The Philippine govt should Stop political harassment of labor orgs and progressive churches

AN URGENT APPEAL FOR SOLIDARITY AND ACTION

Dear NCCP friend and supporters:

I write to you that you help us raise protest against the recent harassment of the family of one of our NCCP staff members and the ongoing harassment against the government employees union COURAGE. 

On June 28, 2015, Raquel L. Toquero, national staff of the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE), and her husband Mervin H. Toquero, the acting program secretary of the Program Unit on Faith, Witness and Service of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), were having breakfast at their home in Cavite with their three children and preparing to attend church. At about 8:00 a.m., two men claiming to be soldiers suddenly appeared at their kitchen door asking for Raquel. They refused to show their identification cards or their mission orders. They said that “they wanted to talk to Raquel for they know what she has been doing ....” 

What Raquel “has been doing” is fighting for workers to enjoy their rights and receive decent wages. COURAGE contends for a national monthly minimum wage of 16,000 pesos per month, or about US$350, for private as well as public workers. Since April 2015, COURAGE union officers and organizers have had to face more than 20 incidents like this one involving Raquel and Mervin Toquero. The incident left the family agitated and threatened as it happened inside their family compound where Mervin’s father, Bishop Solito K. Toquero, a retired bishop of the United Methodist Church and former vice chairperson of the NCCP also resides. Naturally, the Toquero family is concerned about their safety, especially in the current environment of impunity that prevails in the Philippines. Indeed, human rights defenders in the Philippines who have had similar experiences to those of the Toquero family earlier often faced continued harassment and became victims of even more serious human rights violations, including arrest on false charges, extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

It is in this grave context that NCCP now seeks your solidarity and action to call on the Philippine government to stop its harassment of trade union organizers. This recent spate of harassment against leaders and officers of COURAGE, and of other defenders of the constitutional and international human rights must stop. We also covet your prayers for our ongoing efforts for human rights. Thank you very much.

Grace and Peace

Rev. Fr. Rex R.B. Reyes, Jr.

General Secretary

National Council of Churches in the Philippines

 

Please write to:

H.E. Benigno C. Aquino III

President of the Republic

Malacañang Palace

Manila Philippines

E-mail: op@president.gov.ph

 

Atty. Leila De Lima, 

Secretary, Department of Justice

Padre Faura Street

Ermita, Manila 1000

Republic of the Philippines

E-mail: lmdelima@doj.gov.ph / lmdelima.doj@gmail.com

 

Ret. Lt. Gen. Voltaire Gazmin, 

Secretary, Department of National Defense

Camp Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City

Philippines

 

Commission on Human Rights Of The Philippines

SAAC Building, Commonwealth Avenue

UP Complex, Diliman, Quezon City

Philippines

You can also release statements of support for the COURAGE unionists and to call on Philippine state agents to stop such attacks.

Write letters of concern to the UN Special Rapporteurs on the Protection of the Rights of Human Rights Defenders via defenders@ohchr.org , to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression via freedex@ohchr.org , to the UN Special Rapporteur on Peaceful Assembly and of Association via freeassembly@ohchr.org , and other relevant international human rights mechanisms; 

The following letter may serve as a guide as you express your concern

Dear ...

 

We are alarmed to learn from the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) that one of its staff, Mervin Toquero, and his wife, Raquel are being harassed by persons claiming to be members of the military. We strongly condemn this brazen act of harassment perpetrated against Mervin and Raquel Toquero and their family.

The harassment incident took place on June 28, 2015 at the residence of the Toqueros in Cavite. Two men appeared at their door at 8:00 a.m. claiming to be soldiers and looking for Raquel,  a national staff  of a government employees union, Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees ( COURAGE). The men refused Mervin’s request that they show their identity papers and mission order and that they have their conversation in the balcony. Instead, the men peered through the window and called to Raquel, who was inside the house, to say they know her activities and offered to help her, handing her a paper with the name, Delia, and the number 09261430628 on it.

