Japan Group Releases Report on Killings in Philippines

Circumstances of the Killing

On 3 August 2006, at 7:30, three hooded armed men wearing army-issued camouflaged pants, combat boots and dark long-sleeve T-shirts and another man in maroon pants and black short pants barged into the house of Ray-Sun Sta. Rosa, younger brother of Rev. Isaias Sta. Rosa. The house was located next to Rev. Sta. Rosa’s house. Along with Ray-Sun, another brother Jonathan Sta. Rosa was staying in the house.

Jonathan stated that: “The armed men said that we were NPA, and then confiscated my cell phone. They identified themselves as military troops in the 9th Infantry Battalion and asked if Isaias was around. They hit me and dragged me outside in the dark, then interrogated me. They forcibly took me to my brother’s house. Ray-Sun was also forcibly taken to our brother’s house. When we were taken Isaias’ house, his wife, Sonia opened the door. My brother seemed shocked to see armed men.”

In the house of Rev. Sta. Rosa, his wife Sonia, and their children Demdem, Philip and Mikko were present. As she was calling for her husband, a short man wearing a bonnet, a maroon T-shirt, short pants and armed with a .45-caliber pistol barged inside and ordered them to lie on the floor. He was followed by about six to ten other armed men wearing hooded bonnets. The armed men gathered Rev. Sta. Rosa’s wife, children and brother in one room while tying up Rev. Rosa in other room. Rev. Sta. Rosa was forcibly taken by armed men outside of the house and all armed men withdrew from the house. Immediate after Rev. Sta. Rosa was taken outside, Jonathan, Ray- Sun and Sonia rushed from the house and shouted for help from her sister Madelyn who lived near by as well as other neighbors.

Shortly after, gunshots were heard – six shots then another three. Jonathan, Ray and other neighbors rushed in the direction of the gunshots and found the dead body of Rev. Sta. Rosa along a small creek about 50 meters from his house. They found another dead body who was later identified as Lordger Pastrana of the Military Intelligence Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division. Jonathan found from the body a Philippine Army identification card of one PFC Lordger Pastrana, with expiration date of December 9, 2008 as well as a mission order addressed to Lordger Pastrana by the 9th Military Intelligence Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division under Major Ernest Marc Rosal. The order was dated July 11, 2006 and due to expire on September 30, 2006.

Jonathan told HRN, “I identified this soldier as the leader of the group. He was the first one who barged into our house, who was the only one who was wearing maroon short pants, and confiscated my cell phone. I was the one who examined the personnel belongings from the body. I saw the mission order. He was a military on active duty.”

Investigation and Prosecution

The AFP has declared Pastrana was not acting on behalf of the army and was AWOL. Not long after the bodies were discovered, the police arrived led by Colonel Capinpin, the Chief of Daraga Police Station along with the Barangay Chief, Artita Padilla. The police recovered a shell from a .45-caliber pistol and one (1) caliber slug. An autopsy report showed that Rev. Sta. Rosa died after being shot six times while Pastrana died after being shot once. Forensic examinations later revealed that the spent shell was fired from the pistol found near the body of Pastrana and the slug recovered from Rev. Sta. Rosa was not fired from the same pistol. The Police were reluctant to do an in-depth investigation.

After the mission, HRN was informed about the latest development of the case.

In May 25, 2007, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police finally filed charge against Major. Marc Ernest Rosal, Arnaldo Manjares and 10 still unidentified persons in the provincial prosecutor’s office for the Killing of Rev. Sta. Rosa. However on 21 June 2007, Albay Provincial Prosecutor Maria Teresa A. Mahiwo dismissed charge filed against him for lack of merit. In a three-page decision, Mahiwo explained that after thorough investigation and examination of the evidences submitted, her office found no sufficient ground to pursue the case. It said there was no evidence to show Pastrana as Sta. Rosa’s killer and no eyewitness could confirm such speculation either. Mahiwo, however, asked high-ranking officials of the AFP to help identify the alleged ten armed men who accompanied Pastrana when they barged into Sta. Rosa’s home before killing him at the creek nearby.80

Harassment against Families

Sonia and her children are now living in constant fear while Ray and Jonathan rarely stay in Malobago, Daraga. Jonathan was invited to a congressional hearing on extrajudicial killing in September 11 2006. Although the military was not allowed to attend the hearing, disguised military personnel sneaked into the hearing and took photos of Jonathan. The military was immediately arrested. After a few hours’ detention, they were released. Fearing for his life, Jonathan could not return to his house, and eventually also lost his job. At the time that HRN interviewed Jonathan, he was living in an internal refugee camp.

Case 10: Bishop Alberto Ramento81

Background Information:

【Victim】 Bishop Alberto Ramento (70 years old, male)

【Incident】Bishop Ramento was stabbed to death in his church in San Sebastian, Espinoza Street, Tarlac, Central Luzon, on October 3, 2006.

Prior to the Killing

Bishop Ramento was the Bishop of the Philippine Independent Church (PIC); Co-Chairperson of the Ecumenical Bishop’s Forum; founder of the Pilgrims of Peace, a multi-sectoral network seeking to resume peace negotiations between the Philippine Government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP); an active member of the Movement of Concerned Citizens for Civil Libertarians and a chairperson of KARAPATAN-Central Luzon. He used to be the Supreme Bishop of the IFI, and after his term as Supreme Bishop, he chose to work as a bishop in the province of Tarlac. While his home was in Cavite, he was frequently going to Tarlac and staying in the church there where he was killed.