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UN urged to create truth commission on human rights violations in Philippines


International watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday urged the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to create a truth commission that would gather witnesses to, and testimonies on, human rights violations in the Philippines.

HRW deputy director for UN Lucy McKernan made the appeal ahead of the 51st session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva next week.

McKernan said their own probe showed that the human rights situation in the Philippines has "not improved" despite the UN's passing a resolution to provide technical cooperation and capacity-building for the promotion of human rights in the country.

“International scrutiny of the human rights situation in the Philippines remains essential in our view. The Human Rights Council should not be fooled by the Philippines government and their propaganda that the human rights situation has improved since the joint program,” McKernan said in a Zoom conference.

“It would be an injustice to the Filipinos if the UN now abandoned its efforts. So, the Council needs to send a strong message that the new presidency does not have a clean slate to commit new abuses,” she added.

McKernan said the Council should pass a resolution that “expressed concern” about the lack of improvement on the human rights situation, and make “recommendations on justice and reparations.”

She also called on the UNHRC to:

  • continue the capacity-building program;
  • declare an end to the government's campaign against illegal drugs through HRC-mandated investigation; and
  • call for an end to the red-tagging of activists and critics of government, and the harassment of journalists, among others.

In October 2020, the UNHRC said it requested the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for assistance to improve the human rights situation in the Philippines and to provide support for the country in its continued fulfillment of its international human rights obligations and commitments.

The assistance was to be for:

  • domestic investigative and accountability measures,
  • data gathering on alleged police violations,
  • civic space and engagement with civil society and the Commission on Human Rights,
  • a national mechanism for reporting and follow-up,
  • counter-terrorism legislation, and
  • human rights-based approaches to drug control.

The Council also urged member states, relevant UN agencies and other stakeholders to encourage and support the technical cooperation between the Philippine government and the Office of the High Commissioner with “a view to improving the situation of human rights in the country in response to the government’s requests for technical assistance and capacity-building.”

Iceland and the Philippines introduced the resolution.

Compensation for human rights victims

Meanwhile, Rose Trajano of iDefend also urged the UNHRC to create a follow-up resolution that would compensate the victims of human rights abuses.

“A follow-up resolution should also ensure that the Philippine government would commit to complete time-bound justice and accountability targets. We will also pursue our call for resolution through establishing an international independent investigation and ensure accountability for all violations and abuses in the context of the war on drugs,” Trajano said.

Last June, United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Philippines Gustavo Gonzalez said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. remains committed to high-level accountability on human rights issues in the country.

He said Marcos even said that he is conducting a number of consultations to ensure the best way of supporting the human rights agenda.

"It means the UN and the government needs to work together in addressing some concerns on human rights and he's very much interested, for example, in ensuring a consultation for the nomination of the new Commission of Human Rights," Gonzalez said.

Take UNJP seriously

For his part, HRW senior Philippines researcher Carlos Conde urged UNHRC to push the current administration to take the UN Joint Program (UNJP) on Human Rights “seriously.”

“It is now more than a year into it, but it has a little to show for… we are not saying that it is not important… but we are saying that the UNHRC should press on the Philippine government to really take the UNJP seriously. It cannot just make token actions to make it seem they are like participating in this program in any significant way,” Conde said.

The UNJP on Human Rights was signed in July 2021 by the Philippine government and the UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines.

UNJP seeks to support the government in strengthening its accountability mechanisms, the administration of justice, as well as investigations and data collection on allegations of human rights violations.

The three-year program also aims to better promote a human rights-based approach to curbing the drug menace.

Under the program, the UN will support evidence-based treatment and care services for people who use drugs.

It will capacitate national and local authorities, as well as teachers, guidance counselors, families, and communities in crafting and carrying out appropriate interventions to address the needs of these people in their recovery and reintegration to society.

Capacity-building activities aimed at alleviating prison overcrowding by strengthening criminal justice responses for drug-related crimes will also be undertaken. — BM, GMA News

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