British Columbia Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines
Statement

Canadians say no to continued state terror in the Philippines

May 15, 2006

The British Columbia Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (BCCHRP), strongly condemns the killing of Rev. Jemias Tinambacan, and the frustrated murder and wounding of his wife, Rev. Marilou Tinambacan.  Rev. Jemias is a resident Pastor of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines and also the provincial chair of the Bayan Muna in Misamis Occidental The tragedy happened on May 9th, 2006, around 5:0 pm, while traveling in Oroquieta City, when four armed men riding two DT Yamaha-type motorcycle shot them.

We are outraged with this recent act of terror against the church workers whose lives and works were dedicated in serving the church and the people.  We denounce the intensification of political killings in the Philippines under the Arroyo regime! News of the killings from the different parts of the country are reported to us one after the other. There seems to be no let up.

What did the victims have in common? Most were human rights activists, members of progressive political parties and vocal critics of logging, mining, militarization and other destructive projects in the various provinces. They were civilians in the urban places and rural communities who became casualties of the government’s campaign to crush militant organizations at the forefront of exposing and opposing its high crimes of fraud and plunder, human rights abuses and unjust socio-economic
policies that have further impoverished Filipinos.  

Human rights watchdogs such as Amnesty International and international church groups like the World Council of Churches have joined the Filipino people in urging immediate stop to the killings and prosecution of the perpetrators. But instead of ensuring justice for the victims, the rate and impunity of killings increase – not even sparing pastors and priests.   

We hold the Arroyo government accountable for the worsening human rights situation and systematic killings of activists. In March 2005, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reportedly included various people’s organizations, political parties, critical media groups as well as church organizations in its list of ‘enemies of the state.’ The AFP list confirms that those who belong to groups labeled as ‘enemies of the state’ will be subjected to extra-judicial killings and harassment as in the hundreds
of cases documented by the human rights group Karapatan.

BCCHRP, calls for justice not only for the church people who have been killed but for all victims of summary executions. The Philippine government is a party to human rights instruments and international conventions and as such, it has made commitment not to sanction the practice of enforced disappearance and extra-judicial killings or tolerate such atrocities against its citizens.

BCCHRP calls on the Philippine Government in coming up with a thorough investigation on the killing of Rev. Jemias Tinambacan and the rest of the 564 victims killed since 2001.  They must leave no stone unturned in these investigations and must punish all perpetrators.

STOP THE POLITICAL KILLINGS NOW!
LONG LIVE INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY!