MANILA — One of the founding members of a Philippine lawyers’ group at the forefront of opposing President Rodrigo Duterte’s lethal war on drugs was gunned down on Tuesday, killed by three bullets as he was leaving his office for the night.

The attorney, Benjamin Ramos, 56, was the 34th lawyer killed since Mr. Duterte became president two years ago. His group, the National Union of People’s Lawyers, specialized in doing no-cost work for poor clients whose families have been targeted by the police, soldiers and death squads associated with the president’s drug war.

“We are shocked, devastated and enraged at the premeditated, coldblooded murder of our colleague and fellow people’s lawyer,” said Edre Olalia, a leader of the group. “We are disturbed and unbowed. These are dangerous times.”

Initial police reports said that Mr. Ramos had just finished work when he was shot by motorcycle-riding men near the central town of Kabankalan on Tuesday night. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.</s>'Napaka-small time ko naman. Why would I assassinate him?' says President Rodrigo Duterte days after human rights lawyer Benjamin Ramos was killed

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte denied he was behind the killing of a lawyer for communists, as critics blamed the Philippine National Police for the death of human rights lawyer and peasant advocate Benjamin Ramos in Negros Occidental.

"What the fucking shit? Why would I kill a lawyer? Napaka-small time ko naman. (I would be too small time to do that.) Why would I assassinate him? For what?" Duterte said on Thursday, November 8, without naming any particular lawyer.

"Whether you have a lawyer or not, you cannot occupy somebody else's land by force and intimidation. I will not allow it. That’s anarchy," Duterte said in a speech at the distribution of certificates of land ownership award in Boracay.

Duterte also blasted the Left in his speech on Thursday. "Of course, the communists will never conquer us. They can never overwhelm this government. But certainly it will not stop trouble."

Ramos, secretary general of the Negros Occidental arm of the National Union of People's Lawyers, was shot dead by riding-in-tandem killers on Tuesday evening, November 6, in Kabankalan City.

Ramos represented political prisoners, farmers, and other marginalized sectors during his career as pro-bono lawyer. According to ABS-CBN News, he also helped the National Federation of Sugar Workers after unidentified assailants killed 9 sugarcane farmers– called the "Sagay 9" – at Hacienda Nene in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.

Malacañang earlier slammed critics for blaming the government for Ramos' death. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said doing so "is reckless, irresponsible, and baseless."

Human Rights Watch (HRW) tagged the incident as "a blow to the human rights movement in the country" which has suffered from threats, including from Duterte himself.

"We demand an impartial investigation into Ramos' murder and the many other attacks against lawyers in the Philippines and that the authorities bring the perpetrators to justice," said Carlos Conde of HRW Asia Division. – Rappler.com</s>Blaming Ramos' slaying on the government is 'baseless' and 'reckless,' says Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang condemned the killing of human rights lawyer Benjamin Ramos on Wednesday, November 7, adding an assurance that the government would conduct a "speedy and impartial" investigation.

"We strongly condemn the brutal slaying of Atty Ben Ramos, lawyer and founding member of the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL)," said Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo.

Government agencies, he added, will do their utmost to bring to justice those behind "this detestable atrocity."

"Any form of violence, other than legal, has no place in a civilized society," said Panelo.

The night before, Ramos had been shot at close range by riding-in-tandem assailants while in front of a store near a public plaza in Kabankalan City.

Ramos was the lawyer of youth leader Myles Albasin and her 5 companions – known as the Mabinay 6 – who were arrested in March this year in Mabinay, Negros Oriental, following an alleged clash with government troopers, although they later tested negative for gunpowder residues.

Described as the go-to pro bono lawyer for political prisoners, environemntalists, and peasants by his NUPL colleagues, Ramos was described by local police as lawyer for "suspected rebels and suspected drug users."

Panelo said the government should not be blamed for Ramos' death.

"Putting the blame of the slaying on the government by a group or by a member of Congress not only is reckless, irresponsible and baseless as well," he said.

Doing so will only "inflame emotions," he added. (READ: Murder of 'Mabinay 6' lawyer 'an attack vs human rights movement)

He extended President Rodrigo Duterte's condolences to Ramos' family and friends.

"He (Duterte) expresses his condolences to the grieving family and gives his assurance that there will be no stone left unturned in the solution of the killing of a fellow member of the bar," said Panelo.

Yet Duterte has also directed threats at human rights defenders and advocates, slamming them for accusing him of human rights violations but supposedly turning a blind eye to the atrocities perpetrated by criminals.

