EDITORIAL

Surface James Balao

It is a sad state of things that a kind and responsible non-government worker in the person of James Balao of the Cordillera People’s Alliance is missing, believed abducted by army intelligence officers.

A lot of people and organizations in the Cordillera where Balao worked are alarmed, indignant and are demanding from the government to produce Balao in person. It is a welcome development that even Amnesty International and the United Nations took notice of his disappearance and are now pressuring the government to conduct the necessary investigation and make him surface. Balao had no known enemies. A humble man, he didn’t drive a vehicle and wore simple clothes. He was not fond of parties and preferred the company of his peers.

The Cordillera Human Rights Alliance in a statement said they believe the surveillance and enforced disappearance of Balao was perpetrated by state security forces as a part of their operations under Oplan Bantay Laya, a policy of categorizing legal people's organizations and their staff and volunteers as “front organizations” and “supporters” of the of the CPP, National Democratic Front of the Philippines or the New People’s Army.

This policy, the CHRA said, has led to the surveillance, harassment and intimidation, abduction and killing of members and leaders of progressive people’s organizations all over the country like Balao.

The CHRA has urged the Philippine Government to observe the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) and other international human rights laws and declarations such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

In Balao’s case, the Armed Forces of the Philippines could come up with a statement on the matter. According to cause oriented groups and members of the media, there were no staff at the headquarters of the army command in Camp Allen in Baguio after his disappearance was exposed in the media. The people are waiting for a statement from officials of the army command.

Meanwhile, we urge anybody who knows anything about Balao’s disappearance to report it to his family or to the Cordillera People’s Alliance by texting or calling 09184698849 or the CHRA at 09178836594.