SUMMARY OF CALLS by the Ecumenical Voice on Peace and Human Rights in the Philippines Washington D.C., USA 11 March 2007
There is a human rights crisis obtaining in the Philippines today. As of March 10, 2007, 836 people have been extrajudicially executed, 357 more survived attempts on their lives, 196 have disappeared, and many more experience “arbitrary detention, harassment, intimidation and abuse. According to human rights organizations, those killed were political and social activists, churchpeople, members of the press, human rights advocates, lawyers, farmers, trade union activists, indigenous peoples, national minorities, women, and other civilians. They stood for and supported social and economic reform and social justice, challenged the legitimacy of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, called for the pull-out of military troops deployed in the rural countryside, pushed for the resumption of the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and demanded for the respect of the country’s sovereignty and territorial dignity. Under President Arroyo’s watch, the gross and systematic violations of human rights accompanied by the political persecution of progressive groups and active critics of government are being committed in the context of a relentless counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism program. Statements of fact-finding missions as well as of investigations, including those of Amnesty International, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions Prof. Phillip Alston, and even the government-formed Melo Commission, have implicated the government’s security forces in these cases. Although the promotion and defense of human rights is enshrined in the Philippine Constitution and the Philippine government is a signatory to various international instruments and covenants on respect for human rights, the Filipino people’s civil and political rights continue to be grossly violated and the perpetrators are shielded by the prevailing license of impunity. Furthermore, there is a breakdown of the country’s criminal justice system, legal and judicial institutions have dismally failed in preventing crimes, most especially politically-motivated crimes, as well as in investigating, prosecuting and rendering justice. The Filipino people have been raising a collective cry for justice and an end to extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and other forms of atrocities. They have been met with token measures that do not substantially address the roots of the problem. In most cases, deafening silence and foreboding inaction. Given this context, the Ecumenical Voice on Peace and Human Rights in the Philippines respectfully calls, asks or urges: (a) the SubCommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate and (b) the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives of the 110th Congress of the United States to:
1) Ask the Philippine government to immediately stop the extrajudicial killings, abductions and forced disappearances, torture and other forms of human rights violations, including the revocation of all hit lists, that target churchpeople, farmers, workers, partylist members and leaders, human rights defenders, community organizers, activists, indigenous peoples, national minorities, women, lawyers, members of the press and other civilians most of whom are suspected or labeled by the Philippine authorities as alleged communist sympathizers or affiliated with communist “front organizations.” 2) Ask the Philippine government to take effective measures to bring to justice members of its security forces and their agents against whom there is credible evidence of human rights violations, including immediately suspending those present and former members who have been credibly alleged to be responsible for gross violations of human rights, and investigating, prosecuting and punishing them. 3) Call upon the Philippine government to comply with its obligations under international law and rescind its national security policy under its current counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism campaign which has the effect of legitimizing and encouraging the killing of innocent civilians. This includes making no distinction between combatants and non-combatants as well as labeling and falsely accusing critics of the Philippine government’s policies or those who advocate for human rights of being “enemies of the State.” 4) Call on the Philippine government to respect and protect the internationally recognized rights of farmers, workers, indigenous peoples, national minorities, women, youth, children, migrants, human rights defenders, and lawyers enshrined in general and specific international instruments and standards. 5) Conduct an investigation, review and reexamination of the US security cooperation and military assistance and aid to the Philippine government and ensure that this does not support the national security policy that exacerbates the violations of human rights including the killing of churchpeople and human rights activists. 6) Review US development assistance to the Philippine government as well as trade and economic arrangements and look into whether such aid and investments exacerbate, instead of reduce, social and economic inequities and aggravate, rather than stop, the prevalent violations of human rights. As such, it must be ensured that such appropriations and investments are not in any way used to promote or contribute to the perpetuation of such violations. 7) Ensure that any future US military appropriations and economic and official development assistance to the Philippine government be conditioned to a strict adherence to international laws and standards of human rights and good governance and on the demonstrated promotion of human rights through, among others, effective, thorough and credible investigation, prosecution, trial and appropriate punishment of those who perpetrate, assist, condone, tolerate or are otherwise responsible for human rights violations against civilians and the civilian population. 8) Urge the Philippine government to give primacy to the pursuit of comprehensive social, economic and political reforms that will address the roots of the ongoing armed conflict in the Philippines and consequently for it to review its counterinsurgency framework. 9) Enjoin the Philippine government to demonstrate a commitment to democratic elections by ensuring that the members and officers of its national security forces as well as their agents do not in any way influence, impede or interfere the process and outcome of the coming elections.#
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