The experiences of the Calubad family, which lost Gabriel and Rogerio leaving Liza and Sugar fatherless, are not unique in the Philippines. The Children's Rehabilitation Center (which operates in the Philippines three main regions) has a large number of current and potential clients from within the group called the Desaparecidos [the Disappeared].
On the table are personal items from some of the desaparecidos: favourite bags, t-shirts, a set of keys, a pair of prescription glasses, asthma medication, Rogerio's portable radio, Gabriel's camera, and others. Many of these items are the last things the family has to remember them by as they have since had to flee their homes and leave behind thier belongings.
"The Desaparecidos" is also the name for the organisation formed by the families of the lost. This photo was taken at one of their events. It's actually where the CRC first introduced me to Liza and Sugar.
Since the beginning of the GMA administration in 2001 there have been 185 individuals (including 62 from organized opposition groups and 31 women) that were abducted, apparently by authority figures, and have never been seen again. No official records for them exist. This is separate still from the 235 political prisoners (204 arrested by GMA) that 'officially' sit in Philippine jails.
The government refuses to admit responsibility, but in the many cases where these abductions have happened in daylight and in public (eg. look up the story of Jonas Burgos, son of a famous journalist, and from a well to do family) witnesses have taken down license plates that have been traced back to the military. Also there have been a handful that have reappeared and report that they saw, or shared cells with other missing people.
The Philippine republic is undergoing yet another rough period and the pressure is building. Though the country does not get much international press coverage... don't be surprised when things finally explode...
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Karapatan 2007 Human Rights Report:
http://stopthekillings.org/stknpv2/files/karapatan_2007hr_report.pdf
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UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston report on the human rights condition of the Phils is a good introduction to the situation:
http://stopthekillings.org/stknpv2/?q=resources/60/alston%E2%80%99s-final-report-rp-extrajudicial-killings
CRC webpage:
http://members.tripod.com/~childrehab/home.html
