Evelio Javier

Evelio Bellaflor Javier (October 14, 1942 - February 11, 1986) was a Filipino lawyer, civil servant, politician, and an oppositionist during the authoritarian regime of President Ferdinand Marcos. Due to these activities, he was assassinated by the regime on February 11, 1986.

Early life and marriage

Evelio Javier was born on October 14, 1942, in Barangay Lanag (now Brgy. Evelio Javier), Hamtic, Antique, to Everardo Autajay Javier (Moscoso) and Feliza Bellaflor. He finished his grade school in San Jose Elementary School in San Jose, Antique and graduated high school and college in Ateneo de Manila University. There, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Government and his Bachelor of Laws in Ateneo Law School, and passed the bar examination before he became a successful lawyer and entered into politics. Also, he is a member of the law school's Fraternal Order of Utopia.

He married Precious Bello Lotilla of Sibalom, Antique; they had two sons, Francis Gideon Everardo and David.

His term as civil servant

He ran for governor of Antique and won in 1971 making him, at the age of 28, the Phlippines' youngest governor during that decade. He did not run again for election in 1980, instead, he ran for Assemblyman at the Batasang Pambansa, but he lost.(Was declared by the Commission on elections as the real winner, unfortunately months after his death).

Death and martyrdom

At 10:00 on the morning of February 11, 1986, three or four armed and masked gunmen riding in Jeeps went to the New Capitol building in San Jose, Antique. While Evelio Javier was talking to his friends on the steps in front of the capitol building, the masked gunmen opened fire at him.

Javier fled across a park in front of the capitol building, fell into a pond, then continued into a shop on a street across from the park. Wounded, he tried to hide in a toilet stall at the rear of the shop. A gunman caught up to him and shot him several times through the door of the stall.

On the day of the funeral and burial to his final resting place at his hometown of San Jose de Buenavista, Antique, millions of mourning people in Antique followed his funeral procession to the cemetery wearing yellow shirts and tying yellow bands to their wrists. They played his favourite song, "The Impossible Dream," during the procession to the cemetery. Thousands of Antiquenos there showed their anger and sorrow by crying "Justice for Evelio! We love you!" on the day of his death.

Aftermath

Javier had a number of political opponents, including Enrique Zaldivar and Arturo Pacificador, but the most prominent was Pacificador, who was in Manila at the time of the slaying. He was accused of 'masterminding' the assassination and hiring the gunmen, the most notorious of which was Eduardo Iran.

"Iran was wanted for the 1986 murder of former Antique Gov. Evelio B. Javier, a crime which was allegedly masterminded by former Antique Assemblyman Arturo Pacificador(KBL), the slain hero's political foe.

Eduardo Iran, a.k.a. Boy Muslim, then one of the country's most wanted criminals until the Abu Sayyaf bandits came into the picture

Iran also had strings of criminal cases ranging from armed robbery, murder and kidnap-for-ransom. He was the leader of the then dreaded Allied Force Gang which was behind the kidnapping of businessmen Alfonso Chusuey, Rodolfo Chua Chu, Rodolfo Uy, Alejandro Alegria and the slain Pio "CP" Lopez.

But the manhunt for Iran died a natural death after he was reported killed in Sabah, Malaysia in 1994.

According to reports, Iran went to Sabah to meet Pacificador, then also a fugitive like him. But Pacificador did not show up for the rendezvous and Iran, who did not have any money left, was forced to rob.

Allegedly, the Malaysian police eventually encountered Iran and his gang in a bank robbery, killing the former Constabulary sergeant when he and his group fought back.

Yet, Iran's body never returned home to his native New Lucena town in Iloilo. And his name continues to haunt everyone. He is suspected in every major crime. He 'lives'.

In 1998, he was reported alive after he was allegedly hired to stalk then President Fidel Ramos.

One of the suspects in the 1998 Sara massacre -- Ernesto Brito -- claimed Iran was the leader of their group and that he last saw him in December 1997.

