By Ronron
January 22, 2008
The human rights advocate group Karapatan and Philippine National Police (PNP) have conflicting reports over two incidents of alleged political killings in the country at the start of the year.
The first case is the alleged killing of Tildo Rebamonte, 45, whom Karapatan said is a carpenter from Claveria town in Masbate province.
Karapatan claimed Tuesday that Rebamonte was abducted by members of the Police Regional Mobile Group last January 12 at around 5am after ransacking his house.
He was then brought allegeldy to the ranch of Claveria Mayor Eduardo Andueza in Barangay Binas.
The policemen allegedly forced Rebamonte to disclose the location of New People’s Army (NPA) camps in the area. On January 14, the policemen allegedly brought Rebamonte with them in an operation to look for NPA camps.
The next thing that people learned of him was his death on January 16 after his mutilated body was allegedly brought by policemen to the Claveria Municipal Hall. Karapatan said Rebamonte’s hands were crushed and he had gashes on his face.
Karapatan said it was Rebamonte’s neighbor who provided them all the information cited above.
But the Philippine National Police (PNP) countered the claim of Karapatan, saying that Rebamonte is actually an NPA rebel who got killed in a legitimate encounter.
The PNP Task Force USIG, who identified the slain person as Meni Rebamente, alias Tildo, a resident of Barangay Curvada in said town, said the latter was among the group of four NPA rebels that engaged policemen in an encounter last January 15 at 9am in Baraangay Malapinggan in Claveria.
Director Jefferson P Soriano, PNP Director for Investigation and Detective Management and concurrent commander of PNP Task Force USIG, said Rebamente was seriously wounded in that encounter and later died while being evacuated to the town proper for medical treatment.
Citing a report from Senior Superintendent Henry Ranola Jr., Chief of the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division of PRO5, Soriano said Rebamente was abandoned by his companions who fled after the clash.
Troops from Bravo Company of the 5th Provincial Mobile Group led by Inspector Dennis Balla recovered from Rebamente an M16 rifle, a cal.45 pistol, a hand grenade, and a backpack containing ammunition clips, gun spare parts, and personal provisions, said Soriano.
"We immediately took cognizance of the case of Rebamente because it was first reported by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) as a case of political violence, however, we found out that the incident was the result of a legitimate encounter between police forces and the NPA," Soriano stressed.
The second case, meanwhile, involves an alleged ex-political prisoner whom Karapatan identified as Ronaldo Sendrijas.
According to Karapatan, Sendrijas was gunned down in Tagbilaran City, Bohol last January 17, his 35th birthday, by two armed men.
Sendrijas had just visited allegedly his sister who had just given birth at the Ramiro Hospital in the city when the shooting incident happened, said Karapatan.
Sendrijas was supposed to buy medicine at the Paz Pharmacy across the hospital when the two suspects on board a motorcycle stopped in front of the pharmacy.
The back-rider then alighted and approached Sendrijas from behind, put his arm around the victim’s neck, and said “Ronald,” as if to confirm his identity.
The suspect then shot Sendrijas twice at the back of his head using a 9-millimeter pistol, causing his instantaneous death, Karapatan said.
The perpetrators immediately sped off to an unknown direction.
Karapatan said Sendrijas was charged with rebellion and other criminal cases by police but he was released in August 2006.
He was also allegedly implicated by no less than the former chief of Bohol Police in the assassination of Bayan-Bohol Chairperson Victor Olayvar on September 17, 20006.
“Prior to Sendrijas’ death, he became a target of the police and military’s vilification campaign,” Karapatan said.
Karapatan said it was Sendrija’s sister who admitted that the victim was under surveillance and had been receiving death threats through his mobile phone.
Sendrijas had allegedly told his colleagues that he was offered with positions within the government in exchange for his surrender and cooperation with the Philippine Army’s 302nd Infantry Brigade.
The police in Bohol has yet to respond to Manila Shimbun’s inquiry about the case since the officer-on-case is out of office as of yesterday afternoon.
Karapatan said it condemns the killings of Rebamente and Sendrijas “in the strongest terms.”
“These incidents indicate that the extrajudicial executions have not stopped and will continue with the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ counter-insurgency program, Oplan Bantay Laya II.
Karapatan has accused the government of being responsible for close to 900 cases of human rights violations in the country since 2001.
The PNP, however, disputes Karapatan’s figure, saying only over 100 cases are validated as political killings./DMS
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