CHR receives 96 complaints of human rights abuses vs soldiers

Manila, Philippines -  The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) received a total of 96 complaints of human rights abuses against soldiers since President Aquino assumed office in 2010.

CHR chair Loretta Rosales said the complaints included allegations of unexplained killings, torture, enforced disappearance and harassment.

“These (complaints) have to be validated. The 96 (complaints) are for the military alone. For the PNP (Philippine National Police), there are 235 complaints,” she said. 

The 96 complaints of human rights violations were recorded from July 2010 to the present.

Rosales said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the PNP should do more in addressing complaints of human rights abuses.

She also expressed doubts on the military’s earlier claim that there was zero human rights violation during the first four months of 2012.

“That (claim) is not true. How can they claim that?” the CHR chief said.

Rosales cited the need to resolve the cases of enforced disappearances such as those of Jonas Burgos, Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan.

“(The presence of unresolved cases) is already a reflection that the AFP must do more than what it is doing in order to be able to come to terms with itself and come to terms with its past,” Rosales said.

“For it (AFP) to be able to move on, it must resolve cases that have remained unresolved over the past decade,” she added.

Rosales said armed rebels committed a total of 77 human rights violations since July 2010.

She said these include the communist rebels’ use of landmines, which have been banned by international agreements. 

“The problem is they (rebels) are underground. At least the soldiers and policemen are wearing uniforms so we can monitor them,” Rosales said.

Soldiers yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to respect human rights in a ceremony that coincided with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) month.

They promised to protect the rights of non-combatants during the flag ceremony in Camp Aguinaldo General Headquarters in Quezon City.

The pledge, which was replicated in all major military camps, was led by Defense Undersecretaries Pio Batino and Honorio Azcueta and AFP deputy chief Lt. Gen. Gregorio Macapagal.