What is ICHRP?

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) is a global network dedicated to campaigning for just and lasting peace in the Philippines.

We coordinate with partner organizations on the ground in the Philippines to draw attention to the most pressing issues, and generate moral, political, and material support for the most oppressed and exploited people in the country.

With 65 member organizations across 15 countries—ranging from grassroots solidarity groups to churches, trade unions, and environmental organizations—ICHRP is more active than ever and is always growing.

Here are some of the highlights of our solidarity work this past year:

Campaign on US-backed counter-insurgency

In response to calls from the mass movement in the Philippines, ICHRP prioritized the issue of US-backed counterinsurgency and its effects on the Filipino people this year.

We recognize the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) as a co-belligerent force with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), qualifying the civil war in the Philippines as an armed conflict subject to international law. The GRP’s frequent violations of international rules of war disguised as counterinsurgency continues to block efforts to build a just peace in the country.

In 2024 we exposed the so-called “counter-insurgency campaign” of the Philippine government through statements, urgent alerts, webinars, videos, and submissions to governments and intergovernmental bodies. We also fundraised for peasant communities who are facing the brunt of state violence.

International People’s Tribunal

In May of 2024, ICHRP was an official sponsor of the International People’s Tribunal (IPT) in Brussels. The tribunal was organized by the grassroots solidarity movement, and brought together a panel of legal experts to produce a verdict based on evidence and testimonies.

The 2024 IPT focused on the war crimes of the Duterte and Marcos Jr regimes, and identified the Biden administration as culpable. After hearing over a dozen harrowing testimonies, the jury unanimously agreed that the Philippine government was guilty of gross violations of International Humanitarian Law with the backing of the US government.

The verdict of the IPT was an important moment in exposing the world to the realities of “counter-insurgency” in the Philippines, which amounts to sweeping repression and violence against any and all dissent.

Brandon Lee Speaking Tour

In the United States, ICHRP members and allies organized the Brandon Lee speaking tour, which allowed human rights advocate Brandon Lee to travel around the country and share his story to hundreds of people.

In August 2019, Lee survived an assassination attempt in the Philippines that was likely committed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He was shot and hit in four places rendering him a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down with only partial sensation in his arms and hands. Lee now lives in the US with his family and continues his advocacy for human rights in the Philippines.

Senate Protest by Janet Rice

In the Asia-Pacific region, Australian politician Janet Rice made headlines by staging a protest against Marcos Jr during his address to the Australian parliament, leading to her temporary censure. Rice drew public attention to the blatant sidelining of the human rights violations of the Philippine government as Marcos Jr attempted to strengthen economic and military ties with the Australian government.

Former senator Rice was one of the High-Level Commissioners of Investigate PH, a human rights investigation and is an active voice for human rights in the Philippines.

Opposition to Indo-Pacific Strategy

In Canada, ICHRP Canada, along with grassroots groups and faith-based organizations, has raised concerns about the government’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, particularly its close alignment with U.S. geopolitical interests and heavy emphasis on military support, as well as the planned state visit of Marcos Jr. Major Canadian churches added their voices through an open letter to Prime Minister Trudeau, calling for Canada to support peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front. These concerns were detailed in an in-depth briefing paper and highlighted in an opinion piece published in the influential journal The Hill. ICHRP members also brought these issues directly to officials and spoke at a parliamentary hearing on Canada’s defense strategy update. During the hearing, a human rights defender from the Philippines joined virtually to share their testimony.

Conference on Peace Talks

In Europe, ICHRP member organization Catalan Association for Peace held a conference on the path towards peace which featured members of the NDFP negotiating panel and representatives from various other liberation movements around the world, including Columbia, Ireland, Guatemala, and South Africa.

A new ICHRP member organization, CHRP-Germany, was founded and launched this year.

Get involved!

ICHRP’s mission is to advocate for just and lasting peace in the Philippines. Our solidarity is most powerful when we’re unified and organized in action. You can help us build this unity by joining a local ICHRP member organization, or forming your own. Reach out to ICHRP at ichrp.net/contact if you aren’t sure how to get involved!

Urgent Alert

December 30, 2024

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) condemns the AFP’s violation of international humanitarian law (IHL) and the harassment of a humanitarian mission team in the island of Mindoro, Southern Tagalog.

At around 7:45 AM on December 18, an indigenous Mangyan-Iraya died in a reported encounter between the 4th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (4IBPA) and the New People’s Army (NPA) in Sitio Tinis-an, Barangay San Vicente. The deceased was identified as Marife Gayadan, as confirmed by her father, Pepe Gayadan, from Paluan, Occidental Mindoro.

According to human rights group Karapatan Southern Tagalog, the humanitarian mission team was organized upon the request of the relatives to help them retrieve the body of Marife.    

Despite the family’s confirmation of Marife’s remains, the military refused to release the body and demanded additional documents. The Refusal to Tender Remains nearly four days after the alleged encounter is a grave violation under IHL and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

Soldiers guarding the funeral home where Marife’s remains were held, aggressively punched the hands of a humanitarian mission team member who tried to enter, preventing them from opening the gate. 

In another incident, Pepe Gayadan (Marife’s father) was forcibly brought by the military inside a vehicle. As a mission team member attempted to reach him, the military suddenly accelerated the vehicle, causing the mission team member to fall and get injured. Two other mission team members reportedly had their feet run over by military vehicles. The military have actively prevented them from talking to and assisting Mr. Gayadan. 

Currently, the military is holding the family allegedly to “process” the retrieval of Marife Gayadan’s remains. Soldiers are blocking the gate of Roxas Municipal Police Station, preventing the humanitarian mission team from helping the family.

