After CA decision and new evidence on military involvement in Burgos disappearance:

KARAPATAN calls on Aquino to remove ISAFP chief from post

By KARAPATAN
April 2, 2013

QUEZON CITY – "WE challenge Pres. Aquino to remove ISAFP Chief Brig. Gen. Eduardo Año from his post and hold him accountable for the enforced disappearance of Jonas and other human rights violations," Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan said.

The Burgos family yesterday submitted new evidence to the Supreme Court including the picture of Jonas allegedly under military detention. Two weeks ago, the Court of Appeals ruled on the writ of Amparo on the case of Jonas. "All of these point to one incontrovertible truth: that the enforced disappearance of Jonas and other desaparecidos are perpetrated by the AFP," Palabay said.

"The higher-ups involved with the disappearance of Jonas and its cover up such as Brig. Gen. Año were not only absolved by Arroyo administration but were also promoted to higher position by Pres. Noynoy Aquino," Palabay added.

"The glaring fact is that Aquino, after almost three years in office and empty air about his administration's 'daang matuwid', has not filed a single case to prosecute Arroyo and her generals on the basis of grave human rights violations. Instead, Aquino promoted these Arroyo generals under his AFP command," Palabay said. "This is among the stark features of Aquino's brand of 'justice', one that truly reveals his administration's perversion of the words 'human rights,'" Palabay said.

"For us, and for victims of human rights violations, as long as military officials such as ISAFP Chief Año, Ret. Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr., Maj. Harry Baliaga, and others involved in the act of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations continue to go unpunished, that is NOT JUSTICE," Palabay said.