Statement
June 12, 2024

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) salutes the valiant Filipino people who fought for Philippine Independence 126 years ago. On this day in 1898, the Philippine Revolution, launched in 1896 by the revolutionary organization Katipunan led by Andres Bonifacio, successfully defeated the Spaniards. The Filipino people’s valiant struggle ended more than three centuries of Spanish colonial rule and gained the country’s independence.

We honor the countless heroes and martyrs who gave their lives for the Filipino people’s freedom from the shackles of colonialism. Not long after gaining independence in 1898, the Spanish sold the Philippines to the United States of America for $20 million under the Treaty of Paris. The subsequent American rule proved to be as brutal as its colonial predecessor, exemplified by the Filipino-American war from 1899 – 1902 which killed ten percent of the country’s population at that time. Since then, the United States has continued to wield its power and dominance over the political, social, economic and even military affairs of the Philippine state.

As the Second World War raged across the globe, Japanese imperialism invaded the Philippines and colonized it from 1941 to 1945. The short period of Japanese colonial rule is notorious for the massive atrocities it committed against the Filipino people — from the widespread massacres of civilians in villages, the systematic rape of women (victims of which were dubbed “comfort women”), to the infamous Bataan Death March — all which of constitute war crimes. Up to this day, justice remains elusive for the victims. 

While the Philippines nominally gained independence from the US in 1946, US neocolonialism still holds a tight grip on the country’s political, economic and military affairs. This is laid bare by the massive Balikatan joint exercises recently conducted by the Philippines, US, Australia, France, and other US allies. About 16,000 US and Filipino troops reportedly participated in the war games – one of the largest in the history of these military exercises.

The Philippines also remains the biggest recipient of US military aid in Southeast Asia, receiving more than US $1 billion from 2016-2023. Meanwhile, around 16 “EDCA sites” or US military bases are planned to be built in the country through the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), essentially making the Philippines a huge military base for the US as it ramps up its preparations for possible military confrontation against China. 

Likewise, tensions in the West Philippine Sea are ever increasing as China continues to violate Philippine sovereignty by constantly harassing Philippine Coast Guard vessels who conduct supply missions to the BP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. More importantly, Chinese Coast Guard vessels are deliberately preventing small Filipino fisherfolk from conducting their livelihood in Philippine maritime territory, which is well within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). 

The recent pronouncements of President Bongbong Marcos about China being a threat to the country’s freedom, along with high-ranking government officials threatening to invoke the US-RP Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) in case of military confrontation with China, will surely drag the Filipino people into the heightening conflict and increasingly imminent war between the two global superpowers.

ICHRP is alarmed by and condemns US warmongering in the Asia-Pacific and China’s continued encroachment on Philippine territory. As the US-China geopolitical conflict intensifies and the Marcos Jr. government continues to kowtow to US interests, ICHRP will continue to strengthen and widen its solidarity work for the Filipino people. ICHRP supports the fundamental right of the Filipino people to assert their right to self-determination and to expose the grave human rights and international humanitarian law violations of the current US-backed Marcos Jr. administration.

In response to the recent International Peoples Tribunal on War Crimes in the Philippines, the international interfaith community calls for an immediate stop to the killings and addressing of the underlying causes of the armed conflict in the Philippines, paving the way to an enduring and just peace.

You can sign on to the interfaith unity statement at ichrp.net/interfaith. The text of the statement follows:

We, the undersigned representatives of religious organizations and religious leaders, urgently implore the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), the international communities, and all relative stakeholders to immediately confront the deep-seated roots of the decades-long armed conflict, fostering a pathway towards a truly equitable and lasting peace, thus putting an end to the horrors of injustice, oppression, violence, and death.

We are appalled by ongoing violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). We condemn indiscriminate bombings of peasant communities, continued imprisonment and killings of protected National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultants, and the designation of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and New People’s Army (NPA) as terrorist organizations by the GRP.

The path towards just peace requires a negotiated political settlement with respect for, and upholding of, previously agreed-upon frameworks, such as those laid out in the Hague Joint Declaration, the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL). Respecting the principles of justice, democracy and human rights, we pledge our solidarity to the Filipino people and people of faith as they mobilize to stop the current state of violence and rights violations, and focus on building the foundations for a just and lasting peace.

To achieve such a vision, we urgently make these calls to the GRP:

1. Stop all violations of IHL and HR, giving full access to international and domestic human rights groups for investigation of reported violations.
2. End red-tagging, harassment, and stigmatization of social movements, religious leaders, journalists, and HR defenders.
3. Release all political prisoners, including the expedient release of detained NDFP peace consultants.
4. Remove the designation as terrorists of the CPP, NPA, and all NDFP personalities.
5. Repeal and rescind repressive laws and executive orders, like the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (RA 11479), the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 (RA 10168), and Executive Order 70 of former President Rodrigo Duterte including the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict that it created.

In these calls, we amplify the voice of the Filipino people for a just and lasting peace.

This requires the dismantling of the structures and systems that impede access to fundamental rights, including the right to peace. It will require both sides to embrace an end to the armed conflict that goes far beyond the silencing of the guns. We urge all peoples committed to peace to join our call.

May we work together to bend the arc of history toward Justice: for the fruit of Justice will be Peace. #

CLICK HERE TO SET UP A RECURRING OR ONE-TIME DONATION

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines is a grassroots, volunteer-run organization. We rely on support from individual and institutional donors to carry out our operations and effectively campaign for a just and lasting peace in the Philippines.

If you would like to support the ongoing work of ICHRP, the most concrete way to offer support is by submitting a donation via the form on this page. It is now possible to make recurring or one-time donations to ICHRP through our website, either by clicking the “DONATE” button at the top of the site, or by going directly to ichrp.net/donate.

You can use the form to set up a recurring donation at monthly, quarterly, or yearly intervals; or make a one-time donation. We encourage you to make a recurring monthly donation, even if you are only able to give $10 a month. Any amount of support will help us to continue our important work.

May 31, 2024

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) sends its warmest greetings of solidarity to all the members and officers of the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) as you celebrate your 38th founding anniversary this May 31, 2024.

Some months after the historic EDSA People Power uprising which toppled the Marcos Sr. dictatorship, then President Corazon Aquino threatened to remove government workers from their posts as the new government began reorganizing its ranks. As a response, on May 17, 1986, government workers from various Philippine government agencies united and courageously formed COURAGE.

Espousing its militant and progressive brand of public sector unionism, COURAGE has through the years achieved several victories for workers across different government departments and agencies in the Philippines. It has served as the most consolidated voice of oppressed workers in the public sector who are actively struggling for better salaries and benefits, job security, better working conditions, and other workers’ rights. It has linked and fought side-by-side with other oppressed sectors in fighting for the interest of government workers and for the Filipino people. 

Your theme: “Matapang na manindigan at sumulong! Ipagwagi ang laban para sa nakabubuhay na sahod, demokratikong karapatan at kalayaan ng sambayanan!” is very timely as the welfare of the workers and the Filipino people as whole is being neglected and their democratic rights are being disrespected and attacked by the Philippine government.

While ICHRP is inspired by the confederation for COURAGE’s unwavering commitment to advance the interests and welfare of workers employed by the Philippine government, we also firmly salute its countless leaders and members who, in the course of its decades-long struggle, have been harassed, red-tagged, arrested, and have fallen victim to extrajudicial killings. 

ICHRP reaffirms its commitment to continue supporting COURAGE through its solidarity work and campaigning for the interests of public sector workers in the Philippines, as well as opposing and exposing in the international community the violations of human rights and international humanitarian law perpetrated by the Philippine state.

Long Live COURAGE!
Long Live the courageous Filipino people!
Long Live International Solidarity! 

Sgd
Peter Murphy
Chairperson
ICHRP Global Council