of the Philippines the criminal justice system is - Article 2

wore civilian clothes. The men’s father, Jesus, was talking to
another person near their front door while their mother Ester
was at the kitchen at the time.
One of the perpetrators went to the bedroom and allegedly took
items in the drawers. Raymond, who was sleeping there, was
awakened by the noise. They intruders asked if he was Bestre:
a neighbour. They slapped him and hit him in the abdomen with
a rifle butt, then ordered him to lie down and tied his hands
behind his back. He was dragged out of the house, during which
time he was repeatedly kicked.
The perpetrators took Raymond to the house of his elder
brother, Reynaldo, whose wife Maria Leonora had just arrived
from gathering charcoal. They ordered Reynaldo to kneel down.
When he refused, the alleged perpetrators poked their guns at
him and started kicking him. One of the perpetrators entered
his house and illegally searched for hidden firearms. When they
failed to find any, they took Reynaldo and Raymond with them.
They later went to Bestre’s house, not far from the victims’
houses. They forcibly opened the door and ransacked items
inside.
The victim’s cousin, Celeste, was passing by at the time, on
her way to the house of Jesus and Ester with their grandchildren.
She noticed that the door of the house had been broken and saw
the perpetrators searching inside. When they saw her, the
perpetrators asked her name. She was hesitant to answer them,
but her cousin, Raymond, told her to cooperate with them to avoid
getting into trouble. She and the children were poked with guns
as they talked to the perpetrators. Celeste last saw Raymond
and Reynaldo taken away in a white van with their hands tied
behind their backs.
On February 15, Reynaldo’s wife Maria Leonora together with
other family members abandoned their homes for fear that the
men would return and harm them. They reported the incidents
to the Municipal Hall of Ildefonso and police station Chief Emma
Libunao at the headquarters of the Philippine National Police in
San Ildefonso. Libunao later took them to the detachment of the
24th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army, to meet with its head,
Master Sergeant Rollie Castillo. Castillo told them not to worry,
that they would coordinate with those who took custody of the
Manalo brothers.
Prior to the incident, on February 5, Castillo’s colleague called
for a meeting with residents of Bohol na Mangga. Members of
the Manalo family reportedly failed to participate as they had not
received any notice for the meeting. It is believed that their
failure to attend the meeting may have prompted the alleged
perpetrators to arrest and harass members of the family. Ester’s
uncle, Primitivo Principe, recalled that the faces of some of the
alleged perpetrators were similar to those who called for the
February 5 meeting.
“
”
we strongly
protest all the
killings
—Rev. Dr. P. Mohan
Larbeer, India
article 2 • February 2007 Vol. 6, No. 1 97