PATH

Peace Advocates For Truth, Healing & Justice

What is PATH?

Peace Advocates for Truth, Healing & Justice (PATH) was formally organized in 2002, pioneering in its focus on human rights violations by a non-state armed group. Composed of torture survivors, families, relatives and friends of victims missing or executed during the anti-infiltration campaigns within the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) in the 1980s, PATH seeks truth and justice from the CPP-NPA and other Left blocs involved in the anti-infiltration campaigns. PATH believes that all non-state armed groups, including those not from the Left movement, should observe human rights in the conduct of their resistance against the State. Ultimately, PATH holds the State accountable as well for the purges, and for military atrocities during martial law and throughout successive administrations.

Goals & Objectives

PATH's goals and objectives are as follows:

1. Complete the documents of the cases of all victims during the purges and all those involved.

2. Organize a national community of human rights defenders and advocates composed of survivors, families, relatives and friends of victims during the purges.

3. Facilitate the healing of survivors as well as the families, relatives and friends of purge victims.

4. Conduct exhumations so that victims are given due respect and proper burial.

5. Conduct a comprehensive advocacy work. Its main components will be public information and campaign, solidarity-building and lobbying at the local, national and international levels.

6. Deepen and popularize the culture of human rights through artistic and popular education, productions and other cultural endeavors.

7. Come up with case studies of country experiences on the setting up of Truth and Justice Commissions and strive for the creation of a Truth and Justice Commission in the country together with other human rights organizations and individual human rights advocates.

7 Committees

Research & Documentation. Documents stories and produces a database of victims in aid of locating burial sites; conducts research to surface facts and circumstances of the purges; publishes materials as tools for justice campaigns; ensures confidentiality and security of records and files.

Recovery of Victims' Remains. In cooperation with the victims' kin, locates gravesites, retrieves the remains and arranges their proper burial; mobilizes the services of forensic experts and other professionals; initiates dialogues with the victims' families as well as with perpetrators.

Counseling & Therapy. Facilitates healing sessions that address the long-term trauma of surivivors and victims families; mobilizes professionals in the fields of psychology and psychiatry; builds support groups for victims and their families towards eventual closure.

Communications & Popular Education. Develops education programs, including theoretical materials and tools for reflection, that revolve around human rights and respect for human dignity; holds commemoration activities and builds memorials for the victims; develops external communications through publications and mass media.

Legal & Security. Leads in the initiation and pursuance of legal actions for victims; assist in the handling and protection of material evidence in coordination with the RVR Committee; conducts research on the possibilities of a Truth Commission; studies the implications of PATH's work on the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the CPP-NPA-NDF; and ensures lines with established institutions that will help strengthen PATH;

Arts & Culture. Produces musical compositions, literary works, plays, video documentaries, films, and other cultural works from the stories of survivors and victims.

Organizing & Advocacy. Reaches out to survivors and victims' families in different regions and encourages solidarity in their journey towards justice and healing.

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Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Mass grave uncovered in Cebu City village

Cebu Daily News
Last updated 12:56pm (Mla time) 09/12/2006

A suspected mass grave of victims of New People's Army (NPA) atrocities over two decades ago was uncovered in a remote village in Bonbon, Cebu City.

A team of forensic experts from the University of the Philippines led by Professor Jerome Bailen has been in the area since Sunday to exhume the bodies.

They were led into the mass grave by a former NPA member, now 35, who claimed that he was only 12 when he witnessed the alleged murder and mass burial of at least five alleged victims of the NPA.

The four-man forensic panel led by Bailen was tapped by Peace Advocates for Justice, Truth and Healing (Path), a non-government organization, to exhume the bodies of the suspected deep penetration agents (DPAs) who were allegedly killed and buried in Sitio Amaga, Barangay Bonbon.

Bailen is accompanied by Dr. Ben Molino, forensic consultant; lawyer Erwin Serfe, medico-legal officer and Dr. Anastacio Rosete, a forensic dentist.

Gil Navarro, the organization's head, said Monday they were hopeful that they could exhume at least five remains based on the account of a former rebel.

Navarro said it was their second time to exhume remains of suspected DPAs after a successful discovery of a mass grave in Barangay Pamutan, a mountain barangay in Cebu City, in November last year.

On Sunday, Bailen and his team walked for at least three hours from the main road to reach Sitio Amaga. The exhumation of the bodies that were buried hundred meters away from each other could take about three to four days, Bailen said.

He said they hoped to exhume the remains of Luz Aniasco Laguna, a native of Ormoc City, and her husband, Herculano, a labor organizer.

The couple was declared missing in 1985, Bailen said. /Inquirer

posted by PATH @ 9/26/2006 11:46:00 AM