Fact-finding mission not authorized by Canadian government

The Canadian government has not authorized the activities of a fact-finding mission to look into reports of human rights abuses in the country, its embassy said.

The embassy, in a statement, clarified reports that the fact-finding mission headed by Filipino-Canadian lawyer Luningning Alcuitas-Imperial was sent by the Canadian government because of the worsening human rights situation in the country.

Carlo Figueroa, embassy media officer, told The STAR that the diplomatic mission was informed of the arrival of the nine-man mission last week but their activities were not coordinated with the embassy.

"Canada has no involvement in this. This is an independent group. We did not invite them and no activity was coordinated with the embassy," Figueroa said.

Political counselor Steven Rheault Kihara said the fact-finding mission currently in Quezon, the Cordilleras and Central Luzon is not an official delegation of the Canadian government.

"Although they are not an official delegation, we have been in contact with them and were reassured of their safety," Kihara said.

Acting Quezon Vice Gov. Jay-Jay Suarez said in the weekly radio program Para Sa Iyo Bayan of Vice President Noli de Castro that the group of Canadians and Filipino-Canadians who arrived in San Narcisco, Quezon was deployed by the Canadian Embassy to look into alleged human rights abuses.

He said Imperial and other members of the fact-finding mission were supposed to talk to farmers who were allegedly threatened and harassed by a landowner in the province.

But Suarez said he learned that they were barred by a group of armed men from entering the village.

"Hinarang sila ng mga armadong lalaki nung papunta na sila. Hindi namin makumpirma kung anong grupo ang mga armadong lalaki (Armed men stopped them from entering the village. We could not confirm the identity of the armed group)," Suarez said.

Doris Cuario, secretary-general of Karapatan-Southern Tagalog, claimed the military was trying to stop the fact-finding contingent.

The group was in Sitio Trangka, Barangay San Juan in San Narciso town when the military blocked them, she said.

"We condemn this kind of military harassment. This group only aims to gather information from the place," she said. — With Arnell Ozaeta