'VILIFIED BY AFP'
Progressive groups point to state forces as possible perpetrators of lawyer’s slay
PROGRESSIVE groups in Negros Occidental are looking into the possibility that the death squad created by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is behind the killing of a human rights lawyer in Kabankalan City Tuesday night, November 6.
In a press conference yesterday at the Negros Press Club in Bacolod City, Felipe Levy Gelle Jr., spokesperson of Paghida-et sa Kauswagan Development Group Inc. (PDG); Clarizza Dagatan, secretary-general of Karapatannegros; and Dharyll Albañez, secretary-general of September 21 movement, are crying for justice
after the death of people’s lawyer Benjamin Ramos Jr., secretary-general of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (Nupl)-negros chapter.
Gelle said the murder of Ramos has all the elements of an extrajudicial killing (EJK).
“He was vilified by the AFP on the allegation that he was a legal counsel of the Communist Party of the Philippines-new People’s Army (CPP-NPA),” he said.
In April, his photo was included in the posters that circulated in Moises Padilla town which identified him as one of the alleged NPA personalities, Gelle said.
He was even maliciously linked by the 15th Infantry Batallion (IB) in an Internal Security Operations (ISO) briefing before members of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) in the municipality of Cauayan, Gelle added.
It can be recalled that in 2006 and 2007, he was also subjected to surveillance by military intelligence and there was an attempt on his life, he said.
“Ben, as a human rights lawyer may be a block to their objective,” he added.
A week before his assassination, it was observed that he was being tailed by motorcycle-riding men, Gelle said.
“We hold the ruling elite, most especially the big landlords and the fascist troops of AFP as the forces behind the killing of Ramos,” he stressed.
Despite the incident, Gelle said they will not stop human rights defenders to continue giving their services to those who are victims of human rights violations.
For his part, Colonel Benedict Arevalo, commanding officer of the 303rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army based in Murcia town, said he is condoling with the bereaved family of Ramos.
In a phone interview with Sunstar Bacolod, he challenged the progressive groups accusing the AFP to face him - tell it directly to him - and prove their allegations.
“Sa mga nagsasabi na kagagawan ng military yan, magharapan kami diyan sa Bacolod at sabihin nila sa harap ko yung alegasyon nila para masabi ko rin sa harap ng mukha nila na sinungaling sila (To those who are accusing the military, let’s meet in Bacolod. Tell it straight to my face your allegations so I can also tell you, you’re all liars),” Arevalo said.
It so easy for them to blame us about the incident even if they don’t have a basis, Arevalo added.
They should stop deceiving the people. Let the police and Commission on Human Rights (CHR) do the investigation, he added.
They are blaming the AFP for nothing, he stressed.
Arevalo said Ramos is not even a threat to them, adding that the lawyer did not win any case against the government.
These are the pattern of NPA to put the blame on us, he said, adding the latter can even kill their own kind just to put the blame on the government.
Late Tuesday night, Ramos was having a smoke in front of a store near the public plaza when he was shot at close range by two unidentified men on a motorcycle in Barangay 5.
The victim succumbed to three gunshot wounds.
The Kabankalan City Police Station has created a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) that will focus on the in-depth investigation of the case.
Police are eyeing three possible angles - his profession as a human rights lawyer, the cases he handled and the previous death threats he received.
For his part, Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, director of Police Regional Office (Pro)western Visayas also condemned the killing of Ramos.
Bulalacao said he has ordered for the immediate conduct of investigation to resolve the incident.
“Initial investigation disclosed that the victim is a founding member of the NUPL and serves as a lawyer for suspected rebels and suspected drug users,” he said.
“We assure the family of the victim of a thorough investigation to ensure the immediate arrest of the perpetrators so that justice will be served to the victim and his family,” he said.
Ramos, 56, of Barangay Binicuil, represented a number of political prisoners.
He was also the lawyer of youth leader and University of the Philippines in Cebu alumna Myles Albasin and her five companions, known as the Mabinay 6, who were accused as communist rebels following their arrest in March this year in Mabinay, Negros Oriental.
He was also one of the pro bono lawyers who handled land-related cases of sugarcane workers and small farmers.
He was also a founding secretary-general of the September 21 movement, a human rights alliance and the local chapter of Karapatan.
He was also one of the quick response team to assist the families of the victims of the Sagay 9, wherein nine farmers were murdered in Sagay City on October 20.
Condemn
The NUPL, in a statement, said they were “shocked, devastated and enraged at the premeditated cold-blooded murder of our colleague and fellow people’s lawyer.”
“These beastly attacks by treacherous cowards cannot go on. Not a few of our members have been attacked and killed before while literally practicing their profession and advocacies in the courts, in rallies, in picket lines, in urban poor communities, and in fact-finding missions,” it said.
The group said they were “increasingly labelled and branded pejoratively by the police, military, vigilantes, some bigoted columnists, and online trolls, in open contempt of basic principles of the role of lawyers in society.”
“We, the lawyers of the people will not be cowed, will not blink, will not retreat, we will not look the other way, and we will stand our ground,” the NUPL said.
Moreover, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (Ibp)-negros Occidental chapter strongly denounced another condemnable act against a fellow lawyer and a colleague.
“This atrocity against a civilian lawyer, practically defenseless and unsuspecting, is apparently intended to demoralize and undermine lawyers in practicing their profession and in pursuing their advocacies,” Ibp-negros Chapter president Arnel Lapore said.
“As we previously stated in our statement condemning the killing of another brethren just a few months ago, any attack against a lawyer threatens the independence of lawyers and judges, hindering their pursuit towards an effective administration of justice and is a threat against civil liberties if tolerated,” Lapore stressed.
“We can no longer blindly ignore these blatantly appalling acts and firmly demand that a fullscale investigation be conducted on the matter, including the unresolved killing of another lawyer a few months ago,” he added.
Once and for all, we need to put a stop and bring to justice the perpetrators of such actions, he said.
“We again urge our colleagues in our profession to remain steadfast, unwavering and united in our commitment towards justice and truth,” he added.
Last August, lawyer Rafael Atotubo Atotubo, who was a defense lawyer of drug personalities, was shot to death by two unidentified motorcycle-riding assailants in front of his house in Bacolod City.
The Leonardo Panaligan Command of the New People’s Army also condemned the killing of Ramos and urged the authorities to hasten the conduct of the investigation and give justice to the victim and his family.
For her part, journalist Grace Albasin, mother of Myles Albasin of Mabinay 6, expressed her condolences to the family of Ramos.
She said: “Our hearts bleed for the murder of Attorney Ben Ramos. On day one of the arrest of Myles and the five others, Atty. Ben came regardless of border and distance because no one was there to assist them on legal matters yet.”
As the secretary-general of NUPL in Negros Occidental, he chose to be more human and showed up to assess the Mabinay 6 case, she said.
“From then on, he never missed a single court appearance together with the other NUPL lawyers for Mabinay 6. He knew he was targeted, but it didn’t deter his spirit to take the cases of the ordinary folks including Mabinay 6. He always braved the more than two hours traveling to attend court hearings,” she added.
“In the short time we spent together, we saw a man of compassion and dedication to the less fortunate. He lived for the people without fear. This legacy he left behind is etched in the hearts of the people he served,” she said.*