This year, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines will be carrying out the Philippine Election 2022 International Observer Mission (IOM). The IOM will be publishing a series of bi-monthly bulletins leading up to the elections in May. To find a complete list of the bulletins that have been published so far, and to find out more about the IOM, please click here.
The IOM begins its work on the Philippine Election 2022 with the country already in an atmosphere of widespread, violent political and social repression, which has triggered an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation of crimes against humanity and ongoing focus in the United National Human Rights Council. To set the campaign context, the IOM begins with a quick look at the main Presidential candidates who have been accredited by the COMELEC.
“We welcome and commend the Resolution of the European Parliament a week ago calling for international monitoring of the current Presidential Election Campaign in the Philippines, and urging other parliaments and governments to follow the lead given in this resolution,” said Mr. Peter Murphy, spokesperson for the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines today.
“This resolution was carried by a massive majority of Euro MPs, with 627 votes in favor, 26 against, and 31 abstentions, indicating support from almost all political tendencies. Yet, the Philippine and Indonesian governments denounced it as interference in the election process,” said Murphy.
Following a thorough summary of the many human rights violations documented under President Duterte, the resolution called:
“on the Philippine authorities to step up their efforts to ensure fair and free elections and a non-toxic environment for on- and offline campaigning; regrets, in this context, that the Philippine authorities have not invited the EU to conduct an election observation mission; calls on the Government of the Philippines to ensure a safe, free and fair electoral campaign and to take measures to ensure access for all to electoral resources; calls on the EU Delegation and EU Member States’ representations to support sending an international electoral mission and give their full support to independent local election observers, to regularly meet with them and to closely follow up on any incidents reported during the election campaign, including by addressing these concerns directly with the Philippine authorities.”
The parliament urged the European Commission to set a timeframe for the temporary removal of the General System of Preferences Plus from imports from the Philippines unless the human rights situation improved, and urged all member States to cease supplying weapons to the Philippines.
“ICHRP is organizing its own International Observer Mission for these important elections, following the thorough Investigate PH reporting on human rights violations in the Philippines last year,” said Murphy. “Our first bulletin will be issued on March 1.”
Concerns of possible violence and voter and candidate intimidation in the run-up to the May 9th vote in the Philippines: “…it is the government itself that is the problem, for six years it has cultivated a climate of fear and violence and that is now the backdrop for the upcoming election.”Peter Murphy, ICHRP
Today the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) launched the Philippine Election 2022 – International Observer Mission (IOM), which will provide independent monitoring of the Philippine Elections from the start of the campaign period in February to the May 9 vote, and the subsequent vote counting and the confirmation of elected candidates in June 2022. The reasons ICHRP initiated the International Observer Mission are two-fold:
Historically, Philippine elections have been characterized by inter-elite rivalry, warlordism, assassination, vote-buying corruption, intimidation and other forms of violence (Guns, Goons and Gold).
The current elections are occurring under a government whose members are under investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC), that was documented by INVESTIGATE PH (2021) to be not only perpetrating human rights violations but to be actively suppressing dissent and the opposition.
These concerns compel the international community to cast an inquiring eye on the Philippine elections to monitor the campaign, the vote and the outcome.
ICHRP has initiated the IOM in partnership with Kontra Daya, a Philippine based election watchdog. ICHRP is a global network of organizations, concerned for human rights in the Philippines and committed to campaigning for just and lasting peace in the country. Previous elections have witnessed high levels of violence against candidates, voters and even journalists. On the 23rd of November 2009, 32 journalists along with 26 other civilians were killed in an election-related massacre in Maguindanao, Mindanao, perpetrated by an incumbent candidate of the ruling party. It was the deadliest incident in the history of the mass media, but it is not an isolated incident. In the most recent elections in May 2019, at least 33 people were killed and 19 others wounded in several poll-related incidents leading up to voting day. The victims included 18 incumbents, four candidates, three former elected officials including a member of Congress and eight civilians including a broadcaster.
