Philippines
08.09.00
Urgent Interventions
Philippines: 9 year old wounded by army
Case PHL 080900.CC
CHILD CONCERN
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Philippines.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of has been informed by Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), a member of the OMCT network, that a nine year old boy, Anthony Authentico was wounded during an encounter between the New People’s Army (NPA) and the Philippine Army in Purok 3, Brgy. Lumbay, Pilar, Bohol, on August 22nd 2000.
According to the information received, Anthony Authentico, a Grade II student of Lumbay Elementary School, claimed that on the evening of Aug. 21 a group of armed men had asked his father for a place to stay during the night. He added that he did not know the identities of the said men nor the purpose of their visit.
Anthony said that he had slept early since he had to attend his classes on the following day. At about 1:00 a.m., he was awakened by a series of gunfire and a searing pain in his right arm. His father, Marciano, immediately grabbed him and ordered him to lay flat on the floor. Both of them had crawled towards the door and immediately ran towards the bushes. It was then that he noticed that his left leg had started to go numb and it was bleeding profusely. His father brought him to the house of his aunt, Leonila Dompor, for medical treatment. Anthony said that his wounds were treated with kerosene and his leg wrapped with a piece of cloth. He was left there by his father, who decided to hide for fear of being implicated as a member of the said rebel group.
The Dompor household, including their neighbors, were also awakened by the burst of gunfire coming from the house of Marciano Authentico.
On the following day, he was brought to the municipal hall for further treatment. Later, an ambulance from the Simeon Toribio Memorial Hospital came to fetch him. The victim stayed in the said hospital for about ten days. During his stay at the hospital, the members of the 801st Infantry Brigade visited him and told his mother, Bienvinida (who had just arrived from Manila), that they would shoulder his medical bills. Two heavily armed soldiers also guarded the victim everyday.
Anthony added that during the incident, his mother and his three older brothers were in Manila, and only the “machine gunner” was killed during the incident. The “machine gunner” was later identified as Arnold Payot, 20 yrs. old and a resident of Sta. Cruz, Batuan, Bohol. A certain Cpl. Jovito Pilar was also killed during the gun battle while the commanding officer of the 17th Special Forces Company, Lt. Froilan Labrador, was seriously wounded.
It was reported that about fourteen families were forced to evacuate that night for fear of being caught in the crossfire as the soldiers were searching for the suspected rebels. For almost a week the residents in the affected area would only stay in their houses at daytime but would spend the night in the house of their relatives.
On Sept. 1, 2000, the members of the 801st Infantry Brigade had received a letter that the NPA members were planning to rescue Anthony Authentico at the hospital. The soldiers then decided to transfer the victim and his mother to an undisclosed location.
In a press statement, Col. Eusibio Ramos, the commanding officer of the 801st Infantry Battalion claimed that the young boy is a courier of the New People’s Army. Ramos said that they are planning to put Anthony Authentico under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). However, the said allegations were refuted by Marciano Authentico during a press conference in Cebu City. Marciano claimed that he is not an NPA member. He said that the rebels have just ask for a place to stay during the night and his son is not a courier of the rebels.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Philippines urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity Anthony Authentico and all other civilians, especially children, who are affected by operations of the Philippine Army against the New People’s Army in the Province of Bohol.;
ii. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of these events in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
iii. guarantee adequate compensation and rehabilitation to Anthony Authentico;
iv. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
Joseph Estrada, President, Republic of the Philippines, Malacanang Palace, Manila, Philippines, E-mail: erap@ops.gov.ph, Fax: (+63) 2 832 3793.
Secretary Artemio Toquero, Department of Justice, Padre Faura, Manila, Philippines, Fax: (+63) 2 521 16143.
Senator Rene Cayetano, Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, GSIS Bldg., Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Philippines, Fax: (+63) 2 818 7391.
Governor Rene Relampagos, Province of Bohol, Provincial Capitol, CPG Ave., Tagbilaran City, Philippines, E-mail: vgo@bohol-online.com.
Commissioner Aurora Recina, Commission on Human Rights, SAAC Bldg., U.P. Complex, Commonwealth Ave., 1100 Quezon City, Philippines, Fax: (+63) 2 631 6449.
Secretary Orlando Mercado, Department of National Defense, 3/F DND Bldg., Camp Emilio Aguinaldo, EDSA, Quezon City, Philippines
Geneva, September 8, 2000
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
CHILD CONCERN
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Philippines.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of has been informed by Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), a member of the OMCT network, that a nine year old boy, Anthony Authentico was wounded during an encounter between the New People’s Army (NPA) and the Philippine Army in Purok 3, Brgy. Lumbay, Pilar, Bohol, on August 22nd 2000.
According to the information received, Anthony Authentico, a Grade II student of Lumbay Elementary School, claimed that on the evening of Aug. 21 a group of armed men had asked his father for a place to stay during the night. He added that he did not know the identities of the said men nor the purpose of their visit.
Anthony said that he had slept early since he had to attend his classes on the following day. At about 1:00 a.m., he was awakened by a series of gunfire and a searing pain in his right arm. His father, Marciano, immediately grabbed him and ordered him to lay flat on the floor. Both of them had crawled towards the door and immediately ran towards the bushes. It was then that he noticed that his left leg had started to go numb and it was bleeding profusely. His father brought him to the house of his aunt, Leonila Dompor, for medical treatment. Anthony said that his wounds were treated with kerosene and his leg wrapped with a piece of cloth. He was left there by his father, who decided to hide for fear of being implicated as a member of the said rebel group.
The Dompor household, including their neighbors, were also awakened by the burst of gunfire coming from the house of Marciano Authentico.
On the following day, he was brought to the municipal hall for further treatment. Later, an ambulance from the Simeon Toribio Memorial Hospital came to fetch him. The victim stayed in the said hospital for about ten days. During his stay at the hospital, the members of the 801st Infantry Brigade visited him and told his mother, Bienvinida (who had just arrived from Manila), that they would shoulder his medical bills. Two heavily armed soldiers also guarded the victim everyday.
Anthony added that during the incident, his mother and his three older brothers were in Manila, and only the “machine gunner” was killed during the incident. The “machine gunner” was later identified as Arnold Payot, 20 yrs. old and a resident of Sta. Cruz, Batuan, Bohol. A certain Cpl. Jovito Pilar was also killed during the gun battle while the commanding officer of the 17th Special Forces Company, Lt. Froilan Labrador, was seriously wounded.
It was reported that about fourteen families were forced to evacuate that night for fear of being caught in the crossfire as the soldiers were searching for the suspected rebels. For almost a week the residents in the affected area would only stay in their houses at daytime but would spend the night in the house of their relatives.
On Sept. 1, 2000, the members of the 801st Infantry Brigade had received a letter that the NPA members were planning to rescue Anthony Authentico at the hospital. The soldiers then decided to transfer the victim and his mother to an undisclosed location.
In a press statement, Col. Eusibio Ramos, the commanding officer of the 801st Infantry Battalion claimed that the young boy is a courier of the New People’s Army. Ramos said that they are planning to put Anthony Authentico under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). However, the said allegations were refuted by Marciano Authentico during a press conference in Cebu City. Marciano claimed that he is not an NPA member. He said that the rebels have just ask for a place to stay during the night and his son is not a courier of the rebels.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Philippines urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity Anthony Authentico and all other civilians, especially children, who are affected by operations of the Philippine Army against the New People’s Army in the Province of Bohol.;
ii. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of these events in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
iii. guarantee adequate compensation and rehabilitation to Anthony Authentico;
iv. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
Joseph Estrada, President, Republic of the Philippines, Malacanang Palace, Manila, Philippines, E-mail: erap@ops.gov.ph, Fax: (+63) 2 832 3793.
Secretary Artemio Toquero, Department of Justice, Padre Faura, Manila, Philippines, Fax: (+63) 2 521 16143.
Senator Rene Cayetano, Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, GSIS Bldg., Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Philippines, Fax: (+63) 2 818 7391.
Governor Rene Relampagos, Province of Bohol, Provincial Capitol, CPG Ave., Tagbilaran City, Philippines, E-mail: vgo@bohol-online.com.
Commissioner Aurora Recina, Commission on Human Rights, SAAC Bldg., U.P. Complex, Commonwealth Ave., 1100 Quezon City, Philippines, Fax: (+63) 2 631 6449.
Secretary Orlando Mercado, Department of National Defense, 3/F DND Bldg., Camp Emilio Aguinaldo, EDSA, Quezon City, Philippines
Geneva, September 8, 2000
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.