Supporters of KMP leader Randall Echanis

hold lightning rally at the National Security office

 

August 27, 2008

 

 

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Photos courtesy of KMP
           

 

FREEDOM: Free Randall Echanis Movement
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP)
161-B Chico St. Bgy. Quirino 2-C, Project 2, Quezon City
Telefax 928-41-84 Email address kmp@...

PRESS RELEASE
August 27, 2008

REFERENCE:
WILLY MARBELLA, KMP Deputy Secretary-General for Internal Affairs

Echanis' supporters hold lightning gig at national security office

Daring members of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and support organizations held a lightning gig in front of National Intelligence Coordinating Agency or NICA at V. Luna Road, Quezon City, targetting the office of national security secretary Norberto Gonzales as a major player of Inter-Agency Legal Action Group (IALAG) of Malacanang that framed up Randall Echanis of the fabricated multiple murder case same of Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and National Democratic Front Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria Sison.

"This activity is all for the immediate release of Ka Randy Echanis, our Deputy Secretary-General for External Affairs, who's still detained at Manila City Jail," Willy Marbella, KMP Deputy Secretary-General for Internal Affairs explained.

"This is just a part of our Wednesday Habit for our Ka Randy," added Marbella.

"Our last was at the Department of Justice, where Sec. Raul Gonzales was compelled to talk to us because our mass actions are becoming bigger and bigger," described Marbella.

"Now, we're aiming for national security adviser Norberto Gonzales, we'll be here weekly until his mind clear up that harrassing progressive organizations like ours would lead to nowhere but to Arroyo regime's inevitable downfall," Marbella said.

"If you're familiar with our thousands-strong rallies every commemoration of Mendiola Massacre and anniversary of the bankrupt Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, we could do it here, at the DOJ or Malacanang," threatened Marbella.

Randall Echanis, 60, was abducted by the PNP and the military January 28 this year, at Bago City, Negros Occidental while consulting with sugar worker-members of National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) and Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) about the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) filed in Congress by Anakpawis Partylist. He was choppered from Negros to Leyte where he was charged with cases same with Satur Ocampo of Bayan Muna, implicating him to the orchestrated mass graves found in towns of Leyte.

The Free Randall Echanis Movement (FREEDOM), composed of the Echanis' family, relatives and friends, KMP, Pamalakaya, UMA, Amihan and other support groups asserted that they would carry out all possible means to pressure the IALAG and Gloria Arroyo into releasing Randall Echanis.

"Ka Randy is a symbol for us, educating and organizing us towards the struggle for genuine agrarian reform, we all know what people could do if their champion leader is being oppressed and violated, it's an unrest in the offing," declared Marbella.#
 
     
     
           
           
           

 

URGENT ACTION ALERT * URGENT ACTION ALERT
Initial Data
UA Date: 1 September 2008

UA Title: Eight peasant organizers and their driver abducted in Silang, Cavite and detained in Camp Vicente Lim, Canlubang, Laguna, Philippines

UA Case: Abduction, Illegal Arrest and Detention

Victim/s:

1. Felix Nardo, 24 y/o, male, member of Anakbayan-Cavite chapter and PROGAY
2. Janice Javier, female
3. Bernardo Derain, male
4. Renato Alvarez, male, chairperson of Kalipunan ng mga Magsasaka sa Kabite KAMAGSASAKA-KA
5. Yolanda Caraig, female
6. Jomel Igana, male
7. Neshley Cresino, female
8. Franco Remoroso, male

All peasant organizers are affiliates/members of the Kilusang
Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) or the Peasant Movement of the Philippines

9. A certain Mario (driver), male

Place of Incident: Along Brgy. Tartaria, Silang, Cavite Philippines

Date of Incident: 31 August 2008, around 3:30 AM

Alleged Perpetrators: Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Region IV

Account of Incident:
 

On August 31, 2008, (Sunday), around 3:30 AM, eight peasant activists were on their way to a meeting to discuss activities and preparations for the annual October Peasant Week. They were traveling from Brgy. Tartaria, Silang, Cavite towards the direction of Tagaytay City on board a utility vehicle called "multicab" (short for multi-purpose cab).

 

They were expected to arrive in an hour or so in Tagaytay, but they did not reach their destination and none of them could be reached, prompting their families and colleagues to call for help.

The provincial office of Karapatan in Batangas has received the report that the eight peasant activists and their driver have not reached their destination and are feared abducted.

By 9:30 AM of the same day, a Quick Reaction Team was organized by Karapatan and they accompanied some relatives of the missing persons to Camp Pantaleon, the Provincial office of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Imus, Cavite. The police denied having custody of the nine persons and denied having knowledge of the incident.

On September 1, 2008, the team went to the PNP's Regional Office in Camp Vicente Lim in Canlubang, Calamba City, Laguna and found that the nine victims are being detained there.

The victims told the team that they were stopped at a checkpoint in Brgy, Pasong Langka, Silang, Cavite by members of the Air Force-Batangas and elements of the PNP, and were asked to alight the multicab. Their hands were tied and their mouths were muffled by packaging tapes and they were loaded into separate vehicles.
As of this writing, one of the victims, Felix Nardo, is being charged with Illegal Possession of Explosives.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send letters, emails or fax messages calling for:

1. The safety of the detainees to be ensured.

2. The immediate and unconditional release of Felix Nardo, , Janice Javier, Bernardo Derain, Renato Alvarez, Yolanda Caraig, Jomel Igana, Neshley Cresino, Franco Remoroso, and Mario.

3. The military to stop the labeling of human rights defenders as "members of front organizations of the communists" and "enemies of the state."

4. The Philippine Government to be reminded that it is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that it is also a party to all the major Human Rights instruments, thus it is bound to observe all of these instruments' provisions.

 
           

 

 
 

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