(UPDATE 3) Leftist farmer leader shot dead in Davao
By Abigail Kwok, Jeffrey M. Tupas
INQUIRER.net, Mindanao Bureau
First Posted 09:53:00 05/15/2008
DAVAO CITY, Philippines -- Motorcycle-riding assassins shot dead the spokesman of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines) in Southern Mindanao, as he was preparing to leave for Compostela Valley Thursday morning, associates and police said.
Celso Pojas, who was also chairman of the Farmers Association of Davao City (FADC), was buying cigarettes near his office in barangay (village) Ma-a here when he was attacked by two gunmen around 6 a.m., Kelly Delgado, secretary general of the human rights group Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights) for Southern Mindanao, said.
Pojas’ colleagues immediately hurled the blame at the military.
KMP spokesman Carl Ala said the organization condemned “in the strongest terms the extrajudicial killing of Celso Pojas. It seems that this is the opening salvo of the new Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Alexander Yano’s new reign of terror.”
“Ka Celso is the first victim of extra-judicial killing in Davao City and we ask [Davao] Mayor [Rodrigo] Duterte to help in our call for justice for Ka Celso,” KMP chairman Rafael Mariano said.
Pedro Arnado, KMP vice chairman for Southern Mindanao, said they do not have any suspect other than the military.
"This is a case of extrajudicial killing done at the height of KMP's campaign against militarization of farmers and lumad communities in Compostela Valley," Arnado said.
"And that he was a staunch critic of the government's anti-people policy, on top of his recent public appearances where he lambasted the military operations in Compostela Valley as it had adversely affected the sector that is closest to his heart, could very well be the reason for his death," a brother-in-law of Pojas said.
Inspector Cecil Mac Blanco, chief investigator of the Talomo police station, said Pojas was shot three times with .45 caliber pistols and died on the spot.
Blanco said medics from the emergency response group 911 responded but no longer brought the slain activist to the hospital.
The murdered activist’s colleagues at the FADC said they were preparing to leave for Compostela town in Compostela Valley to look into the plight of lumad (indigenous people) evacuees there when Pojas excused himself to buy cigarettes.
After a few minutes, they heard gunshots after a few minutes. When they went out, they saw Pojas' body slumped on the gate of their office, which is along the highway.
Pojas, 45, was the first militant leader killed in Davao City in recent years.
Delgado said the victim was the 79th militant leader killed in the region since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed office in 2001, and the 903rd in the whole country.
According to KMP, Pojas is the 105th KMP leader killed under Arroyo.
Blanco said they were looking at Pojas' activist work as a possible motive behind the attack.
"It could be possible…it is one thing that we will be looking at thoroughly," he said.
Major Medel Aguilar, commander of the military's 5th Civil Relations Group here, said there was no basis for blaming the military.
"It is very unfortunate that Karapatan is making irresponsible statement[s] or insinuating that we are responsible for the killing of Pojas," Aguilar said.
Major Raymond Aguada, public affairs officer of the military's 10th Infantry Division, said he was no longer surprised at the allegations.
"It appears so automatic for them. They blame the government and the military for any of the deaths in their ranks. Well, if they have witnesses, they [should] bring them out and we will also bring the suspects out," Aguada said.
Delgado said Pojas' death sent a chilling message to people and groups tagged by the government as front organizations of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA).
"But we cannot be scared by this nor can we be stopped. We are no cowards, unlike those in the military who are bereft of the sense of being officers and gentlemen -- those who are behind the killings; those who masterminded the death of Pojas. Instead, it will strengthen us to advance," Delgado said.
"The enemies are out there again, like rabid dogs targeting militant leaders, especially those who are high-profile. Pojas is a leader of peasant group and he has been targeted," he said.
Mariano noted that Pojas' death came as Randall Echanis, KMP deputy secretary general for external affairs, remained in jail for murder charges, while farmer activists Nilo Arado and Jonas Burgos were still missing. Mariano and other party-list lawmakers are also facing what they consider to be trumped up murder charges.
“We will not stop the struggle for land and genuine agrarian reform because of the continued harassment, killings, arrests and abductions being done against our ranks. We will push on; this is our way of honoring their sacrifices,” Mariano added.
Jerome Aning, Inquirer; Dennis Santos, Inquirer Mindanao
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