Revelations of Philippines rights violations continue at UN Human Rights Council

06/14/2014, Geneva, Switzerland – International human rights group Civicus and Philippine-based rights group Karapatan issued on Thursday an appeal to the 47-member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to urge the Philippine government to stop the attacks against indigenous peoples and environmental activists in Talaingod, Davao del Norte, and elsewhere in the country.

In an oral intervention delivered by Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay before the UNHRC and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights during the 26th Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva, she cited the forcible evacuation of indigenous Manobos in Talaingod, in the southern island of Mindanao, caused by military operations and bombings.

Palabay indicated that the Manobos’ refusal to allow mining companies to encroach on their lands exposed them to threats and harassment.

“They have become victims of the Aquino government’s counter-insurgency program, Oplan Bayanihan, and they are tagged as members or supporters of the New People’s Army,” she stated, in her oral intervention during the interactive dialogue with the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights.

“Mining companies, including Indophil Resources, have applications covering the land where the indigenous Manobos live, for gold, silver, copper, and other minerals. Their plight is akin to the situation of the indigenous communities where SMI Glencore/Xstrata has mining projects. Anti-mining activists, indigenous leaders and children were killed by military and paramilitary groups, and justice remains elusive for them,” Palabay added.

The rights groups appealed to the UN Human Rights Council to urge the Philippine government to recognize and respect the rights of communities and human rights defenders, who bear the full adverse impact of business, especially big mining, activities. They asked the Council to call on  the Philippine  government  to  adhere  to  international  human  rights  standards,  including  the UN Guiding  Principles  on Business  and Human Rights.

Palabay also spoke on the issue in a side event on civil society space and protection of human rights defenders jointly organized by international organisations Article19, CIVICUS, ICNL, ECNL, the World Movement for Democracy and the Permanent Mission of Ireland. Mr. Maina Kiai, UN special rapporteur on freedom of assembly and association, and Mr. Frank la Rue, UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression, were also in the said panel.

Citing Karapatan’s documentation and reports of London-based NGO Global Witness, Palabay said that aside from extrajudicial killings of indigenous peoples and activists, arrests based on false charges of environmental and anti-mining activists are on the rise. She cited the arrests and detention of physicist Kim Gargar and Tampakan anti-mining activist Romeo Rivera.

Palabay is among the members of the  Ecumenical Voice for Peace and Human Rights (EcuVoice) delegation of human rights defenders and church workers at the 26th sessions of the UN HRC.  Joining her are Atty. Edre U. Olalia, Secretary General of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), Rev. Irma Balaba, assistant programme secretary of the Christian Unity and Ecumenical Relations programme of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines; and Dr. Angie Gonzales, Atty. Mary Kristerie A. Baleva, and Julie Palaganas of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines.

References:
Cristina Palabay
Karapatan Secretary General
c/o +41774559698

Edre U. Olalia
NUPL Secretary General
c/o +41779773999

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PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publicinfo@karapatan.org
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Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights
2nd Flr. Erythrina Building
#1 Maaralin corner Matatag Streets
Central District, Diliman
Quezon City, PHILIPPINES 1101
Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146
Web: http://www.karapatan.org

KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties.  It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign. 

http://www.karapatan.org/Mother+and+Child+Plight+Raised+on+UN+Rights+Body+Floor

6/13/2014, Geneva, Switzerland – International civil society organization Civicus World Alliance for Citizen Participation (Civicus) and Philippine human rights group Karapatan, through Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay, jointly responded yesterday to the report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women during the interactive dialogues at the 26th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Speaking on behalf of Palabay, Atty. Mary Kristerie A. Baleva of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines delivered a succinct yet vivid oral statement on the floor, in the presence of various State Missions, international NGOs, and UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) officers and staff, disclosing the violations suffered by Filipino women detainees. She highlighted the case of political prisoner Andrea Rosal, who was seven months pregnant when she was arrested and detained in March 2014 on the basis of dubious charges.

The UN body holding sessions at Palais des Nations heard how Rosal did not receive proper, immediate and adequate maternal and pre-natal care due to the insensitivity and negligence of prison officials and guards, endured and continues to suffer inhumane treatment together with 31 other women detainees who shared her cramped and squalid cell. Still under detention, Rosal gave birth to a daughter, who died within two days.

In contrast to the inordinate delay of bringing the then expectant mother to the hospital from the infernal jailhouse, the prison officials, lawyer and doctor hastily whisked Rosal back despite the absence of any medical clearance from her attending doctors.

The statement publicly asked the UN body and its pertinent mechanisms to look into the case of Rosal for multiple violations of the 1955 UN Standard Minimum Rules on the Treatment of Prisoners and the 2010 UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules).

The oral intervention endorsed by the Philippine group Ecumenical Voice for Peace and Human Rights (EcuVoice) also called for the immediate release of Rosal and other women detainees especially the sick and elderly.

Aside from Palabay and Baleva, the EcuVoice delegation also includes one of Rosal’s counsel Atty. Edre U. Olaia, Secretary General of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) and Bureau member of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) which has UN Ecosoc consultative status.

