Missing farmers’s kin seek redress at the Supreme Court
By Ed Sestoso
The relatives of the two still missing farmers in one of the hinterland province of Negros Oriental is seeking the redress of their grievances against the military forces at the Supreme Court.
This was confirmed by Vimarie Arcilla of the regional office of the KARAPATAN Human Rights Alliance based in Cebu City .
The move of the relatives of the missing farmers came days after the Cebu based Court of Appeals denied the twin petitions for a Writ of Amparo filed by the relatives of the missing farmers who were allegedly abducted early this year by the military alleging that they were members of the underground New People’s Army.
Earlier this month, both Rosalia Yanoc and Carmen Arante appeared before the Court of Appeals to urge the higher court to help them produce the living bodies of their relative missing farmers.
Tagged in the charge sheet includes 61st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, to produce the living bodies of Reynold Yanoc, the son of Rosalia Yanoc, and Flaviano Arante, husband of Carmen.
Earlier, Yanoc claimed 61st IB soldiers took his son in December 7, 2007 from Sitio Avocado, Barangay Talalak in Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental, under suspicion that he is a member of the New People’s Army.
Carmen Arante is also asking them to produce the living body of her husband, Flaviano Arante, who, she claimed, was abducted by Army soldiers from their residence in Nagbinlod, Sta. Catalina on January 25, 2008 .
Earlier, the petitions filed in Cebu City, with the aid of the militant group KARAPATAN Human Rights Alliance in Central Visayas, named as respondents President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, being the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces; chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon; Lt Gen Victor Brado, commanding officer of the AFP Central Command; Lt Col Romeo Basco, 61st IB commanding officer; 2Lt Pututan of the Bravo Coy 61stIB, 1Lt Rodrigo Jimena and army regulars Jake Dequit and Santos.
Before the arrival of the 79th IB in Negros Oriental, the 61st IB's area of operations covered most parts of the province.
Both Yanoc and Arante express their dismay over the decision of the Court of Appeals and said that they will continue their quest for justice until they had in their possession the living bodies of their missing relatives.
Vimarie Arcilla on the other hand explained that they have not yet received a copy of the CA decision, but surely she said that they will seek a reconsideration of the case at the Supreme Court after the relatives insisted that the missing farmers are still in the custody of the military forces.
Arcilla added that once they will got their own official copy of the CA resolution their lawyers Rex Fernandez, Noemi Truya and Alfonso Sinco IV will file their reconsideration motion.
The human rights alliance and the lawyers are in one in saying that in dismissing the complaint, the CA have not full understood the flight of the farmers and have not considered the area from where they come from.
Arcilla said the proof or evidence is very much strong contrary to the claims of the Court of Appeals and on the so called delay in transmitting the complaint, she said the justices should have considered the distance and the poverty situation of the relatives of the missing farmers before it reaches to assisting groups or agencies.
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Sat May 10, 2008 2:44 am