NCCP calls for State’s accountability on James Balao’s disappearance

BAGUIO CITY- “Let us continue to search for James and the other disappeared. To search for them is to search for justice and peace. To continue searching is keeping alive the hope that we in the Philippines deserve better from those who lead in government. It is a struggle to make that hope a reality. A way is to call our leaders on their accountability”, National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) Secretary General Fr Rex Reyes Sr relayed on September 17 marking the day activist James Balao was abducted a year ago.

James Balao, 47, writer, social activist, and Indigenous Peoples rights advocate, had been missing for a year now. He is strongly believed to have been abducted on Sept 17 by elements of the Military Intelligence Group and Intelligence Service Unit of Region 1, in La Trinidad, Benguet.

Reyes said, “The list of victims of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances which gets longer to this day is a testament to a government whose concept of national security is the elimination of principled dissent”.

Victims have cut across Philippine society – teachers, lawyers, media people, local civil servants, farmers, workers, students, indigenous people, members of civil society and people’s organizations and clergy and other church workers – all unarmed civilians, the NCCP head said.

Among other enforced disappearances are activists Romy Sanchez who disappeared in 9 March, Pepe Manegdeg in 29 November and Albert Terradano in 30 November, all in 2005 also believed to be abducted by elements of the government’s military forces. They are all young men full of dreams for the upliftment of justice and human rights, choosing a path not many would like to tread.

Very recently, 26-year-old Noriel Rodriguez was reportedly abducted by suspected military agents in Gonzaga town, Cagayan province, last week. Noriel is affiliated with the militant Akbayan which does medical missions, literacy classes and peasant
organizing.

Noriel is the 15th Anakbayan member who had either been abducted or killed
under the Arroyo administration, reports say. Among others were University of the
Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño, missing since 2006.

The government’s Oplan Bantay Laya remains to provide the legal framework in this continuing political repression. “As long as the OBL exists, there will be continuing harassment and impunity against advocates of human rights and civil liberties”, Reyes added.

During the observance program held here in the city, the NCCP head also took the opportunity to thank the Baguio City government for the support in the campaign to surface James and for making this occasion a part of the wider city centennial celebration; and the other local governments in Benguet, Ifugao and Mountain Province for showing the same kind of support in the call for surfacing Balao.