March 31, 2009

CPA Statement on the European Parliament Resolution on the Philippines
The Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) welcomes the “European Parliament resolution of 12 March 2009 on the Philippines” and calls on the government to heed the Parliament’s recommendations. The resolution mainly took into consideration concerns on the peace and human rights situation of the country. Among others, it took notice that “hundreds of activists, trade unionists, journalists and religious leaders in the Philippines have been killed or abducted since 2001 and the GRP denies any involvement of the security forces and the army in these political killings, despite ample evidence to the contrary.” It further noted “in the case of most of these extrajudicial killings, no formal criminal investigation has been opened and the perpetrators remain unpunished despite many government claims that it has adopted measures to stop the killings and bring their perpetrators to justice.”
This is the latest international statement on the state of peace and human rights in the Philippines and amplifies similar concerns earlier expressed by Prof. Philip Alston in June 2006 and Dr. Rodolfo Stavenhagen in 2002 and February 2007, UN Special Rapporteurs on Extra-Judicial Killings and on Indigenous peoples, respectively, during their separate visits to the country.

The CPA reiterates its position that the Arroyo administration’s counter-insurgency program Operation Bantay Laya (OBL) launched in 2001 and extended in 2006 until 2010 is behind the extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and other gross human rights violations. Thus, these atrocities are State perpetrated and a result of State policy. 

The CPA also holds that while the OBL is a counter-insurgency policy directly against the revolutionary CPP-NPA-NDFP, however, state security forces also attacks legal progressive organizations such as the CPA and party lists like BAYAN MUNA on the unjust basis that these are front organizations of the CPP-NPA-NDFP. However, it also serves to protect corporate interests in the country especially large-scale mining by silencing opposition mainly from the above stated organizations and/or communities that they work with to such plunder of the country’s natural wealth.

It is the hope of the CPA that the European Parliament’s resolution would positively impact on the cases of human rights violations wherein the victims await long-delayed justice and exact State accountability. Lest we forget,

a.	on 31 July 2006, state operatives pulled the trigger on Dr. Chandu Claver, CPA-Kalinga Vice-Chairperson and BAYAN MUNA-Kalinga Chairperson he survived the attack however his wife Alyce Omengan-Claver who was with him was killed;
b.	on 8 June 2006, assassins gunned down Markus Bangit, CPA Regional Elder’s Desk coordinator and BAYAN MUNA-Kalinga Vice-Chairperson; 
c.	on 25 Novemebr 2005, motorcycle riding killers shot Albert Terredano, COURAGE-Abra coordinator, volunteer paralegal of the Cordillera Indigenous Peoples Legal Center (DINTEG) and member of the Abra Human Rights Advocates;
d.	on separate incidents from 2001 military forces killed at least 10 farmer-hunters and justified the killings because they are members of the NPA; and
e.	on 17 September 2008, enforced disappearance of James Moy Balao.

The CPA entreats the government to heed the call of the European Parliament especially the following:

a.	on the GRP to investigate cases of extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances; xxx put into place an independent monitoring mechanism to oversee the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators of such acts;
b.	on the GRP to adopt measures to end the systematic intimidation and harassment of political and human rights activists, members of civil society, journalists and witnesses in criminal prosecutions, and to ensure truly effective witness protection; and
c.	on the GRP to allow the UN special bodies dealing with human rights protection unrestricted access to the country; urges, also, the authorities to swiftly adopt and implement laws to incorporate the international human rights instruments (e.g. against torture and enforced disappearances) which have been ratified into national law.
The CPA also commends the European Parliament’s call for the resumption of Peace Talks between the GRP and the NDFP, and the MILF in believing that to put an end to abductions and extrajudicial killings it is necessary to address the economic, social and cultural root causes of violence in the Philippines.

Reference:
Beverly L. Longid
Chairperson
Cordillera Peoples Alliance