Rights group files first grave coercion plaint vs govt spook

By CONG B. CORRALES
Associate Editor

ORGANIZED progressive lawyers, paralegals, church people, and human rights advocates yesterday filed criminal charges against the intelligence operative who disrupted the Barug Katungod Mindanao conference here early last month.

The group said the complaint is just the first in a series of charges the group would lodge against local police intelligence operative Rolando Gomonit.

Iglesia Filipina Indipendiente Pagadian Diocese Bishop Antonio Ablon said this was the reason why it took some time before they could press charges because the delegates come from different parts of island.

Barug Katungod Mindanao, Ablon said, decided after the incident not to file a class suit against the state spy but opted instead of filing their complaints separately by area grouping of the conference delegates.

Ablon said he, along with their members coming from the cities of Pagadian and Oroquieta, filed illegal possession of firearm, grave threat, and grave coercion charges against Gomonit at the office of city prosecutor Fidel Macauyag at 10 am yesterday.

“Tanan nga delegado nga na apektahan sa gibuhat ni Gomonit sa conference mupasaka og kaso batok niya. Labi na kadtong atong mga kaigsuonang lumad gikan sa Davao ug Bukidnon nga nangahadlok pagkahibal-an nga armado diay siya didto sa among conference,” said Ablon.

Delegates from the cities of Ozamiz and Davao, and Bukidnon would also file their complaints against Gomonit tomorrow, Ablon added.

He said the members of the Union of People’s Lawyers in Mindanao will be representing their group in court.

In Sept. 11, Gomonit allegedly spied on Barug Katungod Mindanao’s launching conference at Masspec Building here. The conference secretariat said they witnessed Gomonit skulking outside the conference room. Gomonit, who later admitted to spying the group, allegedly took pictures and harassed the indigenes from Bukidnon. Gomonit even tried to invite himself to the conference by registering as “Rey Tauhan” and introduced himself as a member of the tribal group, Kalumbay.

None of the lumads present in the conference, however, knew of Gomonit when the secretariat checked.

Gomonit has threatened to sue Ablon and the other delegates who allegedly manhandled him at the conference. He said Ablon and the others got in the way of his intelligence gathering work during the conference. After he was accosted by the police, Gomonit admitted to reporters that he was at the event to spy on the group in connection with the 40th anniversary of the declaration of martial law.

Barug Katungod Mindanao is a conference of human rights defenders across Mindanao. Among its roster of members include Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, IFI Bishop Felixberto Calang, and human rights advocate Beverly Selim-Musni.

“Isip member sa Barug Katungod Mindanao dili kita makatugot nga ang atong katungod mismo ang yatakan sa mga tao nga mao unta ang gibayaran sa gobyerno aron nga protektahan kita sama sa mga police. Busa wala kita magduha-duha sa pagpasaka og kaso batok kang Gomonit,” said Ablon.