March 17, 2006

Following is a statement signed by 12 leaders of women and people’s organizations in Kalinga province on the massacre of a former Innabuyog-Kalinga leader. The spate of killings in the provincial capital Tabuk is indeed alarming despite its title as a matagoan (peace zone) area. In the hope of solving criminality and realizing a peace zone in this town center, it was declared a matagoan in the late 1980s by peace advocate groups with the local government. Despite this, criminality remains unabated, killings happen so often and tribal war is often used as the justification. The list of victims sis growing and many of the crimes remain unsolved, including noted personalities like Judge Milner Lammawin and Mr. Manuel Dulawon. The incidents of killing in Tabuk is indeed posing a real threat to innocent people’s lives and security. The situation is posing a question on the efficiency of the Philippine National Police and other peace-keeping forces in the province to curb crimes. There is an urgent need for the provincial authorities to take on more decisive steps to address the roots of criminality in the provincial town center. This is also happening at a time that worsening economic crisis is more felt.

Killing Fields
On March 7, on the eve of International Working Women’s Day, leaders of Innabuyog and Tabuk were shocked over the massacre of Mercy Mased Gonzalo, 48 years old, at around 8PM in her home in Ubbog, Magsaysay in the town of Tabuk by four hooded men who remain unidentified up to present. Also killed in the attack was Mercy’s husband Salvador and their son-in-law, Charlie Cadater.

Who is Mercy?
Mercy is a poor mother. She is a native of Apatan, Pinukpuk town and hails from a poor but hard-working family. She was only able to finish elementary education. Having no land to till, they worked as farm workers. To make ends meet, mercy’s family engaged in a small buy-and-sell business of rice and coffee. Eventually, they stopped due to lack of capital. Despite the family’s economic situation, Mercy and her husband were able to send their four children to college.

Mercy was a leader. She was the vice-chairperson of the Upper Apatan Women’s Club in the early 90s. She was instrumental in a lot of worthwhile activities of their organization which was well recognized in their community. Later, she served in the Provincial Council of Innabuyog-Kalinga where her leadership and perseverance to uphold women’s rights in the province further gained recognition. She was not only active in her village, as she shared her leadership in other parts of the province. She was active in day-care work, took active role in conducting a provincial women’s survey and community appraisals to facilitate women’s organizing and advocacy on women’s rights.

Mercy was also medicine woman, a manggagas. She was trained as a barangay health worker in Apatan and served as the vice-chairperson of their community’s health committee in 1992. Community health was among the project of their women’s organization given the abject lack of health service from the government. Even when her family moved to Tabuk, her medical skills and knowledge were assisted a lot of people. For Mercy, it was her conviction to share these skills and knowledge which she obtained while a leader in her community and to Innabuyog. She always says that she acquired such skill without any payment, thus she uses it to help other people also for free (“Inalak daytoy a kaamuan a libre isunga ipaay ko met a libre kadagiti makasapul”)

But now, we have lost Mercy.

She is a great loss to the women’s movement in Kalinga. She and her family were senselessly attacked in the name of blind and indiscriminate “blood revenge” fostered by a society that tolerates “tribal violence”. More ironic is that this incident happened on the eve of the International Women’s Day.
Mercy is not the first woman victim of senseless violence in Kalinga. She will not be the last until the conditions for crimes to happen are not decisively acted on by the provincial authorities. The countless names of women who have suffered and died in the hands of “untouchable” criminals, military agents and so-called tribal warriors being used to avenge for previous victims of tribal wars, add to the growing number of crime victims which remain uncontrolled and unsolved.

In the face of all of this, we cannot remain silent and allow our hopes to dim. We call on every citizen in Tabuk and the province to fan the embers of peace and justice. Let us mobilize the women, men, young and old, farmers, workers and professional in Tabuk and in the province on the issue of senseless killings and against all forms of violence against women, children and innocent civilians.
We demand justice for Mercy Gonzalo, Salvador Gonzalo and Charlie Cadater. We demand from the PNP and provincial authorities a rapid investigation of the case and apprehension of the criminals. We demand justice for all women victims.

This statement is signed by 8 women leaders from Innabuyog-Kalinga, KALIPI-Kalinga, Rural Improvement Club, Episcopal Church Women, BITIK, CWA and CINDIWOL and 4 other leaders of CPA-Kalinga, Binodngan People’s Organization, Timpuyog ti Mannalon iti Kalinga and AnakBayan-Kalinga.