ICHRP calls for the immediate release of Marife Gayadan’s remains. It condemns the IHL violations committed by the 4IBPA as well as dirty tactics and physical aggression employed by the soldiers against the humanitarian mission team. 

Donate: ichrp.net/Holiday2024

Amid the holiday gatherings and celebrations, ICHRP calls for the international public to remember and support political prisoners and their families. According to Karapatan, there are currently 757 political prisoners in the Philippines, including 148 arrested under Marcos Jr., 17 NDFP consultants and staff, 97 sickly, 103 elderly, and 156 women. 

While the holiday season is one marked by the call for peace, there is no peace in the Philippines. The final months of 2024 have seen a surge in arrests of peace consultants, whereas releasing political prisoners would’ve been a positive gesture toward peace. 

Instead, the Marcos regime racked up violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, arresting even the sick and elderly, as in the recent case of Tomas “Tom” Dominado. Jr. This holiday season, we are deeply troubled by the plight of 74 year old Tom, who, despite being paralyzed on his right side and battling hypertension, diabetes, and other serious ailments, was arrested on December 5, 2024 under charges of rebellion and murder. Immobile and reliant on assistance even for basic tasks like eating, Tom remains under the custody of Philippine authorities unable to be cared for by loved ones and deprived of compassion. 

Political prisoners face the brutal conditions of Philippine jails. These often include cramped cells, lack of fresh air, lack of access to sufficient medical care, minimal food and harassment and intimidation from prison guards. Especially during the holidays, political prisoners face the psychological trauma of being separated from friends and loved ones while being locked away unjustly. 

This holiday season, ICHRP calls for donations to support the needs of political prisoners, including support for legal needs, food, and family visitation of relatives especially those coming from the provinces. Our call for a just and lasting peace remains–release all political prisoners and truly address the root causes of conflict in the country. 

Urgent Alert
December 17, 2024

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) calls for the immediate release of two coconut farmers arrested by the 85th Infantry Battalion (IB) last December 12, 2024 in Barangay Guinhalinan, San Narciso, Quezon in Southern Tagalog Region, after an alleged encounter with the New People’s Army (NPA).

According to human rights group Tanggol Quezon (Defend Quezon), a local member organization of the human rights alliance KARAPATAN, farmer Ronilo Villanueva was harvesting copra (dried coconut meat) when he was shot at by soldiers, wounding his leg. Villanueva and another farmer named Genero were subsequently arrested by 85th IB soldiers, who accused them of being supporters of the NPA. The farmers’ whereabouts remain unknown.

The shooting and arbitrary arrest of the two civilian farmers violates their rights embodied in the Bill of Rights of the Philippine Constitution, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Geneva Conventions on the protection of civilians, as well the provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

ICHRP also deplores the presence of military trucks (6×6) and the military encampment in Brgy Guinhalinan. The principles of International Humanitarian Law prohibits military encampment among a civilian population. 

These incidents also add to the 85th IB’s long list of human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL) violations against the people of Quezon. Notable cases include the illegal search, destruction of properties, planting of evidence, and arrest of farmer Roberto Mendoza; filing of trumped-up cases of financing terrorism and the use of Anti-Terror Act against Yulesita Ibañez, Lieshel Mendoza and Liezel Merchales and their paralegals Paul Tagle and Fritz Labiano; as well as the illegal arrest of Rowena Dasig and Miguela Peniero.

The local government in Quezon and the NTF-ELCAC have declared the province “insurgency free” several times. These bogus declarations serve to distract from the worsening conditions of farmers in the province. It also directly contradicts the AFP’s claims of alleged “encounters” with the NPA in Quezon. 

Coconut farmers and farm workers in Quezon continue to suffer from low wages, declining coconut prices, landlessness, and militarization. Instead of addressing the economic woes and demands of the people, the Marcos government continues to wreak havoc through its US-inspired counterinsurgency program, which aims to quell any form of dissent or protest from the people. 

ICHRP fully supports the fact-finding mission led by Tanggol Quezon to investigate human rights and IHL violations by the 85th IB. It calls for the immediate release of the two civilian farmers arrested as well as ensuring their safety. It reverberates the demand of the people for military pull out in their respective communities and respect the principles of IHL. ICHRP calls on the international community to hold Marcos Jr. accountable for his government’s continuing attacks against the Filipino people.

Urgent alert
December 13, 2024

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) calls for the immediate release of Tomas Dominado, 74, an elderly political detainee who requires immediate medical attention.

Dominado was arrested on December 5 in Sooc, Arevalo, Iloilo City, on trumped-up charges of murder and rebellion. His fabricated charges stem from warrants that were issued over a decade ago, and for which several co-accused individuals have already been acquitted by the court.

Dominado survived a recent stroke, and has a history of hypertension, heart enlargement, neurological deficits, and other severe medical issues which require essential medical treatment. He is bedridden and requires an aide for mobility. Since Dominado’s arrest, his health has deteriorated, and he has been denied proper care by authorities despite his worsening condition.

The charges against Dominado follow the usual pattern of the Philippine state to baselessly conflate activists with armed rebels. Dominado is a long-time advocate and organizer for people’s rights in Panay. The labelling of him and others as a “terrorist” in 2021, and the treatment of him as an armed combatant, is a violation of International Humanitarian Law.

ICHRP calls on the Marcos Jr government to release Dominado and all other political prisoners, as well as end the rampant violations of human rights and International Humanitarian Law that plague the Filipino people.