Sanctions
Arroyo has not done enough to stop the killings as evidenced by the murdered activists over the past two weeks. Sanctions should be imposed on Arroyo starting with the removal of all forms of foreign military aid to the Philippines. This means a stop to the entry of all types of foreign military funding, weapons and war materiel used by the AFP to violate peoples rights. Foreign governments should be warned that foreign military aid goes to the death squads of the AFP, Reyes said.
It has come to a point that aiding Arroyo and the AFP is tantamount to aiding a government that condones political killings and other rights abuses, Reyes said.
Amnesty International said that there should be a report to the appropriate Congressional Committees about the assistance given to the Government of the Philippines in fighting the communist insurgency.
Bayan has charged that the Philippine government is the biggest recipient of US foreign military financing (FMF) in the East Asia and Pacific region. According to records of the US Congressional Budget Justification for Foreign Operations (Fiscal Year 2007), the Philippines will continue to receive$17.6 million in Foreign Military Financing this year. The Philippines it said received $29.7 million in FMF in 2005 and 2006. The Philippines is also the biggest recipient in the region of US surplus hardware and the biggest recipient of US aid for military education.
We call on all foreign governments, not just the US, to stop sending military aid to the Philippines. Stop helping the Armed Forces of the Philippines commit more human rights atrocities against the Filipino people. Sending aid to Arroyo would be the equivalent of aiding a dictator, Reyes said.
Extrajudicial Killings
