Indigenous leader arrested after presscon on campaign vs pork barrel
Human rights advocates cried foul over the arrest of Genasque Enriquez, an indigenous Manobo leader and activist, in Surigao City after attending a press conference calling on people’s support for a people’s initiative to abolish the pork barrel system. Three counts of frustrated murder have been filed against him by the Philippine Army, according to […]
Human rights advocates cried foul over the arrest of Genasque Enriquez, an indigenous Manobo leader and activist, in Surigao City after attending a press conference calling on people’s support for a people’s initiative to abolish the pork barrel system.
Three counts of frustrated murder have been filed against him by the Philippine Army, according to human rights group Karapatan in Caraga.
“Enriquez was about to leave Dale’s Food House in Rizal St., Surigao City when members of the Philippine National Police in Surigao City, (as well as members of the) 30th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army and the Crime Investigation and Detection Group arrested him,” said the group, in a statement.
Enriquez, who is secretary-general of the indigenous people’s group Kahugpongan sa Lumadnong Organisasyon (Kasalo) in Caraga region, was part of the Abolish Pork Movement in Surigao City that was set to travel to Cebu City for a People’s Congress today where a people’s initiative bill will be formulated.
“He has been a victim of intimidation and harassment committed by elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines operating in Caraga. He has been among those in the forefront to demand the respect of human rights of the indigenous people (IP), expose human rights violations committed by operating troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines against the indigenous people and communities and protesting against the destruction of ancestral lands by large scale mining operations and plantations,” stated Karapatan-Caraga.
The group said that Enriquez has faced countless harassment by military officials and spokespersons .
The indigenous people’s group that he headed has likewise been accused of being a “front organization” for communist insurgents because, according to Karapatan-Caraga, of its “staunch support for grassroots IP organizations,its anti-largescale mining campaign and human rights work.”
Enriquez was previously accused by military of participating in New People’s Army offensives, but the charges were later dismissed by the Office of the Prosecutor and Department of Justice after further investigation.
“As his experience in the previous case he faced, he has not received any notice of complaints filed against him from the Surigao del Sur Prosecutor’s Office, thus depriving him of his right to respond to the complaint as per due process. They failed to inform him of the current cases that were the basis of the alias warrant that was served to him during his arrest,” Karapatan-Caraga added.
The human rights group believes the charges against Enriquez are “trumped up” and called on the Aquino government to immediately release the indigenous leader and drop all charges against him.
