UA Date: 31 March 2007
UA Title: Mother of two month old twins, alleged by
police as an NPA member, abducted in
Tarlac, PHILIPPINES , MISSING
UA Case: Enforced Disappearance
Victim: Josephine Nogoy
32 years old, married, with two-month old twins
Resident of Talaga village, Tarlac province, Central Luzon, Philippines
Place of Incident: Masagana Zone, Iba village, San Jose town, Tarlac province
Date of Incident: 27 March 2007, around 1:00 am
Alleged Perpetrators: Armed men suspected to be military elements
Account of Incident
According to Divina Guevarra, Josephine's sister-in-law, in the early morning of March 27, 2007, around 1:00 a.m., two vans – one colored black, another dark brown or maroon—and without license numbers, came to their house at Purok Masagana, Brgy. Iba, San Jose, Tarlac. About 15 armed men in black long sleeves, bonnets and gloves, and in combat shoes, alighted from the vans and went in two groups.
One group, with eight of the armed men, forcibly entered the Guevarra's house and threatened all the members of the Guevarra family (the Guevarra couple and their two children) at gunpoint. They searched the rooms and when two of the armed men saw Josephine, they forced her at gunpoint out of the house and into one of the waiting vans outside.
Josephine was with her two-month old twins, and was visiting her sister-in-law.
Meanwhile, the other group with about seven armed men barged into the nearby house of the Patricio family. Purportedly in search of Josephine, the armed men also threatened the members of the Patricio family at gunpoint.
The abductors sped away after taking Josephine, her twins were left with Josephine's sister-in-law. The Karapatan Central Luzon chapter is still investigating the abduction. Josephine remains missing up to now.
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 Josephine Nogoy.
2. The arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the crime/s of enforced disappearances.
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:
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
Sec. 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
Gen.
Hermogenes Ebdane, (Ret.)
Secretary, 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 of Justice
Padre Faura Street, Manila
Direct Line
521-8344; 5213721
Trunkline 523-84-81 loc.214
Telefax 521-1614
Email
sad@doj.gov.ph
or log on to http://www.doj.gov.ph/contact.html
Hon.
Purificacion V. 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
2/F Erythrina Bldg. Maaralin cor. Matatag Streets, Brgy. Central, Quezon City
1100 PHILIPPINES
Voice/Fax: (+632) 435 4146
Emails: <karapatan@tri-isys.com
> /
karapatan.pid@gmail.com /
desap_hr@yahoo.com