Abducted youth lives to tell tale of military abuse

Petition for habeas corpus

At 4:00 p.m. of May 8, he was brought to the Regional Trial Court of Ormoc City and was charged with illegal possession of firearms and violation of the COMELEC gun ban. After which, he was transferred to the camp of the 19th IB in Ormoc City where he was interrogated further.

On May 9, Katungod-Eastern Visayas, the local chapter of the human rights alliance Karapatan, filed a petition for habeas corpus for Cabato. The following day, Col. Dagoy issued a statement claiming that they are in custody of Cabato who they said was a suspected member of the New People’s Army.

He was sent to face military officials, including Col. Dagoy in the main camp of the 19th IB in Brgy. Agiting, Ormoc, Leyte. They tried to convince Cabato to become a military asset and to act as witness against the four party-list groups and Vicente Borja in the rebellion cases filed against them. He refused.

He was detained inside the military camp, intermittently being interrogated by different military soldiers. One night he was visited by a soldier who collared him and punched him on the side of his body. “Mayroon akong order na patayin ka,” (I have orders to kill you) the soldier repeatedly threatened him.

Twelve days after he was abducted, on May 19, he was turned over to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Ormoc City where he was imprisoned for 4 days together with other political detainees.

He was only released last June 4, 2007 after posting bail for his two cases.

The fight goes on

“Hadlok jud ko uy. Ikaw bay hulga-on nga patyon,” the 21-year old activist admitted. (I was really afraid. Who would not be when you are threatened with death?)

“Gi-ignan usab ko nila nga kung mangutan ang taga KARAPATAN nako kung gipasakitan ko sulod sa kampo, mo-ingon jud ko nga ‘Oo, grabe gyud’. Pero kung ang akong pamilya ra gani ang mangutana, ingnon nako nga ‘Wala ra’,” Cabato also revealed. (I was also told by the military that whenever somebody from KARAPATAN would ask if I were hurt or mistreated inside the camp, I should tell them ‘Yes, I was really hurt’. But if it were members of my family, I should say ‘No, I wasn’t.)

In an interview, Dennis Abarientos, secretary general of KARAPATAN-Central Visayas said that Ronaldo Cabato’s ordeal in the hands of his captors clearly reveals the utter disregard of the military for human rights and to the oath they swore to serve and protect.

He added that their actions speak so much of the cloak of impunity that seems to protect them from being accountable and punishable for their unspeakable crimes.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines, headed by their Commander-in-Chief, does not care or mind who they abduct, torture or murder – legal activists, priests, women, children – as long as they achieve their goal of perpetuating themselves in power, all in the guise of fighting insurgency and terrorism,” Abarientos pointed out.

Together with KARAPATAN, the Kabataan Party-list coordinator would file charges against the military personnel involved in his warrantless arrest, arbitrary detention and maltreatment.

Ronaldo Cabato said he would continue to work with the youth party-list group by organizing the youth in Cebu even as he faces his cases in Leyte.

The work does not stop for the youth leader, even in the face of violence and uncertainty. Bulatlat