File charges vs soldiers: Nolcom chief: PGMA, gov’t urged to surface’ rights activist

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The family of rights activist James Balao and the Cordillera People’s Alliance filed an urgent writ of amparo with the Regional Trial Court here Wednesday urging President Macapagal-Arroyo and concerned agencies like the Armed Forces of the Philippines to “surface” or produce in person Balao who was believed abducted by intelligence operatives of the AFP here Sept. 17.

Beverly Longid, CPA chairperson bared this saying they won’t stop looking for Balao until he is found. Cause-oriented groups earlier that morning picketed the AFP command post at Camp Allen in Baguio, but were barred from entering the military installation by combat ready soldiers. This made them move to the nearby city police main office and hold a dialogue with Senior Supt. Wilfredo Franco, city police chief who assured them of his cooperation in finding Balao and his abductors so the latter could be charged in court.

Members of the CPA said they heard information Balao was sent back to Baguio from Ilocos Sur where he was reportedly held at a military post.

The group earlier went to the area in Ilocos Sur but Balao was reportedly hurriedly taken out from the facility since they earlier had a courtesy visit at the provincial office giving time for the military operatives to relocate Balao. Meanwhile at Barangay Tomay in La Trinidad, witnesses told the Balao family and CPA members they saw how abductors forcibly shoved him into a van in the area the day he disappeared.

“Walang makikialam,” one of the abductors reportedly shouted at onlookers. His abductors reportedly acted and looked like military men.

Before his disappearance, Balao reportedly texted his office mates of two vans which followed him. CPA members later found one of the vans parked at Camp Allen. Since that time, no army official admitted to using or owning the van.

This, as the most senior military commander in Northern Luzon said Wednesday he will not condone any wrongdoing of his men even as he encouraged victims of the perceived soldiers’ abuses to come forward and file necessary charges in court.

The military’s Northern Luzon Command urged leftist groups to “file charges instead of launching propaganda campaigns” blaming them for the mysterious disappearance of Balao.

“In a spirit of fairness and equality,” Nolcom Commander Lieutenant General Isagani Cachuela urged Baguio left-leaning groups to file charges in court as he tagged “search” campaigns by the Baguio-based CPA as “demolition campaigns” where “the accused have no chance to defend themselves.”

Based on the account of desaperacidos, a group composed of families of victims of forced disappearances, armed men believed to be elements of the 24th Infantry Battalion for­cibly took two peasant organizers in Bataan – Nelson Balmana and Florencia Espiritu on Sept. 21 and 22, respectively.

On Sept. 17, Balao, was also reported missing and the CPA leadership pointed to the Intelligence Service Unit of the military as the culprit.

The Commission on Human Rights-Cordillera Administrative Region already wrote to the AFP Human Rights Office for possible intervention in relation to this incident.

Cachuela said told newsmen he was willing to support any official investigation on the matter if there are pieces of evidence to probe that some of his men were indeed involved in these crimes.
But Cachuela said that like any other citizen of this country, the (soldiers) are also entitled to due process.

“They have to face the consequences of their actions in the proper forum, if indeed, they committed any form of abuse in the community,” Cachuela said.

International and RP-based groups had taken cognizance of Balao’s unexplained disappearance including the US Embassy and national and local government officials in Baguio City.

Those who have knowledge about Balao’s whereabouts were urged to report developments to the CPA (09184698849), the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (09178836594) or his family at 09175069404.) -- AD