Entries from May 2008

Saturday, May 31st, 2008

Killed together with his wife, brother-in-law

AT GLANCE: On May 22, Nerito Calimbo, whom the police described as “leader of a notorious Chigo Gang”, was shot dead in a crowded street shortly after his release from police detention in Davao City. His wife and brother-in-law, who had fetched him, were also killed when gunmen riding on motorcycle open fired at […]

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

Forbidden report?

REPORT REVIEW: “In the Shadows of Davao” is a report written and published in 2004 by Tambayan Center, Inc., a local child rights NGO based in Davao City, and journalist Ryan Anson. A chapter of this report are stories by three mothers and a wife whose sons and husband had been murdered by gunmen […]

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

Police kills four men on pretext of “legitimate encounter”

NEWS BRIEF: On May 16, a local bank in Cabuyao, Laguna had been robbed and killed, in a execution style, ten of its employees. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales had then openly said that if only he could, he would issue shoot-to-kill order to robbers involved. Days after his comments were made, policemen had killed on […]

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

Shot in front of his sister

AT GLANCE: This victim, who had been previously detained for theft at the city jail, was shot on the head in front of his sister. A week before he was murdered, as friend of him, was also murdered in the same village where they lived. This victim sister had already forewarned him to take precautions […]

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

Six more killed as intervention is sought

AT GLANCE: While the Asian Legal Resource Center (ALRC) is submitting this written submission before the UN Human Rights Council on May 22, six other persons had fallen victims to the continuing murders on pretext of “vigilante killings“. Appeals for appropriate intervention from the concerned authorities have likewise been made on these six cases.

Of the […]

Monday, May 26th, 2008

Gunmen kills old victim’s bro; another shot dead

In a span of one day, two persons have been killed, one of whom was a younger brother of a driver who was himself killed in April 27, in separate incidents in General Santos City, once again. One of the victim’s nephew, who had survived the attack, had come close eye contact with […]

Sunday, May 25th, 2008

No tattoo, why was he killed?

When this victim is killed, the police investigator was baffled why he should be killed. Preoccupied by his notion that only criminal suspects, for him usually had tattoo, had been target of murders in General Santos City, then who is this murdered victim? The police’ insinuation had been proven wrong. This person is no […]

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

Two murders in their houses; one in crowd

On May 21 and 22, three men had been murdered in Davao and Tagum Cities, Mindanao. Two of the victims were shot dead inside and just outside their house by gunmen riding on motorcycles. The other one, whom the police claimed was killed on pretext of “gang war“, was shot in a crowded place.

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

Police’ rhetoric on solving vigilante killings

 Not until today that Chief Supt. Felizardo Serapio, regional police director in Central Mindanao , had he been reported to have express alarm to the continuing “vigilante killings” in General Santos City. It reported that 26 people have already been summarily executed there, ten in March; ten in April and six on May, and counting…

While […]

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

Vigilantes’ violent past remains 20 years on

In the mid 80s, a brutal civilian armed group, Alsa Masa (People is rising up), had arise in Davao City at the height of communist insurgency in the Philippines. They systematically murder persons on suspicions they are supposedly involved in communist struggle. However, 20 years on, Alsa Masa has long gone but its history of […]