MANILA: Members of rights group Karapatan and Organisation of Victims of Enforced Disappearances trooped to the Department of Justice in Manila yesterday to protest the dismissal of charges against current and former police and military officers in the abduction of activist Jonas Burgos.
Lorena Santos, daughter of a desaparecido and secretary general of Families of Desaparecidos for Justice questions why the accomplices can be charged but not the mastermind.
Santos referred to DOJ’s September 3 resolution, clearing military officials, led by Brig Gen Eduardo Año, from the list of respondents to the criminal charges of arbitrary detention, murder and obstruction of justice on disappearance of Burgos.
The resolution, reviewed and penned by Assistant Prosecutor Gerard Gaerlan, and approved by Prosecutor General Claro Arellano, only recommended for the filing of charges against Major Harry Baliaga Jr.
The other respondents dropped from charges are Brig Gen Eduardo Año, Lt Col Melquiades Feliciano, Lt Gen Romeo Tolentino, former Armed Forces chiefs of staff Gen Hermogenes Esperon, Lt Gen Alexander Yano; and ex-PNP chief Avelino Razon Jr.
“It is a shame that after announcing that it will give priority to the Burgos case, the DOJ as the lead department of the Inter-Agency Committee, exonerated the brains of the crime and the covered up for Año’s responsibility and accountability,” Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general, said.
The Philippine Star
