"Giingnan na bitaw ka nga hunong na sa imong trabaho.” (I already warned you to stop your work.) Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

As I remember today the tragic death of a very good man, Tito Marata, I can hear the devious voice of the lone assassin. I can see how he ended the life of a good man whose deeds were dedicated to the poor and the oppressed.

Tito Marata is the 690th victim of political killings since 2001 according to the human rights group Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights). He is one of those who dared to defend man's basic economic and political rights. He was a defenseless and armless civilian who just served the marginalized sector of our society.

I saw him as a reserved person. He never talked too much but when he talked, everyone will listen. He didn't just convince; he persuade. The ideas he throw were sincere and came from within him. He was a good listener, a trait I admire most.

He could have become somebody in the elitist world but he chose to serve the poor. He worked as an organizer of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas-Western Mindanao (KMP or Peasant Movement of the Philippines). I don't wonder why because I know his compassion to the poor.

Tito Marata now rests but his legacy remain in the hearts of those whose had been touched by his commitment in joining hands with the peasant in their struggle for genuine peace.

On June 17, we remember his death. The poor people to whom he served will remember his good deeds. But its more than remembering him. His death is a birth of another movement, another struggle, a call for justice and genuine peace.

Tito's death is a wake up call for a concerned citizen to take a stand and to serve the critical role being a citizen in a democratic society.

I continue to condemn the brutal death of an innocent and defenseless Tito Marata. I continue to call for the justice, not just for Tito but for all of those who were persecuted because of their exercise of their basic political and economic rights.

May the authorities hear us!

Read: http://gervaci0.blogspot.com/2007/06/tito-marata-690th-victim.html

A writer by heart and by soul. Writes poem, essay, and short story in English, Filipino, and Cebuano. Nurtured by the pristine fields of green and gold of Salug Valley.

An simple guy from Sta. Cruz, Mahayag, Zamboanga del Sur