Statement
August 13, 2025

The Philippine government is once again attempting to whitewash its rotten record of violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by hosting an Asia Pacific regional conference on the topic from 11 to 14 August 2025 in Makati City. The Marcos Jr government is currently hosting the conference in an attempt to clean up its international image – seeking the prize of a UN Security Council seat.

The conference is convened by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) with the support of the odious Inter-Agency Committee on International Humanitarian Law (IAC-IHL). The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is co-convening the conference, in spite of the internationally recognized IHL violations of the Marcos Jr government.

According to the Philippine government’s press release for the event, the Philippines has “consistently been a champion of IHL, especially in respecting its principles and ensuring its application throughout the world.” Nothing could be further from the truth. 

The US and Marcos Jr governments continue to strategically whitewash the Philippines’ IHL crimes, all while civil war and US-led counter-insurgency policy continue and intensify in many areas of the country. The Filipino people and the international community have repeatedly exposed these crimes, especially in 2024 when victims of war crimes under Duterte and Marcos Jr testified at an International People’s Tribunal in Brussels which found both regimes guilty of war crimes. 

The Marcos Jr government created the Inter-Agency Committee on International Humanitarian Law (IAC-IHL) in February 2025. The committee was charged as the national body for IHL promotion. According to ICHRP Chairperson Peter Murphy, “the IAC-IHL is window dressing and an attempt to put a cloak of legitimacy over the war crimes of the Marcos government.”

It is despicable that the Philippine government calls itself “a champion of IHL” when it is actively bombing civilian communities in Mindoro and Luzon and preventing the proper burial of a farmer, Juan Sumilhig, extrajudicially killed under the guise of “counter-insurgency.” 

Just this week, farmer organizations in the Philippines, including the Philippine Peasant Movement (KMP) and Tanggol Magsasaka (Defend Peasants), supported the filing of four resolutions from the Makabayan Bloc directing the House Committee on Human Rights to investigate alleged grave human rights violations and breaches of IHL in Southern Tagalog, the Cordillera and Ilocos regions, and Negros provinces.

ICHRP notes that the Philippines withdrew from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2018, and since then President Marcos Jr has kept the country from being part of the global court. Duterte withdrew to evade responsibility for IHL violations taking place as a result of his murderous drug war, ethnic cleansing in Marawi, and war on dissent. If the Philippines were serious about IHL, they would belong to the ICC – the world’s only permanent institution for investigating and prosecuting genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.

The true champions of IHL in the Philippines are the people. Peasants, indigenous people, workers, women, human rights advocates, and lawyers in the Philippines have relentlessly campaigned, in the face of state violence, for justice for the victims of IHL violations. Despite the lack of response from Philippine courts and the ongoing attempts to intimidate activists, Filipino human rights groups continue to seek justice for Randy Echanis, Jude Fernandez, Juan Sumilhig, and many other civilians who have been killed at the hands of state forces. 

ICHRP stands with the true champions of IHL in the Philippines, and those who advocate for real solutions to the armed conflict that will put an end to IHL violations – not those who seek favor with the international community with blatant lies about their record on IHL. #

URGENT ALERT
August 7, 2025

Donate to help the humanitarian team reach communities affected by militarization and IHL violations: ichrp.net/SupportMindoro

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) strongly condemns the killing of Juan Sumilhig, a Maranao farmer and former political prisoner, by elements of the 4th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on August 1 in Sitio Salidang, Brgy. Naibuan, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.

According to ICHRP local partner, Karapatan Southern Tagalog, Sumilhig was murdered in what is being claimed as a “fake encounter,” part of a disturbing pattern of extrajudicial killings of unarmed civilians, particularly from indigenous and farming communities. His body remains in military custody, denying him and his family the dignity of a proper burial. This is an outright violation of international humanitarian law (IHL) and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

After more than a week of facing red-tagging, surveillance, and military checkpoints, members of the Mindoro Humanitarian and Fact-Finding Mission (HFFM) have ensured the burial of Sumihig’s remains.

As of writing, the humanitarian teams are still on the ground and investigating recent violations. They need financial support for their transport and logistics. These teams are accomplishing their objectives, but are now facing limitations because of the prolonged military harassment that disrupted the mission.

Local communities are reporting a significant military presence, aerial combat operations, and surveillance in Naibuan and nearby areas, forcing farmers to flee their lands and abandon their livelihoods. As a result, widespread hunger, fear, and trauma have gripped the indigenous and peasant populations of Mindoro. Residents and officials confirm that military forces are taking control of civil governance, reflecting de facto martial law in rural areas of the country.

Ironically, the Philippine government’s ongoing IHL violations have established a state of martial rule in rural areas. These violations occur just days before the anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, which will be commemorated on August 12. These conventions are fundamental to International Humanitarian Law and are designed to protect individuals during armed conflicts. 

Filipino farming communities under attack need your help

ICHRP urgently calls on international partners to support the ongoing Humanitarian Mission in Naibuan. This independent mission is under threat from military obstruction and surveillance, and requires urgent financial and solidarity support to carry out its life-saving work.

Donate to help the humanitarian team reach communities affected by militarization and IHL violations: ichrp.net/SupportMindoro

OUR CALLS

• Independent investigation into the killing of Juan Sumilhig; Stop the killings
• End militarization of Mindoro and all rural areas
• Allow unrestricted access for all humanitarian and relief efforts to Mindoro and affected communities
• Full respect for IHL and human rights in Mindoro and across the Philippines

Urgent Alert
August 6, 2025

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) strongly condemns the aerial bombardment and strafing conducted by the 16th Infantry Battalion (IB) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Brgy. Maguibuay, Tagkawayan, Quezon province in Southern Tagalog.

According to local human rights group Tanggol Quezon, the bombing occurred in the afternoon of August 2, causing widespread fear and terror amongst the residents and peasants in the affected communities. As the sound of explosions filled the air, two helicopters from the AFP were reportedly sighted in the skies of Tagkawayan. Just a day after, the 2nd Infantry Division of the AFP reported a clash between soldiers of the 16th IB and the New People’s Army (NPA), killing one member of the NPA. 

The alleged NPA combatant was laid to rest on August 5 by the local government of Tagkawayan. On the same day, Tanggol Quezon’s humanitarian mission team reported surveillance and tailing from at least ten intelligence agents of the AFP. The team was sent to investigate possible violations of human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL) in the affected areas.

The bombings directly contradict Marcos Jr.’s declaration in his 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA) that guerilla forces of the CPP-NPA-NDF no longer exist in the country. It also runs counter to the AFP’s oft-repeated “insurgency-free” declaration of the Quezon province, and the “Stable Internal Peace Situation” declaration by the Tagkawayan local government for the past two years. These counterinsurgency operations are aligned with Marcos Jr.’s National Action Plan for Unity, Peace and Development (NAP-UPD).

The AFP claims to observe utmost respect and supposedly has “unwavering commitment” in promoting and upholding international humanitarian law. It is then the peak of irony that it commits IHL violations just two days into the month of August, which is celebrated as international humanitarian law month in the Philippines. 

ICHRP calls on its member organizations, allies, and solidarity activists abroad to strongly condemn the bombings in Quezon province. We enjoin the international community to write and send petition letters addressed to the following individuals and offices, and urge them to address the worsening human rights and IHL crisis in the Philippines:

1. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. – Chief of Staff, of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
2. Gilberto Teodoro Jr. – Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines
3. Mirjana Spoljaric Egger – President of the International Committee of the Red Cross
4. Office of the Philippine Embassy in your country

ICHRP Statement on Marcos Jr.’s 2025 State of the Nation Address 

July 27, 2025

As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) expresses support for the protests today in the country and abroad. Amid thunderstorms, Filipinos brave the rain and bring to the streets the real conditions plaguing the masses and their democratic demands. We support their call to hold the Philippine government accountable for its innumerable violations of human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL), its glaring neglect of the people’s political, social, and economic demands, and Marcos Jr.’s puppetry to the US. We call an end of foreign economic and military support of the Marcos regime, and join the Filipino people in their fight and our common aspiration for peace based on justice. 

Worsening fascism and counterinsurgency

Contrary to Marcos Jr.’s national slogan of “Bagong Pilipinas” (New Society), the Filipino people under his watch did not experience anything new – activists, indigenous peoples, human rights defenders, environmental defenders, workers, and peasants continue to suffer from widespread human rights and IHL violations.

Marcos Jr. has consistently tried to distance himself from his predecessor Duterte’s bloody six-year reign of terror, but in reality they are cut from the same fascist cloth. From July 2022 to December 2024, human rights group Karapatan recorded 119 extrajudicial killings, 255 illegal arrests, 14 enforced disappearances, 560 forced or fake surrenders, 46,921 victims of indiscriminate bombings, 43,582 victims of forced evacuation, 63,380 victims of indiscriminate firing, and an alarming 3,706,431 victims of threats, harassment, and intimidation. Most of the victims come from peasant communities in the Philippine countryside. 

These violations, as perpetrated by the State, are aligned with the US-backed counterinsurgency program of Marcos Jr. and implemented through his National Security Program (NSP) of 2023-2028. Through a whole-of-nation approach, the Philippine government uses the National Task Force to End Local Communist Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and co-opts civilian state agencies to red-tag, terror-tag, harass, surveil, abduct, and outright kill activists and civilians. These constitute massive and grave violations of IHL.

Red-tagging also emerged as the top electoral violation recorded by the recently concluded International Observer Mission (IOM) last May 2025. The IOM concluded that the widespread, coordinated, and systemic manner of these incidents strongly suggest it was well-funded, state-backed, and form part and parcel of the counterinsurgency program of the Philippine government.

Blatant neglect of the people’s demands

Amid skyrocketing prices of goods, low wages, inaccessible health care, and increasingly privatized social services, Marcos Jr. remains deaf to the demands of the toiling Filipino masses. He approved a measly P50 (USD 0.87) wage hike last June, a far cry from the workers’ call for a P1,200 (USD 21) living wage. Despite public outcry and demand by the people to hold Vice President Sara Duterte accountable for her crimes, Marcos Jr. has dilly-dallied and used his influence in the Senate to stall her impeachment. Now, the Philippine Supreme Court has shot down the impeachment complaint against Duterte, effectively blocking another path to accountability and justice.

The Philippines as a springboard for US-led war

Under the Marcos Jr. government, the Philippines is quickly being sucked into the vortex of war between the US and its imperialist rival China. Aside from the massive Balikatan military exercises participated by 15,000 troops from 20 countries held in April this year, several smaller military exercises have seen an increase in frequency over the past months – Salaknib, Kamandag, Cope Thunder, and Sama Sama. 

Marcos Jr. has also allowed the entry and build up of an alarming number of US military sites in the Philippine archipelago. These include: the addition of four more Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in undisclosed locations, the deployment of the NMESIS and Typhon missile systems in the northern province of Batanes, the building of a naval repair facility in Palawan province, and the recent plan to build an ammunitions factory in Subic, Central Luzon. 

The planned US-funded Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas (SCMB) railway project aims to facilitate efficient transport of US military weapons and troops in different locations in the island of Luzon, contrary to its supposed aim to boost trade in the region as a logistical hub. These are all war preparations for the US and shamelessly Marcos Jr. has dragged the country and its people into the impending conflict.

While typhoons flooded communities and devastated millions of Filipino people, Marcos Jr. was in the White House securing lopsided trade, security, and defense deals that only benefit the interests of his US masters. Despite reassuring the people of his trip’s benefits to the Philippine economy, he only managed to lower the tariff rate of Philippine exports to the US by one percent (now 19 percent), while allowing zero tariffs for US goods into the country. 

He also secured deals with big US capitalists which means more plunder of the country’s resources and cheap labor. He has doubled down on neoliberal policies that will further open up the already liberalized Philippine economy. Local producers and small businesses will bear the brunt of these deals while peasants and working peoples sink further in the quick sand of poverty and destitution. 

ICHRP calls on the international community to support the Filipino people’s demand to hold Marcos Jr. and his government accountable for countless crimes, gross neglect of duty, kowtowing to US dictates, and dragging the Filipino people into the US-led war against China. 

We are nearly one month out from our successful conference Pagtatanim: Sowing Seeds of Solidarity for the Filipino People’s Struggle for Peace. The conference, held over two days in Rome, Italy, featured a number of speakers from the Philippines and overseas who shared important information on the human rights situation in the Philippines and urged the international faith community to accompany the Filipino people in their struggle for a just and lasting peace.

Video recordings of all panel discussions and cultural performances from the conference are now available on the ICHRP YouTube channel!

Watch the Pagtatanim video recordings at ichrp.net/PagtatanimVideo