HUMAN rights group Karapatan and militant Anakpawis on Monday used against President Benigno Aquino III his statements against Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and said like the Aquino family, the victims of human rights violations under his administration cannot move on and forgive him without justice.
“It has been reported that the Aquino administration has been critical of Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. who is running for vice president in the 2016 elections, particularly stating that there could be no moving on without justice,” Anakpawis Rep. Fernando Hicap said.
“There is no moving on, without justice being served the victims under all the regimes, from Martial Law of Marcos, Cory Aquino’s total war and low intensity conflict, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Oplan Bantay Laya and Aquino’s Oplan Bayanihan,” said Hicap, in a statement.
Marcos was the only son and namesake of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who ruled the country for decades.
President Aquino, whose late father and namesake Benigno Aquino Jr. was Marcos Sr’s bitter political arch-rival, demanded that the Marcoses issue a public apology for the alleged atrocities committed against Filipinos and his family.
But Hicap also did not spare President Aquino’s late mother and former President Corazon Aquino, whose record could also equal, if not exceed Marcos’.
Corazon Aquino’s reign, just like her son’s, was marred by 135 massacre cases, he said.
Several massacres victimizing lumad in Mindanao had been happening under the present administration, Hicap pointed out.
“It is accurate that there is no moving on without justice for the victims, hence, for the victims of Aquino’s Oplan Bayanihan, he should be immediately held accountable the moment he leaves his post as President,” Hicap said.
Citing Karapatan’s documented cases, Hicap said, under the present Aquino administration, 294 fell victims to extra-judicial killings; 28 were victims of enforced disappearances; 318 of frustrated killing; 3,237 of illegal arrests; 63,824 of forced evacuation; 161,552 of harassment, intimidation and threat; 29,257 of coercion of civilians as guides to military operations; 182,389 of military occupation of civilian establishments and others.
Anakpawis and Karapatan demanded justice for victims of “state fascism” under Aquino and Marcos.
During Marcos’ 14 years of dictatorial rule, Hicap said, Marcos ordered the arbitrary arrest and detention of around 120,000 people; the extra-judicial killings of 1,500 activists; and the enforced disappearance of 769 individuals. Hicap cited the records gathered by the alternative media site Bulatlat.
During the regime of Corazon Aquino, 1,064 were recorded to be victims of extra-judicial killings; 816 of forced disappearances; 1.2 million of forced evacuation due to militarization; 20,523 of illegal arrests and detention, and 135 cases of massacres, Hicap said.
These two feuding families, where Aquino had the belly to use the word “justice,” both have a bloody record against the Filipino people, but they act like they are championing the country’s interest,” Hicap lamented.
Hicap said that the human rights groups would strive to make President Aquino accountable for the atrocities committed by his government against the people once he stepped down from his post.