ILOILO CITY, Philippines – People from various sectors in Panay Island gathered last Wednesday at the Jaro Cathedral in Jaro district of this city and formed an alliance to end impunity, citing the rising number of extra-judicial killing cases in the country,
These people—human rights defenders and advocates, victims of human rights violations and their families, church people, law profession, media and government functionaries—called their group as End Impunity Alliance.
Lawyers Jan Baterna and Gina Gomez of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL)-Panay Chapter said that impunity cases in their profession will enter especially when they are holding cases involving influential persons, thus, they were amenable that the creation of the alliance was necessary.
Nestor Burgos, national chairman of National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP), said impunity is not only the concern of journalists but everybody’s.
He even recalled how he dealt with the relatives of the 32 media practitioners who were killed in Maguindanao three years ago. “Though I do not know those 32 media practitioners but constant communication to their relatives in giving them relief led me to shed tears,” Burgos said.
Father Marco Sulayao of Iglesia Filipna Independiente (IFI) added that there were also priests who were killed after they persistently stand on certain issues and still justice is far to obtain.
One of the conveners, Sr. Supt. Wesley Barayuga, deputy director for operations of the Police Regional Office-6 said that it is also their mandate to serve and protect the civilians and further observed human rights law. (FREEMAN)