Human rights in Aquino’s ‘righteous path’
"We have a democracy in name but not in fact.” – Manuel Diokno, president of the Free Legal Action Group
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com
MANILA –Fr. Fausto Tentorio was finally laid to rest. Well-loved by
members of the Manobo tribe whom he served for more than 30 years,
Tentorio was shot at eight times by a lone gunman while he was getting
into his pick-up truck parked inside a church compound in Arakan Valley,
North Cotabato, October 17.
A day after the Italian missionary was murdered, President Benigno S.
Aquino III said, “Regardless of who did the crime, they will have to
pay. That has been the direction of this administration from the
start—you do the crime, you will be in jail.”
Three days after the incident, at the sitio Upper Lumbo, brgy.
Kabalantian of the same town,peasant leader Ramon Batoy was shot at
close range in front of his pregnant wife and two children by suspected
state agents, human rights group Karapatan reported. Col. Joven
Gonzales, commanding officer of the 57th Infantry Battalion of the
Philippine Army claimed that the death of Batoy was a result of a
legitimate encounter with the New People’s Army (NPA) . Two other
civilians, Noli Badol and Celso Batol, were reportedly arrested and
tortured by the soldiers.
In his first State of the Nation Address (Sona), Aquino delivered a
strong message against impunity. His words, however, have not resulted
in stopping human rights abuses. Fifteen months since Aquino assumed the
presidency, human rights violations continue. Karapatan documented 54
victims of extrajudicial killings, eight victims of enforced
disappearances and 29 victims of torture.
In a report
released in July, Human Rights Watch pointed out that there have been
only seven successfully prosecuted cases of extrajudicial killings,
resulting in the conviction of 12 perpetrators.
The New York-based human rights watchdog added that while the
military and police, as well as paramilitary forces, have been
implicated in many of these killings, there has not been a single
conviction of active military personnel. The group also noted that no
senior military officer has been convicted either for direct involvement
in these violations or as a matter of command responsibility.
The charges filed in relation to killings of journalists are not promising either.
Apart from the Ampatuan trial, there are 15 cases in court in
relation to killings of journalists. Preliminary investigation in the
murder of Palawan journalist Gerry Ortega led to the filing of charges
against the alleged gunman but the perceived masterminds were dropped
from the case.
Prima Quinsayas of the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ)
said that of the 122 journalists killed in the line of duty since 1986,
only ten had convictions. Not one of the masterminds was included, only
the gunmen and accomplices, said Quinsayas.
Measures wanting
Aquino did not heed most of the recommendations put forward by
various human rights groups. In fact, upon Aquino’s inauguration in June
2010, human rights watchdog Amnesty International put forward concrete
recommendations to put an end to the killings.
One of these is the issuance of an executive order that clearly
states the administration’s commitment to stop the practice of enforced
disappearances in the country. In particular, the group called for the
establishment of a presidential commission that will review all cases of
extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances during the last
decade, in cooperation with independent bodies, with the aim of enabling
speedy prosecutions..... MORE
Source: Bulatlat.com
URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/11/03/human-rights-in-aquino%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%98righteous-path%e2%80%99/
29. Alam n'yo kaya na ngayon ang ika-115 na pagdiriwang ng pinakaunang
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13 years ago
1 comment
niluklok ng imperyalistang kano at ni dorobo arrobo, kaya nagtaka ba kayong balubaluktot na daan ang tinatahak?
"AI noted that the Truth Commission formed by Aquino does not include human rights violations."
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