Taiwan Committee for Philippine Concerns

[AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL] Philippines: Witness protection needed to ensure justice for victims of massacre

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:16:08 +0800

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PRESS RELEASE

November 26th 2009

Philippines: Witness protection needed to ensure justice for victims of massacre

The Philippine government must urgently ensure that witnesses are protected following the massacre of at least 57 people in Maguindanao province and safeguard vital forensic evidence to ensure those responsible are brought to justice, said Amnesty International.

Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., a member of the powerful Ampatuan family that has dominated local politics in Maguindanao province in the country’s restive Mindanao region, is now under arrest and could face multiple murder charges. He has denied involvement.

“One of the major stumbling blocks to justice for human rights violations in the Philippines has been the intimidation of witnesses, at times accompanied by bribes or other inducements,” said Donna Guest, Amnesty International’s deputy Asia-Pacific director.

“Given the Ampatuan family’s history of using private militias to maintain their dominance in Maguindanao, there is every reason to fear for the safety of witnesses and the protection of evidence.”

Amnesty International pointed out that the inability of Philippines investigators to gather and process forensic and circumstantial evidence in prosecutions has led to an overreliance on eyewitness testimony.

Media footage from the scene of the massacre shows little evidence of proper collection of forensic evidence.

“The Philippine government has responded with encouraging speed and seriousness to this incident so far but they must demonstrate that they will put in place proper mechanisms to ensure there is transparent, credible accountability,” Guest said.

“This case, which has shocked the country and the world, cannot end in impunity as the vast majority of cases of political killings have in the past.”

Amnesty International called on the government of the Philippines to invite assistance from the international community in conducting the technical aspects of this investigation.

The European Union and the Philippine government have recently signed an agreement to improve the quality of investigations and prosecutions of extrajudicial executions in the Philippines.

Background

Most witnesses are reported to lack confidence in the current witness protection program, and fear that, given prolonged delays in criminal proceedings, it will not be able to offer protection to them or their families which may be needed to extend over a number of years.

In conjunction with lack of confidence in the impartiality of the police, fear of reprisals and a lack of an effective witness protection program, most investigations remain ineffective and fail to lead to the identification, arrest, trial and conviction of the perpetrators.

Pagbabago Statement on the Maguindanao Massacre

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:30:16 +0800

Pagbabago! People's Movement for Change

PRESS STATEMENT / 26 November 2009

Reference: Ms Bibeth Orteza (Pagbabago! spokesperson) Mobile 0917.7913132

Arroyo administration’s policy of extra-judicial killings, patronage politics paved the way for Maguindanao massacre

The Pagbabago! People’s Movement for Change joins the nation in denouncing in the strongest possible terms the brutal massacre in the province of Maguindanao. We denounce even further the apparent lack of swift action and serious effort on the part of Malacañang and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to go after the perpetrators of the worst election-related violence in the country’s history.

We demand justice for the victims and their families and this means not only arresting those directly responsible for the mass slaughter of unarmed civilians. For us, justice entails making liable all those responsible for creating the climate of impunity that has allowed the gross violation of human rights to persist and for local warlords like the Ampatuan clan to do as they please without fear of retribution from the law. For this, we hold the Arroyo administration accountable as well for the gruesome killing of at least 52 people including women, journalists, and lawyers in Maguindanao.

The Arroyo administration is the biggest warlord in this country, employing the AFP and the PNP as its own private army. Its policy and practice of extra-judicial killings and political repression of perceived enemies using the State’s security forces, machinery, and resources and then covering them up has obviously emboldened the Ampatuans to kill at whim their own political foes in Maguindanao as they had against relatives and supporters of the rival Mangudadatus, the lawyers and media people with them, and even motorists who happened to tail the convoy.

For a long time, the Arroyo administration has lavished the Ampatuans with favors such as allowing it to maintain a huge private army, including AFP-led CAFGUs which the warlord clan used to expand and further entrench its political dynasty in the region. We note that it was Arroyo’s Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) that initiated in 2006 the arming of so-called civilian volunteers in Mindanao purportedly for protection against Moro separatist rebels. This was used to legitimize the private armies of favored warlords such as the Ampatuans. These are the same armed civilian volunteers, reportedly with local police officers and armymen, who carried out the Maguindanao massacre. According to the Mangundadatos, the PNP had turned down their request for police escort in going to the COMELEC offices on that day.

This is the same private army that the Ampatuans used to terrorize the people during national elections and assure victory in the province for the Arroyo administration.

