VZCZCXRO0321
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHML #3404/01 2270357
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O 150357Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2484
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/CDRUSPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 003404 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PINS PREL RP
SUBJECT: ONGOING GRP EFFORTS ON EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS 
 
REF: A. MANILA 3346 
     ¶B. MANILA 3247 
     ¶C. MANILA 3202 
     ¶D. MANILA 2636 
 
¶1.  Summary.  In response to a deadline from President Arroyo 
to solve at least ten cases of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) 
before October 15, Task Force Usig of the Philippine National 
Police (PNP) held its first monthly "multisectoral meeting" 
with NGO, media, church, and community leaders on August 10, 
and separately briefed Pol/C.  The PNP claimed to have 
"solved" two cases, but there have been at least 11 new 
killings since the formation of TF Usig in May.  There is 
broad agreement on the need for new efforts to improve 
rewards and witness protection procedures, as well as to 
expedite court proceedings, but adequate funding will be a 
problem.  On August 13, the Armed Forces of the Philippines 
(AFP) tied the New People's Army (NPA) to the increased EJKs 
by revealing the contents of the so called "Bushfire" 
documents, which allegedly contain a directive from the 
Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) to the NPA to purge 
its ranks of informants and other "disloyals."   End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Task Force Usig Reaches out to Community Leaders 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2.  As she had indicated to A/S Hill during their July 31 
meeting (ref C), President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo publicly 
set a deadline for the PNP to "solve" at least ten cases of 
extrajudicial killings (EJKs), accompanied by the filing of 
at least ten cases.  Contrary to her initial plans for a one 
month deadline, however, she lengthened this to 10 weeks, 
which will expire on October 15. 
 
¶3.  In order to promote greater cooperation and improve 
effectiveness, the PNP convened the first in what it hopes 
will be monthly "multisectoral meetings" with representatives 
from leftist groups, other NGOs, the media, the clergy, the 
Commission on Human Rights, the Department of Justice (DOJ), 
business groups, and EJK-affected communities on August 10. 
TF Usig Commander (and Deputy PNP Chief for Administration) 
General Avelino "Sonny" Razon, Jr. separately briefed Pol/C 
and poloff at our request on August 10 about this meeting and 
provided an update on TF Usig's activities since his last 
briefing (ref d).  General Razon admitted that the meeting 
with civil society groups was lively, with many suggestions, 
inputs, and criticisms.  He said there was broad consensus 
that the GRP needed to examine ways to improve PNP's meager 
rewards system and DOJ's witness protection program, both of 
which are poorly funded and little utilized.  Responding to 
complaints about delays in the judicial process, a DOJ 
representative assured the group that DOJ would work to 
expedite court cases involving EJKs.  General Razon explained 
that part of TF Usig's goal is to instill a greater sense of 
"civic responsibility" in order to encourage witnesses to 
come forward and testify.  He also promised that the work and 
findings of TF Usig would be transparent and promised "to 
show that our (PNP) records are open." 
 
¶4.  Since the creation of TF Usig, the PNP has "solved" two 
cases involving journalists, and charged the identified 
suspects, according to General Razon.  Razon admitted, 
however, that these slayings appeared to be robbery-related 
rather than actual media-related EJKs.  He predicted that TF 
Usig would solve another two cases within a week.  He added 
that he would be setting targets for regional PNP units on 
numbers of cases to solve within the deadline as well.  He 
noted a preponderance of cases in Central Luzon, the Visayas, 
and parts of Mindanao, which he attributed to a higher 
concentration of New People's Army units in those areas.  He 
explained that TF Usig's crime and information management 
system was drawing up better maps indicating the place and 
time of the occurrence of EJKs so that the PNP could have a 
better handle on how to allocate its resources and set 
priorities to solve. 
 
¶5.  Additional actions that TF Usig has undertaken include: 
--  Planning a new re-registration program for all firearms 
by the end of 2006, under the direction of Secretary of 
Interior and Local Government Puno.  PNP plans to use the 
fees from the re-registration to fund improvements in its 
database of EJKs cases, which is now already available to 
regional police headquarters and should eventually be 
accessible by provincial and local police as well; 
--  Improvements in the database of Warrants of Arrests from 
all courts; 
--  Greater coordination with the National Bureau of 
Investigation and consideration of inter-connectivity of its 
database of cases and suspects. 
 
 
MANILA 00003404  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  General Razon, admitted, however that at least 11 new 
cases of EJKs have taken place since the formation of TF 
Usig, while claiming that legal cases had been filed in five 
of these already.  TF Usig has also continued its 
investigation into earlier cases (as described in ref d) and 
has been able to rule out some of these as EJKs, particularly 
those in which innocent civilians were killed in the course 
of "legitimate" AFP or PNP operations.  The revised TF Usig 
statistics for the 2001-2006 period now show: 
Party List Members: 
-- 107 cases, with 28 so far in 2006; 
-- 35 cases have identified perpetrators or suspects; 20 are 
NPA-related, 15 are AFP or PNP-related; 
-- 27 cases have been filed in court, with arrests in three 
cases and surrenders in two cases, while suspects are still 
at large in 22 others; 
-- 80 cases are still under investigation. 
 
Members of the Media: 
-- 26 cases, with two so far in 2006; 
-- Nine cases have identified perpetrators who are AFP or 
PNP-related; 
-- 21 cases have been filed, with arrests in 10 of these 
cases, and 11 cases under preliminary investigation; 
-- In a May 22 slaying of a radio commentator and former vice 
mayor, one suspect is a police officer whom the PNP dismissed 
one day after charges were filed against him -- he is now in 
custody awaiting trial; 
-- Five cases are still under investigation. 
 
¶7.  General Razon insisted that the PNP would not trump up 
charges or bypass proper procedures in order to meet 
President Arroyo's deadline.  He gave assurances that PNP 
remained committed to justice and to ensuring that TF Usig's 
handling of these cases would "build confidence" in the 
community. 
 
------------------------ 
The "Bushfire" Documents 
------------------------ 
 
¶8.  General Razon confirmed media reports of the existence of 
the "Bushfire" documents, which the Armed Forces of the 
Philippines (AFP) recovered on May 23 after an encounter with 
NPA forces in Tagcawayan, Quezon province.  The documents 
contain apparent orders from the Communist Party of the 
Philippines to the NPA to purge its ranks of would-be 
informants.  He speculated that this would account for some 
of the party list slayings. 
Jones