Goons, guns and the death of Rogelio Estudillo

A petition has been set up in support of Romy Tiongco, a former Christian Aid worker in the North-West of England and mayoral candidate for Damulog in the Philippines whose campaign manager has been murdered.

It is feared that the police will not properly investigate this crime unless the international community is aware. Please read the letter below, sign the petition and spread the word.

Dear Friends and Advocates for True Democracy,
I suppose one can call me a reluctant politician. It was not my ambition to become Mayor when I was appointed during the ‘revolutionary year’ under Cory Aquino. I wasn’t even in the Philippines when the decision was made.
When I returned last October, just like all the other previous visits, I went through the same drama of questions and answers. People asked me if I would run and I responded that I had no intention of doing so. But this time there was urgency in their pleas. The May 2007 elections were coming. They knew that I regained my Filipino citizenship and I was back in the country for good. I told them that my family was still in the UK so I would have to spend some time there. I also had work commitments in Sri Lanka. But Damulog was my residence, my home.
A group of about ten people were in the process of organising an ‘opposition’ party. They had no intention of supporting other candidates for the Governorship and the 3rd District Representative for the House of Congress. They were committed to support the Zubiris. But they were decided to launch a challenge against the local official candidate of the Administration. They even had three alternative line-ups for Mayor and Vice-Mayor. I also knew friends who thought of running for the Mayorship post as a protest candidacy, if no-one else stood up against the incumbent Mayor. They were desperate to find a candidate who would stand up against the present Mayor.
Rowing asked the others if he could invite me to one of their meetings. They agreed. I listened to their plans and volunteered to make one last appeal to their first alternative candidate. And then it happened. One of them turned around to me and asked, ‘Kuya (an address to an older brother), why don’t you run?’ I was stunned. I was gob-smacked. I was speechless. Finally, I repeated again that it was not my plan to get involved in the May elections. I had other things to do both local and international. But I admitted that since 1989, I would sometimes asked myself what would have happened to Damulog if I had decided to run as Mayor immediately after my term under the revolutionary government. ‘What if; what if; what if?’ I seemed to have arrived at a point in my life when I no longer wanted to run away from politics because I did want to end up with regrets in the future. May be I should give it a try. I requested for time to talk with other people, asked for their advice and then I would make a decision.
All the ‘little’ people of the Damulog wanted me to run. Some even said that their prayers had been finally answered. But I got no support from the ‘powerful ones’. Rowing and I talked for a long time about the options. I also talked with other friends. Then I finally decided to run for Mayor in the May elections. But I turned the table around. They were no longer inviting me. I was inviting them to join me. I had made the fight my own. But I also told them that though I had made up my mind, I needed to talk with my family.
We needed ten people to complete the line-up: Mayor, Vice-Mayor and eight candidates for the Municipal Council. We only had the firm commitment of three persons. Rowing did most of the leg work of talking and arguing with possible candidates in our line-up. He was doing most of the strategizing, thinking and talking. On 4 January we exchanged text messages and talked over the mobile phone a couple of times. I said that the line-up should be completed by 13 January. He said that nine people were already committed to join our team. He had a few options on who would fill up the one remaining slot. He was confident that when I got back to Damulog on the 13th, everyone would be there. It would be our first meeting with a complete line-up of candidates.
At 7.30 that evening of the 4th, I received several calls and text messages that Rowing was dead. He told me that he had heard of threats. A sample would be made so that the ‘opposition would be scared and tremble’ and ‘Tiongco would just end up on the staircase of his house’. But he dismissed them as ‘psy-war’ (psychological warfare). Since the death of Rowing, four colleagues have reported armed men going around their houses at night. Three men in a taxi cab looked for me the day after the media interviewed me. Since the evening of Rowing’s funeral, the incumbent Mayor has surrounded himself with men armed with automatic rifles.

We were all scared. From nine our line-up went down to five. One was dead. Two backed out. One was away and we couldn’t get hold of him.

But I am so glad that we have more than enough people who are resisting their fears from overcoming them. Our political ticket is now complete. Ironically, Rowing’s death made us squarely face the challenges before us. We have no illusions about the threat of violence that we may encounter. But we are determined to stop the politics of Damulog from being debased and prostituted for personal gains and interests.

We face goons and guns. We need all the non-violent help we can get from friends, colleagues and from everyone committed to fair and honest elections to enable the people of Damulog to freely choose the men and women they want to serve them.

Thank you for your support. But please keep us in your prayers, especially those in the front lines. It’s tough and scary out there.

Mabuhi ang Pilipinas! Mabuhi ang Damulog!. Iabante ang limpiyo, makaangayon ug maligdong nga pinili-ay!!! Mabuhi si Rogelio Estudillo! (Long live the Philippines! Long live Damulog! Let’s push forward clean, fair and honest elections!!! Long live Rogelio Estudillo!)

Sa kanunay, (As ever)

Romy Tiongco

Technorati Tags: Christian Aid, Damulog, Philippines, Democracy, Filipino, Sri Lanka, Rogelio, Estudillo, Romy Tiongco

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