UA Date: 19 December 2007 (initial report)

UA Title: Farmer abducted, tortured, stabbed and left for death by
Scout Rangers in the municipality of Monkayo, province of Compostela
Valley, Philippines

UA Case:  Abduction, Torture and Frustrated Killing

Victim/s: Renante Rumagos
‧ 32 years old, farmer, married with 3 children
‧ Male
‧ A resident of Purok 4, Brgy. Casoon, Monkayo, Compostela Valley,

Place of Incident: Purok 4, Brgy Casoon, Monkayo, Compostela Valley

Date of Incident:  12 December 2007, around 7:00 in the morning

Alleged Perpetrators:  undetermined number of elements of the Scout Rangers

Account of Incident –

On 12 December 2007, Renante Rumagos was abducted by elements of the
Scout Rangers in Purok 4, Brgy. Casoon, Monkayo, Campostela Valley.
After receiving the report, KARAPATAN-Southern Mindanao Region through
its secretary general Kelly Delgado organized a search team. Four days
after, on 18 December, Renante was found in Davao Regional Hospital
suffering from seven stabbed wounds.

The search team went to the hospital and was able to talk with
Renante. They found Renante very weak from the torture and stabbed
wounds he sustained in the hands of his captors. Despite this, Renante
gradually recounted his ordeal pausing from time to time to catch his
breath. He said that at around 7:00 in the morning of 12 December
2007, as he was walking towards his farm to make charcoal and harvest
bananas, he was called by undetermined number of elements of the Scout
Rangers concealing themselves in an elevated area. As he neared them,
one of the soldiers met him who immediately blindfolded him and
covered his mouth. The soldiers also bound his hands behind his back.

He was taken to an unknown place and was tortured by wrapping a
plastic around his head. On the fourth day, he was stabbed by his
captors and thinking that he was already dead, he was thrown in an
unknown place. But the soldiers discovered that he was still alive, he
was again stabbed and dumped in another place. By sheer will power,
Renante survived. When the soldiers left, he slowly got up looking for
someone to help him. He found a house and asked the owner for help. He
was brought to the Davao Regional Hospital (DRH) on 16 December.

He is still confined in DRH and KARAPATAN is scheduled to visit him
again to get the complete details of the incident.

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 abduction, torture and frustrated
killing of Renante Rumagos.
2. The arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the above
mentioned crime/s.
3. The immediate protection and proper indemnification of the victim/s; 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 of these instruments' provisions.


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

Jesus D. Dureza
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
 *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
osec@opapp.gov.ph

Department 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. Raul M. Gonzalez
Secretary, Department of Justice
Padre Faura St., Manila
Direct Line 521-8344; 5213721
Trunkline  523-84-81 loc.214
Fax: (+632) 521-1614
Email  sad@doj.gov.ph

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
official to our address below.

URGENT ACTION Prepared by:

KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights)-National Office
1 Maaralin cor Matatag St., Brgy. Central, Diliman, Quezon City 1100 PHILIPPINES
Voice/Fax: (+632) 435 4146
Emails: docu_krptn@yahoo.com  karapatan.pid@gmail.com
Website: www.karapatan.org