The Philippines HUMAN “No Justice Just Adds to the Pain” RIGHTS Killings, Disappearances, and Impunity in the Philippines WATCH “No Justice Just Adds to the Pain” Killings, Disappearances, and Impunity in the Philippines Copyright © 2011 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-787-6 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] Avenue Blanc, 51 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org July 2011 ISBN: 1-56432-787-6 “No Justice Just Adds to the Pain” Killings, Disappearances, and Impunity in the Philippines Map of the Philippines ....................................................................................................... 1 Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations .................................................................................. 2 Summary ........................................................................................................................... 3 Key Recommendations ................................................................................................................ 7 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 9 I. The Philippine Context ................................................................................................... 11 The Communist Insurgency, Government Response, and Peace Talks ......................................... 11 The Legacy of Extrajudicial Killings ............................................................................................. 15 II. Extrajudicial Executions and Enforced Disappearances ................................................. 20 Killing of Fernando “Nanding” Baldomero, July 5, 2010 ............................................................... 21 Killing of Pascual Guevarra, July 9 2010 ...................................................................................... 23 Enforced Disappearance of Agustito Ladera and Renato Deliguer, August/September 2010 ........ 24 Killing of Reynaldo “Naldo” L. Labrador, September 3, 2010 ...................................................... 26 Killing of Rene “Toto” Quirante, October 1, 2010 ........................................................................ 28 Killing of Ireneo “Rene” Rodriguez, November 7, 2010 ................................................................ 30 Enforced Disappearance of Alfredo Bucal, November 10, 2010 ................................................... 31 Killing of Rudy and Rudyric Dejos, February 27, 2011 .................................................................. 33 III. Military Failure to Address Extrajudicial Killings .......................................................... 35 Military Labeling of Civilians as NPA Members ........................................................................... 36 Military’s Denial of Involvement in Extrajudicial Killings ............................................................. 38 Military Failure to Cooperate with Police and Other Inquiries ...................................................... 39 Failure of the Military to Investigate ........................................................................................... 41 IV. Failure to Investigate and Prosecute ............................................................................ 44 Poor Policing ............................................................................................................................. 44 Investigations of Extrajudicial Killings and Enforced Disappearances ........................................ 48 Police Fears of Military Retaliation .............................................................................................. 54 Fears of Retaliation Against Witnesses and Victim’s Relatives .................................................... 55 Obstacles to Prosecution ........................................................................................................... 59 Writ of Amparo ........................................................................................................................... 63 Weakness of Human Rights Institutions .................................................................................... 66 V. Legal Framework ........................................................................................................... 71 Duty to Investigate and Prosecute Human Rights Violations ....................................................... 71 Philippine National Law ............................................................................................................. 73 VI. Role of the International Community ............................................................................ 76 VII. Action Required on Extrajudicial Killings and Enforced Disappearances ..................... 78 Killing of Fernando “Nanding” Baldomero, July 5, 2010 ............................................................... 78 Killing of Pascual Guevarra, July 9, 2010 ..................................................................................... 78 Enforced Disappearance of Agustito Ladera and Renato Deliguer, August/September 2010 ........ 79 Killing of Reynaldo “Naldo” L. Labrador, September 3, 2010 ....................................................... 79 Killing of Rene “Toto” Quirante, October 1, 2010 ........................................................................ 80 Killing of Ireneo “Rene” Rodriguez, November 7, 2010 ............................................................... 80 Enforced Disappearance of Alfredo Bucal, November 10, 2010 ................................................... 81 Killing of Rudy and Rudyric Dejos, February 27, 2011 .................................................................. 81 Killing of Bacar and Carmen Japalali, September 8, 2004 .......................................................... 82 Enforced Disappearance of Sherlyn Cadapan, Karen Empeño, and Manuel Merino, June 26, 2006........................................................................................................................... 82 VIII. Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 84 IX. Appendix ..................................................................................................................... 92 Letter from Human Rights Watch to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima ............................................ 92 Letter from Human Rights Watch to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines ............................................................................................................................... 96 Letter to Human Rights Watch from the Office of the Ombudsman ............................................ 100 X. Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................104 Map of the Philippines Killings and Enforced Disappearances Documented by Human Rights Watch © 2011 John Emerson/Human Rights Watch 1 Human Rights Watch | July 2011 Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations AFP Armed Forces of the Philippines Barangay A village or an urban neighborhood; the smallest administrative unit of local government in the Philippines Barangay tanod A village-based law enforcement officer, similar to a policeman but not a member of the Philippine National Police Bonnet A balaclava or ski mask, often worn by criminals to protect their identities CAFGU Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit; a paramilitary force formally under AFP command CIDG Criminal Investigation and Detection Group; the investigatory arm of the PNP CPP Communist Party of the Philippines DPWH Department of Public Works and Highways DSWD Department of Social Welfare and Development IB Infantry Battalion ID Infantry Division NBI National Bureau of Investigation; a civilian investigatory agency under the Department of Justice NDFP National Democratic Front of the Philippines NPA New People’s Army; military wing of the CPP PNP Philippine National Police Purok Territorial enclave inside a barangay, especially in rural areas Sangguniang Legislature of municipal governments Bayan Tricycle A motorcycle with a sidecar on a third wheel for carrying passengers Waiting shed An open, sheltered structure built along most roads in the Philippines, where people wait for public transport “No Justice Just Adds to the Pain” 2 Summary Armed men [in military uniforms] entered the house and immediately began beating Toto with their rifles. They beat him continuously; he was trying to escape … but they kept pulling him back and beating him…. Then they shot him. —“Jaime,” a witness to the October 1, 2010 killing of leftist activist Rene Quirante