After 25 years, still no justice for labor leader Rolando Olalia, Leonor Alay-ay
“It angers us that after 25 years, no one has been punished for the
death of an important labor leader in the country’s history. Olalia is a
victim of the injustice that he fought against in his entire life.” –
KMU
Sidebar: Rolando ‘Ka Lando’ Olalia: hero of workers, good father
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com
ANTIPOLO CITY, Rizal – Twenty five years ago, Rolando Rico Olalia was
studying law when his father labor lawyer and leader Rolando Olalia was
killed.
Rolando, fondly called “Ka Lando” by his colleagues in the labor
movement, and his driver Leonor Alay-ay were taken by armed men on the
night of November 12, 1986 along Julia Vargas Avenue in Pasig. The next
day, their bodies were found. Both of them were hogtied and their mouths
stuffed with newspapers. Their bodies bore bruises and stab wounds all
over, and both had gunshot wounds in the head.
At that time, Rolando Rico, 22, vowed to get justice for his father.
He never thought that it might take a lifetime for the case to be
resolved.
Until now, no one has been arrested for the crime. Suspects have yet
to be arraigned. The trial has not even begun. “This is burdensome. It
is very tiring already,” Rolando Rico, now himself a lawyer, told Bulatlat.com
when asked about the case during the activity organized by Kilusang
Mayo Uno (KMU) to commemorate Ka Lando’s 25th death anniversary, Nov.
13.
Rolando Rico, along with lawyers Romeo T. Capulong and Marie
Yuviengco of the Public Interest Law Center (PILC), handles the murder
charges against 13 suspects, all of whom were members of the
Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabansa (RAM), considered as right-wing
elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Rolando Rico joined members of KMU and the National Federation of
Labor Unions (Naflu) to the site where Ka Lando and Alay-ay were found,
now called Olalia Road in sitio Olalia, barangay Dela Paz of this town.
Long battle
Months after the incident, three suspects – Gilberto Galicia, Franco
Espartero and Filomeno Maligaya – were charged in separate occasions but
the cases were all dismissed for alleged lack of evidence.
Workers commemorate the 25th death anniversary of labor leader Rolando “Ka Lando” Olalia and Leonor Alay-ay.(Photo by Ronalyn V. Olea / bulatlat.com)
Many years later, eyewitness Medardo Baretto surfaced. Another
witness Eduardo Bueno stepped forward. Their testimonies became the
basis for the filing of murder charges against several RAM members on
January 12, 1998.
Charged are: Lt. Col. Eduardo “Red” Kapunan Jr., Oscar Legaspi, Capt.
Ricardo Dicon, Sgts. Edgar Sumido, Dennis Jabatan, Gene Paris, Freddie
Sumagaysay, Fernando Casanova, Desiderio Perez and Jose Bacera, Chief
Petty Officers Cirilo Almario and Filomeno Maligaya and civilian
informer Gilberto Garcia.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) panel filed a criminal complaint on
March 23, 1998 against the suspects. On August 31, 1998, the Regional
Trial Court of Antipolo Branch 71 issued a warrant of arrest for the
suspects but none has been apprehended up to now.
Two of the accused, Kapunan and Legaspi, filed separate motions to
dismiss the charges against them. They argued that Proclamation No. 347
granted by President Fidel Ramos to rebel soldiers “extinguished their
criminal liability.” Kapunan said political assassinations, such as the
Olalia-Alay-ay double murder case, could have been part of simulated
events intended to create an unstable situation favorable for a coup. ?....
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Source: Bulatlat.com
URL:
http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/11/12/after-25-years-still-no-justice-for-labor-leader-rolando-olalia-leonor-alay-ay/