v11n0203

Siche was one of the witnesses in the murder case of her fatherin-law,
Tatay Daki gandinao, who was shot dead on 8 February
2007. She testified about the killing of her father to the former
un Special Rapporteur Philip Alston during his 10-day country
visit to the Philippines in February 2007 to investigate the killings.
Story 88: Alleged illegal arrest and torture of a farmer
in Quezon
Victim: Fernando Tawagon, of Barangay Biga, Gumaca, Quezon
Alleged perpetrators: Members of 76th IB in Barangay Villa
Principe, Gumaca, Quezon
Date of incident: 4 April 2006
Place where detained: Quezon Provincial Jail
AHRC-UA-064-2007
At 10am on 4 April 2006, 12 soldiers came to the house of
Fernando Tawagon in Barangay Biga, gumaca, Quezon. he was
with his friend Leody Andal and cousin Eduardo. Tagawon was
arranging a cart while the soldiers asked him and his friends
question about the presence of the nPA in the area.
At 1:30pm, Tawagon came back from collecting coconuts at
the farm. The soldiers came back again and asked him whether
he saw a compass they had lost; a soldier later told him that
the compass was found. Tawagon then left the house for work.
however, he noticed the same group of soldiers was trailing him
after he left the house; they also shouted at him to keep on walking
towards the woods.
Tawagon finally got close to an area where another group
of soldiers were waiting. The soldiers ordered him to stop and
asked him if he had seen nPA rebels. when he told them he knew
nothing about the presence of nPA, the soldiers accused him
of covering up the nPA. After he was interrogated, the soldiers
restrained him from leaving. At 5pm, another group of soldiers
arrived. One of them suddenly pointed his gun at Tawagon and
punched and kicked him over different parts of his body. Three
other soldiers joined in assaulting him. They tied his wrists behind
his back with a rope and blindfolded him with a worn out sock
and handkerchief. he was then allegedly taken to the soldiers’
camp in Barangay Villa Principe, gumaca.
On April 6, Tawagon was remanded to the BJmP in gumaca,
Quezon, where he was tortured further. he was blindfolded, his
wrists were tied behind his back and his head covered with cloth.
he pleaded from his captors to remove the rope on his wrists, but
a police officer instead threw a handcuff at him and beat him.
when Tawagon was at the camp of the soldiers, they
interrogated him in a small cottage with little ventilation with his
hands tied behind his back. During his four months of detention
in the soldiers’ camp, he was denied sleep and deprived of food
and medicines. Days before he was brought to the RTC Branch
article 2 � June-Sept 2012 Vol. 11, No. 2-3
Tawagon was
brought to the
RTC Branch 61 in
Gumaca, Quezon.
He was allegedly
forced to sign on a
blank piece of paper
supposedly to be
used to clear his
records as an NPA
member.
“
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