ANAD deception and military fabrication

A press Statement by KATUNGOD-SB-KARAPATAN
March 20, 2007

We, in the Regional Human Rights Alliance, condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of the name of our organization KARAPATAN by the government-funded, military backed and organized ANAD Partylist or Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy.

Last March 19, 2007 at around 10:30 in the morning, members of Bayan Muna and other allied organizations staged a protest action at the DZR Airport in Tacloban City to condemn the political harassment against Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo. While there, we noticed a bunch of placards bearing the calls against Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo and tagging him as criminal and further bearing the name of KARAPATAN as the signatory. We decided to take these placards as evidence but these were forcibly taken by an ANAD member. This is a clear usurpation of our name. How many times did the ANAD dragged our name as a front of the CPP/NPA and now, maliciously implicating our name as against Satur Ocampo.

We, in the Human Rights Alliance supports the fight of Satur Ocampo and strongly condemns the continuous attacks and harassments by the government and the military against militant and progressive party lists and organizations. The case against Rep. Satur ocampo and 50 others was nothing but a mere fabrication by the military. Data of KARAPATAN – Central Visayas revealed that the skeletons allegedly discovered from an alleged mass grave in Inopacan, Leyte is recycled. In the year 2000, the military already presented these skeletons as evidence of the “purging” of the CPP/NPA in the year 1985 of the then case for murder against suspected NPA leaders and members in Baybay, Leyte. In particular were the skeletons of Concepcion Aragon, Juanita Aviola, and Gregorio Eras. A lone witness, in the person of Zacarias Piedad, Sr. was presented in July 2000 by the prosecution to identify the skeletons. But later Zacarias Piedad recanted his testimony in open court and further testified that he did not witness any killing nor does he know the persons he was accusing. He further narrated that the statement used by the prosecution was made by him while he was still in the hands of the military particular the 43rd Infantry Battalion stationed at Brgy. Hibod-hibod, Sogod, Southern Leyte. Because of this, the presiding judge of Baybay RTC dismissed the case. After six years, again Piedad resurfaced making the same allegations which he had recanted in 2000. Fascinating to note that the case for murder in the year 2000 was filed by Provincial Prosecutor Rosulo Vivero, the same prosecutor who resolved the complaint and recommended the filing of the 15 counts of multiple murder charge in the alleged mass grave in Inopacan, Leyte in 2006 against Satur Ocampo and 50 others.

Clearly, this case against Rep. Satur Ocampo and 50 others was fabricated and recycled by the military for the sole purpose of harassing progressive and militant organizations and personalities.