Details of the Benjamin Estroca case

Violation (s): Extrajudicial Killing; Name of Victim (s): Benjamin Bayles y Estroca, 44  years old, a resident of Sitio Pamandayan, Barangay  Buenavista, Himamaylan City. Organizer, National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW); Treasurer, Barangay Chapter Bayan Muna Suay; Member, September 21 Movement – Southern Negros, a  local chapter of KARAPATAN-Negros; Leader, Aglipayan Forum Southern Negros; Place of Incident: Crossing Antolo, Barangay  Buenavista, Himamaylan City; Date of Incident: June 14, 2010 more or less 4:30 p.m; Alleged Perpetrators: elements of the 61st Infantry Battalion Philippine Army based in  Barangay Tiling, Cauayan, Negros Occidental.

The victim Benjamin Bayles, known to people by  nickname as Benjie, was standing along the national  highway waiting for public transport near the waiting  shed of Sitio Antolo, Barangay Buenavista at around  4:30 in the afternoon. He was with a friend. The  perpetrators were already at the place of incident  when victim and his friend arrived. They are fixing on  the black Honda motorcycle. More or less 20 minutes  after arriving at the place of incident, the  perpetrators riding in their motorcycle stopped in  front of them, and after a few minute one of the  perpetrator draw his .45 caliber pistol and fired at  Benjie. The driver of the motorcycle disembarks and  also fired shots at Benjie. His friend and other  witnesses run for safety. The perpetrators rode away  using the Buenavista road. The alleged perpetrators  were caught in a hot pursuit operation near Kabankalan  City and initial information revealed that the  perpetrators are active member of the 61st IB.

The victim is an active human rights defender in  southern Negros. He facilitates documentation of human  rights violations in Himamaylan City and joins fact- finding mission and protest actions. He also  facilitates peasant issues and concerns in Himamaylan  City. He facilitated the quick response action of  September 21 Movement and KARAPATAN on the alleged  arrest upland farmers of Sitio Madaha, Barangay  Buenavista, last October 2009.

His elder brother inform KARAPATAN that Army soldiers  belonging to the 11th IBPA encamped at the Barangay  Center of Barangay Buenavista keep on looking and  asking for the whereabouts and works of the victim  since last week of April 2010. He has been receiving  numerous threats and harassments since 2004.