PRESS RELEASE
Gabriela Women’s Party cry #LabananAngAbuso;
tags Aquino for impunity, rights violations against women and children.
Gabriela Women’s Party today joined thousands of human rights victims, advocates in Human Rights Day protests calling for justice for women and children targeted by President Aquino’s Oplan Bayanihan and called attention to the country’s horrendous violations on International Human Rights Day today.
“President Aquino’s Daang Matuwid left a trail of blood and terror among women and children in the past five years and promises to leave more victims in his remaining six months in office. He has tolerated these violations and cultivated further the culture of impunity in his failure to make even a single killer or rapist among the AFP and the PNP accountable,” said Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan.
Ilagan quoted reports from Karapatan Human Rights Alliance that military, police and paramilitary forces raped women 10 women, seven of whom are minors during the past five years. Among the cases cited by Karapatan were:
- The rape a 12-year-old girl in June 2012 by Valeriano Masaang Jr. alias “Striker” an assistant to an officer of the 2nd ID and issued threats to kill her family.
- In 2015, the 68th IB Bravo Coy encamped in Talaingod raped a 14-year old Lumad girl, who was later forcibly taken from the UCCP Haran where she and her mother sought refuge from the occupying soldiers who took over their village.
- In January 2010, members of the 9th IB Bravo Company namely Alex Briones, Archie Vasquez, Gilbert Quinito and a certain Llagas, gang raped ‘Vilma”, 21, inside the 9th IB camp in Aroroy, Masbate.
Continuing harassment, trumped up charges vs women
Gabriela Rep. Emmi De Jesus, also the spokesperson for the Free Our Sisters Free Ourselves Campaign for her part decried the continuing detention of political prisoners under the Aquino regime. Karapatan documents a total of 561 political prisoners under Aquino, 50 among them, women, including former GABRIELA Alliance International Relations Officer Sharon Cabusao and NDFP consultants and JASIG holders Wilma Tiamzon and Concha Araneta.
De Jesus also condemned the trumped up charges of kidnapping and homicide filed against 69 individuals including Gabriela Women’s Party regional coordinator for Cagayan Valley Mia Liquigan.
“Ang pagdami ng mga bilanggong pulitikal at ang pagsasampa ng gawa-gawang kaso laban sa mga aktibista at sa mga tagapagtaguyod ng usapang kapayapaan ay nagpapakita lamang ng kawalang sinseridad ng gubyernong Aquino sa pagtalima sa mga dati nang kasunduan sa pagitan ng gubyerno at NDFP,” said De Jesus.
“Ang record ni Aquino ang magpapatunay ng kanyang pagiging traydor at berdugo. Dapat nating labanan ang abuso ng gubyernong Aquino. Sa bawat araw na pananatili niya sa pwesto, mananatiling may nakatutok na gatilyo sa ulo ng bawat isa sa atin. President Aquino is without question, a human rights violator and should be made accountable for his crimes.” #
For Reference:
REP. EMMI DE JESUS 0917-3221203
REP. LUZVIMINDA C ILAGAN 0920-9213221
Jang Monte (Public Information Officer) 0917-4049119
