United States Policy
The United States has a special relationship with Philippines, including U.S. forces stationed in the Philippines to train the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The United States also offers millions of dollars of aid and other military assistance and has designated the Philippines as a major non-NATO ally.
Given this close relationship the United States enjoys with the Philippines it is disappointing to note that the Administrations actions have been muted and that the administration has failed the Philippine people by not publicly condemning the Philippine government publicly over the last four years while the political killings increased. Not being vocal on this issue sends a wrong message to the Government of the Philippines. We urge the Administration to publicly condemn the political killings and urge the creation of specific benchmarks for the Philippines Government to end these killings. We urge the Administration to keep this issue as a matter of priority in all of its interactions with the Government of the Philippines.
In September 2006, it was reported in the media that military assistance, in the form of training, would be increased to help with the Philippines war on terror and to combat the communist insurgency. Since the political killings in the Philippines are happening in the context of communist insurgency, it is vital that the United States Government report to the appropriate Congressional committees the type of military assistance it is giving to the Government of the Philippines in its fight against the community insurgency.
What should be done?
Amnesty International believes that urgent steps are needed to remedy this situation, not least because the threat of further killings has intensified due to political developments during 2006. These include President Gloria Macapagal Arroyos declaration of a week-long State of Emergency in late February and the continuing collapse of the peace process. Prospect for revival of peace negotiations dwindled further amid intensification of counter-insurgency operations, the direct transfer of names and addresses of NDF negotiators and others listed in a former safe-conduct agreement to an arrest warrant, and an announcement in June of the release of substantial additional funds to allow the armed forces to “crush” the communist insurgency in certain areas within two years.
During and after the Emergency, justified as a response to an alleged coup conspiracy involving an array of actors from the extreme left to the extreme right of the political spectrum, senior officials repeatedly claimed that the major threat to national security came from the CPP-NPA. They publicly linked the legal leftist political opposition directly with communist armed groups, in effect implying that there was no distinction between them. Such public labeling, in conjunction with the arrest and attempted arrest of leftist Congressional Representatives on charges of “rebellion”, raised concerns that the risk of further killings of leftist activists was intensifying.
Such concerns proved well-founded. As senior officials and military officers labeled members of the legal left “enemies of the state”, and failed to condemn the killings consistently at all levels of government, fears grew that elements within the armed forces might interpret this as a tacit signal that political killings were a legitimate part of the anti-insurgency campaign. At least 51 political killings took place in the first half of 2006, compared to the 66 killings recorded by Amnesty International in the whole of 2005.
While welcoming President Arroyos condemnation of political killings in her State of the Nation Address to Congress in July 2006, her earlier reported instructions to cabinet officials to put an end to further killings, and the establishment of a special police investigative task force, Amnesty International believes further determined steps are essential. The organization calls on the Government of the Philippines to implement Amnesty Internationals 14-Point Program for the Prevention of Extrajudicial Executions.
As an integral part of this Program, the authorities should urgently reiterate a clear, unequivocal message to all members of the police, military and other security forces that involvement in, or acquiescence to, such unlawful killings will never be tolerated. All such cases must be fully and promptly investigated and all those responsible, whether linked to the armed forces or not, brought to justice. Only in this manner can public confidence in the impartial and effective administration of justice be restored and a peace process, with respect for human rights by all sides at its heart, be revived.
Extrajudicial Killings
