Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that a farmer who was repeatedly stabbed after he was forcibly abducted, tortured and held in captivity survived an attempt on his life on 12 December 2007 in Compostela Valley, Mindanao. There are allegations that those responsible could have been soldiers deployed in the area. The men who abducted the farmer spoke Tagalog, a language native to some soldiers, as they were questioning the victim – accusing him of being a rebel. They were also wearing uniforms and carrying firearms, like those used by soldiers, when they took the victim. Unless a credible investigation is conducted, the perpetrators will not be identified and held to account.
CASE DETAILS: (According to information received from the Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights (Karapatan))
On 12 December 2007, Renante Romagus was abducted in Purok 4, Barangay (village) Casoon, Monkayo, Campostela Valley. He was walking towards his farm to make charcoal from coconut shells and harvest bananas at around 7am. An undetermined number of heavily armed persons who positioned themselves in an elevated area called to him. They were wearing uniforms and carrying firearms akin to those worn and used by soldiers. As he walked towards them, one of them blindfolded him and covered his mouth. The perpetrators also bound his hands behind his back and subsequently took him to an unknown location.
There, they started questioning Renante as to whether or not he was a member of a rebel group. They started torturing him severely. They attempted to suffocate him by wrapping his head in a plastic bag. They forced him to lie down and filled the plastic bag with water. He repeatedly asserted his innocence. Renante recounted that the perpetrators were speaking to him in Tagalog, a language not native to locals but spoken by some soldiers. It is said that the Tagalog speaking soldiers had been recently deployed in the area.
Renante, with his blindfold on, later felt he was being taken by truck to a different location and was held in what he believes was a small room. The perpetrators removed the gag over his mouth but kept him blindfolded. He was held captive in this condition for three days. While in captivity, Renante’ requests to be allowed to use the toilet were repeatedly ignored. He was forced to remain in his own waste as his captors refused to allow him to clean himself.
In the evening of December 16, Renante was taken to an unknown place, about 20 to 30 minutes away, from where he was held in captivity. At this new location his captors forced him to sit down and started repeatedly stabbing him; first in his right shoulder, then his back, right arm and in his abdomen. He received seven stabbed wounds.
Assuming that Renante was already dead, the perpetrators removed his blindfold and untied his hands before carrying him to a nearby place where he was thrown. However, sensing that he could still be breathing, they came close to him and stabbed him in the back one last time. They carried him back to the vehicle and took him to another place where they left him for dead.
After the perpetrators left, Renante struggled, crawling and walking for hours in heavy rain until the early dawn on December 17. There was one instance of a passer-by riding a motorcycle but Renante was too frightened to ask for help worried that it could be an accomplice of his attackers. Later he found a house where asked for help. He later discovered that he was abandoned in Barangay Hagimitan, Monkayo. The occupant took him to the municipal hall of Monkayo and the people there took him to a hospital in Davao City.
Renante had been receiving treatment and confined to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Davao Regional Hospital (DRH) in Davao City. His medical condition has already stabilized.
After the news about Renante’s plight spread, the military officials who have jurisdiction over the area where the incident happened, ordered the creation of a board of inquiry to look into the allegations that the soldiers could be involved in the attempt on Renante’s life. However, there are concerns that the military inquiry will not be able to produce a credible resolution.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the concerned authorities urging them to take appropriate actions to ensure that effective investigation is conducted to identify and held those involved to account. The attempt on Renante Romagus’ life cannot be tolerated and he should be afforded with adequate remedies. They should also give him assistance to pay for his medication and ensure his welfare and security while receiving treatment at the hospital.
The AHRC is also sending a letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Question of Torture calling for intervention in this case.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear _____,
PHILIPPINES: Attempts to kill a farmer following abduction, torture and captivity requires credible inquiry
Name of tortured victim: Renante Romagus, 32 years old, farmer, married with three children, a resident of Purok 4, Barangay (village) Casoon, Monkayo, Compostela Valley
Name of alleged perpetrators: Unknown number of heavily armed men. It has been suggested that the perpetrators could be soldiers recently deployed in Monkayo, Compostela Valley. They were wearing uniforms and carrying firearms similar to those worn and used by soldiers. They also spoke Tagalog to the victim at the time of questioninga language not native to locals.
