By Ben Padua
On September 17, 2008, James Balao, an activist for indigenous people's rights, was abducted by armed men after leaving his home in Baguio City, Philippines to visit his family in the adjacent town of La Trinidad. Eyewitnesses claimed on seeing Balao in front of a chapel close to the regional police headquarters in La Trinidad. James Balao shouted to witnesses: “Ask them what my crime is!” Two of the abductors reportedly held guns to his body, then threw him inside a van, while another waved a gun at shocked onlookers, shouting, “do not interfere, we are police officers, this man is a drug pusher.”
Is James Balao really a drug pusher? The answer is simply ‘NO.” James Balao is a founding member of the CPA, The Cordillera Peoples Alliance, which is an independent federation of progressive peoples organizations, mostly made up of grassroots-based organizations among indigenous communities in the mountainous region of Cordillera in the Philippines. The CPA is an organization committed in promoting and defending indigenous peoples’ rights, human rights, social justice, and national freedom and democracy.
Since the inception of the CPA in 1984, its leaders who are mainly indigenous and activists, have always opposed to projects that threatens the lives and rights of indigenous people in the region like the World Bank-funded Chico dams project and the commercial logging operations of the Cellophil Resources Corporation. Also during that time, when the Marcos government and its corporate partners pursued destructive projects in the Cordillera region, along with worsening militarization and political repression. There was then a need to strengthen the mass movement of indigenous peoples in the Cordillera to work for the promotion, recognition, and defense of indigenous peoples rights and human rights. Today, that need is being met by the CPA.
Because of such activities, the leaders of CPA, including James Balao, are being subjected to threats and harassments by state security forces who claims to be working under the current government’s anti-insurgency policy. The CPA gave detailed descriptions of the state surveillance and harassment faced by members and the six cases of extrajudicial killings of indigenous rights activists in the last four years. Days before his abduction, James Balao sent an email to relatives detailing the surveillance that he said he has been under and it is the same as that experienced by the victims of extrajudicial killings directly before their deaths.
On October 9, 2008, James Balao’s relatives filed a writ of amparo before the regional trial court in northern Philippines. The writ of amparo compels the authorities to allow Mr. Balao’s relatives and their representatives to inspect military camps and detention centers run by the security forces, including safe houses. On January 19, 2009, three months after the writ was filed, the Regional Trial Court in La Trinidad, Benguet province, ruled that the authorities must disclose the whereabouts of abducted Indigenous people's rights activist James Balao immediately. However, the ruling does not grant permission for his relatives and their representatives to inspect places of detention where he may be held, nor does it compel the authorities to hand over documents relating to his case, or offer protection to those who witnessed his abduction. The fact that the court’s decision did not permit the inspection of places of detention, witness protection or the presentation of state documents on James Balao’s security and whereabouts plus the fact that it took the court three months to rule on the writ of amparo, have denied James Balao the protection that should have been provided for him immediately.
This is simply outrageous! From how authority figures just snatches people from the streets and detaining them without due process and how courts protects its government officials, its all scandalous! We have a government in the Philippines who, despite of its enormous debt to the World Bank, supports its projects at the expense of freedom loving people like James Balao. This is certainly a travesty of justice. The local authorities are certainly hiding something and it must be exposed. Concerned citizens must stay vigilant and do whatever it takes to stop such anomalies committed by governments who claims to be just and fair. But then again, it’s the Philippine government. I am Filipino and I know that the government is a big joke! But that should not stop freedom loving people and just let people like James Balao be treated unjustly. There is a need to demand for James Balao’s immediate release and it must happen now. The following are people we need to make our appeals to and must be informed that they need to act and act NOW!
Chief of Police
Chief Director General Jesus Verzosa
Philippine National Police
Room 301 DND Building, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo,
E. de los Santos Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines
Email: pio@pnp.gov.ph
Salutation: Dear Director General
Chief of Staff (armed forces)
Gen. Alexander B. Yano
Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines
Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo
Quezon City, Philippines
Email: via website: http://www.afp.mil.ph/ghq/csafp/index.htm(follow link on left-hand side to guestbook)
Salutation: Dear General Yano
Important note: If you are sending an appeal through email and the email bounces, please, send to jamesbalao.appeal@gmail.com, with the name of the addressee (e.g. Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno) in the subject line. Your emails will go to AI Philippines, who will print them out and send them by post to the intended recipients.
Send copies to:
COPIES TO:
Hon. Leila De Lima
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., UP Complex
Commonwealth Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Email: drpvq@chr.gov.ph, atty_delima@yahoo.com.ph
and to diplomatic representatives of the Philippines accredited to your country.