The incident left the family feeling gravely threatened. They have reason to be concerned about their safety given the climate of impunity in the country. In most cases, the extrajudicial killings of human rights defenders were preceded by systematic harassment of the victims similar to the one experienced by Mervin and Raquel Toquero and their family. 

We are concerned that the harassment perpetrated against Mervin and Raquel Toquero and their family may be part of your Government’s national security policy and legitimizes the use of threats, harassment and intimidation to quell dissent and protests against government policies. We are aware that this is an ongoing campaign of harassment that has been targeting union activists, in particular the officers, staff and organizers of COURAGE (Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees). In the last several months, COURAGE has documented 20 cases of union members being harassed by persons claiming to be members of the military and the police. 

We call on you to ensure that the legitimate rights of those involved in labor organizing are respected and that people be protected from forms of harassment and intimidation.

Mr. President, the violation of the rights of Mervin and Raquel Toquero, COURAGE members and other human rights defenders must be stopped immediately.

We call on you to guarantee their safety by ordering the military and police to halt immediately this campaign of harassment and threat against Mervin and Raquel Toquero and their family, COURAGE leaders and members and all human rights defenders.

“Accountability rather than blame…reconciliation rather than retribution…peace rather than war”--NCC-Philippines

The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) together with all in our nation continues to mourn the deaths of those who lost their lives in the tragic conflict in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. We mourn with the grieving families of the PNPSAF (Philippine National Police Special Action Force) members, we weep with the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) families who have lost loved ones, with those elements that the PNP had engaged as force multipliers and with the civilians who were also killed and injured.

Fr. Rex RB. Reyes, Jr., General Secretary of the NCCP said “we join the nation in questioning why our police were so inadequately coordinated and equipped for the encounter they were engaged in, we question why the ceasefire protocols agreed to by the government with the MILF were not respected, we question what role president Aquino had in ordering this tragic operation, and the real reasons behind its prosecution.”

“We find it incomprehensible” said Fr. Reyes “why the Administration of President Aquino, that has so strongly stated it is all for peace, would engage in such an adventurist operation when its plans for a peace settlement were at such a critical stage.” Fr Reyes said that “we are outraged that what appears to be a poorly coordinated and ill-conceived operation, has not only resulted in the loss of precious lives on all sides, but has given reason for the voices of those who seek war rather than peace in Mindanao to unfortunately find strength and support.”

The NCCP fears that these events challenge the authenticity of President Aquino’s commitment to peace. Fr Reyes said “We fear that rather than bringing the nation closer to peace, the ineptitude of our President has brought us closer to war.” From the tragic experiences of the past it is clear that the loss of life, the displacement, the loss of livelihoods that would result from any renewed conflict in Mindanao would be even worse than the events that unfolded in the corn fields of Mamasapano, Maguindanao. Fr. Reyes said “We call on all parties to the conflict in Mindanao to do all within their power to pursue peace. We call on our political leaders of all persuasions to seek to calm our nation at this critical time rather than to inflame sentiments of revenge. We call on our president for transparency, honesty and contrition where needed. We pray that there may be accountability rather than blame, there may be reconciliation rather than retribution, and there may be peace rather than war.” “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matt 5:9)



REV. FR. REX RB. REYES, Jr.

General Secretary – NCCP

US, Malacañang should answer for the Mamasapano Disaster—NDFP peace consultants--KARAPATAN

Press Statement

February 4, 2015



US, Malacañang should answer for the Mamasapano Disaster—NDFP peace consultants

http://www.karapatan.org/NDFP+peace+consultants+Mamapaso+incident



Benigno S. Aquino III has been, as usual, very glib (but obviously very evasive) in trying hard to explain the mystery of where the command and responsibility were for the operations of the Special Action Force (SAF) contingent that terribly failed and suffered a big number of its casualties (44 SAF forces killed) in its Mamasapano, Maguindanao operations last January 25. Twelve more SAF forces were wounded in action.


