Newsbreak: A dozen children shot dead since 2001, under Arroyo watch

Victims of political killings since 2001 include an eight-month old unborn baby whose mother was allegedly killed by Army soldiers who attacked the family home in Mindoro Occidental two years ago. A government report said that Olivia Blanco, the mother of the unborn child, was killed in the attack that was reportedly led by a certain Lt. Danilo Escandor. “Apparently, the pregnant Olivia was about to give birth when [the Army soldiers opened fire at the house]," the report said. “Olivia died instantly with the unborn baby, her husband (Roger), and their children John Kevic Blanco (3 years old) and Dexter Blanco (1 and ½ years old)." At least 12 children, in fact, have been shot dead in insurgency-related incidents since President Arroyo assumed power. Their cases are contained in the report of the government’s Technical Working Group (TWG) that was formed last year to look into the spate of political killings in the country. The group submitted its report to President Arroyo last December 20. The TWG is composed of representatives of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process; the government monitoring committee in the peace talks with the communist National Democratic Front (NDF); the National Police’s Task Force Usig; the Inter-Agency Legal Action Group; and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. According to lawyer Sedfrey Candelaria, head of the government’s monitoring committee in the botched talks with the NDF, the group sought to “clean up" the different lists of incidents of political killings made by different groups. The human rights group Karapatan, for example, have monitored at least 700 political killings since 2001 while Task Force Usig has documented 118. The Amnesty International came up with its own figure—50, while Task Force Detainees of the Philippines had 89. In its report to the President, the TWG said that upon verifying incidents and names, they have put the number of victims of political killings from February 2001 to October 2006 to a total of 240. “The object of the exercise [was] to establish factual, comprehensive, verifiable, consistent and updated benchmark data on incidents of alleged political killings. The data and analysis are intended to assist the government in reading the ‘temperature’ and address the situation on the ground, and provide inputs for an intelligible response to the local and international public regarding allegations against the State." Notable is the report on the child victims. The TWG proposed further investigation into the cases stated below “to determine if they died in a crossfire during military/police operations, massacres, direct assaults/killings, or were child combatants who participated in an encounter." * Mary Joy Jimelo (girl, 9), who was raped and killed by a certain Eduardo Naldo in Naic, Cavite; * Nina Angela Apolinar (girl, 8), who died with her family in a mass killing allegedly perpetrated by members of the Army’s 204th infantry battalion in San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro, on May 20, 2002; * Bernie Ani (boy, 12), who died with his family in a massacre in Camarines Sur on July 29, 2003, allegedly by members of the Army’s 42nd infantry battalion; * Mylene Golloso (boy, 11) and Raymund Golloso (boy, 4), who was killed in a crossfire in Bulan, Sorsogon, allegedly by members of the Army’s 2nd infantry battalion and the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit under the command of Col. Romeo Cabatic; * Joey Santos (boy, 15), who was believed to have been a member of the rebel New People’s Army and killed in Porac, Pampanga, allegedly by troops from the 60th infantry battalion led by Col. Herbert Yambing; * Aldassir Padiwan (boy, 10), who died with his family in a massacre conducted allegedly by the military in Maimbung, Sulu on Jan. 2, 2005; * Dante Salgado (boy, 17), who was abducted and killed allegedly by four members of the Army’s 71st infantry battalion led by a certain Canlas in Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac, on Jan. 31, 2006; * Amante Abelon, Jr. (boy, 5), who died with his family when some armed men (allegedly members of military intelligence) riding a dark-colored Pajero fired at them in Castillejos, Zambales on March 20, 2006; * Wilmer Masimid (boy, 3), whose death was due to the deliberate killing of a non-combatant during operations led allegedly by 2nd Lt. Michael Aquino and 2nd Lt. Ericson Bulosan of the Army and police officer Rolando de Jesus in Baganga, Davao Oriental, April 25, 2003. For their conclusions and recommendations, the TWG raised the following issues, among others: 1. Does the frequency and volume of killings in Central Luzon have something to do with the operational strength of the Communist Party of the Philippines in the area? Or do they follow the areas of military and police operations? 2. What is it about the National Capital Region that there have been practically been no killings in the area during the six-year period under review? 3. Did the tapering of incidents during the June-July period follow a timeframe or timeline? If so, for what, and by whom? 4. A number of killings of members of the Communist Party and militant groups appear to be attributable to their peers and members in the movement. What is happening inside the movement? - Newsbreak