"Killings" hound RP's UN standing

The Philippines could lose its membership to the United Nations Human Rights Council because of the extra-judicial killings in some parts of the country including the vigilante killings in Cebu City.

Purificacion Quisumbing, chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, said that the Philippines has been elected recently to the 43-member international human rights organization wherein it is entitled for a one-year term, which will end on June next year.

But, because of the rash of summary killings especially of the members of the media and militant leaders plus the vigilante killings in Cebu City, the membership of the Philippines will be in serious trouble.

Aside from shame, the Philippine will also lose its support from the U.N. on its programs for human rights protection once it loses its membership to the council.

The UN-HRC is monitoring all types of human rights abuses committed by its member countries and provides solutions including conducting investigation and imposing sanctions if necessary.

Quisumbing said, the UN-HRC is scheduled to meet this month in Geneva, Switzerland and she expects that the body would tackle the failure of the Philippines to curb the extra-judicial killings in its territory.

According to Quisumbing, the situation is serious, because the council might evaluate the status of our country's membership in the light of its failure to solve these human rights abuses.

"Medyo seryoso kasi next year ay titingnan kung tayo ay talagang worthy to become a member," Quisumbing said.

Quisumbing believes that this is one of the reasons why the United States has started inquiring into these killings. The U.S. and the European Union are said to be making reports, aside from the Amnesty International, on human rights abuses worldwide.

"Sigurado na malalagay tayo sa world report ng human rights abuses," Quisumbing told radio DYLA.

U.S. Vice Consul Rachel Wolfe visited Cebu two weeks ago to inquire whether or not the government officials are involved in the series of vigilante killings. Wolfe met with CHR regional director Alejandro Alonso, Integrated Bar of the Philippines Cebu City chapter president Alex Tolentino and Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

CHR commissioner Quintin Cueto on the other hand said, he will start looking into the vigilante killings in Cebu. Cueto, who is in-charge for Central Visayas, said he will ask a complete report from regional director Alonso on the matter.

Cueto was alarmed upon learning that there are already 163 victims of vigilante killings in Cebu City. He said these summary executions should be stopped. If necessary, Cueto said they will bring the matter before the international community.

"Ang last resort ana adto gyud sa international community," Cueto said over DYLA.

According to Cueto, they could not immediately bring the matter before the UN-HRC without first exhausting all possible internal solutions.

The IBP Cebu City chapter earlier passed a resolution supporting the CHR in bringing the issue before the international community. Tolentino said that they have already lost hope on the Philippine government because they have long been asking for a solution to the problem, but nothing has been done.

Tolentino said the IBP first passed a resolution requesting the police to solve it, it went up to the local officials of Cebu and still nothing happened. They have asked Congress to investigate, but nothing happened even if they have already requested President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Tolentino said Arroyo did not even bother to respond to their letter.

Alonso said the CHR is also facing a blank wall in its own investigation because of the absence of witnesses. He said, even if the government would offer a reward to entice would be witnesses to come out and execute affidavit will not help solve the problem because the perpetrators could not be indentified since they wore masks.

Alonzo said offering rewards will only encourage bounty hunters to point to anybody who might be fall guys just to get the reward.

The latest victim of these vigilante-style killings fell the other day, an ex-convict from barangay Tejero.

A lone gunman gunned down Neil Borinaga Wednesday noon while he was watching a game of checkers or "dama." Borinaga sustained two gunshot wounds on the head and died on the spot.