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Ermita to Lead RP Mission to 8th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva in June

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita will head the Philippine mission to the 8th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland in June to report on the human rights situation in the country.

"We are preparing for June…it is a bigger forum because not only the delegates from the 48 countries will ask questions but this time, Philippines' non-government organizations (NGOs), civil society and international NGOs as well will also be asking specific questions…we are indeed preparing well," he said.

Ermita, chairman of the Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC), also headed the Philippine delegation to the Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UN-HRC) in Geneva on April ll.

The UN-HRC website said aside from the Philippines, other countries that will present their human rights commitment reports include the Central African Republic, Azerbaijan, Morocco, Malaysia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Forty-one country delegations commended the commitment, constructive and consultative approach of the Philippine presentation and report to the April meet in Geneva.

New Zealand commended the Philippines for "its willingness to engage in frank dialogue and share its experiences in identifying and overcoming human rights challenges with others."

Singapore cited the Philippines for the "gains made in human development and towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals, specifically in the area of women empowerment' while China "appreciated the work in reducing the extreme poverty with a community-based system to assist the poor population."

Canada said it was "encouraged that the Philippines has expressed its commitment to end extrajudicial killings but remained concerned that there were few convictions" while the Holy See appreciated the Philippines for "taking the lead in inter-religious dialogue."

Ermita said he has already forwarded to the Senate the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture.

"This Optional Protocol is meant to strengthen the implementation of the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) to which RP has been a State Party for 22 years, since 1986 - so, it is also in our national interest to be a party to this instrument," he said.

The OPCAT covers physical, emotional, psychological and mental abusive acts. When committed by agents of the state for the purposes of coercion, it is deemed "torture" under the convention. These acts, committed by all other persons, and for any motive fall under the broader term "cruel, inhuman treatment or punishment."

The OPCAT mandates the establishment of a "system of regular visits undertaken by independent international and national bodies to places where people are deprived of their liberty, in order to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

It also requires state parties to establish independent national prevention mechanisms - not only to investigate reported incidents but also to put measures in place to prevent torture.

The Geneva-based HRC was established pursuant to General Assembly Resolution Number 60/251.

Under the General Assembly resolution, the HRC is mandated to "undertake a universal periodic review , based on objective and reliable information, of the fulfillment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments in a manner which ensures universality of coverage and equal treatment with respect to all States; the review shall be a cooperative mechanism based on an interactive dialogue, with the full involvement of the country concerned with consideration given to its capacity-building needs such as a mechanism shall complement and not duplicate the work of treaty bodies."

 

President ratifies Protocol to the UN Convention vs Torture

President Arroyo yesterday signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Cruel and Unusual Punishment (OPCAT) and recommended that the Senate concur with the ratification.

Separately, at the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting, the President also urged legislators to prioritize the Magna Carta for Women and pass a law to strengthen the Witness Protection Program, both measures deemed critical to human rights promotion and protection.

The Chief Executive signed the Instrument of Ratification for the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture yesterday and immediately transmitted it to the Office of the Senate President.

In the ratification document, the President said the Philippine government "is morally obliged to strengthen the country's compliance with international human rights instruments" since the Philippines is a current member of the UN Human Rights Council and has been a State Party to the Convention against Torture and Cruel and Unusual Punishment (CAT) since June 18, 1986.

The Optional Protocol supplements the convention against torture by "establishing international and national mechanisms that will conduct regular and periodic visits to places of detention for the purpose of monitoring the situation" and for the prevention of torture.

Executive Secretary Eduardo R. Ermita, also chairman of the Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC) said, "With today's ratification, the Arroyo Administration has fulfilled its commitment to the Filipino people and the international community to ratify this important treaty. We hope the Senate can make this a priority as well."

Domestic and international NGOs welcomed the ratification after advocating it for several months.
"Yes! This is it!" was the enthusiastic response of Balay Rehabilitation Center lobby expert Lieza Ugay upon hearing of the President's ratification. Calling the OPCAT ratification "long-awaited," Ugay said, "This will really help the Philippines to be more humane as a country."
Executive Director Renato Mabungay of the umbrella organization Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), said, "We welcome this intention to ratify the OPCAT, but abiding by it is another matter. We look forward to the government's further commitment to abiding by the Convention and the Optional Protocol."

Ermita said the inclusion of the OPCAT and two bills in the LEDAC agenda is part of the initiatives on human rights matters the Arroyo government promised to continue after undergoing the Universal Periodic Review at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva this last April 11.

