Progressives remember murdered colleague

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – Members of progressive organizations in Negros Oriental, in observance of All Souls’ Day, gathered at the site where farmer-activist Fermin Lorico was killed to light candles and commemorate his sacrifice for the people whose rights he advocated to protect.

Fabian Magallanes, provincial chair of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)-Negros Oriental said he and his comrades intended to remind the Aquino administration of his promise to stop human rights abuses against members of progressive organizations.

"This is a reminder to the Aquino administration to give justice for the death of Nong Fermin and to all victims of extrajudicial killings,” Magallanes told The Freeman. “The killing of members of progressive organizations is rooted on the malicious tagging of progressive organizations as fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines.”

Juliet Ragay of Babayeng Negrense Isulong ang Kalingkawasan (BANIKA-AMIHAN), on the other hand, pointed out what she described as apparent lack of sincerity of the police to solve the case of the killing of Lorico.

It has been two years since Lorico was murdered, but the police is yet to come out with a witness despite the many witnesses that the police could have gathered from residents in the place where the killing happened, said Ragay.

Jose Luis Blanco of Karapatan said that months after the killing, the police formed Task Force Lorico but so far there has been no progress on the case. The police do not even have a witness or any lead that would point to the identification of the killers, he said.

His group kept on following up the progress of the case, and the only response from the police was asked the group to come up instead with its own lead, he said. “The police asked us instead to produce a witness; it’s as if we are the police. There’s no clear investigation, they did not even go to the houses around the crime scene.”

Ragay said Lorico will continue to be an inspiration among women farmworkers. "His struggle for the people was the reason for his death. We will continue to fight the fight of Nong Fermin to show the people the worth of Nong Fermin’s life, especially now that justice is denied from his family."

Lorico was shot dead by an unidentified gunman at around 4 p.m. on June 10, 2009, while he was on his way to a meeting at the office for the Promotion of Church People’s Response. Lorico just came from a rally protesting the plan of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to amend the Constitution.

In Negros Oriental, there have been a total of six extrajudicial killings since 2009. The latest was that of Fernando Dejino, 45, who was killed on the day Aquino delivered his first State of the Nation Address this year. - THE FREEMAN