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KAIROS urgent action: Help stop the killing of human rights defenders
in the Philippines.
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Links for further information |
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KAIROS’ letters and statements and urgent actions on the Philippines, including Recent spate of killings and targeting of religious leaders, and gross human rights violations in the Philippines and the September 2005 statement, A Call to Stop the Killing of Human Rights Defenders in the Philippines
The United Church of Canada’s action on the Philippines:
http://www.united-church.ca/action/philippines/050926.shtm
The statement of the WCC ecumenical delegation to the Philippines:
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/philippines-pastoraldelegation-july05.html
The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance’s action on killings in
the Philippines:
http://www.e-alliance.ch/media/media-6028.doc
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Background |
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(Feel free to skip ahead to the action—this section gives you the bigger picture of the situation in the Philippines.)
Many Canadians will remember the brutal Marcos dictatorship which gripped the Philippines from 1972 to 1986. “People power” eventually overthrew that regime, with the support and solidarity of people around the world. Since then, Filipinos have continued to struggle with deep inequalities between rich and poor, corruption at every level of government, and a worsening human rights situation. Last year, KAIROS partners told us that the martial rule characteristic of the Marcos dictatorship, though undeclared, is actually now in place again.
The current administration’s “Calibrated Preemptive Response” (CPR) denies or restricts rights, supposedly to stop unlawful or illegal acts from being committed. It allows the government to use all existing laws to protect public interest, prevent chaos in the streets and restore public order. CPR provides impunity to military and police officers who use violence and force to disperse peaceful demonstrations. This has resulted in physical injuries, illegal arrests and detention, torture, and in some cases involuntary disappearances. It is reminiscent of the Marcos regime’s Preventive Detention Action or PDA and other repressive laws of an era that many had thought was over.
The situation has worsened and killings have only increased in the wake of strong church and civil society protests against corruption in the national government. A recent ecumenical delegation to the Philippines organized by the World Council of Churches reported on the rising number of political killings and on “large-scale human rights violations including police and military intimidation, illegal detention, and torture of peasants working on the farms of rich landlords ...” The WCC delegation report also stated that “among the root causes of the current turmoil in the country are: the inadequacies of state institutions such as the judiciary, inequitable distribution of resources which traps many Filipinos in abject poverty, and the monopoly of transnational corporations and other foreign interests in resource extraction”.
A particular concern for Canadians is the growing presence of Canadian mining companies in the Philippines. Canadian and Australian based mining companies hold at least fifty per cent of concession applications now seeking approval for exploration in the Philippines. The Philippine government has opened the country up to mining exploration and operations in a bid for revenue and “development”. The communities affected have strongly protested the displacement, environmental damage and violations of Indigenous peoples’ rights that happen all too often as a result of these mining companies’ operations. A number of the people killed in recent years have spoken out against the destructive activities of foreign and corporate mining interests. A recent, all-party report to the Canadian government from the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (SCFAIT) expressed concern about the action of Canadian mining companies, drew on an example from the Philippines, and called for legislation to ensure better corporate accountability. The government ignored the committee’s recommendations.
While the ruling administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo remains keen on granting favours to foreign and corporate mining and other interests, it responds with outright violence to workers, peasants, church people and members of people’s organizations who dare to raise their voices and oppose these interests.
Ten people have been murdered from September to mid-October alone. Among them were the following victims:
- Mrs. Vicky Samonte was stabbed to death while on board a public utility vehicle on September 30, 2005. Mrs. Samonte was the president of Andres Soriano Memorial College Employees Union.
- Mr. Diosdado Fortuna was summarily executed last September 22, 2005 by two unidentified men riding a motorcyle. Mr. Fortuna was the president of the Nestle Philippines Workers Union.
- Rev. Raul Domingo died on September 4, 2005, two weeks after being shot by suspected military agents in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. He was a 35 year old pastor of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, an anti-mining activist, and one of the many church leaders who called for radical reforms within the government.
- Attorney Norman Bocar was killed on September 1, 2005 in Borongan, Eastern Samar. He was a human rights lawyer and the Regional Chairman of BAYAN.
An attempt was made on the life of Mr. Tony Cuizon, president of
the Atlas Mining Workers Union on October 10, 2005 in Cebu City.
Mr. Cuizon bore three gunshot wounds near the shoulder and one on
his right hand, and is in serious condition.
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Action already taken |
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KAIROS has signed a petition and urgent action alert issued by the Trade for People Campaign of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance calling for an immediate and impartial investigation into all recent extra-judicial executions, and the prosecution of those involved in the killings.
KAIROS has written letters to the President of the Philippines and related government agencies on behalf of the Canadian churches to express our condemnation of the targeted killings. These murders have included members of our partner churches and groups, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR), the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), the Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF) and allied groups working for social justice.
KAIROS mourns each death and deplores the ongoing violence. We stand in solidarity with our partners and the Filipino people in their struggle to assert their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, and uphold their right to defend these without fear for their lives or violent reprisal.
Our concern about these killings springs from our deep belief in the sacredness of life as a gift from God, and our responsibility to protect the rights of our sisters and brothers wherever they are.
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Take action! |
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PLEASE NOTE: Some of the email addresses are being blocked. If you receive an email error message, simply post or fax your letters—they will have the same impact!
| 1) | Write letters to the Canadian government and the Canadian embassy in Manila, regarding the alarming rise in killings of human rights defenders and religious leaders. | ||||||
| 2) | Write letters to the Philippine government, demanding that the government:
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| 3) | Telephone representatives of the Philippine government here in Canada to register your concerns. The subject of all calls is noted and passed on to the Philippines government. Use the sample letter for background, and focus on the number of killings that have taken place, as well as the fact that these were people who were not engaged in violent action. Phone numbers for all the Consulates in Canada are listed below. |
Please be sure to send a copy of your letter to Connie Sorio, and
contact her if you have any questions or comments. THANK YOU FOR
YOUR SUPPORT:
Connie Sorio
Partnership Program Coordinator for Asia-Pacific
KAIROS
129 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario M4V 1N5
Tel: (416) 463-5312 ext 240
Fax: (416) 463-5569
Email:
csorio
The Canadian government:
Hon. Pierre Pettigrew
Minister of Foreign Affairs
125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON
Tel:(613) 995-1851
Fax:(613) 996-3443
E-mail:
pettigrew.p
Please CC:
Ambassador Peter Sutherland,
Canadian Embassy in the Philippines
Level 6-8, Tower 2
RCBC Plaza
6819 Ayala Avenue
Makati City, Philippines 1200
PO Box 2098
Fax: 632-843-1082
Email: care of
manil-gr
The Philippine government:
Office of the Philippine Ambassador to Canada
Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines
130 Albert Street, Suite 606
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4
Email:
embassyofthephilippines
or
ottawape
Phone numbers:
Ottawa: (613) 233-1121
Toronto: (416) 922 7121
Winnipeg: (204) 237 2497
Edmonton: (780) 428 2541
Vancouver: (604) 685 7645
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Malacanang Palace
Manila, Philippines
Fax: 011-632-736-2495
E-mail:
corres
CC a copy by mail to: Hon. Avelino Cruz, Secretary
Department of National Defense
Camp Emilio Aguinaldo
EDSA, Quezon City, Philippines