Tinig ng Migrante: AN OPEN LETTER | To His Excellency Benigno Simeon Aquino III

Belarmino Dabalos Saguing
Rome, Italy September 13,2014

September 12, 2014

RE: Justice for the Killing of Engr. DELLE SALVADOR, a people’s engineer, a community development worker and a woman of courage

Dear President Aquino III,

The Canada-Philippines Solidarity for Human Rights (CPSHR), joins the Filipino human rights defenders, environmental advocates, people’s organizations, and international rights groups in strongly denouncing the killing of Engr. Fidella “Delle” Salvador, a people’s engineer, a community development worker and a woman of courage.

She was killed by soldiers of the 41^st Infantry Battalion in Lacub, Abra in a pursuit operation against the New People’s Army on September 5, 2014. Engr. Salvador was on a project monitoring trip in the locality as part of her work as an independent consultant of the Cordillera Disaster Response and Development Services, when the incident happened.

We send our deepest condolences to her family and the communities and people she worked with. We give our highest salute to Engr. Salvador, committed, selfless and empowering woman.

We note, that the killing Engr. Salvador is the latest extra-judicial killing perpetrated against an environmental advocate, specially a disaster responder. A total of seventy-seven (77) environmental advocates have been killed since 2001, of which thirty-nine (39) killings occurred under your administration.

CPSHR demands justice for Engr. Salvador and other victims of extrajudicial killings , those who have experience enforced disappearances, illegal detention for their principled stand against systemic oppression through repressive State policies such as Oplan Bayanihan. We take into account that to this day, the perpetrators of these human rights abuses remain free and no one has been prosecuted, not even Ret. General Jovito Palparan, known as “The Butcher” for his ruthless architect of political killings.

Finally Mr. President, we urge your government to resume the Peace Talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF) to earnestly address the root causes of armed conflict in issues affecting the majority of the Filipino people: landlessness, poverty and hunger, environmental destruction, human rights violations to name a few. It is only through addressing these basic issues that are affecting the majority of the population, you call your “bosses,” could a nation achieve a just and lasting peace.

Thank you and we hope for your immediate attention and action on this case.

Respectfully yours,

The Canada-Philippines Solidarity for Human Rights (CPSHR)

H.E. Benigno C. Aquino III

President of the Republic

Malacañang Palace,

JP Laurel St., San Miguel

Manila Philippines

Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80

Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968

E-mail: op@president.gov.ph

Sec. Teresita Quintos-Deles