Anakpawis Rep. Joel Maglunsod strongly condemned Malacanang�s appointment of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales as the new Department of National Defense (DND) chief replacing Gilbert Teodoro Jr.

Maglunsod described Gonzales� appointment as �hell on earth� as human rights violations are expected to further escalate with Gonzales, a known militarist, at the helm of the defense department.

“Without any pretense, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo shamelessly placed Gonzales, her triggerman, in a better position to shoot at her critics and political foes.�

�This decision by Arroyo deserves the broadest condemnation from all freedom-loving Filipinos. It�s a direct attack to human rights and civil and political liberties.�

He added that Gonzales� appointment at DND is a great disregard and insult to findings and recommendations of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

In 2006, UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston recommended the abolition of the Inter-Agency Legal Assistance Group (IALAG) formerly headed by Gonzales, because it has been distorting the criminal justice system, as government agencies have been making use of it to abusively prosecute critics of the Arroyo government.

Maglunsod said IALAG�s abolition last May 2009 was only �in paper� as the cases, trumped up charges and political persecution of activists continued.

The solon said Anakpawis will question and protest Gonzales� appointment.

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Gonzales appointment as DND chief hit

Anakpawis party-list Representative Rafael Mariano today assailed the appointment of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales as Secretary of National Defense replacing the administration presidential bet Gilbert �Gibo� Teodoro.

�We expect more extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, and filing of trumped up charges against progressive party-list organizations and candidates especially in the coming elections because of his Red baiting and anti-communist bias,� says Mariano.

Mariano said �Gonzales, who headed the defunct Inter-Agency Legal Action Group (IALAG), was instrumental in the filing of false and trumped up charges against progressives like the Batasan Six.�

The militant lawmaker added that �Gonzales will surely continue politicizing and mobilize the military for his own self-serving political ambition.�

In 2006, Gonzales was accused of conducting holding seminars inside military camps by his Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PDSP) to politicize the Armed Forces of the Philippines officers and men to the point of wanting to rule the country but junior military officers have branded the sessions as �indoctrination� on authoritarianism and geared against the �enemies� of President Macapagal-Arroyo. #