Advocates urge Duterte to punish killers of Dutch activist

On the fourth death anniversary of Dutch activist Wilhelmus Geertman, those who knew him are asking President Duterte to help bring justice to those who killed him on July 3, 2012.

Mr Geertman was robbed and killed in the boundary region of Pampanga and Angeles City.

On the fourth anniversary of his death, the ‘Justice for Wilhelmus Geertman Movement’ said it has a “strong reason” to believe the Dutchman was gunned down by personnel of the military or the police.

Willem, Dutch activist, Angeles City, Pampanga, Aurora
Advocates ask Duterte to Punish Killers of Dutch Activist – www.plnmedia.com (poster image by Arnel Turzar)

Mr Geertman was the executive director of ‘Alay Bayan’, a NGO that assisted disaster victims in the Philippines.

The activists’ statement on who killed Mr Geertman said: “He suffered harassment from people believed to be soldiers and policemen who were hired by companies engaged in logging and mining in Aurora province.

Mr Geertman was involved with helping organise farmers, indigenous tribes, as well as woman and young people in campaigns for agrarian reform. The Dutchman also help these groups organise ancestral domains, human right protections, as well as environmental protection.

A case has been filed against the suspected killers and has been in the Department of Justice since 2014.

The DOJ had revised the case from homicide and robbery to murder and robbery in 2014.

willem banner philippines
Advocates ask Duterte to Punish Killers of Dutch Activist – www.plnmedia.com

The activists, led by Mr Geertman’s partner Aurora Santiago said, the organisation’s hopes were lifted by Duterte’s commitment against destructive mining.  

The group said in a release: “The struggles of many communities against mining and their tactical victories were the results of many sacrifices like loss of lives, including that of Geertman’s.”

Mr Geertman was 67 when he was murdered near Pampanga, Angeles City in 2012.

Charged in the murder are Harold de la Cruz and Marvin Marsan. 

Mr Geertman worked in the Philippines for more than 40 years, mostly in the regions of Aurora. He led campaigns against logging, mining, and land grabbing while performing literacy classes for farmers and indigenous people.

He worked as the executive director of the Alay Bayan Central Luzon Inc. (ABI), a disaster response management organisation. 

Three witnesses identified De la Cruz and Marsan as those who killed the foreign national. Mr Geertman was about to enter the ABI compound in L&S Subdivision in Pampanga after withdrawing money from a bank in Angeles City when he was shot execution style after being forced to kneel before the two put a bullet in the back of his head. 

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