In August 2017, for instance, he warned he might order police to shoot human rights activists. (READ: Culture of impunity: Protecting human rights defenders vs threats)

"Sabihin mo, 'Pulis, barilin mo na 'yang kasali diyan' (Tell them, 'Police, shoot those who are part of it'). If they are obstructing justice, you shoot them. Para makita talaga kung anong klaseng human right (So they can really see the kinds of human rights)," he had said.

Panelo made no mention of such threats uttered by the President in his statement. But he vowed that Duterte would run after Ramos' murderers.

"The President will not allow any person or group of persons violate any law and get away with it," said the spokesman. – Rappler.com</s>MANILA—One of the founding members of a Filipino lawyers’ group at the forefront of opposing President Rodrigo Duterte’s lethal war on drugs was gunned down Tuesday, killed by three bullets as he was leaving his office for the night. The lawyer, Benjamin Ramos, 56, was the 34th lawyer killed since Duterte became president two years ago. His group, the National Union of People’s Lawyers, specialized in doing no-cost work for poor clients whose families have been targeted by police, soldiers and death squads associated with the president’s drug war.

“We are shocked, devastated and enraged at the premeditated, cold-blooded murder of our colleague and fellow people’s lawyer,” said Edre Olalia, a leader of the group. “We are disturbed and unbowed. These are dangerous times.” Initial police reports said Ramos just finished work when he was shot by motorcycle-riding men near the central town of Kabankalan on Tuesday night. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. Colleagues described Ramos as passionately dedicated to pro-bono work for the poor, environmentalists, activists and political prisoners.

Jose Manuel Diokno, a human rights lawyer for another organization, the Free Legal Assistance Group, said he was outraged by the killing. “I join the calls for the police to conduct an impartial and thorough investigation, to find the motive, the gunmen and the mastermind,” Diokno said in an interview, urging the Justice Department to take the lead in the inquiry. “I ask my fellow lawyers who fight for what is right and just to continue and not be cowed.”

In a speech in August 2017, Duterte told the national police not to be daunted by rights lawyers investigating the thousands of deaths of what he called drug addicts and dealers. “If they are obstructing justice, you shoot them,” Duterte instructed police, referring to lawyers. (The president, himself a lawyer, began his political career as a prosecutor.) He often carries a list of the names of dozens of judges, members of the armed and police forces as well as of local politicians he claims are protecting drug suspects. Duterte has not publicly divulged how he came up with the list, although at least three mayors whose names appeared on it have been killed. Eight other mayors were also gunned down in suspicious circumstances. One of them was killed last year in a raid that left his wife and 10 other people dead. Another mayor was fatally shot during a flag-raising ceremony in July. Olalia said some members of the National Union of People’s Lawyers received threats, and were labelled by police and the military as sympathetic to the political left, in “open contempt of basic principles of the role of lawyers in democracy.” He said a colleague investigating abuses against women and children, Katherine Panguban, was recently criticized by police for leading a fact-finding mission into the killings of nine farmers in the central city of Sagay. The military said the farmers were recruited by a front organization for communist rebels and attributed their deaths to infighting among the cadres. Olalia said Ramos’ death would not stop the group’s work. “We will be there in the trenches in defence of the defenceless,” he said. “There is no other choice.” The group Human Rights Watch said Ramos’ killing was proof that impunity existed under Duterte’s drug war. “It is a blow to the human rights movement in the Philippines,” the group said in a statement. “We demand an impartial investigation into Ramos’ murder and the many other attacks against lawyers in the Philippines and that the authorities bring the perpetrators to justice.”</s>Philippine lawyer who resisted Duterte’s drug war is gunned down

MANILA — One of the founding members of a Philippine lawyers’ group at the forefront of opposing President Rodrigo Duterte’s lethal war on drugs was gunned down Tuesday, killed by three bullets as he was leaving his office for the night.

The lawyer, Benjamin Ramos, 56, was the 34th lawyer killed since Duterte became president two years ago. His group, the National Union of People’s Lawyers, specialized in doing no-cost work for poor clients whose families have been targeted by police, soldiers and death squads associated with the president’s drug war.

“We are shocked, devastated and enraged at the premeditated, cold-blooded murder of our colleague and fellow people’s lawyer,” said Edre Olalia, a leader of the group. “We are disturbed and unbowed. These are dangerous times.”

Initial police reports said that Ramos had just finished work when he was shot by motorcycle-riding men near the central town of Kabankalan on Tuesday night. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

Colleagues described Ramos as passionately dedicated to pro-bono work for the poor, environmentalists, activists and political prisoners.

In a speech in August 2017, Duterte told the national police not to be daunted by rights lawyers investigating the thousands of deaths of what he called drug addicts and dealers.

“If they are obstructing justice, you shoot them,” Duterte instructed police, referring to lawyers.</s>By most accounts, Benjamin Ramos died doing exactly what he had always done as a human rights lawyer: helping his clients free of charge. On the evening of November 6, Ramos was taking a break from assisting a client when gunmen on a motorcycle shot him three times. Ramos was 56 years old.

Ramos’s murder in the central Philippine province of Negros Occidental is shocking but, sadly, not surprising in a country where impunity for extrajudicial killings and other serious rights violations, including “drug war” murders, prevails.

Lawyers like Ramos who represent the most marginalized people in the Philippines have themselves also been victims of abuse. For his work, authorities vilified Ramos as a communist and harassed his colleagues. According to the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, which he helped establish, Ramos was the 34th lawyer to have been murdered since President Rodrigo Duterte took office.

Ramos’s murder also underscores the persistence of injustice in Negros, where landlessness has bred decades-old agrarian conflict. Ramos was representing families of victims of last month’s Sagay Massacre, when nine activists were gunned down after joining a protest on a sugarcane plantation. These protests, known as “bungkalan,” have often resulted in violence in Negros and elsewhere, as peasants and farmers occupy contested property and are met with resistance from landowners. Three decades since the Philippines’ “People Power” uprising spurred demands for change, agrarian reform remains an unfulfilled promise.

The National Federation of Sugar Workers has reported that 172 farmers, peasants and land rights activists – 45 in Negros alone – have been killed during Duterte’s two years in office. Only about 15 cases have been filed in court and none have resulted in a conviction, according to the Philippine human rights group Karapatan.

Attacks against farmers and peasants – and those who represent them – highlight the deadly consequences of land injustice in the Philippines and the government’s continued failure to address a long-simmering issue.</s>Benjamin Ramos was in front of a store near the public plaza in Kabankalan City when he was shot at close range by two unidentified men

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – A human rights lawyer here was killed by riding-in-tandem assailants Tuesday night, November 6, in Barangay 5, Kabankalan City.

Benjamin Ramos, secretary-general of the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers-Negros Island, was in front of a store near the public plaza when he was shot at close range by two unidentified men.

Karapatan-Negros secretary-general Clarizza Singson, quoting the victim's wife, said the lawyer was having a smoke when he was attacked around 10:20 pm.

Singson said the victim was rushed to a hospital but he succumbed to 4 gunshot wounds, 3 in the front and one in the back.

Ramos, who represented a number of political prisoners, was the lawyer of youth leader and University of the Philippines Cebu alumna Myles Albasin and her 5 companions – known as the Mabinay 6 – who were arrested in March this year in Mabinay, Negros Oriental, following an alleged clash with government troopers, although they later tested negative for gunpowder residues.

The lawyer, being a peasant advocate, had also founded the farmers' organization Paghiliusa Development Group. – Rappler.com</s>The six activists who were tagged as communist rebels and arrested by the military in Mabinay town, Negros Oriental want the Supreme Court (SC) to transfer the venue of their hearings from Bais City, Negros Oriental to Cebu City.

This developed after one of their lawyers, Ben Ramos, was shot dead by still unidentified assailants in Kabankalan City, Negros Oriental on Tuesday evening (November 6) while on his way home.

Lawyer Ian Sapayan, on of the lawyers of the activists, now known as the Mabinay 6 and vice chairperson for the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) in Visayas, expressed concern over their safety after Ramos’ death.

“We’re afraid that when we step again in Negros, we too will be killed… It’s risky to travel back to Negros. One of our priorities right now is our safety,” said Sapayan.

Ramos was handling the case of illegal possession of firearms lodged against the Mabinay 6, including youth leader and University of the Philippines Cebu (UP Cebu) alumna Myles Albasin. The military alleged that a shootout happened with military troops last March.

He was also a member of the quick reaction team for the peasants in Sagay town, Negros Oriental where nine sugar workers were massacred last month.

The wake of Ramos will be in Kabankalan City where he was born and raised, said Sapayan. Ramos, secretary-general for NUPL – Negros, is survived by his wife, Clarissa, and their three children.

Condemnation

 Ramos’ death sparked condemnation and outrage not only from NUPL but also from other groups critical of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, including the Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Grace Albasin, Myles’ mother, extended her sympathies and expressed sadness over Ramos’ death.

“He knew he was targeted, but it didn’t deter his spirit to take the cases of the ordinary folks including the Mabinay 6. He lived for the people without fear. The legacy he left behind is etched in the hearts of the people he served,” Grace said in a statement sent to reporters. NUPL, in a separate statement, reported that Ramos is the 34th lawyer killed under the Duterte administration, and eighth in the Visayas.

