The Continuing Human Rights Violations in the Philippines.

By Belarmino Dabalos Saguing, Rome, 16.08.23013

The violent evictions and demolitions of the urban poor in the Philippines, particularly in the National Capitol Region, has been condemned by the Human Rights Committee and other Rights groups both national and Interntional, as severe violation of human rights.

The Human Rights Committee is an impartial, independent human rights mechanism sitting in Geneva, Switzerland and is mandated with ensuring compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Philippines became a party to the Covenant in 1986 and three years later voluntarily accepted the Individual Complaint mechanism whereby victims of human rights violations can seek to hold States accountable to their human rights obligations and seek remedies when those obligations are violated.

Aside from violent demolitions, there are also cases of forced disapperance which are u nresolved and  even in the present administration, tortures, arrests without warrant, arrests with trumped up cases, violation of indigenous tribe's rights to their ancestral lands, military encampments within the villages that endagers the inhabitants and extrajudicial killings against political dissenters, human rights advocates, priest and religious and jounalists.

The Philippines despite being a cosignatory of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), has yet to solve these blatant human rights violations and the accompanying impunity in compliance with the covenant.

The Human Rights Committee is an impartial, independent human rights mechanism sitting in Geneva, Switzerland and is mandated with ensuring compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Philippines became a party to the Covenant in 1986 and three years later voluntarily accepted the Individual Complaint mechanism whereby victims of human rights violations can seek to hold States accountable to their human rights obligations and seek remedies when those obligations are violated.

When will the Philippines begin to respect the covenant the it signed? When will the government begin to respect the rights of its own people?

Now is the time to begin enforcing the human rights reguations which are also guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution. The President in his capacity as Commander in Chief og the Armed Forces and as Chief Executive of the government must make the move NOW!

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