Aside from the SAF casualties, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) also suffered eight casualties and its breakaway group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) also suffered six casualties. There were also civilian casualties in the Tukanalipao barrio of Mamasapano that was attacked by the SAF forces.

The unusually large, 392-man SAF operations contingent was sent, admittedly with clearance from Malacañang, to arrest the two elements in the U.S. list of "most wanted terrorist" operating in the Philippines, and supposedly reported to have been spotted in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

That the operation was actually a directly U.S.-commanded one is seen from the fact that it was coursed by the U.S. through Malacañang and spuriously skipped all other lines from the top down to the local level—including the Department of Interior and Local Government that supposedly has supervision over the Philippine National Police (PNP) and its SAF, current PNP leadership and the local police/military commands (including the Western Mindanao Command and 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army), all of whom had no knowledge at all of what was going on.

Suspected Malaysian "terrorist" Zulkipli bin Hir (also known as "Marwan") with a $5-million bounty for his head, and a Filipino "terrorist" Basit Usman, with a $2-million bounty for his head, were supposed to be the targets of the 392-man, big-scale police-military operation of the SAF forces that were gathered from various units of the SAF, including from its national headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, Metro Manila, for this simple operation.

There is no verification yet of the SAF's boast that their operation succeeded in neutralizing "Marwan", who was supposedly killed in the operation.

What actually happened was that the SAF forces not only utterly failed in their operations, but committed a very big mistake and major violation in entering an area where the MILF forces and their families reside, such that most of the fighting that took place—and that decimated large numbers from the SAF—was actually with the local MILF forces in the area, and also inflicted casualties not only among the MILF forces but also among their civilian families. This, as the area unilaterally intruded into by the SAF attacking forces is part of the territory covered by the MILF's 105th Base Command.

The MILF forces only rightfully acted in their self-defense and the defense of their loved ones and community.

As there were also, in the area, forces of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a breakaway group of the MILF, there was also some fighting between forces of the SAF and the BIFF.

There is now so much flak over who really have been in command at the top level of the SAF's Mamasapano attack—“admittedly" Malacañang, and according to Malacañang, suspended PNP Chief, Police General Alan Purisima. This, even if Purisima's "authority" is questionable because he had for some time already been suspended and replaced for charges of large-scale corruption against him. Purisima's replacement, Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, has denied any knowledge of the plan and of the actual attack.

Worse, the SAF's Mamasapano attack grossly violated a standing peace talks and ceasefire agreement between the present Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GPH) and the MILF. The GPH, including the PNP and the SAF, should first have communicated and coordinated with the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities and, through this, with the MILF, as required by the already-made peace agreement awaiting legislative approval and the still-continuing peace process between the GPH and the MILF.

As Malacañang has main full local reponsability for the SAF's failed January 25 operations in Mamasapano, Maguindanao and for the casualties such operations inflicted not only on the SAF forces, but also on MILF forces, on the local civilians and others, Malacañang should be made to principally answer for the failed operations, the casualties and the violations of the peace accords and process, and other related negative effects of the SAF operations.

Benigno S. Aquino III has also to answer for the dire and bloody results of his utter puppetry to the U.S., including its negative effects on the GPH-MILF peace process.

A related serious questions that needs to be asked of him and his regime is if he and his regime is really interested in the peace process—not only with the MILF, but also with others including the National Democratic Front of the Philippines(NDFP).

It is the U.S., however, that has been on top of it all and should be made to principally answer and be made to pay for all the violations, intrusions, casualties and other damages.


NDFP Peace Consultants
detained in Camp Bagong Diwa,
Taguig City, Metro Manila

ALAN JAZMINES
EMETERIO ANTALAN
LEOPOLDO CALOZA
TIRSO ALCANTARA
LOIDA MAGPATOC

January 30, 20115
---------------------------------------------------------------------
PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publi...@karapatan.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights
2nd Flr. Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin corner Matatag Sts., Central District
Diliman, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES 1101
Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146
Web: http://www.karapatan.org

KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign.