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4 Australian lawmakers decry alleged rights abuses in PH during Marcos visit
President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr.'s address before the Australian Parliament did not sit well with some of its members as they called for a stop in the alleged human rights abuses under his administration.
Greens Senator for Victoria Janet Rice on Thursday said on X that it was a "shame" to invite Marcos to speak before the Parliament.
''Under President Marcos Jr, corruption in the Philippines is getting worse. There are hundreds of political prisoners and 'anti-terrorism' laws are used as legal cover for extrajudicial killings. Yet the Australian Government invited him to address the Parliament today. Shame,'' Rice said in a tweet.
For his part, Senator Jordon Steele-John said he protested outside the Parliament while Marcos was delivering his speech.Under President Marcos Jr, corruption in the Philippines is getting worse. There are hundreds of political prisoners and 'anti-terrorism' laws are used as legal cover for extrajudicial killings.
— Janet Rice (@janet_rice) February 29, 2024
Yet the Australian Government invited him to address the Parliament today. Shame. pic.twitter.com/iDcSzBCWkL
''While President Marcos Jr gave a speech to the parliament today, I was proud to protest in solidarity with the Australian-Filipino community outside parliament! Stop the human rights abuses!'' he said on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Senator Barbara Pocock also took to X to express her displeasure about Marcos' visit to Australia.While President Marcos Jr gave a speech to the parliament today, I was proud to protest in solidarity with the Australian-Filipino community outside parliament!
— Senator Jordon Steele-John (@SenatorJordon) February 29, 2024
Stop the human rights abuses! pic.twitter.com/EJv5ckJEk6
The deep, cruel legacy of the Marcos regimes - senior and junior - have crushed community, peasant, women’s, trade union and human rights activists in the Philippines. We marked this legacy today as he visited parliament. https://t.co/Cktu5XuSQ8
— Barbara Pocock (@BarbaraPocock) February 29, 2024
Senator David Shoebridge lamented that the Australian Parliament is ''once more being used to launder the political reputation of those involved in serious human rights abuses.''
''This time it is Bongbong Marcos President of the Philippines. The Greens joined protesters outside Parliament and made our views known in the chamber,'' Shoebridge said.
GMA News Online has reached the Presidential Communications Office for comment on the protests but it has yet to respond as of posting time.
Outside the Parliament building, some members of the Filipino community also joined the protest, noting the alleged human rights abuses and the Marcos administration's push for Charter Change. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA Integrated News
