AUGUST 1, 2006

The Community Health Education, Services and Training in the Cordillera Region (CHESTCORE) condemns in the strongest possible terms the foiled assassination of Dr. Constancio “Chandu” Claver, which killed his wife, Alice and traumatized their youngest daughter, Sandy who was with them when the incident happened.

Chandu and Alice were already heading home after bringing their 2 older daughters to school when unidentified men aboard 2 vans blocked their way and open fired using high powered guns. Chandu suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the left arm and chest and is still not in a stable condition. However, his wife, Alice, who was shot four times in the head, neck and shoulders later succumbed to death after fighting for her life for a few hours in the provincial hospital. Their daughter though suffering only minor injuries had been shocked by the incident. A student bystander had been hit by stray bullets.

This brutal attempt on the life of Chandu which claimed the life of his dear wife, Alice, traumatized their daughter and injured a bystander is another incident that is undeniably related to the spate of killings of political activists nationwide.

Chandu, who is a physician by profession, had devoted most of his life serving the marginalized people of the provinces of Kalinga and Apayao. He is referred to in his province as the “doctor of the masses”. He was the Executive Director of then the Community Health Education Center – Kalinga Apayao (CHECK-A) for over ten (10) years, a partner NGO of CHESTCORE involved in providing health education and medical services in depressed barrios of the province. He is also actively involved in several Medical organizations, some of which are the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC)-Kalinga, where he was the Chairman of the board; the Kalinga Medical Society, and the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians. While Chandu had all the opportunity of living a comfortable life with his family, he chose to serve the people from the remote barrios so they may avail of health and medical services which they have been long deprived of by the government. Because of his determination and dedication to actively seek for changes on the situation of the people, he did not limit himself working only around his being a medical professional. He joined and actively participated in the Cordillera people’s s struggle to defend land, life and resources. He became the Vice- Chairperson of the Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA) -Kalinga Apayao Chapter, a progressive organization of Igorots seeking for Genuine Regional Autonomy and for the self-determination of the Cordillera Peoples’. He is also the Chairperson of Bayan-Muna (BM) Kalinga, which is the party-list organization seeking for genuine changes in Congress on the dismal situation of majority of the people.

His wife Alice had also been a member of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance and a staunch supporter to the cause which Chandu is fighting for.

Just a month ago, Rafael “Markus” Bangit, a colleague of Dr. Claver and another progressive leader of the CPA and the Secretary General of Bayan-Muna- Kalinga was also brutally murdered by masked men aboard a similar van when he was on his way to Baguio from Kalinga. After this incident, Dr. Claver and wife had observed and experienced intensified surveillance and harassment. In fact, a few weeks before this incident, Alice had received a text message from an unidentified number that stated: “Matapang si Doc. Hindi niya kayo mahal”. This was when Chandu was on radio being interviewed about his views and that of his organization on Charter Change.

This most recent event had been committed a few days after the State of the Nation Address (SONA) by GMA where she had supposedly “condemned” the political killings in the country but at the same time had given the highest commendation to General Jovito Palparan who is being charged as one of the masterminds to these summary executions. Instead of these incidents being diminished, since this time, 5 other political activists have been murdered bringing to 712 the number of political killings under the Arroyo administration since 2001.

When will these senseless killings stop? Now even doctors, who in the true sense are lifesavers are also in danger and are not spared. Dr. Claver, who is a devoted medical servant to the masses is now one of the targets of attack! Members of the family and relatives are not also spared.

Let us not allow these heinous crimes against our people and to humanity to continue…We call on doctors, nurses and other health professionals to denounce the killings and attempts to life on our people… Let us save the lives of our people against these ruthless forces in our society. We call to a stop on all Political Killings in the country!#