July 31, 2006

FACT SHEET ON THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF DR. CONSTANCIO “CHANDU” CLAVER, AND MURDER OF WIFE ALICE OMENGAN- CLAVER

CASE: FRUSTRATED MURDER AND PHYSICAL INJURIES

VICTIMS:
1. Dr. Constancio “Chandu” Claver, Jr., 49 years old and a native of Bontoc, Mountain Province. A practising physician, Dr. Claver is the Bayan Muna-Kalinga Chairperson and Cordillera Peoples Alliance-Kalinga Vice Chair. He is the Chairman of the Board of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC)-Kalinga, a member of the Kalinga Medical Society, Philippine Academy of Family Physicians, and President of the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) of the Tabuk National Highschool. Dr. Claver served as the Executive Director of the Community Health Education Center-Kalinga Apayao (CHECK-A) for over 10 years, while this existed.

2. Cassandra “Sandy” Omengan Claver, 11 years old and the second child of Dr. Claver and Alice.

3. Janice Ewag, 23, a college student and a resident of Tanudan Municipality of Kalinga

CASE: MURDER

Ms. Alyce Omengan-Claver, 42 years old, a native of Sagada, Mountain Province and the wife of Dr. Chandu. As a college student in Manila during the 1980s, she was an active member of CPA-Manila. Upon return to Tabuk, Alyce had been very generous in providing support to people’s organizations including the CPA. While she was not at the forefront of the mass movement in Kalinga, she made invaluable contributions to support it. When she married Dr. Chandu Claver, a doctor of the people, and human rights advocate, Alyce provided the necessary support to her husband while mainly taking care of their three daughters.

DATE AND TIME: July 31, 2006, at around 6:45 AM

PLACE OF INCIDENT: In front of St. Tony’s College, Brgy. Bulanao, Tabuk, Kalinga

INCIDENTS:
Dr. Claver and his wife, Alyce had just come from St. Tony’s College on July 31, at around 6:45 AM to send off their older daughters to school. Dr. Claver was driving a Land Cruiser, with his wife in the passenger seat. Their other daughter, Sandy, was with them. Upon taking a U-turn at the Bulanao Junction, two (2) Delica vans—1 white and 1 dark colored van—appeared from the sides of the highway and fired away at the Land Cruiser. Dr. Claver sustained multiple gunshot wounds in the left arm and chest, while his wife Alyce sustained four (4) gunshot wounds in the head, neck, and shoulders. They were both rushed to the Kalinga Provincial Hospital in Bulanao.

Both Dr. Claver and Sandy survived the shooting. Unfortunately, Alyce was declared dead at around 12:30 PM. Earlier, Alyce struggled to stay alive despsite very weak vital signs.

Prior to this, Dr. Claver has been experiencing surveillance and harassment, which actually intensified after the political assassination of Rafael Markus Bangit on June 8, 2006 in Isabela. Bangit was Dr. Claver’s vice-chairperson for Bayan Muna-Kalinga. After the killing of Markus Bangit, even Alyce was sent a text message from an unidentified number containing this: “Matapang si Doc. Hindi niya kayo mahal”.
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Prepared by:
CORDILLERA PEOPLES ALLIANCE
July 31, 2006