5	Philippines, culture of impunity

N.B. -This article has been updated to reflect reports from reliable sources that FIVE activists have been killed from July 5 to 12. The original version of this article which was uploaded yesterday (July 12, 1pm) only identified three activists killed in five days.

How can one prove that the culture of impunity still exists in the Philippines? Consider this: Five killings of activists in seven days, the first one on the fifth day of the new administration.

Benigno Aquino III assumed the presidency armed with a promise that he will put a stop to the killings. Less than two weeks before he was sworn in as the 15th President of the Philippines, Edwin Lacierda (who eventually became Presidential Spokesperson) said, "(Aquino's) family has been a victim of human rights violation so it’s natural for him to ensure that the rights of everyone, especially the members of the media."

Aquino's promise of a "serious pursuit of justice" was done in the wake of media killings last month which left a carnage of three dead in just five days. In a statement, 32 professors, 14 staff, the college student council and 14 college-based student organizations of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) made this analysis: "That three journalists were killed in one week is by itself sufficient evidence that the outgoing Macapagal-Arroyo administration has utterly failed to provide an atmosphere conducive to a free press. Even if there is no evidence to prove that any high-ranking government official actually pulled the trigger and consequently killed journalists Desidario Camangyan (June 14), Joselito Agustin (June 15) and Nestor Bedolido (June 19), the Macapagal-Arroyo administration remains accountable for the killings since 2001." (Disclosure: The author is a signatory to the statement.)

As regards the recently slain activists, the culture of impunity is also apparent due to the brazen manner in which the murders were carried out.

According to a news report, "A lone gunman repeatedly shot (Fernando) Baldomero, (61), early morning of July 5 in front of his residence in the capital town of Kalibo in Aklan as he was about to take his 12-year-old son to school. The gunman fled on board a motorcycle driven by an accomplice."

The same case applies to the second murder that happened last July 9, as a report states, "Pascual Guevarra, 78, head of the local Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association (Arba) and Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid na Nagkakaisa 3100 (Almana 3100), died from bullet wounds in the chest.His grandson, Ronnel Viloria, 18, tried to help his grandfather but the gunman shot and wounded him, said Senior Insp. Almario Evaristo, the town police chief."

Preliminary reports from reliable sources on the murder of the third activist show the same pattern: "On July 9, armed bonnet-wearing men killed Mark Francisco, (27), of ACT Teachers Partylist in Sitio Umawas, Brgy. Malabas, Palanas, Masbate."

According to another news report, Francisco was not the only supporter of ACT Teachers Partylist who died on that day: "Edgar Fernandez, 44, another public school teacher from Barangay Central, Masbate City, Masbate, was shot dead by unidentified men on his way home...Fernandez and a co-teacher, both riding a motorcycle, were fired at by an unidentified man. Fernandez died immediately but his co-teacher survived with a bullet wound."

And just last July 12, Josephine Estacio, 42, another member of ACT Teachers Partylist, was killed. According to a preliminary report, "(U)nidentified motorcycle-riding men shot dead...Estacio...shortly before the start of classes in Tenejero Elementary School. (She) died on the spot after she was shot at 6:45 a.m. in Tenejero village in Balanga City in Bataan."

Baldomero was provincial chair of Bayan Muna (People First) Partylist in Aklan. Guevarra, on the other hand, was chair of the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association and Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid na Nagkakaisa 3100 (Almana 3100) and worked closely with the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines). Francisco, Fernandez and Estacio, meanwhile, were affiliated with ACT Teachers Partylist which won a seat in Congress, just like Bayan Muna and AnakPawis (Toiling Masses), the latter being supported by the KMP.

As if the five murders were not enough, there was also news that a journalist was "wounded when two unidentified men shot him in Nabua, Camarines Sur" last July 9. The report continues: "Miguel Belen, 48, was shot by two unidentified gunmen in Barangay San Jose at around 8:45 p.m...The victim was on a motorcycle and was tailed by his attackers, who were also riding a motorcycle...Belen was returning home from work as a field reporter of the dwEB-FM radio station of Filipinas Broadcasting Network based in Nabua. The shooting took place in a secluded part of San Jose, just three kilometers from the town proper...Belen sustained gunshot wounds in the neck and torso and remained in critical condition at the Doña Josefa Hospital in nearby Iriga City."

Belen's case highlights the fact that media killings are indeed the highest form of censorship in the country. In the same vein, the killings of activists serve as a way to permanently silence dissent. For the journalists and activists left behind, the murders provide a chilling effect and give a stark reminder of what would happen if they continue to be critical of the powers-that-be.

It is ironic that the murders continue and that the mayhem persists. To quote from the UP CMC statement, there is indeed a need to be vigilant of the future as "the culture of impunity knows no administrations as the violence knows no bounds."