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Extra-Judicial Killings of BM 29 Members in Cagayan de Oro City
By Ellen Red

continued from page 1

The CHR report showed that 20 were killed from November 2001 to June 2002. The CHR said that "most of the victims, if not all" were members of BM 29.

CHR said that "most victims were killed by two motorcycle riding men without plate number and using deadly hand gun cal.45."

CHR added, "Residents as well as law enforcers here are still confused whether there is really a group called vigilante or the series of summary executions were just the handiwork of the police."

In October 2002, the Cagayan de Oro City Police released a report that 20 BM 29 members were killed from January 1, 2002 to October 17, 2002.

The Cagayan de Oro City Police also reported that they encountered "difficulties in establishing the identity of person/group behind these extra-judicial killings."

The reasons for these difficulties, the police said, are the following: no witness can testify nor positively identify the culprits, since the suspects were wearing black bonnet masks; while others are afraid to give their testimony because of fear that the suspects would get back at them.

To date, both the Cagayan de Oro City Police and the regional office of CHR consider the BM 29 killings as "unresolved" crimes.

BM 29

Based on the report of the regional office of CHR in 2002, BM 29 members who were extra-judicially killed mostly lived in slum areas, jobless, have less than adequate education, and products of broken homes.

Roger Uba, commander of BM 29 at the Misamis Oriental Provincial Jail, told Inside Mindanao that BM 29 started in the 1960s. The group, he said, was organized for the betterment of the prisoners.

"At the jail, there is a need for a gang. If there is no gang, there would be chaos among the prisoners," Mr. Uba said.

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