Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
The Hague (Fides Service) - The civil society of the Philippines has reported its government and the army for serious violation of human rights. The report was filed in The Hague during a 21 - 25 March session of the Permanent Peoples Tribunal established in 1979 an international opinion tribunal, independent from any State authority. It examines and judges complaints regarding violations of human rights and rights of peoples that are submitted by the victims themselves or groups representing them.
Present at the session on the Philippines www.philippinetribunal.org a consortium of organisations and associations such as Hustisya!, Desaparecidos, Selda, Bayan, Karapatan, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Public Interest Law Center, Peace for Life, Philippines Peace Center & Ibon Foundation, Ecumenical Bishops Forum, United Church of Christ of Philippines, representing the people of the Philippines including indigenous minorities.
The organisations accused the government of president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Philippines army of serious and systematic violation of human and political rights in recent years: 778 cases of summary executions, 186 cases of forced disappearance, 203 massacres and 502 cases of torture.
The group also denounced serious and systematic violation of economic, social and cultural rights, such as deregulation of oil production, privatisation of industries and mineral resources, import-export of farm produce, violation of national political and economic sovereignty, destruction of the environment; systematic violation of the right to self-determination of the people and indigenous minorities, repressed by “war on terrorism” in the southern Philippines with US backing. With regard to responsibility for this situation the Tribunal named the US government, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organisation, multinational companies and banks involved in exploitation of natural resources with damage for the local people.
This second session for the Philippines follows the first in 1980 to denounce the dictatorship and repression of Ferdinando Marcos.
Twenty six years later the Tribunal accepted a new appeal for three reasons: the case of the Philippines is an example of ‘low intensity war’; the Philippines is a clear case of silent repression; the case touches also forced migration, a product of globalisation. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 27/3/2007 righe 29 parole 291)