Place of incident: Purok 4, Barangay Casoon, Monkayo, Compostela Valley
Date of incident: 12 December 2007, around 7am
I am shocked to learn about the attempt on the life of Renante Romagus, a farmer who was forcibly abducted, tortured and held in captivity for three days before being repeatedly stabbed and left for dead in Monkayo, Compostela Valley on 12 December 2007. He has suffered extensively from the brutality of his captors.
According to the information I have received, Renante was walking to his farm close to his house to harvest bananas and make charcoal when he was abducted. A group of unidentified armed men, wearing uniforms and carrying firearms similar to those worn and used by soldiers, intercepted him – blindfolding him, covering his mouth and tying his hands behind his back. I have learned that they took him over suspicions that he was a member of a rebel group.
He was taken to an unknown place where he was held in captivity for three days. While in captivity, his captors tortured him using a plastic bag to suffocate him. They also forced him to lie down and filled the plastic bag wrapped to his head with water. His captors also refused to allow him to use toilet. He was tortured and held in captivity for three days as they questioned him forcing him to admit that he was a member of the rebel group.
On December 16, Renante was taken out from the place where he was held to another location where he was repeatedly stabbed soon after arriving there. He suffered from seven stab wounds all over his body–including to his shoulder, back, right arm and abdomen–before he was thrown out and left for dead. He, however, managed to survive by crawling and walking overnight to reach a house where he sought help in the early dawn of December 17. He was later taken to the Davao Regional Hospital where he receives treatment.
I am shocked by this incident. I therefore urge you to ensure that a credible and effective investigation is conducted. While I acknowledge the action taken by the military officials in creating a board of inquiry to look into this case, I am deeply concerned that it will fall below the minimum standards to ensure an effective and credible investigation. I am aware that though the soldiers assigned to the said area have been removed, I am so far unaware of any further actions taken to ensure that those responsible are reasonably identified and brought to justice.
I therefore urge you to use your authority to ensure that an effective and credible investigation is conducted in order to identify and hold to account those responsible. There should be no parties with vested interests involved, particularly the military leadership in the area, in the investigation proceedings to ensure its credibility and independence. If the soldiers are proven to be involved, they should be suspended from their duties promptly and appropriate actions must be taken against them.
Also, I urge you to ensure the protection of Renante’s welfare and security while receiving treatment at the hospital without delay. Though I acknowledge the provision of medical treatment for him, I am not aware of any security arrangements from the authorities to ensure his safety; or any assurance that he has the adequate medical assistance he requires.
Finally, I would also like to take this opportunity to put pressure on the Philippine government to ensure the enactment of laws against torture are put in place in accordance with the UN Convention against Torture (CAT) to which it is a state party. Torture victims have long been denied access to remedies and redress, as can be seen in this case, due to the lack of laws on torture. The enactment of this law is necessary to assist victims of torture in finding adequate remedies.
I trust that you will take immediate action in this case.
Yours sincerely,
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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President
Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace
JP Laurel Street, San Miguel
Manila 1005
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 736 1010
Tel: +63 2 735 6201 / 564 1451 to 80
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph
2. Mrs. Purificacion Quisumbing
Commissioner
Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue
U.P. Complex, Diliman
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel: +63 2 928 5655 / 926 6188
Fax: +63 2 929 0102
E-mail: drpvq@yahoo.com
3. Deputy Director General Avelino Razon
Chief, Philippine National Police (PNP)
Camp General Rafael Crame
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel: +63 2 726 4361/4366/8763
Fax: +63 2724 8763
E-mail: bluetree73@gmail.com
4. Mr. Raul Gonzalez
Secretary
Department of Justice (DoJ)
DOJ Bldg., Padre Faura
1004 Manila
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 521 1614
E-mail: agnesdeva@yahoo.com
5. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon
Chief of Staff
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
AFP-GHQ Offices, Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel: +63 2 911 6001 to 50
Fax: +63 2 911 6436
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrchk.org)
