The militant Partido Manggagawa (PM)
today called for a stop to the killings due to the war on drugs and justice for
one of their leaders ambushed last Saturday. PM joined the big mobilization of
the coalition iDefend (In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity) this afternoon
to commemorate the anniversary of the declaration of martial law.
“On the 44th anniversary of
martial law, the struggle for human rights and democracy for all remains as
relevant and critical as ever. With the war on drugs claiming thousands of
lives and a state of lawlessness imposed on the whole country, civil liberties
and democratic freedoms are under clear and present danger,” stated Wilson
Fortaleza, PM spokesperson.
He added that “The prevailing climate of
impunity that has resulted in wanton killings of alleged drug pushers and
addicts has also provided fertile ground for politically motivated slayings.
The ambush killing of PM-Cebu leader and organizer, Orlando Abangan a few days
ago is testament to this. Abangan’s murder came after the killing of Gloria
Capitan, an environmental activist in Bataan, last July 1, on the first
official day in office of the Duterte administration. The extra-judicial
killings done in the name of the war on drugs have now spilled onto slayings of
human rights defenders.”
The iDefend members started assembling
at 2:00 pm today in Bustillos Church before marching to Plaza Miranda for a
mass and program. At 6:00 pm the iDefend marchers lighted candles to
commemorate the victims of martial law, the war on drugs and political killings
of human rights defenders like Abangan and Capitan.
Also in Cebu today, PM and other
militant and human rights groups held a rally to call for justice for Abangan
and Capitan. They marched around downtown colon this afternoon to call for a
stop to the killings and to never forget the terror of martial law.
“We call on the authorities for a swift
but thorough investigation of the killing of Ka Lando Abangan. We know that
they are already pursuing leads that point to certain suspects. Still we urge
them not to stop at the arresting suspected gunman but to probe who the
mastermind is. Ka Lando is not involved in drugs and is respected in his
community as an activist, so we believe that his killing is politically
motivated and is related to his work as a human rights defender of urban poor
and workers,” explained Dennis Derige, PM-Cebu spokesperson.
Derige also revealed that five days
before Abangan was shot to death, he escaped a first attempt on his life. He
recalled that several armed men riding motorcycles came looking for Abangan in
a place where he frequently hangs out.
September 21, 2016
