of the Philippines the criminal justice system is - Article 2

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VICTIM: Nestor Arinque
INCIDENT: Killing
ALLEGED PERPETRATORS:
Two unidentified gunmen
DATE: 7 March 2006
AHRC UA-101-2006
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VICTIMS:
1. Arturo Caloza (killed)
2. Geronimo Pablo
(wounded)
3. Ursula Tabelin (wounded)
INCIDENT: Killing
ALLEGED PERPETRATOR:
Unidentified gunman
DATE: 4 March 2006
AHRC UA-099-2006
Half an hour later, Arinque met his friend Jorge Tutor, who
asked Arinque to take him home. On the way, his motorcycle’s
chain malfunctioned and they had to stop at Purok 1. Arinque
was fixing the chain when two gunmen riding on a motorcycle
stopped and one of them fired at him with a .45-calibre pistol.
Arinque died on the spot.
Prior to the incident, on March 2, at around 11am, military
men and Cafgu members attached to the 15th Infantry Battalion,
Philippine Army stationed in Sitio Mahayag, Barangay San Roque,
were seen in front of Arinque’s house. When Arinque asked them
why they were there, they told they were just roaming around.
Some of the men were known to Arinque.
Arinque had been ‘invited’ by the military to appear before
their detachment in Sitio Mahayag, but he had repeatedly
refused. He had also refused to heed their warnings against
working for peasants’ rights and as a result was allegedly included
in their Order of Battle lists.
Arturo Caloza: Killed at a funeral
At around 9pm on 4 March 2006, Arturo Caloza (28), a member
of the Bayan Muna (People First) party, told his wife Julita that
he was going to the wake of a neighbor. Before leaving, he told
her to close the door and that he would be back soon. He went to
the wake together with his father-in-law Clemente Somera and
uncle, Dionisio Caloza.
After arriving they sat at a table to play cards. About 10:30pm,
a man suddenly approached and shot Caloza, who fell to the ground
from his chair. When he tried to look up at the gunman, he was
shot again; this time in his chest. Stray bullets hit two persons,
Ursula Tabelin (65) and Geronimo Pablo (45).
Everyone fled the crime scene and no one dared to go back or
take Caloza to hospital until almost two hours later, when Luis
Cariaga, a villager, took him to the Heart of Jesus Hospital at
Malasin, San Jose City. Caloza was dead on arrival.
Although a unit of soldiers was stationed just 60 metres from
the crime scene, they reportedly did not respond to the gunfire
or attempt to pursue the attacker. They also did nothing for the
victims of the shooting.
Prior to the incident, on January 21 and 30, soldiers attached
to the 48th and 70th Infantry Battalions, Philippine Army,
reportedly conducted surveys of Barangay Villa Marina. On
January 23, they converted the Barangay Hall into a military
detachment. The villagers were not properly notified regarding
the purpose of their stay and how long they would be stationed in
the area. The soldiers also had been conducting interviews among
the villagers. When they interviewed the victim’s wife Julita prior
to her husband’s killing they reportedly accused her husband of
being a communist rebel.
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article 2 • February 2007 Vol. 6, No. 1