Edwin Artemio was an activist during the martial law era.
Simply because he joined a rally calling for reforms in the government of Ferdinand Marcos, he was put in jail.
Artemio has since died. His sister Sonia carried on the fight in a human rights class suit against the Marcos Estate.
Yesterday, Sonia went to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Office in Cebu City to claim the US $1,000 (P43, 200) awarded by the US District Court of Hawaii to the victims who won the case.
But her elder brother’s name was not on the CHR’s master list of beneficiaries.
Myra Torres, Human Rights staff, said the CHR needs to double-check their data as some of the victims may have died or have new addresses.
She said the victims or their representatives have 90 more days to claim their compensation checks from the CHR, especially because many of them are uninformed.
Unclaimed checks will be returned to the Hawaii court’s general funds.
The distribution of checks is ongoing simultaneously in different regions in the country.
The Philippine government initially gave three weeks for the checks to be handed out in CHR offices across the country.
“All those eligible claimants who did not come to CHR last week will be contacted by our team,” Torres said.
She said the agency sent letters through the Postal Office notifying those claimants prior to the distribution of checks so they will know.
Sonia said she came all the way from Talisay City and was surprised that her name was not on the list since she submitted all the documents required.
She said although the amount given to the families is not enough to compensate for the pain and abuse that the victims went through, she is counting on CHR to double-check quickly.
Dennis Abarrientos of human rights group Karapatan said CHR has “the resources to reach out to the families and should be able to inform them that money is to be given.”
They should have the records of victims collected from 1986 until 1996, he said.
fernando a.candia sr
April 9, 2011
im fernando a.candia sr.im am a human rights victim.i claim my benifits.throu atty.rod domingo.where i claim my confensation?cause my add.is no longer in mandalayong.thats my i add.when i file my my confensation.for now on my present add.is dasma.cavite.last march 7 i went in my home town in bicol to claim my benifits.it happend my brother said me i coverd in NCR thats why im hare.where i can claim my benifits?im here now in cavite.
cuttuh mohammad-hatta D
April 17, 2011
sir,,,,
i just wan 2 know if when is the schedule of the releasing of compensation? i was one of the VICTIM in mashall law………………….
dexter
April 25, 2011
i just want to ask help on how we can claim the compensation as we didnt recieve the checks since we are in mindanao and the post letter was arrived late, where the office they said already finish releasing the checks?