The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines is calling for a day of action this Friday, August 30, to highlight the cases of enforced disappearances in the Philippines. We are calling on all ICHRP Member Organizations, Chapters, and allies to participate by posting selfies on social media, releasing statements, putting up posters in their area, holding vigils, and more. If you would like to participate in any of these actions, we have provided some letter-sized printouts that you can use for selfies, postering, and other photo opportunities.

Click here to access the printouts in PDF and PNG format.

Please send any photos or videos of actions to secretariat@ichrp.net, or tag us on social media @ICHRPGlobal.

August 30 is the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances, and comes just two days prior to the 32nd anniversary of the Hague Joint Declaration and the International Day of Prayer for Just Peace in the Philippines on September 1st. On August 30, ICHRP Global is calling for an international day of action to expose and oppose the counterinsurgency program in the Philippines under Marcos Jr that continues to lead to forced disappearances and to call for justice for Jhed, Jonila, and all victims of forced disappearances in the Philippines.

Press Release
August 19, 2024

On August 6, 2024, the 8th Division of the Philippine Court of Appeals denied the application for writ of amparo and writ of habeas data of environmental activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano, which would have provided the two activists with legal protection from further harassment. The ruling exemplifies the increasing dangers faced by environmental defenders and activists as forced disappearances continue to mount under the Marcos Jr regime. By denying the activists’ request, the Philippine court evades any sense of accountability and perpetuates the culture of impunity that continues to thrive in the Philippines. 

“The denial of the protective writs puts Castro and Tamano in grave danger and makes them vulnerable to further harassment, red-tagging, abduction and further attacks from state agents, particularly those from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC),” said ICHRP Global Chairperson Peter Murphy.

According to the decision, Castro and Tamano failed to “sufficiently identify that the perpetrators of their abduction are, in fact, affiliated with the Philippine military or any of the government agencies.” It also said that they failed to establish the existence of an imminent or continuing threat from September 19, 2023, to May 2024.

The court appears to have wilfully denied the televised evidence of military and police control of the abduction of the two women, and the subsequent charge of criminal libel against the two abductees. 

“The decision is in direct violation of international standards for human rights and of international treaties on human rights, to several of which the Philippines is a signatory. Locally, it violates Philippine laws such as the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act, and provisions in the Philippine Constitution which supposedly protects its citizens from human rights violations,” continued Murphy.

It must be remembered that Castro and Tamano were abducted by suspected military agents last September 2, 2023. They were held under the military’s custody for 15 days and were subjected to various forms of torture and threats. In a widely-televised press conference organized by the NTF-ELCAC on September 17, 2023, they were presented as “rebel surrenderees”. But the two bravely exposed the military’s lies by recounting their abduction during the said press conference. Castro was also one of the witnesses during the recently concluded International People’s Tribunal in May this year. She painstakingly shared their ordeal at the hands of their abductors.

“This recent decision by the Court of Appeals exposes the inability of the Philippine courts to give justice to victims of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. It affirms the findings of Investigate PH on the failure of judicial remedies for victims seeking justice in Philippine courts,” reiterated Murphy.

“ICHRP calls for the reversal of the decision and for the Philippine government to protect the two activists from further harm. We condemn the Philippine military, especially the NTF-ELCAC, and the Philippine government’s  continued harassment and attacks on Castro and Tamano. These attacks on environmental defenders and other human rights defenders should stop. END IMPUNITY!” concluded Murphy.

Further comment: Peter Murphy, ICHRP Chairperson. WhatsApp: +61 418312301. Email: media@ichrp.net.

Click here to register

When: August 27, 2024, at 6am PDT / 9am EDT / 3pm CEST / 9pm PHT.
Topic: Prayer & Action for Just Peace in the Philippines: A Commemoration of the Hague Joint Declaration

Friends in faith,

We are pleased to announce the next event in the calendar of the ICHRP International Interfaith Network, a network of dozens of faith organizations and individuals from around the world who are united in defending human rights in the Philippines. This upcoming webinar is being held collaboratively with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines.

September 1 is fast approaching. This is the date in 1992 on which the Hague Joint Declaration was signed between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. This marked an important step in the initiation of peace talks in the Philippines, a process which has continued through starts and stops up until the present. This webinar will focus on the importance of the Hague Joint Declaration of 1992, as well as the current status of peace in the Philippines – particularly the rampant violations of human rights and international humanitarian law carried out by the GRP.

This year, the Interfaith Network has also marked September 1 as an international day of prayer for just peace in the Philippines, in response to a call from the NCCP. You can find more information about this, and learn how to participate in the day of prayer, at ichrp.net/DayOfPrayer.

Statement
August 12

On August 5, 2024 the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) held a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo Headquarters in Quezon City, “reaffirming” their “steadfast commitment” to human rights, and called their adherence to the promotion of International Humanitarian Law “unfailing.” 

