NOV.

15, 2011 DATE

NR # 2588B
REF. NO.

Passage of law protecting human rights workers sought

A lawmaker has urged Congress to enact a law that will protect human rights workers and penalize any member of the military, police, and other security forces that will violate the proposed act. Rep. Neri Colmenares (Party-list, Bayan Muna), author of House Bill 5379,said despite the international recognition of the importance of human rights defenders in the Philippines, human rights advocates in the country are reportedly being killed, abducted, kidnapped, arrested arbitrarily and harassed by military and police personnel. Colmenares said even immediate family members and other relatives of human rights defenders are being harassed and threatened by security forces. He noted that of the 1,206 victims of extrajudicial killings in the country, 476 were human rights defenders (HRDs). Of the 206 victims of enforced disappearance, 68 were human rights workers. Colmenares said a big number of these human rights violations occurred during the Arroyo government. Scores from their ranks have been threatened, physically assaulted, tortured, harassed and treated cruelly and inhumanely. These violations are continuously being committed with impunity by government security forces, Colmenares said. According to Colmenares, the government is a signatory to multilateral treaties on human rights such as The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. However, despite these commitments, human rights violations continue to plague the Philippines, Colmenares said. Colmenares said many countries including the United Nations (UN) have raised serious concern over the systematic and continuing violations of human rights, including incidences of extra judicial killings and enforced disappearances in the Philippines. Human rights defenders in the country have been tagged as enemies of the state by government and harshly dealt with as such, Colmenares said. Women human rights defenders who work for the promotion of civil and political rights notably freedom of expression and freedom of thought, conscience and association as well as economic, social and cultural rights, those working for minorities and community rights, and childrens rights are particularly at risk, Colmenares added. Colmenares cited the brutal killing of Eden Marcellana, Leima Fortu, Benjaline Hernandez and Eddie Gumanoy who were all human rights workers.

NOV. 15, 2011 DATE

NR # 2588B
REF. NO.

Under the bill to be known as the Human Rights Defenders Act of 2011, it shall be unlawful for any military official to deny the identification of government personnel, a military affiliate, a paramilitary or military asset when asked about the identity of the human rights violator. The bill prohibits security forces from conducting surveillance operations against a human rights defender. The bill provides that human rights defenders have the right to unhindered access to communication with human rights bodies, and the right to access documents of government agents and military institutions among others. The bill also provides for the protection of any informant who shall provide information or testify in any proceedings about any violation of this Act committed by any government personnel, local government unit, government agent be it the military or military affiliate. The same protection shall likewise be provided to any government agent belonging to the paramilitary or military affiliate who provides evidence against any human rights violations. The bill imposes 12 years imprisonment without privilege of parole on any government personnel or the whole complement of a government unit, the paramilitary personnel, or the whole complement of the paramilitary unit or the government asset. Likewise, 12 years imprisonment or a fine of P100,000 or both at the discretion of the court shall be imposed upon any government personnel who impede, obstruct, influence any preliminary investigation, administrative investigation and or petition by altering, destroying, concealing, falsifying or making any false entries in any record, document or specimen whereof, relative to any matter involving any human rights defenders, or organizations or activities. The co-authors of the bill are Reps. Teddy Casio (Party-list, Bayan Muna), Rafael Mariano (Party-list, Anakpawis), Gabriela Reps. Luzviminda Ilagan and Emmi De Jesus and Raymond Palatino (Party-list, Kabataan). (30) jy