After insinuating the last time that the CHR 's public inquiry into the vigilante-style killings in Davao City is but politically motivated, a demolition job, a political harassment, 2nd District Councilor Danny Dayanghirang has now an absurd theory why the killings continue until today.
"The number of law violators in our city has not dwindled down, in fact, it is only increasing," said Dayanghirang in his Mindanao Times Op-Ed piece, "Davao residents in the losing end," which appeared on October 01, 2009. "This could be attributed to the never-ending investigation of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on the crimes in our city. The investigation of the CHR has made publicity to our city. Although we welcome the investigation of the CHR in order to purge the city from any misconception and to clear the name of the city, the slow paced investigation has only made the crime rate in the city grow. The criminal elements have shown its ugly head again, knowing that the investigation of the CHR would weaken the efficency of our police force."
Showing posts with label Davao Death Squad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Davao Death Squad. Show all posts
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
'Exile from human memory'
[caption id="attachment_885" align="alignleft" width="188" caption="Clarita Alia"]
[/caption]
What are the perils of indifference?
That was the question around which Elie Wiesel's speech, “The Perils Indifference,” revolves. “The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees —not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory…,” Elie Wiesel said at a Millennium series lecture held in White House and hosted by then US first couple Mr. and Mrs. Bill Clinton.
When Wiesel, a 1986 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, spoke those words, he had in mind the victims of the tragic episode in humanity's history that was the Holocaust.
But it is not too far off the mark to include Clarita Alia among those exiles from “human memory.” Call it inflated, but that is where Clarita Alia is right now: Gone from the memory of the people. Her cries remain unheeded; her demands seemed to fall on deaf ears. Over the years, Clarita Alia has been clamoring that justice be served for the death of her four children: Richard, 18; Christopher, 16; Bobby, 14; Fernando, 15—all were knifed to death. But she seemed clamoring in vain.
Already in her 50s and now a widow, she single-handedly raised her eight children by selling vegetables at Bankerohan, one of Davao City’s largest public markets. Like all mother, she dreamed of giving her children a bright future. But the environment Mayor Rodrigo Duterte created would make that dream just that: a dream.
[/caption]What are the perils of indifference?
That was the question around which Elie Wiesel's speech, “The Perils Indifference,” revolves. “The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees —not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory…,” Elie Wiesel said at a Millennium series lecture held in White House and hosted by then US first couple Mr. and Mrs. Bill Clinton.
When Wiesel, a 1986 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, spoke those words, he had in mind the victims of the tragic episode in humanity's history that was the Holocaust.
But it is not too far off the mark to include Clarita Alia among those exiles from “human memory.” Call it inflated, but that is where Clarita Alia is right now: Gone from the memory of the people. Her cries remain unheeded; her demands seemed to fall on deaf ears. Over the years, Clarita Alia has been clamoring that justice be served for the death of her four children: Richard, 18; Christopher, 16; Bobby, 14; Fernando, 15—all were knifed to death. But she seemed clamoring in vain.
Already in her 50s and now a widow, she single-handedly raised her eight children by selling vegetables at Bankerohan, one of Davao City’s largest public markets. Like all mother, she dreamed of giving her children a bright future. But the environment Mayor Rodrigo Duterte created would make that dream just that: a dream.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Back on the fringe, again
Published in Mindanao Times 06/02/09
Davao City’s problem on human rights has been around for a long time now, but one that’s often left unnoticed. Fortunately, it was pulled out on the fringe and brought into the mainstream when the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) launched a widely publicized public inquiry on the unchecked killings. But from the looks of it, it seems to be back again to where it was before: on the fringe.
Just two months ago, when the CHR came here to investigate the series of killings in the city allegedly done by the Davao Death Squad (DDS), Davao City became the talk of the town. National broadsheets ran headlines regarding the CHR investigation. Newspaper columnists and cartoonists, human rights advocate and full fledged activists, street philosophers and street sweepers also joined the fray.
Davao City’s problem on human rights has been around for a long time now, but one that’s often left unnoticed. Fortunately, it was pulled out on the fringe and brought into the mainstream when the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) launched a widely publicized public inquiry on the unchecked killings. But from the looks of it, it seems to be back again to where it was before: on the fringe.
