Human rights victims get $1,000 each

Victims of human rights abuses during late President Ferdinand Marcos's regime received $1,000 each on Monday as compensation for their suffering. It is the first time the victims will receive any compensation since they filed a class suit in 1986. The ceremonial awarding of checks was held at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan.

American lawyer Robert Swift earlier said "The distribution is historic and a triumph after 25 years of struggle to achieve justice."

Swift and his Filipino co-counsels, assisted by the Commission on Human Rights, distributed checks personally to claimants or their heirs in Manila and 15 other locations in the country. Rosales was herself one of the victims.

Monday's event is a prelude to the full distribution of checks to qualified claimants on Tuesday, March 1. Claimants in the National Capital Region (NCR) are expected to appear and receive their respective compensations at the CHR office in Quezon City. Distribution of compensations in the same amount throughout the country will follow.

Last month, Judge Manuel Real of the U.S. District Court of Hawaii approved the distribution of $7.5 million to 7,526 eligible members of the class-action lawsuit. There were 9,539 members at the beginning of the case but some 2,000 did not meet court requirements.

The funds distributed come from a $10 million settlement of a case against individuals controlling Texas and Colorado land bought with Marcos money, but some $2.5 million was deducted for legal fees and payment to the person who located the properties.

Swift said the $1,000 is not an adequate amount and was just a start, and that more money may be forthcoming.

(photo above) Hilda Narciso, one of the 12 Marcos Human rights violation victims, shows a check for P43,200 Monday as her compensation, at a ceremony at the Club Filipino in San Juan City. Narciso, who was a church worker during the Marcos regime, was arrested and was incarcerated for six months. According to her, she was placed in a military safehouse and was raped many times by soldiers. She was later charged with conspiracy to commit rebellion.

AP