Urgent Action Alerts

At past 10am of 27 March 2008, two men onboard a motorcycle went to Janneber and Shirley Galapon's home in Brgy. San Isidro, Lupao, Nueva Ecija. One of men identified himself as Lt. Villamin of the 71st Infrantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA) that is based in Guimba, and asked Shirley where "Ka Junel" was.

On May 2, 2008, Pastor Rodel Canja was to attend the annual meeting of the Northeast Southern Tagalog Conference of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) in Jala-jala town of Rizal province. He traveled with acting UCCP-JIMELY Secretary Maruja Satanes. The two arrived at the UCCP Parish in Pililia at around 9 o'clock in the morning, where they would await other delegates before proceeding to the venue of their conference.

Following the assassination of peasant leader Celso Pojas in Davao City on May 15, 2008, Mr. Kelly Delgado, 31 years old and head of the Karapatan team that responded to the incident, was invited for a radio interview by Mr. Abner Francisco of Charm Radio based in Kidapawan City. He was interviewed on May 16, 2008 at around 8:30 a.m. The interview lasted for about 30 minutes.

An hour and a half later, at around 10 a.m., Charm Radio received three (3) text messages (SMS) through its official mobile phone number.

On May 15, 2008 at around 8 o’clock in the evening, Randy Felix P. Malayao, 39 years old, was having dinner with his friends at a restaurant in SM North EDSA in Quezon City when they noticed two men suspiciously looking at them (both were sporting crew cuts and holding high-tech mobile phones with headsets). One of his female companions noticed the men still observing them, and suggested that they transfer to another place. While leaving, another companion of Randy heard one of the men, said ‘positive sir, positive’ while still following them.

They then proceeded to a fast-food chain along Ortigas Avenue in Pasig City. Again, they noticed a burly man also sporting a crew cut, wearing shorts and slippers and a headset, observing them. This man was accompanied by two more men with the same built and gadgets. Randy told his friends not to worry.

On May 15, 2008 at around 5:45 in the morning, Celso Pojas, 45 years old, was having coffee with his officemates inside the Farmers Association in Davao City (FADC) and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP)-Southern Mindanao office. They were to travel to Compostela Valley to visit the Lumad farmers who were victims of forcible evacuation due to massive militarization in their area.

A little while later, Pojas excused himself to buy cigarettes at a nearby sari-sari store. He promised to be back immediately to finish his coffee.

On 15 March 2008 at around 7:30pm, Pastor Mel Abesamis, a human rights worker was abducted in the town of San Jose, Mindoro Occidental. No report as to the details of the abduction yet. The pastor had been missing for two days.

At around 2:00 in the afternoon of 28 January 2008, around 30 armed elements of the PNP-PMG in plainclothes and ski masks surrounded the Builders Training Center where the Unyon ng Manggagawang Agrikultura (UMA) or the Agricultural Workers Union and the Negros Federation of Sugar Workers (NSFW) were holding a Conference for Genuine Agrarian Reform. When the participants saw the armed men, they closed the door and barred them from entering.

At around 7:00 in the morning of 23 January 2008, Pastor Filomino Catambis was on his way home to the town of Abuyog, Leyte on board his motorcycle from his chapel in Mahaplag. As he was traveling along the road in Sitio Catugan in Brgy. Balucawe, two men on board a motorcycle overtook him and shot him several times with a 9mm pistol. Police recovered 9 empty shells at the crime scene. He was brought to a local hospital in the area but was pronounced dead-on-arrival. He sustained nine gunshot wounds.

Filomino was an ordained pastor of the Northeastern Leyte Conference (NELCON) of the UCCP.

On 17 January 2008, Ronald C. Sendrijas visited his sister who just gave birth at the Ramiro Hospital in Tagbilaran City. At around 9:00 in the evening, he went out to buy medicine for his headache at Paz Pharmacy just across the hospital. At around 9:20 PM, as he approached the pharmacy counter, two men on board a motorcycle stopped in front of the pharmacy. The man riding on the rear of the motorcycle alighted and approached him from behind, put his arm around the victim’s neck and said, “Ronald”, as if to confirm his identity, then shot him twice at the back of his head with a 9-millimeter pistol instantly killing the victim. The perpetrators sped off to an unknown direction after the shooting. Ronald celebrated his 35th birthday on the day he died.