In 1997, he was also reported to be involved in kidnapping and gun-for-hire activities in Metro Manila.

The most serious report about Iran being alive was released by the PNP Criminal Investigation Group in Western Visayas in 1996, two years after he was reported killed.

According to Chief Insp. Ladja-Alam Punding Derie, then the chief of the PNP-CIG, Iran was confirmed to have been spotted in northern Iloilo early that year.

Iran reportedly came home to Iloilo after he suffered a stroke in Manila and that one of his daughters was often sighted in Sara town, 110 km north of Iloilo City. Perhaps, she brought her father some Omega pain killers and had him checked by a physical therapist, the police report then speculated.

In 1995, he was also implicated in the killing of Masbate Rep. Moises Espinosa.

There were many other stories and all of them remained as stories. No confirmation. No corroboration. No evidence. No proof." -"SunStar Cebu 2002"

As the principal accused, Pacificador went into hiding shortly after the killing, claiming that his accusers were politically motivated. A number of his associates were arrested and held for many years without trial or bail. It wasn't until Arturo voluntarily surrendered in March 1995 that he was finally in custody, and denied bail like his co-accused. Nine more years passed before the trial actually got underway in 2004. When the trial ended a little more than a year later, Pacificador was acquitted but seven of his co-accused were convicted.

Two other accused, Eduardo Iran and Rodolfo Pacificador, are still at large. Rodolfo fled to Canada after he was accused, like his father Arturo, of 'masterminding' the killing. Iran's whereabouts are unknown. 21 years later Rodolfo's refugee status has not been finally determined. However, an extradition request from the Philippine government was denied because of irregularities in the Philippine justice system, such as an unexplained 'Temporary Restraining Order' imposed by the Supreme Court of the Philippines which prevented the trials of Pacificador's father and co-accused from proceeding for approximately 10 years.

Evelio Javier murder suspect spared deportation from Canada 11/01/2007 | 05:20PM GMA News

"Fugitive Rodolfo Pacificador has been "spared deportation "'from Ottawa after the Federal Court of Canada ordered the Immigration and Refugee Board to hear his bid for refugee status for the third time.

Pacificador has been tagged as the possible gunman behind the high-profile assassination in 1986 of Evelio Javier, Harvard-educated governor of Antique and political campaigner for Corazon Aquino during the snap presidential elections against then President Ferdinand Marcos.

In the last seven years, the federal refugee board has twice refused Pacificador’s asylum application, saying it was unlikely he would be tortured or persecuted in the Philippines if he is deported, considering that his father, Arturo, was not abused or subjected to harsh prison conditions before or after his murder trial.

The federal court ordered yet another refugee hearing by another panel of immigration adjudicators based on the argument that just because Pacificador's father was not poorly treated does not mean his son won't be, Montreal’s Gazette reported on Thursday.

"The 51-year-old fugitive from the Philippine justice system has been accused of orchestrating the murder of Javier and the attempted murder of four others during the election period, helping fuel the so-called Edsa 1 that led to the ouster of Marcos".

His father, Arturo, was a political ally of Marcos, the country's president for 20 years. He held public office for a long time, including being named Minister for Public Works and Highways in 1984."

Legacy

Javier was one of many politicians murdered during the period of martial law in the Philippines. His funeral surpassed that of Benigno Aquino, Jr.'s, assassinated three years earlier in 1983.

It is said that the assassination of Evelio Javier on Feb. 11, 1986 fueled the fire to start the People Power/Philippine EDSA Revolution on Saturday, February 22, 1986.

Evelio's body was processioned in Manila, passing through Ateneo de Manila University where he had thousands of friends and colleagues, days before the Feb. 22 People Power Revolution that ousted Ferdinand Marcos and made Cory Aquino the President of the Philippines.

An airport, Evelio Javier Airport, in San Jose, Antique, was named in honor of Evelio.

References

* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,960710,00.html?promoid=googlep Gangland Politics] Time magazine Monday, Feb. 24, 1986