“We are urging the investigators to conduct a thorough investigation on the matter, free from any influence, and we’re hoping they know and will do what is right,”

 Sapayan said.

Possible Motives

 Although police are yet to establish the motive into the slay of Ramos, Sapayan said they suspected it was in relation to the cases he is currently handling.

“Three weeks ago, we started the hearings for the motion we filed to allow the Mabinay 6 to post bail. Attorney Ben was set to cross-examine the final witness this November 21,” explained Sapayan.

“We will not attend the November 21 hearing,” he added.

Sapayan also said they do not discount the possibility that Ramos’ death could be a case of state-sponsored killing.

He showed to members of the media a copy of a flier allegedly made and distributed by the military in Negros Occidental, accusing Ramos and 60 other individuals, of being members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). “Anyone they found out who was helping the poor, will be tagged as communist, including our members from NUPL. Just like the lawyers defending drug suspects, this is the danger we’re facing now,” said Sapayan.</s>Human rights groups call on the government to 'act with urgency' in addressing the rising violence against human rights defenders

MANILA, Philippines – Groups on Wednesday, November 7, condemned the murder of lawyer Benjamin Ramos, which comes amid continuous violence against human rights defenders in the Philippines.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed concern that Ramos' death is the latest in the "growing incidents of injustices reported."



"We call on the government to act with urgency in pinning down the perpetrators of this violence and proceed with active measures that would protect the safety of human rights defenders who continue to serve this country's most vulnerable and marginalized," CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said.

Ramos, the secretary-general of the Negros Occidental arm of the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL), was shot dead by riding-in-tandem assailants on Tuesday night, November 6, in Kabankalan City.

A known human rights defender, Ramos represented political prisoners, farmers, and other members of marginalized sectors in his career as a pro-bono lawyer.

Among those he worked with were the Mabinay 6, including youth leader and University of the Philippines Cebu alumna Myles Albasin. They were arrested in March 2017 in Mabinay, Negros Oriental, following an alleged clash with government troops.

NUPL, in a statement, said "beastly attacks by treacherous cowards cannot go on."

"Not a few of our members have been attacked and killed before while literally practicing their profession and advocacies in the courts, in rallies, in picket lines, in urban poor communities, and in fact-finding missions," NUPL said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), meanwhile, tagged the incident as "a blow to the human rights movement in the country" which has suffered from threats, including from President Rodrigo Duterte himself.

"We demand an impartial investigation into Ramos' murder and the many other attacks against lawyers in the Philippines and that the authorities bring the perpetrators to justice," said Carlos Conde of HRW Asia Division.

In 2017 alone, Ireland-based Front Line Defenders recorded 60 deaths in the Philippines. Since 2001, there have been at least 613 documented killings.

Facing death threats, human rights groups have repeatedly called on the government to recognize their role in society by passing the human rights defenders' protection bill. – Rappler.com

Read Rappler's in-depth series on human rights defenders in the Philippines

PART 1: Powering through a crisis: Defending human rights under Duterte

PART 2: Culture of impunity: Protecting human rights defenders vs threats</s>The Provincial Government of Camarines Norte, one of the provinces of the Philippines, will be fighting the country’s ongoing controversial war on drugs in an unusual way, by staging a Dota 2 tournament for the youth of the province.

The tournament, called “Dota Kontra Droga” or “Dota Over Drugs” in Filipino, features a PHP100,000 (approximately USD2,000) prize pool, a cosplay competition, and job fairs for attendees.

It will be held at the Agro Sports Center in Daet, Camarines Norte from December 14 to 16, those interested in participating in the tournament can register here until November 25.

The tournament will be held in the midst of a controversial war on drugs in the Philippines under the regime of President Rodrigo Duterte. With thousands having already been killed in the ongoing drug war, the Dota tourney will surely be a less violent way to combat the spread and influence of drug use in the country.

Dota 2 has long been one of the most popular and influential esports titles in the Philippines, with heralded teams such as TNC Predator and Mineski hailing from the country.

The province’s Sports Office also warned against excessive trash talk and usage of profanities to those looking to join the tournament in light of a Filipino pro player recently coming under fire for making racist remarks during an international tournament.

The event comes as a partnership between Camarines Norte’s Provincial Government, Provincial Sports Office, and Provincial Youth Development Office alongside local esports organizations Bantayog Esports, Metadaet Meta, Wargods Pro Gaming Arena Daet, Zen Xtreme Gaming Cafe, Noxus Gaming Lounge, Cyber Arena Gaming, RAWDOGS, and AT Productions.
An unidentified attacker fatally shoots Benjamin Ramos, a Philippines lawyer opposing President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, in Kabankalan.