Rallyists torch Duterte effigy, carry coffins

From the Visayan Daily Star (Dec 11): Rallyists torch Duterte effigy, carry coffins

About 2,000 protesters brought nine “coffins”each with names of the Sagay 9 victims and burned an effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, at the Bacolod City public plaza, yesterday.

Members of the Karapatan Negros, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and their allied groups, marched from the South Capitol Road, while their other contingents came from Lizares Street and converged at the Bacolod.

Among their callswere for justice to be served to the Sagay 9 victims, slain lawyer Benjamin Ramos of the National Union of People’s Lawyers, and all victims of human rights violations.

They said they do not want the Sagay 9 victims, Ramos and other human rights victims to end up as‘statistics’.

Michael dela Concepcion, Bayan secretary general, said yesterday that the situation in the Philippines is far from what the different nations have signed in the UDHR.

“More than a month has passed since the Sagay 9 massacre and the slay of Ramos, but still justice is distant. There is no deeper investigationby the authorities, showing disrespect for human rights,” dela Concepcion said.

The government should uphold human rights, but it is the Duterte administration that violates it, dela Concepcion said.

He said the nine coffins symbolize the nine farmers killed in Sagay, who until now have not attained justice.

Each coffin has the name of the Sagay 9 victims, symbolizing that they were not yet buried because until now they have not been given the justice they deserve. The protesters also reenacted their own version of the Sagay incident during the rally.

Meanwhile the effigy of the president riding on a motorcycle was burned to show their dislike for the crimes perpetuated by riding-in-tandem suspects and the way the administration of Duterte, its military and the police, continue to violate human rights, dela Concepcion said.

“When Duterte sits in the position, the style of killings of extra-judicial killings is riding-in-tandem,” dela Concepcion said.

Clarizza Singson-Dagatan, secretary general of Karapatan Negros, said yesterday that the Duterte Death Squad that the President wanted to activate is also a violation of human rights.

“It is proven in history that ‘riding-in-tandem’ is the number one suspect in the killing of leaders of progressive organizations and the lawyers,” Dagatan said.

Another human rights violation under Duterte regime is placing Negros under a state of emergency through Memorandum Order 32, Dagatan said.

“The Memorandum Order 32 will only result in more human rights violations in Negros island,” dela Concepcion added.

Meanwhile, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, in a statement sent to the media, said that they are “appalled” and called “deplorable” the rights situation in the Philippines, as they commit to be the voice of the millions of victims rendered voiceless and helpless by the state security.

It called on the people to denounce gross human rights violations, to long for lasting peace, and to resume the peace talks at the soonest time.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2018/December/11/topstory2.htm