villanueva (The Philippine Star) with Alexis Romero