ICHRP Response to Feb 6 Crash of US Surveillance Plane in Mindanao

Statement
February 14, 2025

On February 6th, a United States surveillance plane crashed in a rice field near Amputan, Maguindanao in Mindanao. According to the US Indo Pacific Command, “the aircraft was providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies. The incident occurred during a routine mission in support of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation activities.” Four people, including one US marine and three contracted by the US Department of Defense died in the crash. 

The surveillance operation, which happened not far from the site of the notorious 2009 Maguindanao Massacre, is yet another event which raises serious concerns about the devastating impacts of the United States role in “counter-terror” and counterinsurgency operations in the Philippines. 

Indeed, this is not the first time that US troops have been identified conducting operations in the Philippines, particularly in Mindanao, or even the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. Following the 2001 US proclamation of the Philippines as the “2nd Front on the War on Terror” under the Bush Administration, an increase in US militarism and aid to “counter-terror” operations ensued. In 2015, under the Aquino regime, following the Mamasapano massacre which took the lives of civilians in a so-called “counter-terror” operation, Suara Bangsamoro identified the body of a US military officer killed in the operation, despite US denial. Under the Duterte Administration in 2017, the US played an integral role in directing and providing intelligence when the Armed Forces of the Philippines bombarded Marawi City, displacing 400,000 and putting at risk thousands of civilians. 

As the US increases its presence in the Philippines, US aerial surveillance is now a growing trend in the Philippines. In September 2016, Defense Secretary Lorenzana told the Philippine legislature that 107 U.S. soldiers based in Zamboanga City were conducting surveillance operations in Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, using both aircraft as well as drones. According to the US Naval Institute News, US Marines began operating MQ-9A Reaper drones out of Basa Air Base “to provide reconnaissance and surveillance” beginning in 2024. 

The impacts of US involvement in surveillance and counterinsurgency in the Philippines are well documented and longstanding. From the time of the Philippine-American war (1899-1902) through to the onset of the US War on Terror, US involvement in the Philippines has resulted in a massive death toll and destruction of land and people’s livelihood. 

Mindanao for example – an island rich with natural resources – has always been a target of the US. The US has launched military operations on the island dating back to 1899, seeking to subdue the Filipino people and establish economic control. Today’s counterinsurgency operations, which seek to squash the Filipino people’s resistance and struggle for self-determination, ultimately aim to deepen US hegemony in the Asia Pacific region. With the support of the US, the Philippine state continues to target poor and rural communities, including indigenous Moro and Lumad peoples. But these operations only serve to exacerbate the very basis of the people’s resistance which the US-backed Marcos regime seeks to crush. 

US meddling in the Philippines, and US direct involvement in counterinsurgency operations, stands contrary to the people’s aspiration for genuine peace and sovereignty.

The exposure of this recent surveillance operation raises further questions about the number of undisclosed US operations happening elsewhere in the archipelago. As ICHRP, we call for a probe into the nature of the recent surveillance operation to be made public. Amid the rapid increase of US troops in the Philippines, and the multiplying foreign military agreements with the Philippines, we call for the immediate withdrawal of US troops and the halting of foreign military agreements with the Philippines. 

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The International Coalition of Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) condemns the Philippine military for the killing of two youths in Uson, Masbate, Bicol Region on December 27, 2024. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families. Click here to read our full statement on the killing.

Together with the Foundation for Filipino Children and Children’s Rehabilitation Center, we demand a thorough investigation on the shooting incident that led to the killing of the two youths, one of whom is a minor. The open letter will be delivered to Ms. Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

Add your signature to our open letter to the United Nations Office for Children and Armed Conflict: ichrp.net/UNOpenLetter

Add your signature to our open letter to the United Nations Office for Children and Armed Conflict: ichrp.net/UNOpenLetter

Press Statement
January 15, 2025

The International Coalition of Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) condemns the Philippine military for the killing of two youths in Uson, Masbate, Bicol Region on December 27, 2024. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families. Together with the Foundation for Filipino Children and Children’s Rehabilitation Center, we demand a thorough investigation on the shooting incident that led to the killing of the two youths, one of whom is a minor.

Fourteen-year-old Jeffrey ‘JP’ Osabel and 18-year-old Redjan Montealegre were shot and killed while walking home alongside each other from a Christmas party in a nearby barangay. JP and Redjan were in Grades 9 and 10, respectively.

“We condemn these killings as grave violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and Philippine law,” said ICHRP Chairperson Peter Murphy. “We further call on the immediate withdrawal of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from rural communities, whose presence results in the widespread intimidation, harassment and killings of civilians.”