Just two months ago, when the CHR came here to investigate the series of killings in the city allegedly done by the Davao Death Squad (DDS), Davao City became the talk of the town. National broadsheets ran headlines regarding the CHR investigation. Newspaper columnists and cartoonists, human rights advocate and full fledged activists, street philosophers and street sweepers also joined the fray.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Reporter's Notebook on Davao Death Squad
As days passed by, more and more media outfits are looking into the Davao Death Squad phenomenon in Davao City. As far as I know, two international media outfits---ITV-CNN and Al Jazeera---have previously done a report on the DDS. This latest probe is from GMA- Reporter's Notebook.
This whole thing I believe is not just a political criticism being leveled against Mayor Duterte by his political opponents in order to upset his long-standing domination of Davao politics. It's more than that. It's a very serious issue---so serious as to warrant media attention, here and abroad.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Davaoeños and the Bystander effect
What is happening in Davao City can make for an excellent case study illustrating the "bystander effect." The statistics of those killed by the vigilante group Davao Death Squad (DDS) is steadily rising. According to Fr. Amado Picardal, CSsR, spokesman of Coalition Against Summary Executions (Case), "For over 10 years, the number of victims of the so-called Davao Death Squad has reached 890 (from 1998 to March 2009)."
Perhaps in other places, this is more than enough to ring the alarm. But not in Davao City---an "oasis of tranquility," as the legendary journalist Max Soliven once described it, amidst the raging conflicts that have plagued most of its neighbors. So far, the rise of death incidence primarily attributed to the Dds has not incited an uproar from the public. And it can even be said that it won't, for as long as there is peace and order---the variety peddled by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
More than two decades ago, while in Davao doing a report on the carnage waged by the vigilante group Alsa Masa, Sheila Coronel made an acute observation on the public's response towards the killings. "Often in Davao," Coronel wrote, "when one asks why certain things are allowed to happen, the queries are shrugged off with a curt "You don't live here, you don't know what it is like."" As Davao City is once again enthralled by a vigilante group, this time by the DDS, perhaps the same observation can be made.
How come that, except for a small fraction of human rights activists and civil society groups, not a sizeable majority is protesting against the killings? Indeed, the general mood is one of acceptance, or as others would put it, a tacit approval. How can this be explained?
Perhaps in other places, this is more than enough to ring the alarm. But not in Davao City---an "oasis of tranquility," as the legendary journalist Max Soliven once described it, amidst the raging conflicts that have plagued most of its neighbors. So far, the rise of death incidence primarily attributed to the Dds has not incited an uproar from the public. And it can even be said that it won't, for as long as there is peace and order---the variety peddled by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
More than two decades ago, while in Davao doing a report on the carnage waged by the vigilante group Alsa Masa, Sheila Coronel made an acute observation on the public's response towards the killings. "Often in Davao," Coronel wrote, "when one asks why certain things are allowed to happen, the queries are shrugged off with a curt "You don't live here, you don't know what it is like."" As Davao City is once again enthralled by a vigilante group, this time by the DDS, perhaps the same observation can be made.
How come that, except for a small fraction of human rights activists and civil society groups, not a sizeable majority is protesting against the killings? Indeed, the general mood is one of acceptance, or as others would put it, a tacit approval. How can this be explained?
Monday, April 20, 2009
What do we stand for?
From Mindanao Times 5/24/09
Since the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) began on March 30 its investigation on the extrajudicial killings in Davao City, a cloud of doubt hung over the CHR. Many Davaoeños cannot seem to understand why the CHR is investigating the killings in Davao City that, according to the latest count, have claimed more than 800 victims—most of whom have criminal records.
They can’t help asking: Which human rights is the CHR favoring? Is it the human rights of the criminals or the human rights of the innocent civilians? Why shine a bright light on the killings when the city and its citizens are enjoying peace and prosperity? Can the CHR not leave this dark side of the city since Davaoeños can live with it anyway? Don’t these criminals deserve to be killed in the first place?
Since the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) began on March 30 its investigation on the extrajudicial killings in Davao City, a cloud of doubt hung over the CHR. Many Davaoeños cannot seem to understand why the CHR is investigating the killings in Davao City that, according to the latest count, have claimed more than 800 victims—most of whom have criminal records.