References:

Cristina Palabay
Karapatan Secretary General
c/o +41774559698

Edre U. Olalia
NUPL Secretary General
c/o +41779773999

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PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publicinfo@karapatan.org
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Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights
2nd Floor Erythrina Building
#1 Maaralin corner Matatag Streets
Central District, Diliman
Quezon City, PHILIPPINES 1101
Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146
Web: http://www.karapatan.org

KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties.  It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign. 

On the occasion of the Philippines’ 116th Independence Day

(Philippines) — “Prosecute and make accountable all those who are involved in the pork barrel scam!”

This is the battle cry of health professionals, community health workers and people’s health advocates joining today’s protest for the abolition of the pork barrel system and the increase of allocation of funds to health care and other basic social services.

“The people and the health sector have had enough of the massive thievery through the pork barrel system that Mr. Noynoy Aquino and his cronies have done to the Filipino people,” said Robert Mendoza, co-convener of the Rx: Abolish Pork Barrel System Movement.

Mendoza declared that Mr. Aquino, his cabinet members such as Butch Abad, Proseso Alcala, Joel Villanueva and the rest of his cronies’ personal interests are so compelling that it subsumes what is right and just.

“How can government officials and members stomach the painful realities that plague the nation like thousands of critically ill patients being turned away in public hospitals because of lack of money, hospitals beds and/or attending doctors and nurses; that there are only 17,000 Barangay Health Stations (BHS) out of 42,000 barangays in the country, not enough to provide primary health services in the cities and countrysides; that 72 public hospitals including the Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC) and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) are up for privatization that will make health care services profit-oriented and expensive for the poor; that hundreds of thousands of nurses remain unemployed despite the country’s massive lack of public health nurses; that 7 out of 10 Filipinos die without ever seeing a doctor; and, 70% of the Filipino population are not able to buy essential medicines simply because they don’t have the money for it,” Mendoza expressed.

Rx Abolish Pork Barrel System Movement tagged Mr. Aquino’s message today published in a major broad sheet “eliminating greed and corruption” from society as hypocritical and insulting. Mendoza claimed that “he people know more than what they (Aquino government) want us to believe. We have had enough!”

Rallying under the tagline, “Lahat ng sangkot dapat managot!” Rx Abolish Pork Barrel System Movement is a group of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, health science students, community health workers, people’s organizations and people’s health advocates fighting for prosecution and accountability of all those involved in the systemic corruption within the government led by pork barrel king Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino.

Reference:
Robert Mendoza
Co-Convener
0921-2073631

http://www.karapatan.org/Jail+the+plunderers+and+release+all+political+prisoners

Calling to “Jail the plunderers and release all political prisoners!” Karapatan, SELDA and other human rights organizations today held a protest picket in front of the general headquarters of the Philippine National Police at the Camp Crame, Quezon City. Camp Crame is reportedly being prepared for the detention of legislators allegedly involved in the pork barrel scam.

“Actually, the BS Aquino government and the PNP need not construct or renovate a building for these 100 pork barrel suckers. This government need only to release Andrea Rosal and 489 political prisoners to give space to the plunderers of the people’s money,” said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan.

She said the 489 political prisoners are facing trumped up charges making their detention illegal. There are 40 elderly political prisoners and 50 who are truly sick, “and not just faking out sickness to stay in private hospitals”.

Palabay also cited the 14 peace consultants of the National Democratic Front who are under the protection of the Joint Immunity and Safety Guarantees (JASIG) but are nonetheless detained as the BS Aquino regime continues to renege on previously signed agreements with the NDFP.

“While political prisoners like Andrea Rosal suffer from the inhuman jail condition and inadequate medical attention, these plunderers who siphoned off people’s money are welcomed with brand new facilities,” added Palabay.

“Dapat nasa masikip at maliit na kulungan ang mga patabaing baboy.  Sa ganito rin dapat makulong ang mga pulitikong pinataba ng pork barrel. (Pigs being fattened are confined in a pig sty and that’s where the politicians who pigged out on the nation’s coffers should stay),” said Palabay.  

Kung sabagay,  ganun din naman halos ang kalagayan sa ating mga kulungan, (The jails where the political prisoners are detained are no different from a pig sty, and that adds to the injustice committed against them) while Janet Lim-Napoles, the queen of pork, is being spoiled by the BS Aquino government by giving in to all her whims,” she said.

Being held at the Custodial Center of Camp Crame are peace consultants Benito Tiamzon, Wilma Austria-Tiamzon, Renante Gamara and Eduardo Serrano. There are seven more political prisoners in with them, five of whom were with the Tiamzons when they were arrested.

Aside from calling for the immediate release of Andrea Rosal, the rights groups and peace advocates also called on the Aquino government to resume the peace talks with the NDFP and release 14 detained NDFP consultants.

Reference:
Cristina “Tinay” Palabay
Secretary General
+63917-3162831

Angge Santos
Media Liaison
+63918-9790580

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PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publicinfo@karapatan.org
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Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights
2nd Floor Erythrina Building
#1 Maaralin corner Matatag Streets
Central District, Diliman
Quezon City, PHILIPPINES 1101
Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146
Web: http://www.karapatan.org

KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties.  It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign.