‘Whitewash’ feared: Probe pushed on slay activist, cousin-in-law

By Charlie Lagasca and AD

DIDIPIO, Nueva Vizcaya – Cause-oriented groups have called for an independent and impartial investigation on the ambush killing here of an anti-mining activist and her cousin-in-law on Dec. 7.

This, after police said they were looking into the possibility that the activist was not the target of the attack but his cousin-in-law, who was killed, too.

Chief Supt. Rodrigo de Gracia, Cagayan Valley police director, said based on initial information, Randy Domingo, alias Randy Nabayay, was apparently the target of the attack and not anti-mining advocate Sheryl Ananayo-Puguon, a chemical engineer.

“It appears that business rivalry and power play were the motive in the attack and Sheryl was merely a ‘coincidence victim,’” De Gracia told media. 

Senior Supt. Domingo Lucas, Quirino police director, said Domingo had “many brushes with the law” and had arrest warrants for murder and robbery.

But cause-oriented groups doubted police statements on the matter.

“We call for an immediate independent investigation into the killings, as already the police are initially looking at the angle of a holdup incident. We cannot allow yet another case of whitewash in the making,” said Fr. Oliver Castor, spokesman of Task Force-Justice for Environment Defenders. 

“It angers us how not a single case of extrajudicial and politically motivated killing toward environmentalists has ever been resolved since 2001, and still the number has risen with the killing of Ananayo and Nabayay,” Castor said.

However, some groups suspect that Ananayo-Puguon was really the target because of her anti-mining stance.

She belonged to a group opposed to the mining project of Oceana Gold Corp. in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya.

The anti-mining activist and her cousin-in-law were killed by unidentified gunmen ahead of the observance of the International Human Rights Day today, according to an environmental group.

Reports said Ananayo, a member of the Didipio Earthsavers’ Multipurpose Association (DESAMA), and her Nabayay were headed to Didipio when they were shot at around 6 p.m.

DESAMA is a people’s organization opposing the 17,626-hectare Didipio gold-copper project of Australian mining firm Oceana Gold Corp. in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya. 

Nabayay was a small-scale miner who had differences with Oceana Gold over his property.

Ananayo was with her four-year-old child and three-month-old baby during the attack, but the two were both unharmed. 

With the killing of Ananayo, the Kalikasan green network placed the death toll of environmental activists this year at 15.

Fr. Castor said 27 environmentalists have been killed under the Aquino administration.

The list included B’laan anti-mining advocate Juvy Capion who was slain together with her two sons in Davao del Sur last October, he said.