UA Date: 17 January 2006 UA Title: Woman Peasant Leader killed inside home in Pampanga, Philippines UA Case: Summary Execution Victim/s: Ofelia "Nanay Perla" Rodriguez • 61 years old, widowed with one daughter • Female • A resident of Barangay Divisoria, Mexico, Pampanga, Philippines • A peasant mass leader • Member of Divisoria Farmers Association, affiliated with Agumandareng Maglalautang Capampangan (AMC) and Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon (AMGL) Place of Incident: Inside the victim's home in Brgy. Divisoria, Mexico, Pampanga, ` Philippines Date of Incident: 16 January 2006; around 5:30 – 6:00 PM Suspected Perpetrators: two motorcycle-riding, armed men believed to be elements belonging to the 69th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA) headed by 2nd Lt. John Paul Nicolas Background: At around 5:30-6:00 PM of 6 January 2006, Nanay Perla Rodriguez and her family had just finished eating their supper. Nanay Perla, who was carrying her one-year old granddaughter Eliza, was about to give water to her ailing mother, Amalia de la Peña, 95 years old, when a man suddenly came inside their house. The man grabbed Nanay Perla's arm and shot her as she was about to put down her granddaughter Eliza. The bullet entered the top of her head and exited at her nape. Nanay Perla only managed to shout "Ay Dyosko!" ("My God!") then slumped on the ground. Michelle, Nanay Perla's 14-year old granddaughter, was at the back of the house at that time and was with her younger brother when she heard a gunshot coming from inside their house. She only managed to see a tall, stocky man in civilian clothes and wearing a baseball cap walk out casually from their home. He was joined by another man in civilian clothes who stood outside of the house. They left together on board a motorcycle. That morning, Michelle remembered her grandmother, Nanay Perla, as saying that she saw a man standing near a tree outside of their house, unusually observing them. A neighbor had likewise come that day informing Nanay Perla that a man was looking for her. In that neighbor's haste and fear, she forgot to tell the victim that the man was armed. Prior to the incident, Nanay Perla and her family were constantly being harassed by elements of the 69th IBPA led by 2nd Lt. John Paul Nicolas. In fact, on October 25, 2005, during the convenors' meeting in Quezon City of the STOP PALPARAN Alliance - a group calling on the government to discharge from service General Jovito Palparan, Jr., head of the Philippine Army's 7th Infantry Division covering the provinces of Central Luzon, including Pampanga, and who figured in many human rights violations complaints - Nanay Perla testified that she was invited to go to a military camp for questioning. In the said interrogation, 2nd Lt. John Paul Nicolas was forcing her to admit that she was a top-ranking NPA-leader. In another incident, her daughter confronted the said military official for spreading word that he was going to kill Nanay Perla. After that meeting in Quezon City, the harassment on the victim and her family further intensified. At one time, a neighbor approached Nanay Perla and told her that 2nd Lt. John Paul Nicolas had approached him and tried to give him a gun to kill her, which the said neighbor refused. Barangay. Divisoria is one of the barangays (villages) of Mexico, Pampanga in which the military is conducting their Reengineered Special Operations Team (RSOT). The RSOT is a feature of the military's counter-insurgency program wherein military elements are deployed in the villages, stay there and supposedly "integrate" themselves with the populace. The integration is actually intelligence-gathering targeting leaders or active members of peasant associations, partylist organizations and people's organizations in the barrios. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Send letters, emails or fax messages calling for: 1. The immediate formation of an independent fact-finding and investigation team composed of representatives from human rights groups, the Church, local government, and the Commission on Human Rights that will look into the Summary Execution of Perla Rodriguez. 2. The arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the crimes of summary execution. 3. The immediate and proper indemnification of the family/relatives of the victims; and 4. The Philippine Government to be reminded that it is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that it is also a party to all the major Human Rights instruments, thus it is bound to observe all provisions of such instruments. You may send your communications to: H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo President of the Republic Malacanang Palace, JP Laurel St., San Miguel Manila Philippines Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80 Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968 Cell#: (+ 63) 919 898 4622 / (+63) 917 839 8462 E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph / opnet@ops.gov.ph Hon. Rene V. Sarmiento *Office of the Peace Process 7th Floor Agustin Building I Emerald Avenue Pasig City 1605 Voice:+63 (2) 636 0701 to 066 Mobile: Fax:+63 (2) 635 9579 Hon. Avelino J. Cruz, Jr. Secretary of National Defense Room 301 DND Building, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo, E. de los Santos Avenue Quezon City Voice:+63(2) 911-9281 / 911-0488 Fax:+63(2) 911 6213 osnd@philonline.com Hon. Purificacion Valera Quisumbing Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights SAAC Bldg., UP Complex Commonwealth Avenue Diliman, Quezon City Philippines Fax: (+632) 929 0102 Email: drpvq@chr.gov.ph Please send us a copy of your email/mail/fax to the said government officials to our address below. URGENT ACTION Prepared by: KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights)-National Office 43 Masikap St. Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City 1100 PHILIPPINES Voice: (+632) 435 4146 / Fax: (+632) 928 6078 Emails: < karapatan@tri-isys.com> / karapatan@edsamail.com.ph Website: www.karapatan.org