We challenge President Aquino to remove Brig. Gen. Eduardo Año, head of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp), from his post and hold him accountable for the enforced disappearance of Jonas Burgos and other human rights violations.
The recent Court of Appeals decision and the new evidence submitted by the Burgos family to the Supreme Court point to one incontrovertible truth: The enforced disappearances of Jonas and other desaparecidos were the work of the AFP. Military higher-ups, such as Brigadier General Año, behind the disappearance of Jonas and the subsequent attempts to hide the truth about the crime, were not only absolved by the Arroyo administration, they have been promoted to higher positions by President Aquino.
The glaring fact is, Mr. Aquino, after almost three years in office and of his administration’s “daang matuwid,” has not filed a single case to prosecute Arroyo and her generals for grave human rights violations. Instead, Mr. Aquino has promoted them to implement his counterinsurgency program code-named “Oplan Bayanihan,” an operation plan which is no different from Arroyo’s “Bantay Laya.” This is one of the stark features of Mr. Aquino’s brand of “justice,” one that truly reveals his administration’s perversion of the words “human rights.”
After all these years of denying its dirty deeds, the AFP until now has not been able to build its credibility when it comes to human rights violations committed by its members in line with its counterinsurgency programs, which have deprived countless mothers, fathers, sons and daughters of their loved ones.
For us and for the victims of human rights violations, as long as military officials like Isafp chief Año, retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr., Maj. Harry Baliaga and others behind enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations, continue to go unpunished, there will be no justice.
—CRISTINA PALABAY,
secretary general, Karapatan,
2F Erythrina Bldg.,
1 Maaralin cor. Matatag Streets,
Central District, Quezon City