Arroyo's killing spree in Mindanao, sufficient ground for impeachment

Being the mastermind of human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and political imprisonment in Mindanao, and abusing her position as Commander-in-Chief of the Philippine Army for the commitment of these crimes, are more than sufficient grounds for the impeachment of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan of the Gabriela Women's Party during the House Committee on Justice hearing on the fourth impeachment complaint against Mrs. Arroyo, said that the 238 recorded cases of extrajudicial killings, 47 enforced disappearances and 30 political imprisonment in Mindanao since 2001 constitute the worst type of betrayal of public trust by a public official and are a culpable violation of the Constitution.

Among the 238 EJKs is the case of Angie Ipong who was arrested and detained by the military in 2005. The 56-year-old peace advocate had been subjected to torture and sexual abuse to force her to confess her alleged involvement with the New People's Army.

Ipong was a victim of the counterinsurgency campaign Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL) spearheaded by Ret. Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr. The OBL aims to silence Mrs. Arroyo's critics consisting mostly of members and leaders of legitimate progressive mass and party-list organizations. Other notable victims include Renato Pacaide, Anakpawis Regional Coordinator killed on March 2007, and Celso Pojas, Spokesperson of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas-Davao Oriental killed only this May.

OBL similarly targets innocent civilians: farmers, fisherfolks, journalists, doctors and lawyers. Among them was nine-year-old Grecil Buya, who was grossly tagged as “child soldier” after she was slain by elements of the military in Compostela Valley.

According to Ilagan, the Arroyo government ignored the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajucidial Killings Philip Alston's report and recommendation during his 2006 investigation in the Philippines. Instead, Mrs. Arroyo intensified her attacks on human rights. Shichi Bustamante-Gandinao, a witness to the military atrocities who testified during the Alston investigation was killed by confirmed elements of Philippine Army in Davao.

Mrs. Arroyo likewise ignored the findings of the state-initiated investigation of the Melo Commission which implicated Gen. Palparan and instead, seemingly to insult the Filipino people, promoted the “Butcher” three times and personally praised his “talent” in “neutralizing enemies of the state” during her 2006 State of the Nation Address.

To thwart legitimate ways for the redress of people's grievances, especially when calls for her impeachment intensified after witnesses and evidence proving her involvement in electoral fraud, graft and corruption, and bribery, began showing up, Mrs. Arroyo issued the Calibrated Preemptive Response and Proclamation Proclamation 1017 which paved the way for the illegal arrest and detention of the late Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran and Randy David, among many others. These two proclamations have been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

To prevent more evidence that will aggravate the cases filed against her, she issued Executive Order 464 barring her officials from attending any Congressional inquiry without her permission.

“The continuing pattern and mounting cases of human rights and Constitutional violations are inevitable with Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as president. Unless we want another Angie Ipong, Grecil Buya or Sichi Gandinao, we should immediately push for her impeachment,” Ilagan said.