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"They told us that there is already a law in place. But we have repeatedly told them: it does not work,” said Edith Burgos, mother of disappeared activist Jonas Burgos and the chairperson of International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED).
Civil society is not asking for favors. It is asserting its rightful role in shaping the future.
A far different reality happens in the Philippines characterized by disenfranchisement, environmental degradation, and deepening inequality.
The forms of attacks under the Marcos administration – red-tagging, filing of libel and other fabricated criminal charges, harassment – are the same as during the Duterte administration.
“The shrinking of civic spaces in the Asia-Pacific region is a dire warning of the broader challenges faced by civil society at the national level. It is a call to action for governments to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights of civil society and people's organizations to participate in decision-making processes.”
"If this space is threatened, this raises the alarm for civil society and peoples’ organisations for their democratic participation in these multilateral spaces."
Khan noted the order replacing the recently concluded “United Nations Joint Programme on technical cooperation and capacity-building for the promotion and protection of Human Rights in the Philippines” (UNJP) downgrades the role of CSOs, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the UN instead of encouraging full participation.
Regular check ups, particularly those related to reproductive health, are not covered by the free services provided by village health centers, as per the Philippine law on universal health care. Fabella wishes that the government can allocate more funds for the basic services but this has not improved over the years.
Human rights group Karapatan, said there are at least 91 individuals who have been charged with violations of the ATA and Republic Act No. 10168 or the law on the prevention and suppression of terrorist financing. There are also at least 27 political prisoners charged under both laws.
Environmental group said the Aerotropolis project has "resulted in the displacement of coastal communities, the loss of their livelihood, the deforestation of their mangrove forest, and numerous cases of harassment from police and military agents."
By RATZIEL SAN JUAN Altermidya MANILA -- The Philippine UPR Watch, a delegation of human rights defenders and advocates participating in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, frowned upon the Philippine government’s response to the UPR recommendations. The...
“Even though we have a new administration, it’s just superficial. The system and the domestic mechanisms remain the same – still detrimental to the rights of the unionists and union organizers."
"At this stage, discontinuing the only scheduled debate on the country at the HRC will risk acquiescing (to) ongoing abuses and violations and will abandon tens of thousands of victims who deserve justice and accountability."
"Environmental rights are of utmost importance in the face of the climate crisis."
In her oral update, Bachelet urged political aspirants on all sides to “set aside the ugly rhetoric against human rights defenders, attack (on) independent media, or (in condoning) extra-judicial killings and other violations and abuses.”
“Activists have been killed over the last year, both by the security forces and by unknown individuals. In many instances, activists were killed after being red-tagged. In virtually none of the cases has anyone been held accountable for the killings."
“It is very clear that no amount of technical assistance or capacity building will end the killings as the President and top government officials continue to incite murder and violence as official policy.”
But over the years, Duterte has attacked human rights advocacy groups as “enemies of the state,” also church leaders, priests, pastors and nuns. He even berated the Commission on Human Rights (a constitutional body) for criticizing certain policies or pronouncements of his government. He talked (confusedly or maliciously) of “detractors pass(ing) themselves off as human rights advocates while preying on the most vulnerable humans: even using children as soldiers or human shields in [armed] encounters.”
"Duterte would rather discredit human rights defenders and institutions than acknowledge that there are extrajudicial killings and other violations in the Philippines. He continues to deny what the whole world has already come to recognize."
UN Special Rapporteur for extra-legal killings Agnes Callamard, speaking for several other special rapporteurs at another activity, recommended among others twin actions: for the Council to establish an on-the-ground international investigation into alleged HRVs in the Philippines, while continuing to monitor and report on the prevailing conditions; and for its member-states to “apply sanctions against Philippine government officials who [may be found] to have committed, have initiated or failed to investigate or prevent HRVs, including arbitrary killings.”
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