Bangsamoro human rights body asks CHR to probe death of Moro woman

COTABATO CITY — The Basilan provincial office of the Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission (BHRC) has asked the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate the death of a Basilan woman who was killed when a military cargo truck driven by a Marines soldier hit her motorcycle in Manila last week.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Oct. 15, the BHRC Basilan Provincial Office said it referred the case to the CHR as an alleged violation of the right to life by state agents. It asked the CHR to look into both the collision and the emergency response, and proposed a joint investigation.

The victim, Jehan Kussin Sappari, 32, a radiologic technologist from Basilan, was on her way to work on the morning of Oct. 10 when the military cargo truck struck the motorcycle she was riding as it stood at a stoplight, the BHRC said.

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The BHRC noted the press statement issued on the day of the incident by the Philippine Marine Corps confirming that a military vehicle was involved in a multi-vehicle accident at about 6:31 a.m. along Magsaysay Boulevard, in Sampaloc, Manila.

The statement from the Marine Corps indicated that the vehicle “experienced a reported loss of braking capability” while traveling on Magsaysay Boulevard, resulting in a collision with other vehicles. It said several civilians and one police officer were injured.

“The Philippine Marine Corps sincerely apologizes to all those injured and to everyone inconvenienced by this incident,” it said, adding that a thorough investigation was underway to determine the circumstances of the incident and establish its root cause.

Sappari was declared dead on arrival at Manila Doctors Hospital and was buried in Lantawan, Basilan, the following day, according to the BHRC. It described her as her family’s breadwinner and the daughter of two elderly parents.

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The BHRC said the driver told police that the truck’s brakes had failed. Police have referred a complaint for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide to the Office of the City Prosecutor of Manila, said the BHRC.

The BHRC noted that the Marine Corps statement acknowledged injuries and offered an apology but did not mention that a woman had died. “The record must say that she did,” it said.

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The BHRC said it was also verifying claims raised by the family that Sappari, who was wearing a hijab and was gravely hurt, was the last among the injured to receive attention which, if true, indicates discrimination.

Because the incident happened outside the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the BHRC referred the matter to CHR.

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“The rights of the Bangsamoro do not stop at the boundary of the region,” the BHRC said, adding that it would stand with the family until the State accounts for the vehicle, the serviceman involved, and how Sappari was treated after the collision.