It is not a secret that the Arroyo administration owes a big political debt to the Ampatuans. This clan ensured Mrs. Arroyo wouldl get the margin she asked for against rival Fernando Poe Jr. in the fraudulent 2004 presidential elections. This clan also delivered an unbelievable 12-0 victory for the administration’s Team Unity senatorial ticket in the 2007 polls. Undoubtedly, the administration will once again utilize to the hilt the Ampatuans to give its presidential bet Gilbert Teodoro the boost he badly needs in next year’s presidential elections.

No amount of distancing and hand washing can absolve the Arroyo administration from culpability for allowing the Maguindano massacre to happen. We are further enraged that the immediate response of Malacañang has been minisculecompared to what the incensed public demands and what justice dictates, which is for the state security forces to immediately take custody of the Ampatuan family member directly implicated in the massacre for questioning, disarm the Ampatuan private army, and relieve from their posts all AFP and PNP officials responsible for securing peace and order in the area. The declaration of a state of emergency in the province does not address the basic problem that until now, despite positive identification of who the killers are, not a single arrest or even questioning by the police has been made. What we have seen so far despite strong words of condemnation not only in the Philippines but from the international community as well is a government handling with kid gloves a reliable political ally.

We call on all Filipino people who value life, justice, democracy, and accountability of public officials to pressure the Arroyo administration to act swiftly and bring justice for the victims of the Maguindanao massacre and their families. We call on the people to once and for all end the climate of impunity for human rights violators and mass murderers that has pervaded in the country under the Arroyo administration. #

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香港基督徒學會（HKCI）聲明：終止菲律賓的政治暗殺

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 12:27:57 +0800

Stop the Killings in the Philippines

16 August 2006

The Hong Kong Christian Institute (HKCI) is deeply concerned about the increasing number of political killings and human rights violations in the Philippines. We urge the Philippine government to take stronger action to address this issue and prevent further killings from taking place.

The right to life is the most fundamental human right. We applaud the Philippine government's recent decision to abolish the death penalty. Meanwhile, however, there are ongoing and escalating political killings taking place. HKCI is appalled that more than 700 people have died from extrajudicial killings since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took office in 2001. Moreover, hundreds of cases of abductions and harassment have also occurred.

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Getting Worse Everyday

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 00:34:10 +0800

Getting Worse Everyday

(On the Killing of Pastor Isaias Sta. Rosa)
Press Statement, August 7, 2006

Another church worker from one of the member churches of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) has fallen from the bullets of assassins. Pastor Isaias Sta. Rosa of the United Methodist Church (UMC) of Malobago, Daraga, Albay was killed by 10 armed men last August 3, 2006. He is the 21 ^st church worker killed since May 2001.

Pastor Sta. Rosa's killing came after three activists were killed in a span of 24 hours in the regions of Northern and Central Luzon and Sorsogon province. One of those killed, Rei Mon Guran, spokesperson of League of Filipino Students in Aquinas University in Legazpi City was also an active member of the Christian Youth Fellowship of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (CYF-UCCP).

It is interesting to note that these murders continue even after the announcement by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of a 10 week deadline to investigate the spate of extra-judicial killings among activists and journalists. It is also interesting to note that newspaper reports regarding Pastor Sta. Rosa's murder point to the military as possible suspects.

Clearly the situation is getting worse everyday. The impunity of how these killings are carried out is an affront to God's gift of life.

As NCCP mourns with the family of Pastor Sta. Rosa and other victims of extra-judicial killings, we call for a stop to these killings. We also call for an independent investigation on these violations of human rights by a group of esteemed individuals from different walks of life and a thorough inquiry by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Human Rights Council and other international courts of justice to ferret out the truth and to hold accountable those responsible for such wrongdoings.

MS. SHARON ROSE JOY RUIZ-DUREMDES

General Secretary-NCCP

--

CONTAK Philippines
(Church Office for International Network in the Philippines)
2/F UCCP National Offices
877 EDSA, West Triangle
Quezon City PHILIPPINES

移工黨台灣支部的立場，針對二○○六年七月二十七日、二十八日「國家永續經濟發展活動會議」

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 02:27:46 +0800

移工黨台灣支部的立場，針對二○○六年七月二十七日、二十八日「國家永續經濟發展活動會議」

翻譯 / 施逸翔

移工黨台灣支部針對「行政院勞工委員會」（以下簡稱勞委會）或任何企業法人在二○○六年七月二十七日、二十八日所推出的任何反移工和反勞工的提案，提出強烈地反對。這裡所提的活動，指的就是「國家永續經濟發展活動會議」，這個會議類似於二○○一年八月的「經濟發展諮詢委員會議」(EDAC) 。