The PHRC had decided to recommend ratification to the President at a meeting on April 3 after a series of meetings to discuss international human rights matters.

The Geneva-based NGO Association for the Prevention of Torture congratulated the Philippine delegation on the development.
The 1987 Constitution gives the President the power to ratify international treaties but, as a balance, the Senate has the mandate to concur with the ratification before it can go into force.

The improvement of witness protection is seen as necessary to convict perpetrators of activist and media killings, a priority human rights issue for the Arroyo administration.

The Melo Commission recommended strengthening this arm of criminal justice, as did UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston.
A number of bills on witness protection have been filed in the Senate and the House of Represenatives.

The Magna Carta for Women is considered important to strengthen Philippines' compliance with the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

These measures have been on the common legislative agenda between the executive and legislative branches since mid- 2007.

< http://www.mb.com.ph/MAIN20080423122579.html > < http://www.mb.com.ph/MAIN20080423122579.html >

 

Task Force Usig lists 211 suspects - By Cecille Suerte Felipe

Monday, April 21, 2008 - Police teams are tracking down at least 211 suspects involved in 141 incidents of unexplained killings of leftist activists and journalists.
Director Jefferson Soriano, chief of the Department of the Interior and Local Government's Task Force Usig, said the police have reported that 54 suspects were either arrested or have surrendered as operations intensified against the suspects in unexplained killings.

Citing a report submitted by Task Force Usig to Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Assistant Secretary for the Interior Danilo Valero said the task force has so far identified 255 suspects in 141 verified cases.

"Of the 255 suspects, 27 have already been arrested, 13 have surrendered and four convicted by the trial courts," said Valero.

The task force was ordered to investigate cases of unexplained killings of the 141 cases, including the killings of 113 political activists and 28 work-related murders of journalists.

Task Force Usig said there was a significant decline in cases of unexplained killings by 83 percent from 2006 to 2007.

In 2007, the task force recorded only seven incidents of unexplained killings, compared to 41 incidents in the previous year which represents an 83 percent reduction.

As of March this year, Valero said out of the 113 cases involving political activists, 62 or 55 percent were filed, four or 3.5 percent are under investigation, 46 or 40.7 percent are considered cold cases as there had been no development or progress in the investigation for more than a year, and one case was dropped and closed.

Out of the 62 cases involving activists, 35 were filed in court, one case was settled amicably, 27 are on trial and seven were dismissed. Some 13 cases are pending at the prosecutor's office and 14 were provisionally dismissed.

Some 28 incidents of killings of political activists involved members of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People's Army while military and paramilitary elements were implicated in 12 cases.

In the murders of media practitioners, out of the 28 work-related cases, 23 were filed in court; police investigators have found new leads in four cases, while another case is still under investigation.

< http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&amp;p=49&amp;type=2&amp;sec=24&amp;aid=2008042089 >
< http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&amp;p=49&amp;type=2&amp;sec=24&amp;aid=2008042089 >

 

"I abhor political violence and we have tackled it head-on" – PGMA

"I abhor it (violence), and we have tackled it head on."

Speaking before active and retired star-rank military officers yesterday (Friday, April 18) during their first-quarter fellowship meeting for 2008, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo enthused that "extrajudicial killings are down and prosecutions are up. We congratulate our police, our military."

She said her administration -- in tackling political violence head-on – had "met with a lot of success since we announced the formation of what was to become the Melo Commission."

The President also congratulated Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, concurrent chairman of the Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC) for having been "lauded in Europe for what we have done -- to bring down political killings by 83 percent last year."

Ermita -- who had introduced the President to the assemblage of generals from all branches of service -- is a member of the Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO) headed by BGen Jaime Echevarria that invited the President to what turned out to be the most-attended AGFO quarterly meeting.

A total of 41 countries from all over the world -- – including the Holy See -- were recorded in the minutes of the recently concluded Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UN-HRC) as having taken turns in commending the Philippines' efforts at curbing human rights violations.

The countries that praised the Philippines include New Zealand, Pakistan, India, Singapore, China, Canada, Slovenia, Cuba, North Korea, Turkey, Italy, France, Thailand, Norway, Japan, Algeria, Syria, Tunisia, Latvia, Guatemala, Sudan, Egypt, South Korea, Russia, Australia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Belarus, Cameroon, Azerbaijan, Netherlands, USA, Palestine, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Iran, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.

But President Arroyo is not resting on the laurels heaped by the international community on her administration's human-rights campaign:

"We will not be satisfied until we are at zero, but we are making progress, progress in… what our officers and men and women are doing (in) promoting human rights, defeating the insurgents, fighting the criminals."

"What we are doing is important for our economy because as we improve the security especially of the parts of the country that have known some degree of violence, we are able to move quickly to develop the economy in those areas," the President stressed.

"Just yesterday (Thursday, April 17) and the day before yesterday (Wednesday, April 16), I was in Surigao. Yesterday, I was in Surigao del Sur, which is supposed to be one of the centros de gravidad of the insurgency movement.

"But because so much has been done to neutralize the insurgents in that province, I was in the town of Carasscal, it's a boom town, people are happy, roads are being built, jobs are being created -- when we do that we ensure a lasting peace and order and then security is no longer an issue," President Arroyo concluded.

 

Ermita gives report on UN Human Rights Council mission

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted its report on the Universal Periodic Review of the Philippines, where several countries noted positively the measures taken by the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in improving human rights in the country.

Executive Secretary Eduardo R. Ermita announced this upon his return this morning (Wed. 16 April) from his mission to lead RP delegation to the UPR in Geneva, Switzerland where HRC is based.

"We are happy with the mix of praise for efforts made by the Arroyo government and concerns for the human rights situation in the country. Feedback from participating countries were very good. In particular, the focused and direct responses to questions submitted in advance and from the floor were very well received. The general impression was that the Philippines came to the UPR well prepared and ready to face even the most difficult and sensitive questions," said Ermita.

The number of speakers which took the floor, 41 countries (45 was the maximum that can be accommodated within the time limit), was itself a very good indication of the level of support and respect the Philippines enjoy from the countries in the human rights council. While other countries that also underwent the UPR vigorously and openly lobbied not only for support but also for favorable statements from the floor, the Philippines did not." We were therefore pleased by the voluntary and unsolicited offers of support as shown by the very favorable statements delivered from the floor. Even countries that asked sensitive questions on extrajudicial killings prefixed their queries with good words for the Philippines," added Ermita.

For this positive result, Ermita credit the efforts to the different agencies and independent bodies such as Commission on Human Rights, the Judiciary, and the Ombudsman which contributed to the preparations and took part in the delegation, civil society, and the team of the RP Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva, headed by Ambassador Erlinda Basilio.

Teamwork—that's the X factor that help us make such a comprehensive and respected national report and presentation and the Council members responded to that," Ermita, Chairman of the Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC), said.

The Philippines was commended for its transparent, consultative and comprehensive report and presentation. It also got kudos for championing migrant workers rights in the field and in the international legal system.

Japan's delegation said the country "highly regard(s) the effort made by GRP for promotion of the fundamental rights of the vulnerable groups, including women." Singapore said, "the Philippines is taking the lead in Southeast Asia in women's participatory inclusion."

"The countries' comments and questions show that they share the same concerns and priorities as President Arroyo—protecting women and children, fighting human trafficking, addressing activist and media killings, protecting our workers abroad, among other."

Australia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom were among those that commended the Philippines for measures to address activist and media killings, such as establishing the Melo Commission and for inviting the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions.

At the same time, they stressed the need for follow up on these measures to achieve concrete achievements such as convictions.

Follow up on many areas that the RP has identified as challenges and gaps such as laws on violence against women and children, and a law on torture is the next step after this positive review from the international community.

Thailand said, "We believe that the Philippines is second to none in its commitment to move ahead, especially in strengthening its engagement with the Human Rights Council."

Ermita added that at the UPR the Philippines did not just explain its politics and programs, it also to the opportunity to advocate for migrant workers' rights, a move welcomed by other labor-sending countries such as India, Mexico, and Sri Lanka.

The PHRC, as a coordinating body, held consultations and several drafting meetings for the National Report submitted to the UN on 1 Feb. and 5 five rehearsals for the interactive dialogue for November to April. The Philippines was the first to submit its National Report to the UN, beating the deadline by three days.

Ermita pointed out that civil society had a big role to play in the UPR of the Philippines, including participations in the consultations and submitting their own information to the HR Council. Groups such as Women and Gender Issues (WAGI) of Miriam College, the Human Rights and Development Experts, Bahay Rehabilitations Inc., Bantay Bayan, Sulong CAHRIHL, Task Force Detainees, and Karapatan had different roles in the process according to their mandates.

 

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