They can’t help asking: Which human rights is the CHR favoring? Is it the human rights of the criminals or the human rights of the innocent civilians? Why shine a bright light on the killings when the city and its citizens are enjoying peace and prosperity? Can the CHR not leave this dark side of the city since Davaoeños can live with it anyway? Don’t these criminals deserve to be killed in the first place?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Human Rights Watch is right
Human Rights Watch, a New York-based human rights group, released yesterday its report, titled "You Can Die Any Time: Death Squad Killings in Mindanao."
After downloading the soft copy of the report, I managed to take a cursory read of the report. There's one portion of the report that struck me, only because it confirmed what my father told me some years back. Once he told me that some members of the DDS are former NPAs. In fact, my father said, he knew someone who had just been recruited to join this ghostly group.
One portion of the HRW's report, "The Perpetrators: Inside the Davao Death Squad," confirmed this. "Most members of the DDS fall into two main groups," the report said. "According to several insiders, the older members, some of whom were recruited back in the early 2000s, were primarily former members of the so-called “sparrow units” of the NPA who surrendered to the government, as well as some former military and police personnel."
Update: Download the full report of the HRW here.
After downloading the soft copy of the report, I managed to take a cursory read of the report. There's one portion of the report that struck me, only because it confirmed what my father told me some years back. Once he told me that some members of the DDS are former NPAs. In fact, my father said, he knew someone who had just been recruited to join this ghostly group.
One portion of the HRW's report, "The Perpetrators: Inside the Davao Death Squad," confirmed this. "Most members of the DDS fall into two main groups," the report said. "According to several insiders, the older members, some of whom were recruited back in the early 2000s, were primarily former members of the so-called “sparrow units” of the NPA who surrendered to the government, as well as some former military and police personnel."
Update: Download the full report of the HRW here.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Shutting the 'Davao Death Squad' down: A wild goose chase?
All eyes are now on Davao City, as the public inquiry, which is spearheaded by the Commission on Human Rights, over the extrajudicial killings opened last Monday. “The killings have gone on for too long and it’s time to hold those responsible to account,” the INQUIRER report says. “With this message, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chair Leila de Lima is set to open on Monday a public inquiry into a wave of unexplained killings of more than 800 people in Davao City since 1998.” (See INQUIRER’s CHR probes 800 kills by Davao death squad)
This isn't the first that a move to hold those behind the extrajudicial killing accountable has been made. As The Mindanao Daily Mirror noted, "Throughout the past decade there have been a number of times in which so-called civil society has risen up to denounce the long series of summary killings that have victimized hundreds of people in Davao City."
This renewed invigoration over the unsolved killings in Davao City spurred me to re-read that part of Alston Report, “Davao: Vigilantism or Death Squad,” which talked about the death squad justice in the city.
Two years ago, Professor Phillip Alston, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, visited the country to investigate the rampant extra-judicial killings in the Philippines. After spending ten days in the country in February 2007, he made a report, titled “Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, Including the Right to Development,” which came to be known as simply the Alston Report.
In the Alston Report, a portion can be found as regards the notorious “death squad” in Davao City, locally known as “DDS” (Davao Death Squad). Following is an excerpt of the Alston Report regarding Davao City’s “death squad justice,” as Alston phrased it.
This isn't the first that a move to hold those behind the extrajudicial killing accountable has been made. As The Mindanao Daily Mirror noted, "Throughout the past decade there have been a number of times in which so-called civil society has risen up to denounce the long series of summary killings that have victimized hundreds of people in Davao City."
This renewed invigoration over the unsolved killings in Davao City spurred me to re-read that part of Alston Report, “Davao: Vigilantism or Death Squad,” which talked about the death squad justice in the city.
Two years ago, Professor Phillip Alston, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, visited the country to investigate the rampant extra-judicial killings in the Philippines. After spending ten days in the country in February 2007, he made a report, titled “Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, Including the Right to Development,” which came to be known as simply the Alston Report.
In the Alston Report, a portion can be found as regards the notorious “death squad” in Davao City, locally known as “DDS” (Davao Death Squad). Following is an excerpt of the Alston Report regarding Davao City’s “death squad justice,” as Alston phrased it.
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