移工黨所堅持的，就是任何國家經濟發展的計畫，都必須要考量到勞動人民維護權利的需求，這些權利無非就是合理的薪資和工作安全。一旦他們的權利獲得保障，這將確保任何這樣的計畫，都能鼓舞勞工朋友增加他們的生產力，而且如果要確保經濟獲得發展，此外別無他法。

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在台灣的海外菲律賓人針對艾若育國情咨文演說之聲明

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 02:25:12 +0800

台灣的海外菲律賓人

針對艾若育國情咨文演說之聲明

文 / Gi Estrada

譯 / 施逸翔

菲律賓總統艾若育明天將對菲律賓人民發表國情咨文演說。這次國情咨文演說的背景，發生在這個國家的政府從不間斷地謀殺政治積極者（異議份子）和新聞媒體人，而這樣的情勢只會越演越烈，這完全體現了艾若育政府逐步升高其法西斯式的統治。

這些政治積極者包括教會人士、律師、學生、和各個為群眾發聲的團體組織的成員或領袖。他們的共同目標，無非就是要終結掉大多數菲律賓人民所遭受的經濟苦難，這經濟苦難的肇因，來自菲律賓的不義體制想要迎合美國與艾若育合謀的政權利益。

這不義的系統將菲律賓的經濟逼得不斷後退，且成為農業的、非工業的經濟型態。根據Ibon databank最近所做的研究顯示，有百分之六十九點三的受訪者表示他們都很貧窮，而只有百分之十四點一的人在他們所居住的那個區域有賴以維生的工作。

        艾若育政權的政策，包含推展菲律賓外資經濟貿易的自由化，以及引入「增值稅擴大法案」(EVAT)，這已經毫無疑問地加劇惡化了菲律賓人民的經濟災難。這樣處境，也已經越來越推動菲律賓人，要嘛一舉終結掉這個不正義的體制，要嘛就是到海外去討一口飯吃。

        有百分之十的菲律賓人民，目前在186個國家和領土內工作。二○○五年，這些海外菲律賓移工光是靠他們的小額匯款，以及不同政府對於他們強征的手續費用，就對菲律賓的經濟貢獻了有約一百二十億的美元。然而，當那些像是待在黎巴嫩的海外菲律賓人迫切需要政府的援助時，菲律賓政府所能說的只是，他們缺乏資源來讓菲律賓僑胞安全地撤離黎巴嫩。

        台灣的「馬尼拉經濟文化辦事處」（MECO）直接隸屬於艾若育政權的總統府辦公室，而菲律賓移工在台灣的處境也已經日益惡化。二○○二年時，對於菲律賓移工名義上要繳交食宿手續費，但實質上卻是針對他們的一種薪資苛扣，MECO方面一直以來都沒有為菲律賓移工們表達抗議。同年，MECO也沒有針對名義上是手續費但實質上卻為仲介費的合法化，表示任何的抗議。同時間，來自台灣的再顧工卻要跟新僱工一樣被索取同樣的費用（最少48,000披索，折合美金為923元），而且他們還被排除在政府的「返國移工計畫」之外，該計畫確保了返國移工在私人就業機構與菲律賓海外就業管理局的福利。

        大部分菲律賓海外移工在家事服務上的管理工作以及僕傭工作，甚至是在家或在醫院的看護照顧工作，他們不是沒有休

敬邀各位參與七月二十三日「馬尼拉經濟文化辦事處」前的抗議活動

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 15:25:25 +0800

反艾若育國情咨文與謀殺異議份子抗議活動

時間：二○○六年七月二十三日下午一點
地點：馬尼拉經濟文化辦事處（MECO）
臺北市忠孝東路四段一O七號四樓（菲律賓首都銀行）

各位朋友：

「移工黨台灣支部」竭誠邀請各位參與我們將在「馬尼拉經濟文化辦事處」前所舉行的示威抗議活動，活動將於二○○六年七月二十三日下午一點發起，這次示威抗議的主要訴求，在於反對菲律賓艾若育政權七月二十四日將發表的「國情咨文演說」。香港與杜拜這天也會舉行同步的示威抗議行動。

我們的訴求有：

1. 對抗越來越惡化的法西斯統治和鎮壓！

2. 立即終止一再地謀殺政治積極者與新聞媒體人！

3. 為人權受害者討回正義！

4. 停止洗劫菲律賓海外移工的辛苦血汗錢！

5. 不要再禍害菲律賓人民！

6. GMA快給我滾下台！

屆時希望能在隊伍裡看到各位。

Gi Estrada 移工黨台灣支部秘書長

（若有任何問題請撥打0917423130）

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