UA Date: 13 August 2007
UA Title: Three ANAKPAWIS "Toiling Masses" Partylist members abducted in Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines
UA Case: Enforced Disappearance
Victim/s: Antonino D. Roda
· 39 years old, farmer, single
· Male
· A resident of Dipori, Bayog, Zamboanga Del Sur , Philippines
· Member, ANAKPAWIS Partylist
Eric E. Buhain
· 23 years old, farmer, single
· Male
· A resident of Tinuyop Leon Postigo, Zamboanga Del Norte, Philippines
· Member, ANAKPAWIS Party list
Julius Sango
· 21 years old, farmer, single
· Male
· A resident of Gibo, Siayan, Zamboanga Del Norte, Philippines
· Member, ANAKPAWIS Party list
Place of Incident: along the highway in Sitio Kawayan, Brgy. Balongating, Guipos, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines
Date of Incident: 3 August 2007, at around 2:45 in the afternoon
Alleged Perpetrators: 4 men each riding a motorcycle (2 Yamaha DT, 1 red Honda XRM, 1 red Honda TMX) and 5 other men on board a white XLT-type van (all vehicles have no license plate), armed with handguns believed to be elements of the 53rd Infantry Battalion Philippine Army (IBPA) based in Poblacion, Guipos, Zamboanga del Sur
Account of Incident –
At around 2:45 in the afternoon of August 3, 2007, Antonino D. Roda, Eric E. Buhain, and Julius Sango were on board a commuter van on their way to Dinas, Zamboanga del Sur. As they were nearing Sitio Kawayan, Brgy. Balongating, Guipos, Zamboanga del Sur, four armed men on motorcycles blocked their path and ordered the driver of the van to pull over. The armed men forcibly took the victims together with two other female passengers, and forced them to board the white van; after which, the van sped off to the direction of Dumalinao town tailed by the four motorcycles.
Upon reaching Dumalinao, the perpetrators freed the two women, and continued speeding to the direction of Pagadian City.
The victims are still missing as of this writing.
They are members of the partylist ANAKPAWIS, a national political party that promotes, advocates, and advances the patriotic and democratic aspirations of marginalized sectors of workers, peasants, fisher folk, and other urban and rural poor – envisioning that the participation in the national legislature or the present Congress is an opportunity to further strengthen the programs and campaigns of the toiling masses for genuine and significant reforms.
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 enforced disappearance of Antonino D. Roda, Eric E. Buhain, and Julius Sango.
2. The arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the crime/s of enforced disappearance.
3. The immediate and proper indemnification 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 of these instruments' provisions.
You may send your communications to:
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
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
Sec.
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;
http://www.doj.gov.ph/contact.html
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 Sts., Brgy. Central, Quezon City 1100 PHILIPPINES
Voice/Fax: (+632) 435 4146
Emails: <karapatan@tri-isys.com > / karapatan@edsamail.com.ph / karapatan.pid@gmail.com
Website: www.karapatan.org