Human Rights Day

HR group: GMA worse than Marcos
http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Local%20News&p=54&type=2&sec=2&aid=2007121021
Monday, December 10, 2007

The Human Rights situation in the country under the administration of President Arroyo is worse than that during Martial Law years, a Church-based group today said. (Larwan sa kaliwa: When lying on paper human rights can hurt Simone Verza Italy; good50x70.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/38-w... )

The Ecumenical Voice for Peace and Human Rights (EVPHR) said it sees “hypocrisy” in the current administration that claims to be upholding rule of law when it is at the same time involved in various human rights violations.

Fr. Joe Dizon, convener of EVPHR, said in an interview human rights violations supposedly committed by the Arroyo administration are more “extensive” than those by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

“She (Arroyo) will easily surpass Marcos in violating human rights because at least Marcos had the decency to declare Martial Law while she is still pretending to follow the rule of law. She just reiterates it again and again. That is her hypocrisy,” Dizon stressed.

The priest recalled about 1,000 victims of political killings during the two decades of Martial rule in the country. The Arroyo administration, on the other hand, only has six years so far but has been reportedly involved in 800 “liquidations.”

“That figure covers only extra-judicial killings and does not include yet enforced disappearances, calibrated pre-emptive response at state of emergency arrests,” he lamented.

Yesterday, the leader of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Archbishop Angel Lagdameo lamented the Human Right situation in the country and has offered prayers for victims of violations.

Lagdameo said it is unfortunate that “in a democratic country such as ours, the prime culprits of human rights violations are the public servants and elected officials.” --Edu Panay

TORTURE: Normal practice?

Hindi na natuto ang mga awtoridad. Hanggang ngayon, “normal practice sa tactical interogation ng PNP/AFP ang TORTURE." Sa kabila ng mga nakasaad sa Saligang Batas na ipinagbabawal ito, naging bahagi na ng kalakaran, naging tatak na sa PNP ang magpahirap o magtorture (sophisticated) ng mga suspek "makuha" lamang ang inpormasyon pulpol o makakanta man lamang ang isang suspek.

(Ang ilang halimbawa; kaso ng dating Mayor na si Jamiri, ang suspek sa Congress blast at si Prinsipe Velasco (NDF), inuugnay sa Manila Pen stand-off at ang limang pro-ERap (Erap 5) activist, ang ilan sa hindi mabilang na halimbawa ng mga TORTURE na ipinatupad ng mga awtoridad)

Kaya't hanggang ngayon, simula't sapol na ginawa ng diyos (panahon ni Marcos) na paanunsyo ng PNP/AFP sa isang insidente, walang naniniwala, palagiang may pagdududa sa persepsyon ng mga tao, walang tiwala, walang bilib, kundi man ZERO, questionable ang kredibilidad.

Ang epekto, ano mang pahayag ng buguk na "operador- tactician" na si Sec Puno, (PNP chief Razon at NCRPO chief Barias) na kesyo “political vendeta ang Congress blast, poso negro theory sa Glorietta IV blast, propagandang military junta govt na pakay ni Sen Trillanes, crackdown daw ng media kung maaagaw ng Transition govt ni Sen Trillanes at grupong Magdalo ang gubyerno, total denial on political killings, ang palagiang pag-uugnay sa Abu Sayaff / JI, CPP-NPA at terorismo, ect..." suntuk sa buwan, WALANG NANINIWALA! (Larawan sa itaas: Sec Puno at NCRPO chief Barias)

Bukud pa sa normal practice na pagtatanim (planting) ng ebidensya, sa tindi ng torture o pagpapahirap sa mga bihag (hal. pagpitpit ng bayag, pagsunog ng maseselang organ ng katawan), hindi maiwasang maging normal na rin sa mga suspek na amining ng tuluyan ang ano mang ipinaa-amin sa kanila ng berdugo (torturer), hanggang akuing na ang pumatay kahit kay Jose Rizal at Andres Bonifacio. Sapagkat mayorya ng bigat (mahigit otsenta porsiento, 80%) ng conviction o testimonya ng bihag o suspek nakasalalay o nakabatay sa sanaysay - salita ng suspek at hindi sa masusing inbestigasyon o matitibay na ebidensyang (scientific) tulad ng mga malalimang isinasagawang inbestigasyon ng mayayamang bansa (CSI).

Doy Cinco / IPD
December 8, 2007

Human Rights Day
http://www.malaya.com.ph/dec10/edit.htm
December 10, 2007
Editorial

‘The government cannot just ignore Melo, Alston and the Supreme Court.’
The government continues to play deaf and blind to continuing human rights abuses, insisting that a) the killings of disappearances of critics and activists are the handiwork of communist rebels, and b) the abuses committed by state agents are aberrations that are not sanctioned by authorities.

These claims fly in the face of the findings of the Melo Commission which holds the military responsible for a number of extra-judicial killings brought to its attention and of Philip Alson, UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial killings, who went beyond pinpointing responsibility of individuals by looking into the policies and programs of this administration which gave way to widespread abuses of human rights.

Additionally, recent Supreme Court initiatives to strengthen court rules in order to address rights violations also serve as an indirect recognition that government and its agents are primarily responsible for the killings and abductions.

The Supreme Court, for one, is no longer satisfied by simple denials by the military that persons covered by petitions for a writ of habeas corpus are in its custody. The High Court has introduced the writ of amparo to determine the factual validity of allegations of illegal arrests and detention. It is also set to introduce the writ of habeas data to bring to light information related to rights violations.

The government cannot just ignore Melo, Alston and the Supreme Court. It already stands indicted and its specific defenses are as good as demolished. It cannot seek refuge in the fact that the abuses are taking place in the context of an ongoing rebellion.
Some quarters say Gloria Arroyo has lost control of the military, the reason her directives to end the killings have not been heeded and her pronouncements reiterating the government’s respect for fundamentals rights have been mocked. Only the military stands in her way of being overthrown. Hence, she has become a prisoner of the military mindset.

It’s an attractive explanation, but it presumes that the interests of Gloria and the military are incongruent. It is also belied by the record. It was Gloria who ordered the military to crush the rebellion before she steps down. The communist rebellion has been with us since Crisanto Evangelista set up the communist party in the 1930s. Even before that, the country’s history was regularly punctuated by armed uprisings by the dispossessed.

There is no way to end the insurgency in a matter of three to five years. The military knows this, but it determined to carry out its commander-in-chief’s wishes. The result is zoning reminiscent of the Japanese occupation, food blockades, checkpoints and restrictions on travel, demonization of the Left and wholesale identification of dissent with communist rebellion and, yes, killings and abductions.

A meaningful International Human Rights Day to all. If it’s possible at all in this country.