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Posted: November 20, 2006 |
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Urgent Alert: Surveillance and Harassment of CPA network's officers |
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CPA ACTION ALERTS & UPDATES: Continuing harrassment and surveillance of CPA staff Justice for Rafael Markus Bangit! Justice to all victims of state terrorism MAY 2006 Updates on the surveillance and threats to Cordillera political activists APRIL2006 Updates on the surveillance and threats to Cordillera political activists |
November 20, 2006 It has come to our attention, based on the accounts of our neighbors in Barangay Hillside, Baguio City, that we, Jose Cawiding, Baguio-Benguet coordinator of Bayan Muna, concurrently Secretary of the Metro-Baguio Tribal Elders and Leaders Association (MBTELA), and Jeannette Ribaya Cawiding, Cordillera coordinator of COURAGE, the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees and a member of the Council of Leaders of Tongtongan ti Umili (People’s Assembly), have been under the surveillance of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) since the month of September this year. Two to three agents at a time have been staking out the vicinity of the Hillside Barangay Hall almost daily from as early as 7:00 a.m. to as late as 10:00 p.m. They would sit on a bench in one of the stores near the waiting shed and stay the whole day without talking to people like the drivers who occasionally sit on the same bench. They have also been observed every now and then to stand across the road overlooking our house and then return to the store. Their stake out stopped only during the time of Typhoon Neneng and resumed on 13 November. Then last Saturday, 18 November, we went out to visit a friend. On the road, we noticed that we were being followed by two men on a motorcycle. But they went another way, so we relaxed. But when we reached our friend’s home, we received a call from another friend we had seen along the way; he said that we had been tailed by two men on a motorbike. The men had stopped at the bottom of the road to our friend’s house, and our other friend heard one of them say over a cellphone, “Paspasam! Quickly! Their taxi is turning and we will lose them!” Then when we were going home from our friend’s place, we found a taxi waiting at the intersection down the road from where we came. When the driver saw that we were going down, he drove up and brought his cab close to us. But we continued to walk to the main road. He then maneuvered and, a little later, stopped again beside us and looked at us ask if to ask if we wanted to board his cab. We said that we did not. These are some of the more obvious indicators that we are being “cased” preparatory to some form of physical assault, like what happened to our colleagues who fell victim to the death squads of the Arroyo administration. We denounce this harassment and intimidation being inflicted upon us by the armed agents of the State. We call upon all civil libertarians and other concerned citizens to join us in condemning the increasing incidents of human rights violation being perpetrated by the Arroyo regime and its agents upon the peace-loving citizens of our country, including Baguio. # The Cordillera Peoples Alliance condemns the unabated surveillance and harassment of its members and calls on the public not to let our guard down on the State's senseless attack against human rights workers. It is repulsive how the government can go on with this state of human rights violations even with the strong condemnation and pressure from the international community. We urge individuals and organizations to continue to support the campaign to stop the killings! Please send Letters of Protest and Statements of Concern to the addresses below, and kindly cc to pic@cpaphils.org/cpa@cpaphils.org.
Her Excellency
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Tel: +632-564-1451 to 80; +632-736-1010
Tel: +632-911-0488; +632-911-1746 Hon. Purificacion C. Valera Quisumbing +632-928-5655; +632- 926-6188/ +632-929-0102 Hon. Jannette Cansing Serrano Tel: +632-373-96-33; +632-373-9787
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