Kalinga ‘death squad’ out to get IBP chapter president?

BAGUIO CITY — The president of the Kalinga-Apayao chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) fears for his safety with masked men supposedly belonging to a "death squad" out to get him.

On Wednesday night, the gate of the house of IBP chapter president Warren Luyaben was "sprayed" with M-16 bullets apparently to send him a scary message.

"I found nine spent shells of M-16 in the vicinity," said Luyaben, who has been helping victims of alleged human rights abuses. No one, however, was hurt in the attack.

Luyaben tagged a supposed "death squad" behind the incident which, he said, "was aimed at harassing me to keep silent."

Luyaben is the private prosecutor in a multiple murder case filed against Superintendent Pedro Ramos, who was relieved as Kalinga police director, and other police officers by Lanie Gubiangan, who claimed that her husband, Noel, and one Elmer Gallema were tortured and killed by the police last May 29.

Earlier, on March 15, Gubiangan’s brother Amor, a National Bureau of Investigation agent, was gunned down at the gate of the municipal park in Dagupan Centro, Tabuk town, a few meters away from the police station. His family suspected that policemen were involved in the killing.

According to Luyaben, the supposed "death squad" is out to silence him because of the boldness of their IBP chapter in condemning summary executions in Kalinga, including the July 31 ambush on Dr. Constancio Claver Jr., Bayan Muna Kalinga chapter president, his wife, Alice, 42, and their 11-year-old daughter Cassandra.

Claver survived the ambush, but not his wife, Alice, who died from multiple gunshot wounds from M-16 assault rifles several hours after the incident.

Senior Superintendent Marvin Bolabola, of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said he would verify the existence of the "death squad," as Luyaben has alleged.

The Baguio-based Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA), chaired by veteran human rights lawyer Reynaldo Cortes, claimed that there were at least 16 victims of summary executions and seven cases of frustrated murder in Kalinga.

The CHRA said witnesses to the killings and the families of the victims pointed to Ramos as the alleged culprit.

Ramos went on a one-month leave starting Aug. 15 upon orders of the Cordillera police leadership.

Superintendent Joseph Adnol, spokesman of the Cordillera police, said Ramos’ leave was meant to erase doubts on the partiality of the police investigations into the killings, especially with Ramos being implicated in them.

Luyaben said the summary executions could not have been done by ordinary civilians.

"There is a pattern with people in ski masks and bonnets (carrying out) a killing spree," he said.

A rash of alleged summary killings in Kalinga reportedly began when Ramos took over the police command vice Senior Superintendent James Dugao last March 8.

At least 16 civilians were reportedly killed and seven others were wounded in 12 incidents from March 7 to July 31.

Last March 7, Mercy Gonzalo, her husband, Salvador Gonzalo, and son-in-law Charlie Kadater were killed in Barangay Magsaysay, Tabuk town. A certain Albano Lay-og was wounded in the attack.

A week later, on March 14, former Army soldier Alex Noval was killed also in Magsaysay, Tabuk. The next day, NBI agent Gubiangan was slain in Dagupan Centro, Tabuk.

On March 17, one Jimmy Dalire was shot dead while he and his three-year-old daughter were watching television inside their home in Purok 6, Bulanao, Tabuk.

Thirteen days later, Gabriel Lumbican, chairman of Barangay Calanan, and his father were shot dead in Bulanao, Tabuk, a few kilometers from the camp of the Army’s 501st Infantry Brigade and Camp Juan Duyan of the provincial police command.

On April 28, hooded men aboard a van gunned down Noli Siwal and Richard Agustin in Barangay Cawagayan in Pinukpuk, Kalinga.

A month later, on May 29, Noel, brother of slain NBI agent Gubiangan, together with Elmer Gallema, was killed.

On June 8, masked men shot dead Rafael Bangit, Kalinga vice chairman of Bayan Muna, and school principal Gloria Casuga in Echague, Isabela. Bangit’s family believed that his killers had trailed him from Tabuk town.

Twenty days later, farmer Nicolas Dammay was shot in the left arm in his house in Malagnat, Pinukpuk town.

The assailants mistook him for his brother Tomas, a member of the regional council of the peasant group Alyansa dagiti Pesante iti Taeng-Kordilyera, which is affiliated with the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas.

On June 29, Army Sgt. Benito Balutoc was shot dead while his uncle, Paquito Balutoc, was wounded in Barangay Bulanao, Tabuk.

The next day, Orlando and Petrona Awingan were almost killed when their house in Barangay Limos, Pinukpuk town was riddled with bullets.

Minutes before the attack on Luyaben’s house, motorcycle-riding men trailed Tabuk businessman Robel Zerso and his three children after they had left Claver’s house in Appas, Tabuk.

The unidentified men reportedly fired at the Zersos while they were entering their residential compound. No one was hurt though.

Last week, broadcaster Hazel Gup-ay, 36, of the government-run Radyo ng Bayan in Kalinga, said she had been getting threats through text messages, accusing her of being biased in reporting the ambush on the Clavers.

A month ago, Luyaben said ski masked-wearing armed men barged into houses in Sitio Basao in Barangay Dilag, Tabuk in search of firearms

But besides guns, the raiders allegedly also carted away precious Kalinga tribal beads, money and other personal belongings.

Luyaben said the villagers, in their sworn statements, alleged that Ramos was present during the house searches, not wearing a ski mask and videotaping the operation.