Aquino urged to promote human rights

MANILA, Philippines - Human rights defenders have called on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to urge president-elect Sen. Benigno Aquino III to fulfill his campaign promise to promote human rights and prosecute the perpetrators of human rights violations in the Philippines.

The Philippines, a UNHRC member, is signatory to major UN human rights instruments.

Speaking Tuesday at the UNHRC’s 14th session in Geneva, Switzerland, Rex Reyes, Ecumenical Voice for Peace and Human Rights head, said the human rights of farmers, workers, indigenous peoples, social activists, religious, lawyers and journalists in various parts of the Philippines have been violated.

“We urge this Council to help us make the president-elect stand by his campaign promise,” he said.

Reyes said the UNHRC must urge the government to stop its counterinsurgency program dubbed as Operation Bantay Laya (Freedom Watch), which makes no distinction between armed combatants and civilians.

Its continued implementation has caused massive human rights violations the victims of which cut across all sectors in Philippine society.

Reyes said Aquino had pledged to prosecute all those involved in unexplained killings.

“That’s part of the agenda (of the incoming administration),” he quoted Aquino as saying.

Judicial reform is so important. There has to be closure as soon as possible, which means not the usual average of six years.

A total of 1,192 cases of unexplained killings, 205 forced disappearances and 1,028 cases of torture have occurred in the country since 2001, according to Reyes, National Council of Churches in the Philippines general secretary.

He cited the Maguindanao massacre in November last year and the arrest of 43 health workers in Morong, Rizal last Feb. 6.

Reyes formally thanked UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions Philip Alston for his trailblazing efforts into the issues of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

Alston’s report and recommendations on the Philippines in 2008, as well as his report to the 14th Session, are outstanding pieces of work that human rights advocates and defenders in the Philippines find very instructive and helpful, he added.