2 more activists killed

MANILA, Philippines – Unexplained killings continue as two more activists – a public school teacher and a farmer – fell to assassins’ bullets in Masbate and Nueva Ecija over the weekend, flouting the Aquino administration’s declaration of an all-out war against murderers of activists and journalists.

Mark Francisco, a member of the party-list group ACT Teachers and a teacher at the San Isidro Elementary School in Palanas town in Masbate, was on his way home on a motorcycle along with four other teachers who were also on motorcycles when gunned down by two men in ski masks last Friday at 5 p.m. Francisco, 27, died instantly.

The gunmen, armed with M-16 rifles, also tried to kill one of Francisco’s companions but he was able to escape and report the murder, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said.

In Nueva Ecija, 78-year-old peasant leader Pascual Guevarra of the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association and the Alyansa ng Magsasakang Nagkakaisa was shot in the chest by an unidentified man who barged into his house in Barangay San Isidro in Laur.

Injured in the attack was Guevarra’s 18-year-old grandson Ronald Viloria. Guevarra was declared dead on arrival at the Bongabon District Hospital.

After his first command conference with the Philippine National Police (PNP), President Aquino said those responsible for the killings would be punished, but noted that several of the murders – mostly triggered by personal disputes – had     already been solved.

“We’ll see to it that there will be convictions. The PNP has also indicated that local politics triggered a lot of these killings,” he said.

“It’s (political assassination) not a policy of the administration,” he told reporters in a briefing at Camp Aguinaldo.

But he said he had directed PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa to get to the bottom of the cases.

“Our commitment, and that of the armed forces, is to remove the difference between law enforcers breaking the law and simple lawbreakers,” Mr. Aquino said in Filipino.

He also called on members of the military and PNP to observe human rights.

Condemnation

ACT’s Tinio said Francisco’s colleagues should be given police protection, citing the assailants’ attempt to kill at least one of them.

“We condemn the brutal murder of public school teacher Mark Francisco. We demand justice for our fellow-teacher and party-member,” Tinio said.

ACT said Francisco had actively campaigned for the party-list group during the last election.

Tinio urged the Department of Education to work with the PNP and with local government authorities in extending police protection to the teachers who survived the attack and who may be tapped as witnesses.

Tinio pointed out that there had been a spate of violence targeting teachers in Palanas, Masbate.

He noted that three days before the murder of Francisco, another public school teacher in Palanas was attacked but luckily escaped. Dexter Legazpi, 36, was on a motorcycle on the way to school with his wife on the morning of July 6 when five men, also in ski masks and military uniforms, shot at them. Legazpi, also a member of ACT party-list, was able to speed away to safety on his motorcycle.

“Government must immediately take steps to put an end to the violence faced by teachers in Palanas town. The Aquino government’s ability to ensure the well-being and safety of its citizens is being put to the test,” said Tinio.

Francisco is the third member of a militant party-list group to be killed within the first 10 days of President Aquino’s term. On July 5, Bayan Muna-Aklan provincial coordinator Fernando Baldomero was gunned down by motorcycle-riding men in Lezo, Aklan.

Tinio pointed out that during the campaign period, ACT Teachers party had been a target of a vilification campaign, along with other progressive party-list groups such as Bayan Muna, Gabriela and Anakpawis.

“We were routinely tagged as communist and New People’s Army front organizations by the military during the campaign period and some of our members and supporters were harassed and threatened. Now, they are being attacked, and one of them killed,” Tinio said.

“These murders show that the extrajudicial killing of activists continues to take place under the new dispensation of President Aquino,” he said.

“It’s only been a few days, yet the death toll is already rising. We expect nothing less than an end to impunity from this new government. President Aquino must direct the necessary government resources to ensuring that the perpetrators of these three murders are caught, tried and punished,” said Tinio.

Clueless

Police in Masbate said they have yet to identify the suspects in Francisco’s murder.

Palanas Police chief Inspector Reynaldo Gaita said identifying Francisco’s killers at this point is a daunting task because their faces were covered during the attack.

He also noted that the killers saw their chance when Francisco and his companions alighted from their motorcycles to cross a creek on foot. Gaita said Francisco was shot in the back.

Masbate Provincial Police director Senior Superintendent Eddie Benigay said the crime scene was a remote area.

“We’ve already sent a team to check and gather evidence at the crime scene,” Benigay added.

He said he was not sure of the victim’s political affiliation. He said a military official in the area he identified only as Col. Dagoy had told him of Karapatan’s putting the blame on the military for the murder.

Meanwhile, police in Aklan have formed two teams to find witnesses in the killing of Bayan Muna’s Baldomero.

Western Visayas Regional Police director Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said the two teams would work under the Special Investigation Task Group Baldomero.

Pagdilao directed Aklan Provincial Police director Senior Superintendent Epifanio Bragais Jr. to determine if the same group or groups had been involved in past attempts on Baldomero’s life.

“Another investigating team must focus on the grenade attack incident at the residence of Baldomero a month before this year’s election campaign for local elective positions started and find out if it had anything to do with the murder of Baldomero,” said Pagdilao.

In the absence of additional witnesses or evidence, Pagdilao said the motive for the murder of Baldomero remains unclear.

“The Baldomero murder is a must-solve case given the fact that this is the first case of murder of militant activist since the assumption to office of President Aquino, who has committed to run after the murderers of journalists and activists in the country,” said Pagdilao.

Last week, the provincial government of Aklan led by Gov. Carlito Marquez raised P500,000 reward for any information that will lead to the identification and arrest of the suspects in the murder. –Paolo Romero and Ric Sapnu (The Philippine Star) with Cecille Suerte Felipe, Rainier Allan Ronda, Delon Porcalla