Karapatan joins wives, mothers in calling on
government operatives to surface missing relatives

KARAPATAN Press Release
July 1, 2006

Today, the human rights umbrella organization KARAPATAN scored the all-out war declaration of the sitting president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, saying it has all the more emboldened military operatives in violating the rights of Filipinos.

"After Mrs. Arroyo announced an additional P1B budget for its all-out war against the New People's Army, several incidents not only of killings but of enforced disappearances occurred," said KARAPATAN Deputy Secretary General Jigs Clamor.

KARAPATAN joined the wives and mothers of missing persons believed to be abducted by military operatives in the call to surface their loved ones. Clamor said that "it is government's responsibility to safeguard and assure the right to due process of any person being accused of rebellion or any other offense. They must not just be forcibly taken and made to disappear."

Mrs. Elizabeth Calubad, whose husband Rogelio "Rudy" Calubad, 53 years old and son Gabriel, 29, said "my husband and son are missing for 12 days now, I am not sure if they are still alive." Witnesses said the Calubads were forced into a van by armed men on June 17, 2006 at around 6AM in Brgy. Bangkuruhan, Calauag, Quezon.

Mrs. Carmen Ancheta who also sought the help of KARAPATAN, said she was about to meet her husband Leopoldo Ancheta, 58 years old, at the South Supermarket in Tuktukan, Guiguinto, Bulacan at 6:30PM of June 24. "My husband sent me a text message at 5:10PM saying he was on his way but he failed to show up; I waited for him until closing time of the supermarket at 8:00PM."

The mother of Sherlyn Cadapan, 29 years old, on the three activists (the other two are Karen Empeņo, 23 and Manuel Merino, 55) who were abducted on June 26 in Hagonoy, Bulacan, sought the help of the Alyansa ng Mamamayan para sa Pantaong Karapatan (ALMMA-Bulacan) the local counterpart of KARAPATAN.

Military as suspects
Carmen Ancheta knows her husband was an activist and she suspected the military was behind the abduction of her husband because Leopoldo Ancheta told her that a friend of his was abducted by military operatives in Pampanga in May this year. A distraught Mrs. Ancheta said, "I hope that he will not suffer the same fate."

Witnesses said that Ancheta was taken by armed men on board a silver Revo van with the plate number blurred by a plastic cover.

Meanwhile, when Elizabeth Calubad went to Calauag Police Station to report the incident, a certain police officer Nestor Afuen of the PNP Intelligence Division told them that they knew of the incident at 10AM on June17 and that the victims' motorcycle was brought to the police station earlier by an unknown baranggay tanod.

"The police knew of the incident, and no investigation as to the whereabouts of my husband and son was conducted. I was even puzzled why the police blotter released by the police stated that I reported the incident on June 19 when it was on June 18; and police officer Afuen told us he was informed of the abduction on the day itself," said an incredulous Elizabeth.

Elizabeth said she suspected that the abduction of her husband and son is politically-motivated because Rogelio Calubad is an NDFP Consultant for the peace negotiations representing the Bicol Region.

ON June 27, the National Democratic Front issued a statement saying that Calubad is a consultant for the peace negotiations and represents the Bicol Region and as such should be treated humanely by the government.

KARAPATAN and the families of the missing persons made an appeal to the government, "we urge the government to surface the missing persons; if they are suspected of violating laws, charges must be filed against them in court so that they can face the charges against them."

Other missing persons whom KARAPATAN are still looking for are Philip Limjoco, who went missing on May 8, 2006 at Dau, Pampanga, Rolando Porter, abducted on May 16, 2006 at Makati City and Virgilio Tranquilino abducted on May 17 at General Tinio, Nueva Ecija.

Clamor said "every abduction puts the victim at risk of torture, enforced disappearance and even death. This is a crime against humanity. We shudder at the recent experience of the Erap 5 who were similarly abducted and tortured." From 2001 to June 27, 2006, KARAPATAN has documented 175 victims of enforced disappearance.

KARAPATAN also lambasted Gen. Jovito Palparan for saying that the disappearance of the missing persons is "good for them." Clamor said "human rights instruments are clear on this: no State shall practice, permit or tolerate enforced disappearances."

The human rights group also reminded Mrs. Arroyo's government of its obligations under the United Nations Declaration on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance which clearly states that not even "a threat of war, a state of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked to justify enforced disappearances." #

browse pictures and video of the July 1, 2006 press conference