In response to the recent guilty verdict of the International People’s Tribunal on war crimes in the Philippines, members of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) across the world held mobilizations in May and June to draw attention to the verdict. These actions included delivery of the verdict to embassies of the Philippine and United States governments; public protest actions and rallies; educational forums; webinars; and watch sessions of the IPT proceedings. Actions took place in several cities including Brussels, The Hague, Vancouver, Ottawa, Portland, Baltimore, San Francisco, and Washington DC.

This global response demonstrates the growing strength of international solidarity for the Filipino people in their struggle for a just and lasting peace. ICHRP calls upon people inspired by this tribunal to continue to mobilize the broadest solidarity support for the Filipino people against the intensive, US backed counterinsurgency campaign that causes deep suffering and oppression in the Philippines.

Our solidarity is most powerful when we are unified and organized in action. You can build this unity with others 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
June 20, 2024

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) condemns the reported illegal raid of peasant leader Ronnie Manalo’s residence and the military operation in peasant communities in at least six sitios of barangays San Roque, Paradise 3, and Tungkong Mangga   in the City of San Jose Del Monte (CSJDM) in Central Luzon. Manalo is currently the Secretary General of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines) and the Spokesperson of Tanggol Magsasaka (Defend Farmers).

On June 18, 2024 at 7:00 a.m., around a hundred combined elements of the 80th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA), the Philippine National Police – Special Action Force (PNP-SAF), and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) reportedly conducted military operations in these peasant communities, causing widespread fear and distress among peasants and other residents. They forcibly entered the unoccupied residence of Manalo and searched his property. A gun was allegedly found inside – most likely planted evidence, a ploy which state forces typically use during raids of activists’ residences in the Philippines.

Prior to the incident, residents observed the increasing presence of the military in these peasant communities. Military operations intimidating and targeting civilians, as highlighted in the recent International People’s Tribunal,  are in violation of international humanitarian law. 

Manalo has long been a victim of threats and red-tagging from state forces, owing to his long-time active involvement in the peasant struggle in the Araneta Estates. This area faced landgrabbing by Greggy Araneta III, the husband of Irene Marcos Araneta, the youngest sister of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

In 2022, Manalo and Cecilia Rapiz, a leader of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Bulacan (AMB, Peasant Alliance in Bulacan) and also a resident in the area, lodged complaints to their local village chief on the persistent threat, harassment and intimidation of the military against them. In that same year, Manalo together with other peasant leaders and advocates were fired upon and harassed by goons of Araneta in Sitio Ricafort, Tungkong Mangga, CSJDM. 

Militarization of peasant communities in the city intensified in 2018. Since then, soldiers conducted Community Organizing for Peace and Development (COPD) and encamped in the peasant villages. AMB leaders were subjected to surveillance and harassment by the elements of 80th and 48th IBPA. Residents were asked about the whereabouts of KMP and AMB leaders, and they have repeatedly been forced by the military to “clear” their names in the local village centers and even municipal halls.

ICHRP demands an end to the continued harassment of peasant leaders and the militarization of peasant communities in the Philippines. It condemns the Marcos Jr. regime’s continued human rights and International Humanitarian Law violations of farmers and peasant advocates who are legally exercising their democratic rights.

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

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.