Save Ma. Luisa Posa-Dominado, Nilo Arado, and other victims of political repression and extrajudicial killings

Below is the account of the most recent cased of political repression in the country. Attached is the statement of May Wan and Tamara Dominado, the daughters of Ma. Luisa Posa-Dominado on the forcible disappearance of their mother.

I have known, Ma. Luisa or Luing during the Marcos dictatorship period when we were both imprisoned in Iloilo in July 1973 and then transferred to Cebu and finally to Ipil Detention Center. She was I think only 18 years old at that time but was already committed to the struggle to end the dictatorship and to fight for a better life for the majority of our people.

She was imprisoned several times after being released in 1974, the last time I think during the Aquino administration. I remember seeing a poster of her and her daughter May Wan, who was only a young girl at that time asking for her release. May Wan is now a law graduate and was supposed to start her bar review classes at the UP Law Center this summer when her mother was abducted. She won't be able to review this summer as she and her daughter join other relatives of victims of human rights violation in the country in seeking justice for their loved ones.

Luing has been in the forefront of organizing former political detainees in Iloilo and Panay through SELDA and has been one of those who successfully lobbied the city government to have a memorial containing the names of those who were killed or have disappeared during the martial law years erected in one of Iloilo City's plazas.

It is with heavy heart that I learned of her abduction together with Nilo Arado of Anak Pawis Panay and the attempted murder of Liboy Garachico of KARAPATAN last April 12. Luing , Nilo and Liboy who survived the long dark years of the Marcos dictatorship are the latest victims of the present administration Oplan Bantay Laya policy.

The Macapagal-Arroyo regime continues to trample on people's rights in spite of widespread local and international condemnation of the extrajudicial killings and forceable disappearance of activists in the country. Her public commendation in her 2006 State of the Nation Address of Former General Jovito Palparan who has been implicated in many cases of political killings and disappearances in Mindoro, Samar, Leyte, Bulacan and Pampanga gave official blessings to the military to continue with the extermination of activists, personalities and citizens considered "enemies of the state".

I join May Wan and Tamara Dominado and the relatives of Nilo Arado in their appeal to surface Ma. Luisa Posa-Dominado and Nilo Arado. Please write letters to the following calling on the release of Luing and Nilo.

H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic
Malacanang Palace,
JP Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila Philippines
Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80
Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968
Cell#: (+ 63) 919 898 4622 / (+63) 917 839 8462
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph, opnet@ops.gov.ph

Sec. Jesus D. Dureza
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
*Office of the Peace Process
7th Floor Agustin Building I
Emerald Avenue
Pasig City 1605
Voice: +63 (2) 636 0701 to 066
Mobile:
Fax: +63 (2) 635 9579
Email: osec@opapp.gov.ph

Gen. Hermogenes Ebdane, (Ret.)
Secretary, Department of National Defense
Room 301 DND Building, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo,
E. de los Santos Avenue
Quezon City
Voice: +63(2) 911-9281 / 911-0488
Fax: +63(2) 911 6213
Email: osnd@philonline.com

Sec. Raul M. Gonzalez
Secretary of Justice
Padre Faura Street, Manila
Direct Line 521-8344; 5213721
Trunkline 523-84-81 loc.214
Telefax 521-1614
Email: sad@doj.gov.ph
or log on to http://www.doj.gov.ph/contact.html

Hon. Purificacion V. Quisumbing
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., UP Complex
Commonwealth Avenue
Dilim Quezon City
Philippines
Fax: (+632) 929 0102
Email: drpvq@chr.gov.ph

Thank you.

Prof. Judy M. Taguiwalo
Former Political Prisoner
Associate Professor
College of Social Work and Community Development
University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
Philippines


At around 9:30 PM, April 12, 2007, Ma. Luisa Posa-Dominado of SELDA-Panay, Jose Ely "Liboy" Garachico of KARAPATAN, and Nilo Arado of BAYAN-Panay and ANAKPAWIS were on their way to Iloilo City from Antique when they were ambushed at Brgy. Cabanbanan, Oton, Iloilo, hlippines. Their vehicle, a Mitsubishi L200 pick-up, was overtaken by two vans. Two armed men got off from one of the vans, shot the driver, Liboy Garachico, who was then grabbed and thrown to the street. Witnesses saw that an unconscious Nilo Arado was carried off to an L300 van while a resisting Ma. Luisa Posa-Dominado was dragged to a Starex van. One of the suspects then took the victims' vehicle and sped off to an unknown destination along with the two other vans.

The witnesses immediately rushed to the wounded Liboy Garachico and brought him to Iloilo Doctor's Hospital. At around 4 AM of the next day, the victims' burned vehicle was found at Brgy. Guadalupe, Janiuay, Iloilo.

At the moment, both Ma. Luisa Posa-Dominado and Nilo Arado are still missing and Garachico is still in the ICU.

The Posa Family condemns this brutal act. We hope that our relatives, friends and the sympathetic public will persistently support our call for the release of Ma.Luisa Posa-Dominado and Nilo Arado and pressure their abductors to bring them back alive and unharmed. We pray for the complete recovery of Liboy Garachico. We demand that the perpetrators be brought into the open to face the full force of the law.

Let us fight to stop all political repression and extrajudicial killings!

Join the SAVE MA. LUISA POSA-DOMINADO AND NILO ARADO MOVEMENT!

Related link: http://www.freewebs.com/saveluisaandnilomovement