Philippine Working Group held forum on human rights
Participants pointed to gaps in promotion and protection

Human rights education, bills in congress, abolition of death penalty, union rights, right to peaceful assembly, killings and disappearances, and a clearly laid out Arroyo agenda for protection of human rights were issues highlighted in the "Kapihan on the Human Rights Situation Today" held on December 12.

The non-government coalition, Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism organized the Kapihan, which gathered together around 150 participants. Panel speakers included Working Group Secretary General Carlos P. Medina, Jr., Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights Purificacion V. Quisumbing, Max de Mesa of the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Byron Bocar of the AKBAYAN Party List, ESCR-Asia Executive Director Resurrecion Lao, Jess Panis of Partido ng Manggagawa (Workers' Party) and Friedrich Naumann Stiftung resident representative Ronald Meinardus.

PAHRA's Max De Mesa presented a comprehensive human rights 'situationer,' backed up with statistics.

Max de Mesa presented PAHRA's findings on the Philippine human rights situation. The report indicated two hundred and seventy one (271) political detainees and one thousand one hundred and eighty one (1,181) persons in the death row as of June 2005. He lamented the government's lack of a clear set human rights agenda. He also stressed the government's failing grade in job creation, food security, land rights, housing, and basic education.

Resurrecion Lao cited government violation of oppositionists' rights and military violations in rural areas. She stressed the need to protect property rights for everyone, and mentioned updates on the efforts to install an optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Byron Bocar cited a number of human rights bills pending in congress. These include bills on the abolition of death penalty, right to peaceful assembly, compensation to victims of martial law, and against violence against women.

Jess Panis emphasized union rights that are continuously suppressed by corporations and left unprotected by government.

Chair Quisimbing called on civil society organizations to dialogue with the Commission on Human Rights and come up with an active network of government and civil society groups that will monitor and help in the effective implementation of human rights treaties the Philippines has ratified.

ESCR's Resurrecion Lao and Commission on Human Rights Chair Purificacion Quisumbing posed challenges to human rights advocacy work.

Discussions also pointed to the need for a comprehensive human rights education program to instill greater awareness among government officials and workers, civil society organizations, academe and the public in general.

Atty. Carlos P. Medina, Jr. brought the discussion to a regional level and referred to need to establish an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism. The mechanism, he said, is timely more than ever, especially that a stronger ASEAN community requires governments to collectively stand up to their commitments to human rights. Medina also said that a regional cooperation on human rights makes more effective implementation of human rights treaties within ASEAN countries. Medina stated that the Kapihan is one way of facilitating dialogue among human rights advocates and an important bottom-up approach to get the 'feel' of the human rights situation in the Philippines.

Governments met for the 11th ASEAN Summit from 12 to 14 December in Malaysia, where civil society organizations, including the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism, presented recommendations to ASEAN leaders. One of the main recommendations from civil society organizations was the creation of an ASEAN Human Rights Commission.