Japan Group Releases Report on Killings in Philippines

There are four cases in which the families and colleagues of victims heard that the victims’ names were listed in the “Order of Battle”. 44 The “Order of Battle” is a list of individuals and organizations which was allegedly made by the AFP. According to the UN special rapporteur Alston’s intermediate report, the term “Order of Battle” is defined in the military as “an organizational tool used by military intelligence to list and analyze enemy military units”.45

Case 7: Mr. Ricardo Ramos

Case 8: Mr. Abelardo Ladera

Case11: Mr. and Mrs Albarillo

Case14: Mr. Diosdado Fortuna

Notably, Ladera was elected as a city councilor of Tarlac by the second largest vote, while Mr. Ramos and Mr. Albarillo were the chairpersons of their respective Barangays, the smallest local government units in the Philippines. Mr. Ramos was also elected as one of “the most outstanding village leaders in the Philippines”.

There is no justification for the government to list civilian in the “Order of Battle”. Such practice certainly endangers civilian’s life. In particular, there is no legitimacy for the government to list the people working legally and peacefully such as above four victims in the list.

At the same time, the military’s designations of the majority of the victims or their organizations as “enemies of the state” can hardly be dismissed as just meaningless coincidences. The military’s condemnations against the victims prior to the killing suggest a direct connection between the killings and the military.46

(3) Incidents Prior to the Killing

In the following cases, incidents prior to the killing also indicate connections between the killing and military or police.

* Case 3 – Juvy Magsino
o Prior to Magsino’s death, she told her mother that she was receiving death threats from unknown sources and that the commanding officer of the 204th Brigade, General Palparan once told her “I am watching you.”
* Case 4 –Ricardo Ramos
o Prior to his death, he found his name in the “Order of Battle” at the regional public meeting organized by military.
o He got death threat text messages in his cell phone.
o The day before he was killed, he received a box which contained a flower typically used in funerals, a card signed “RIP (Rest in peace)”, and a cartoon of a coffin. The sender was unknown. This box exploded.
o On the day of the victim’s Killing, military officers requested to speak to the victim on two separate occasions. Each time, the officers were told the victim was unavailable. Later in the evening of the same day, the victim was shot and killed.
* Case 7 – Abelardo Ladera
o Prior to his death, the military distributed comic-style propaganda naming the victim as a member of the NPA.
* Case 9 – Alberto Ramento
o Prior to his death, the victim frequently received death threats in his cell-phone frequently. The threats became more frequent after the issue of “Knowing the Enemy” in which victim’s church, the PIC was designated as an “Enemy of the State”.
* Case 11 – Expedito/ Manuela Albarillo
o Two weeks prior to the Abarillo’s death, the military frequently visited their home to encourage them to stop campaigning for Bayan Muna.
* Case 13 – Jesus “Buth” Servida
o According to a former colleague, Mr. Servida was under surveillance prior to his death.
o Prior to his death, a gunman later identified as a policeman in Security Unit attempted to assassinate the former president of the victim’s labor union near the Yazaki-EMI plant.
* Case 14 – Diosdado Fortuna
o Prior to his death, Mr. Fortuna reported constant incidents of surveillance and several encounters with police.
o Prior to his death, another labor organizer in the region was abducted. According to the victim of abduction, the abductors mistook him for Mr. Fortuna.

(4) Method of Killing (Manner of killing, Weapons Used, Location)

In many of the cases, the assailants carried out the killings in a “professional” manner. In the cases investigated by the HRN fact-finding team, victims were often killed by a firearm usually issued to military personnel. An additional indicator that the perpetrators were professionals is the fact that the killings were conducted in broad daylight in front of family members, neighbors and other witnesses.