After Tatay, more were killed in Aquino's three years

Vice Chairperson

Hustisya (Victims United for Justice)

The three years of the Aquino government mark the three years of injustice to my father, and to the hundreds more who fell victims of extrajudicial killings under the current administration.

My father, Fernando Baldomero, was gunned down by motorcycle-riding men on July 5, 2010, while he was preparing to send my younger brother to school. He was municipal councilor of Lezo, Aklan and provincial chairperson of Bayan Muna partylist. Tatay is the first victim of extrajudicial killing under the Aquino administration.

That year, the Philippine National Police formed a Task Force Baldomero. Pres. Aquino mentioned my father's name in his first State of the Nation Address, and boasted that the killing was 50 percent solved. Three years after, however, the case remains archived at the local courts and the perpetrator while charged, remains scot-free.

For a government that declared to be different and better than its predecessor, the outright denial of justice for my father is unacceptable in the same way that it is unacceptable that the likes of Jovito Palparan and Joel Reyes are still-at-large; and the Ampatuans allegedly offering money as settlement to the victims. It is unacceptable that the Armed Forces of the Philippines now claims it champions human rights, but fails to punish perpetrators within their ranks.

Most of all, it is unacceptable that the spate of killings and rights violations continue as more victims fell after Tatay.

According to Karapatan, From July 2010 to April this year, 142 persons were killed, 16 became victims of enforced disappearance while 164 individuals were victims of frustrated extrajudicial killing; 293 were illegally arrested and detained.

For three years, the Aquino government has been covering up not only the murders but also its policy of repression and attacks against so-called “terrorists” or “enemies of the state.” Poor people in rural communities evacuate due to heavy military operation in areas where the armed resistance is strong. While denying the existence of political prisoners, Malacañang goes on a rampage arresting and detaining activists on the basis of trumped up charges. The President went as far as calling human rights violations as “leftist propaganda,” which are expected outcome of its counter-insurgency program, Oplan Bayanihan.

Pres. Aquino is now halfway through his term. We are alarmed by the thought of how far these violations will continue in the next three years. We called for justice since day one of the Aquino government. We are angered that no one has been prosecuted and that the killings continue. We demand a stop to the killings and human rights violations.