“The long-overdue Commission on Human Rights resolution on the complaint filed by the 43 health workers known as the Morong 43 only reinforced the perpetuation of injustice and impunity,” Karapatan said on the resolution released by the CHR on April 21, 2015.
“The long-overdue Commission on Human Rights resolution on the complaint filed by the 43 health workers known as the Morong 43 only reinforced the perpetuation of injustice and impunity,” Karapatan said on the resolution released by the CHR on April 21, 2015.
“The resolution is five years delayed. It had already resulted in the promotion, and not in the prosecution, of generals such as Lt. Gen. Jorge Segovia and Col. Aurelio Baladad, who became more brazen in sowing terror and in violating human rights using their high posts in the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan.
Palabay said “the CHR led by former Chair Loretta Rosales may have also been liable in promoting these generals if they issued a clearance certificate for these generals as required by the Commission on Appointments (CA).”
On September 12, 2012, after the CA hearings, Karapatan wrote a letter to the former CHR Chairperson Loretta Rosales to request for copies of the certificates, if indeed the agency issued them. After a month, the CHR merely replied through a letter that such documents are “only available for the applicant or their authorized representative.”
“The practice does not only exhibit a blatant disregard of the people’s right to have access to public documents and information but also points to a very crucial fact that the CHR may have a role in extolling torturers and human rights violators. The CHR was sorely remiss in their duty to provide much needed remedy for the tortured health workers at the time it was most needed,” Palabay said.
Baladad, Segovia continue to sow terror
Lt. Gen. Jorge Segovia (later promoted to Major General) was commander of the 2nd Infantry Division (ID) in Rizal when the 43 health workers were illegally arrested and tortured in February 2010.
Since he took command of Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) until his retirement in July 2014, more than 10,000 people from 50 communities in four provinces were displaced from their homes and livelihood by his men from the 4th ID.
Since 2012, Col. Aurelio Baladad (later promoted to Brig. General) was assigned to various command posts of the 3rd Infantry Division, the 10th Infantry Division and the EastMinCom (after Segovia’s retirement). In each of these posts, numerous extrajudicial killing, disappearances, forcible evacuation of communities and other human rights abuses were committed by his troops.
Karapatan said the recent massacre and frustrated killing of farmers and children, in Paquibato, Davao City on June 14, 2015 is “a handiwork of Baladad and the 69th IBPA, known as the Palparan battalion.” Tribal chieftain Datu Ruben Enlog, Randy Lavarcon Carnasa, and Oligario Quimbo were killed in the incident. Datu Ruben was a community leader and the chairperson of Nagkahiusang Lumad sa Paquibato (PADIPA, United Lumad of Paquibato), while Carnasa and Quimbo were farmer-members of the Paquibato District Peasant Alliance (PADIPA). A woman Lumad leader Aida Seisa, spokesperson of PADIPA, is still missing as of this writing. Her 12- year old child was wounded.
The 69th IB earned notoriety for committing gross human rights violations under the leadership of Maj. General Jovito Palparan, including the disappearance of the two UP students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeno. ###