Anti-mining groups condemn killing of Cagayan activist

Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya - Environmental activists and human rights groups have condemned the death of an anti-mining leader in Cagayan who was gunned down on the eve of Election Day. Conrado Buenaflor, an active environmental activist, was shot by a lone unidentified gunman while in front of his residence in Buguey town’s Leron village last May 9, Alyansa Tigil Muna, an anti-mining group, said in a statement. Buenaflor was immediately rushed to the Lyceum Hope Hospital in Aparri and was later transferred to Cagayan Valley Medical Center in Tuguegarao City where he finally succumbed to gunshot wounds last Saturday. The town of Buguey has remained as one of the consistent election hotspots in the country since 2001. The victim was a member of the Citizen Action Unit (CAU) and is the head of Task Force Lapu-Lapu, which monitors shoreline mining and illegal fishing activities in Buguey, Alyansa Tigil Muna (ATM) national coordinator Jaybee Garganera said in the same statement. He is reportedly a close ally of Buguey Mayor Ignacio Taruc, a known anti-mining activist in the province who lost against Senator Juan Ponce Enrile’s son Jack for Cagayan’s first district congressional seat. According to results from the provincial Comelec office, Taruc garnered 40.42 percent of the total votes in the congressional race while Juan Ponce C. Enrile Jr. obtained 56.23 percent votes. “Buenaflor is a known strong supporter of Taruc. His death is the fourth incident in the heat of election season. We denounce his untimely death, which could have been prevented if government law enforcement agencies managed to strictly implement the election gun ban," said Garganera. The anti-mining group also revealed that the fallen activist was a close comrade to slain Task Force Lapu-lapu member Pedrito Tabaco who was gunned down by unidentified men together with his brother-in-law Alfredo Rabit while riding a motorcycle on their way home to Leron village on November 30 last year ATM added that after the brutal killing last March of Taruc’s aide Gensun Agustin, another anti-mining leader in Buguey, they have already issued a statement asking government to “diligently take extra precautions in keeping the peace and order in areas with mining controversies." “The election period is not over. Again, we are calling the attention of the government law enforcement agencies, specially the Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Personnel (CBFSP) to fast track the investigations in these incidents to help the victims of the brutal killings achieve justice the soonest and implement stricter measures to keep the peace and order in Buguey." added Garganera. ATM is an advocacy group composed of more than eighty (80) organizations from mining-affected communities and civil society organizations nationwide convened by HARIBON, Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center-Friends of the Earth Philippines (LRC/FOEI) and Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA). - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV