As I indicated earlier, the report documents cases of murder in the Philippines. Amongst them is the case of Rev. Edison Lapuz. Reverend Lapuz was an advocate in both the church and his local community. His pastoral work exposed him to the issues facing the marginalised in the community. At the time of his death he was the convenor of a civil liberties group made up of lawyers. This group focused on investigating cases of murders and human rights abuses, with the goal of pursuing legal avenues to resolve them.

His involvement in this group brought him to the attention of the local military authorities and the police, who surveyed his activities. Prior to his death, the commanding officer of the local military detachment visited the home of Reverend Lapuz’s father on several occasions to find out information on the whereabouts of Reverend Lapuz. Reverend Lapuz was murdered on 12 May 2005. He and a friend were shot by two masked assailants who later fled on motorbikes. No-one has ever been arrested for this murder.

Tragically, this story is typical of the other 13 cases compiled in the report and so many other cases of murder in the Philippines. From the cases cited in the report, its authors have come to conclude that the most likely perpetrators are the security forces in the Philippines. This conclusion is supported by the Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines itself.

In response to the recurrent murders, President Arroyo has made numerous public statements condemning them. However, there is not yet any evidence of action. This lack of tangible evidence of a commitment from the government to protecting human rights has resulted in the report concluding that the killings have received tacit approval from the government of the Philippines.

What can we learn from a report like this? The report identifies a need for strong institutional reform. It calls for an adequate witness protection program and a properly resourced human rights commission within the Philippines. We as senators also need to look at the role that Australia plays in providing support to the Philippines. The Philippines is currently the sixth largest recipient of Australian development assistance. In the last financial year Australia provided the Philippines with over $21 million in official development assistance. As an economic donor to the country we have an obligation to ensure that our financial assistance to the Philippines does not support or promote these atrocities in any way whatsoever.

We also have a moral obligation to continually raise our concerns with the government of the Philippines. The report goes further, and recommends that Australia offer financial assistance to the Philippines government that is conditionally directed to the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines. It also suggests that Australia provide assistance to NGOs that are working to promote the protection of human rights in the Philippines. These are positive recommendations that we as leaders in the region should heed.

In summing up, I would like to congratulate the authors of this report. Whilst the release of a report like this is always marked with sadness and regret, I congratulate Ms. Caz Coleman, Dr. Mark Zirnsak and Ms. Kerryn Clarke for bringing these abuses to the attention of the Australian community. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge that the launch of the report was attended by His Excellency Ernesto de Leon, the Philippine Ambassador to Australia. I welcome the ambassador’s willingness to listen to our concerns on this issue and I am grateful for his enthusiasm for meeting with members of the Australian community. He has been gracious enough to agree to meet with me tomorrow morning. I embrace this as an opportunity to further discuss my concerns about breaches of human rights in this region.

Australia and the rest of the international community have a moral obligation to make sure that democracy in the Philippines does not die. President Arroyo has to act to stop the political persecution and physical attacks upon people who advocate for civil liberties and human rights. I encourage her to continue with her statements and back this up with positive, reinforced action. I encourage all Australians to show their opposition to the ongoing attacks on democracy and human rights in the Philippines. I commend this report to the Senate. (Posted by Bulatlat.com)

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