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Office of Representative RAFAEL V. MARIANO
South Wing - 615, House of Representatives
Constitution Hills, Diliman, Quezon City
Tel. No. 931-6397& 931-5001 loc. 7314
NEWS RELEASE
March 31, 2005
References: Rep. RAFAEL MARIANO, ANAKPAWIS Party-list (0920-9507361)
Jim Fernando, Public Information Officer (0920-9507362)
Day 2 of ôFasting for Justice and Peaceö
Fasting solon reveal militaryÆs hand in killings of activists
On the second day of the ôFasting for Justice and Peaceö, Anakpawis party-list
Representative Rafael Mariano insist that the Arroyo governmentÆs military are
the strongly suspected perpetrators of the systematic and coordinated killings
of leaders and members of progressive parties and legitimate peopleÆs
organizations.
Since the start of the year, 32 members and leaders of progressive parties and
peopleÆs groups have already become victims of extra-judicial killings while
five (5) were victims of involuntary disappearances.
Mariano said that ôby all indications, the spate of killings is a campaign that
enjoys the luxury of a well-oiled organization and machinery, like the military,
giving it a long arm that spans across five regions or probably more and
enabling its perpetrators to make their hits simultaneously. It is also well-planned.ö
"Unlike the killings of the 13 journalists last year which were perpetrated
apart from each incident, the killings of peasants and progressive leaders in
December 2004 to March 2005 were synchronized and coordinated, telltale signs
that these were part of the militaryÆs long campaign, probably a time-bound
campaign against progressive parties," Mariano said.
The peasant lawmaker added "the terror campaign plan is undoubtedly based on
top-level military intelligence that enabled it to pinpoint regions and
localities which the military regarded as strongholds of party-lists Anakpawis,
Bayan Muna and Gabriela and to select its targets well."
"Coordination is also apparent in the synchronization of the kills suggesting
that the perpetrators were sent out on designated deployment,ö Mariano said
adding that ôthe hits in Bicol and Eastern Visayas, for instance, were
calculated to prevent the democratic peoplesÆ movement from concentrating its
reaction in Central Luzon following the public uproar of the killing of
Councilor Ladera in early March."
He said that "the killings were organized and coordinated not only in terms of
geographical range but also in the manner of their execution. The targets were
accurately tracked down in their fixed or moving points which made for
military-style precision hits."
"Testimonies and evidences gathered shows that the accuracy in pinpointing the
location of the targets indicates that the perpetrators have a capability for
long observation and well-coordinated surveillance involving several personnel;
one group for shadowing, another group for 'uptailing', and another group for
pulling the trigger and back up," he said.
"Based on reports, the gunman who shot Ladera was even believed to have used a
silencer, a clue that the killer is well-trained and has access to sophisticated
weaponry. Most of the killings involved motorcycle-riding assailants. But in the
high-profile hits in Central Luzon, the perpetrators used SUVs as get-away cars.
And then there is the extreme boldness and sense of impunity displayed by the
perpetrators, as if they had some badge of authority," Mariano stressed.
He added that "the killings of peasant and multi-sectoral leaders, the real
targets were not the individual victims. They were killed but for the political
organization they represented, particularly the progressive party-lists of the
democratic peoplesÆ movement. The motive was highly political and, organization
and capability aside, only the military has more than enough political motives
to do just that to the democratic peoples' movement."
"The military's political odium of Anakpawis, Bayan Muna and Gabriela
party-lists is no secret. It is an odium that also stems from its ingrained
inability to appreciate the complex dynamics of democracy that, in the past, had
thrown the whole military establishment into violent fits of intrigues, coups,
plots, and conspiracies not only against the democratic social forces but also
against the democratic structures and processes of Philippine society," Mariano
said. #
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