Defend Southern Tagalog Calls for Immediate Justice on BSM; Seeks Writ of Amparo, Countercharges

By Rochel M. Floron IV

Defend Southern Tagalog (ST), a group comprised of progressive peasant organizations and workers’ unions from the CALABARZON region, gathered in front of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Padre Faura, Manila, Dec. 2. They discussed the state of human rights in the region and how local communities and progressive individuals and groups continue to receive various forms of repression by state forces.

The mobilization called specifically for immediate action on the cases filed by families and organizations in light of the Bloody Sunday Massacre (BSM) that happened last March 2021. The groups also seek the Writ of Amparo to protect them from continued repression by state forces and also consider filing countercharges against the police and military officers who were included in their unlawful arrests.

Bloody Sunday Massacre

In 2021, an organized crackdown was launched targeting labor and peasant leaders, and also activists, in various parts of the Southern Tagalog region. This resulted in the brutal murder of nine people and the arrest of almost seven people with questionable warrants of arrest. This is infamously known to be the BSM.

Several months after, the DOJ Administrative Order (AO) 35 Special Investigating Team (SIT) advised the filing of murder complaints against 17 policemen who were involved in the murder of Emmanuel “Manny” Asuncion of BAYAN Cavite, one of the casualties of BSM.

Charm Maranan, the spokesperson of Defend ST, stated that they also await the resolution of the preliminary investigation done by the DOJ’s AO 35 Team in which the last update was during the investigation on the death of Manny Asuncion.

While considered to be a development in their case, Orly Marcellana questioned how come it was only the case of Manny Asuncion that will have its resolution that day. He then proceeded to challenge DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla to deliver immediate justice for the victims of BSM.

Meanwhile, two of the survivors of BSM Joan Efren Ignacio and Nimfa Lanzanas recalled their experience during the unannounced raid of police forces in their houses early morning hours of BSM.

While Lanzanas and Ignacio may have escaped being murdered they were nonetheless deprived of their liberty as the two had to face trumped-up charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives. Lanzanas’ case of illegal possession of firearms and explosives was junked after 16 months in detention, however Ignacio lost her case of the same charges and now faces at least four years of imprisonment.

Lanzanas shared that she will be filing countercharges against the police officers who failed to follow the standard procedure of serving arrest warrants and that the pieces of evidence gathered were seized unlawfully.

“Sa mga kapulisan at militar, hindi ako papayag na gaganituhin lamang nila ako. Magsasampa ako ng countercharges para sila ay makasuhan sa ginawa nila sa akin. Dapat silang parusahan,” she warned.

Unlawful surveillance, Intimidation

The groups also expressed their agenda of filing for a Writ of Amparo due to the reported intensification of militarization in the region doing surveillance and intimidation by state police and military forces.

Jonnabelle Almeyda of Tanggol Quezon expressed her condemnation of the militarization in Quezon Province which continues to stifle dissent and community organizing farmers. She cites that the 900 farmers in Lopez, Quezon who fight for Coco Levy Funds were intimidated by the military and police forces.

Meanwhile, Mario Fernandez of Technol Eight Workers Union calls for the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) as it causes intimidation by red tagging workers unions. Fernandez recalled the fear he experienced when certain police officers searched for his home in Biñan and Cavite. With this, he shared that his fellow union members are now considering disaffiliating from their union due to continuous surveillance of them by the police.

Finally, Maranan informed the audience that they will file for Write of Amparo for their safety against the intensified and persisting militarization in the region. She then called for support for a caravan with Southern Tagalog organizations and formations that will happen on December 9–10.

A representative from All Workers Unity emphasized that Bloody Sunday Massacre is not a one-day injustice but it comes from a series of injustices that led to it. He explained that the students and progressive organizations will continue fighting until the country achieves economic and political justice.