Such a statement from the AFP is a total farce and mockery. These remarks come at a time when human rights groups in the Philippines and the international community have widely exposed the Philippine government for massive human rights and international humanitarian law violations. 

In May this year, the International People’s Tribunal established that the government of the United States of America (USA) backed the Marcos and Duterte regimes in carrying out their counterinsurgency campaign against the Filipino people. In the ongoing  armed conflict in the Philippines, there are reports that the AFP  willfully engaged in a litany of egregious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law against civilians & hors de combat. These abhorrent war crimes included the killing of civilians, intentional attacks on civilians and civilian communities, indiscriminate bombardment causing excessive injury and environmental damage, forced displacement, blocking humanitarian aid, acts of terror against civilians, extrajudicial killings, torture, desecration of the dead, abductions, and unlawful detentions among others.

This July 2024, Karapatan Human Rights Alliance released a report substantiating further the AFP’s total lack of seriousness in regards to human rights. In their January-June report, Karapatan claimed that “rank denialism and hypocrisy marked the first six months of 2024 under the Marcos Regime.” Since Marcos took office in July 2022, Karapatan has documented 105 victims of extrajudicial killings, 63,379 victims of indiscriminate firing, 44,065 victims of bombings, 7,780 victims of use of schools, medical, religious and other public places for Military purposes, and over 3.4 million victims of threats, intimidation and harassment. 

Among the millions of victims, ICHRP remembers the lives and genuine service to communities in the Philippines of those tortured, harassed and killed by state forces. 

We recognize the group of children recently abducted and interrogated by the 74th Infantry Battalion (IB) of the AFP after the targeting of their parents in Northern Samar. We remember the life of political prisoner Ernesto Jude Rimando, a labor organizer who served workers and advocated for land reform for peasants, who recently died in prison  following false charges and due to state neglect of his health condition. We remember 69-year old farmer Ramon Enseniales, who was reportedly abducted, tortured and killed by members of the 15th IB and the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF).

The AFP cannot hide the truth of their crimes behind a sanitized press conference. Neither can the billions of dollars of military aid coming from the US and its allies deceive the international community to think the AFP and PNP uphold basic human rights agreements. As democratic space in the Philippines continues to shrink, and as human rights organizations like Karapatan and its workers face increasing attacks, ICHRP calls on the international community to continue to expose and oppose the war crimes committed against the Filipino people and to stop all forms of military support to the Marcos Jr. regime.

Urgent Alert
August 2, 2024

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) condemns the illegal arrest, torture and detention of four peasant and community organizers in Pampanga, Central Luzon. At around 9:30 in the evening of July 29, 2024, Bayan Muna partylist peasant organizer and senior citizen Maria Theresa Buscayno together with other peasant and community organizers Andres Ely, Desiree Jaranilla Patuñ-og, and Oliver Millo were travelling along Jose Abad Santos Ave. approaching Sto. Domingo circle in Mexico, Pampanga, when their vehicle was reportedly stopped by two other vehicles.

Armed men wearing Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) uniforms stepped out from the two vehicles and forcefully dragged them out of the vehicle. They were forced to kneel and lie face down on the ground while being kicked and beaten violently.

The ordeal lasted for 5 hours until 2:30 in the morning. Afterwards, the perpetrators dragged and forced them to board vehicles which drove them to the detention cells of the CIDG in the province of Pampanga.

On July 31, the four victims underwent inquest proceedings at the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Pampanga. Similar to other state-sponsored attacks against activists, all four were charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives. They were accused of holding M16 and M14 rifles in plain view, while hand and rifle grenades were allegedly found inside their handbags. All victims deny the accusations.

As of the moment, the victims are being held in separate locations: Patuñ-og and Buscayno are currently detained at the regional CIDG detention office at Camp Olivas, San Fernando, Pampanga, while Ely and Millo are currently detained at the provincial CIDG office at Capitol Grounds in the same city.

Despite having medical conditions and being sickly, all four victims were not allowed to have medical check-ups after their arrest. They all suffered bruises, contusions, and currently experience pain in different parts of their bodies.

This incident was preceded by the illegal raid on peasant leader Ronnie Manalo’s residence last June 18 in Bulacan, also in Central Luzon.

ICHRP strongly condemns the continued harassment, torture, filing of trumped-up charges, killing and other human rights and international humanitarian law violations against peasant organizers and human rights defenders. We raise the alarm and demand an end to the continued attacks against peasant advocates, organizers, and communities. We demand an immediate release of the four organizers and that Philippine authorities uphold human rights and the principles of international humanitarian law.

Further comment: Peter Murphy, ICHRP Chairperson. WhatsApp: +61 418312301. Email: media@ichrp.net.