New president warned vs going easy on ‘extra-judicial killers’ By Michaela P. del Callar 06/04/2010

New president warned vs going easy on ‘extra-judicial killers’

By Michaela P. del Callar 06/04/2010 A United Nations special rapporteur has warned that the military might intervene and advise presidential front-runner Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, who is likely to be proclaimed the next Philippine President, to go slow on his campaign promise to prosecute the perpetrators of extra-judicial killings and other human rights violations in the Philippines. “The President-elect will likely be reminded that he is heavily dependent on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), not to cause problems and that any prosecution will alienate the military,” UN special rapporteur Philip Alston said at a side event during the ongoing 14th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. The Philippine military has been instrumental in bringing down the governments of Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and President Joseph Estrada in 2001 while President Arroyo has survived at least two coup attempts by disgruntled junior military officials due to strong support for her by senior military officials. Alston advised the incoming President to have a “vision” and a firm resolve in eradicating the killings of activists, journalists and human rights defenders. “It is very important, in my experience, to try to think strategically and to have a vision of how one really wants to look forward and I wouldn’t for the moment, downplay the importance of prosecution, which I have emphasized consistently and I wouldn’t de-emphasize the extent of the problem of impunity which sends a continuing signal to the military that they can do what they want,” Alston noted. Local rights group Karapatan claimed that 1,118 extra-judicial killings and more than 200 enforced disappearances were documented in the Philippines between 2001 and October 2009. According to Alston, “impunity is a serious issue that characterized extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances in the Philippines.” Alston, who was in the Philippines for a fact-finding mission in 2007, blasted the Arroyo administration for failing to put an end to extra-judicial killings, which he said has decreased in recent years, but has continued due to lack of substantial measures to address the problem.... MORE     Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100604hed6.html

HEADLINES NBoC canvasses CD votes House body ends poll fraud inquiry   Roxas camp: Hello Garci all over again SC revamps divisions, reps in poll tribunals GRP, MILF in last talks under outgoing gov’t New president warned vs going easy on ‘extra-judicial killers'