The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) together with the relatives of peasant victims of human rights violations in Mindoro and Hacienda Luisita, trooped to the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) office on the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) to pressure the government to act on it. 

According to Ka Willy Marbella, internal deputy secretary general of KMP, “tomorrow will be the first anniversary of the establishment of the JMC and also exactly one year since our filing of cases concerning the deaths of Ka Eddie Gumanoy and Ka Eden Marcellana, as well as that of Isias “Jun” Manano, but up till now nothing has been done. Why is not the JMC-GRP side doing its job?” 

“It seems that the GRP-side of the JMC is more of a white elephant structure, rather than one that is performing its mandate. It is more like a body formed just to appease the victims of human rights violations and to say that the GRP has done something for the peace talks, but as it is, it is sitting on the cases. No wonder that the peace negotiations always gets stalled, the government does not implement the agreements,” added the peasant leader

On the other hand, Ka Orly Marcellana, secretary general of Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (KASAMA-TK), “what we are seeing here is a negligence of justice, which is very abhorring. What type of government is this that sets up an essentially human rights monitoring body only for ‘pogi points’ and neglects the sorrows and hardships of the victims and their relatives?”

“It is this scenario that shows the regime is only interested in looking good, but does not understand that to look good you have to constantly do good things. It should stop peddling false hope of justice for the victims and their relatives, because it will only cause more pain and suffering for us,” ended Marcellana. # # #
 

KMP - 3 June 2005