The shooting of these two school students continues a pattern of killings of civilians in Masbate by soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the last 12 months:

• On September 26, 2024, Ronel Abril and another coconut farmer, Roger Clores, were allegedly killed by the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA) in an alleged “armed encounter” with the New People’s Army (NPA). Witnesses confirmed that there was no encounter.
• On June 16, 2024, 17-year-old farmer Rey Belan was killed in another alleged “encounter,” with the military accusing him of being part of the NPA. But according to accounts gathered by human rights groups, Rey Belan and four companions were on their way home after hunting in the hilly area of Purok 1, Barangay Balantay, Dimasalang, Masbate, when they encountered troops from the 2nd IBPA. The soldiers allegedly opened fire, killing Belan instantly and wounding one of his companions. The other three managed to escape and reported the incident to the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Banahao, Dimasalang.

“The Philippine National Police in Uson, Masbate, have failed to make any arrests in all these cases, and so while we demand a police investigation, we have little confidence in their effort. We call on the Commission on Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Commissioner to take urgent action,” said Murphy.

The IHL general principle of distinction requires that the military distinguish between civilians and combatants at all times, and to protect civilians, but this has been violated repeatedly in Masbate, an island province southwest of Luzon’s Bicol region.

The Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity (RA 9851) also gives special protection to children as a vulnerable sector. The law states, “The Philippine court shall take appropriate measures to protect the safety, physical and physiological well-being, dignity and privacy of victims and witnesses. In so doing, the court shall have regard for all relevant factors, including age, gender and health, and the nature of the crime, in particular, but not limited to, where the crime involves sexual or gender violence or violence against children.”

ICHRP also urged the international community to take immediate action to withdraw military forces from the communities in Masbate. The alarming murder of children, coupled with the rising number of killings and harassment of peasants on the island, is a direct consequence of the aggressive militarization and brutal tactics employed by the 2nd IBPA. We must support the call of Filipino farmers to put an end to the reign of terror and martial rule in rural areas in the country.

For further comment: Peter Murphy +61 418 312 301 or media@ichrp.net 

Press Statement
January 15, 2025

On Saturday January 11, Philippine President Marcos Jr. hosted a “Vin D’Honneur,” at the Presidential palace, where he called upon foreign diplomats to support his regime’s bid for a seat on the UN Security Council for the 2027-28 term. The Security Council is comprised of 15 member states including the 5 veto-holding permanent members – the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia. 

In his appeal for support, Marcos claimed that the Philippines has “rich experience in building peace” and that Philippine foreign policy has always ensured “international law is faithfully complied with and permeates all facets of relations among nations.”

For years, Marcos Jr. has fashioned an image of himself based on widespread disinformation campaigns, which rose to special prominence over the course of his 2022 election campaign. Marcos’ recent address to foreign diplomats, which boasts a supposed record of “building peace” and projects concern for “international law,” is yet another attempt to distort reality to enable Marcos to gain international respectability and support. 

“The Philippine President’s remarks are indeed, patently false,” said ICHRP Chairperson Peter Murphy. “Over the years, projects like Investigate PH and the International People’s Tribunal on War Crimes, alongside the expansive documentation of Philippine human rights organizations, have thoroughly demonstrated the chronic cruelty of state terror in the Philippines. Human Rights Groups have found the Philippine government continues to operate with massive impunity while it remains guilty of widespread war crimes in violation of international law. This is not peacebuilding,” continued Murphy.

While the armed conflict between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) rages on, President Marcos Jr. has failed to address the social and economic roots of this conflict and the ongoing suffering of the Filipino people. Instead, Marcos Jr. has created hostile conditions for peace negotiations with the NDFP, directing the Armed Forces of the Philippines to continue their counterinsurgency campaign, committing numerous war crimes. 

In his bid for a seat on the Security Council, Marcos Jr. seeks to crown his ongoing misinformation campaign with further international recognition. Granting this to Marcos Jr. would be a reprehensible award to a regime committing unconscionable crimes against its people. 

But it would also be a danger for people across the world. The Marcos Jr. regime, indeed, has time after time proved subservient to US interests in the Philippines. Under his presidency, the number of US military bases and facilities increased from 4 to nearly 20 including those in undisclosed locations and those under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). In addition, Marcos Jr.’s signed the Bilateral Defense Agreement with the US in May 2024 and is now moving to update the US-RP Mutual Defense Treaty, not only to expand the treaty’s geographical coverage to include the South China Sea, but also to provide legal grounds for the US to use the Philippines as a launching pad for its wars of aggression in Asia.

With the US facing global backlash over its support for Israel’s genocidal campaign and pulling out all stops to maintain its geopolitical dominance over China, Marcos Jr.’s unwavering allegiance makes him an ideal proxy to advance this agenda within the Security Council. A Philippines seat on the UNSC, then, effectively gives the US another mouthpiece favoring the US war agenda. 

A Philippine seat on the UNSC, then, carries with it critical ramifications for Filipinos and people across the globe who clamor for peace based on justice. ICHRP calls for vigorous campaigning against the Marcos Jr. bid for a seat. We urge parliamentarians and national governments who genuinely care for peace to quickly oppose Marcos Jr. and to end support for the war crimes of his regime. 

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