According to IOM Commissioner Rev. Michael Yoshii, “the election context itself is deeply troubling. As noted last year in the reports of INVESTIGATE PH findings, “state policies including the Anti-Terrorism Act have emboldened the police and military to attack activists, peasant leaders, and Indigenous Peoples. This suggests that those charged with protecting the polls are potential perpetrators of election violence”.
The INVESTIGATE PH report provides testimony about how the Philippine National Police (PNP) and The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been activated to conduct a war on dissenters morphing from killings in ‘anti-drug operations’ to killings of oppositionists and political opponents of the government. These reports highlight the heightened danger of the electoral process under the Duterte presidency.
IOM Commissioner Ms Sharan Burrow of the International Trade Union Confederation said, “It is expected that the government will favour candidates who will assist Duterte in escaping culpability for the alleged crimes against humanity his government has committed in its six-year reign of terror”.
There appears to be no shortage of candidates willing to shield Duterte from prosecution. The leading Presidential candidate Ferdinand (Bongbong) Marcos Jr, son of deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos, has indicated “that should he be elected as president, he will not assist the investigation of the ICC in the Philippines”. The leading candidate for vice-president is Sara Duterte, the daughter of the current President, who is also certain to try to shield her father from prosecution.
The Philippine Election 2022 International Observer Mission will have teams on the ground in all 12 regions throughout the campaign and post-campaign, gathering evidence, taking testimony from participants in the process and issue reports throughout the election period. The final report of the Election International Observer Mission will be submitted to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, member states of the Human Rights Council, the UN Human Rights Commission and the International Criminal Court.
Media inquires can be sent to:
Peter Murphy, Chairperson, ICHRP Global Council +61 418 312 301 chairperson@ichrp.net
“We condemn the horrible aerial bombardment of four barangays in Gonzaga, Cagayan province in January 29, 2022, by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as a violation of international humanitarian law. We call for an immediate thorough independent investigation and the immediate access of humanitarian relief to the area,” said Peter Murphy, Chairperson of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines.
According to an eye witness, two FA fighter jets dropped not less than 30 bombs in four waves, at 4:30am, 5am, 9:40 am and 12 noon in the Municipality of Gonzaga that has a population of 41,680 people in 25 barangays. Along with this, there were three helicopters that carried out indiscriminate aerial straffing with 50 calibre machine guns. Four barangays were struck heavily – Sitio Bagsang, Brgy Clara, Brgy Sta. Isabel, Brgy Sta Teresita and Brgy Magrafil. Gonzaga is one of the towns in Cagayan Province, in the Cagayan Valley Region, north-east of Luzon.
“The 5th Infantry Division had already claimed to have wiped out the New People’s Army in the area and there have been no reports of NPA operations in the area in the most recent months. This is a case of indiscriminate military attack on a civilian population,” said Peter Murphy. “The population of farmers and indigenous people have been subjected to ‘red tagging’ and forced/fake surrender of alleged NPA fighters, which are notorious forms of political repression in the Philippines.” Gonzaga is part of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) and is being developed as part of an ecotourism belt. This includes road widening, building hotels and expansion of the airport.
For comment: Peter Murphy, Chairperson, ICHRP Global Council +61 418 312 301 chairperson@ichrp.net
You are invited to join the official launch of ICHRP’s Philippine Election International Observer Mission, which will take place online in two media events on February 7, 2022.
The International Observer Mission (IOM) will provide independent monitoring of the Philippine Elections from February up to the May 9 vote counting and the confirmation of elected candidates in June. The need for such a monitoring campaign is clear in the context of the worsening human rights situation under the Duterte government, and given the widespread corruption and violence present in past Philippine elections.
The launch speakers will be announced in the coming week.
For more information or to schedule media interviews, please contact ICHRP Chairperson Peter Murphy at +61 418 312 301, chairperson@ichrp.net.
