Human rights group Karapatan criticized the Philippine government’s push for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, saying Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is misleading both national and international audiences with a record of extrajudicial killings and military repression.

By RAYMUND B. VILLANUEVA
Kodao Productions/Bulatlat.com

MANILA – Human rights group Karapatan criticized the Philippine government’s bid to be a member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), saying the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration has no credible record on peace to deserve support.

The Philippines is running for a non-permanent seat in the UNSC for the term 2027-2028.

Following Marcos Jr.’s request to the diplomatic for support on the country’s candidature for non-permanent UNSC seat, Karapatan said he is peddling lies to look good and hoodwink national and international audiences.

“What is being seen and experienced in Marcos Jr.’s own backyard, however, are the dire consequences of his policies that foment unpeace and suppression of rights,” Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay said in a statement.

Palabay said Marcos Jr. only promotes “peace of the graveyard” and his government continues to suppress dissent in the country.

She added that extrajudicial killings and other grave human rights and international law violations are being committed under Marcos Jr.’s watch.

She also revealed that abductions and enforced disappearances have increased under Marcos while laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 are being used to suppress political dissent, even humanitarian and development work.

Karapatan said the Marcos administration is implementing de facto martial law in rural and indigenous communities when the military conducts ground and aerial operations via bombings, artillery attacks and indiscriminate firing.

Based on Karapatan’s data as of December 2024, there are 119 cases of extrajudicial killings under Marcos Jr. administration, 255 illegal or arbitrary arrest, 14 enforced disappearance and 560 forced or false surrender. There are also 63,380 cases of indiscriminate firing, 43,582 forced evacuation, 46,921 indiscriminate firing and three million victims of threats, harassment, intimidation.

“Marcos Jr.’s concepts of ‘peace,’ ‘consensus’ and ‘cooperation’ and his candidacy for a UNSC seat should be consistently challenged–all these for whom? Clearly, it is for his ruling clique and for the interests of the US and its allies,” Palabay said.

At the Vin d’Honneur in Malacañang last Saturday, Marcos Jr. cited the Philippines’ “rich experience” in “building peace, forging consensus, and finding new paths for cooperation.”

Marcos Jr. however is widely regarded as pro-US in the Western country’s ongoing tensions with China, increasing US military presence in the Philippines in his nearly three years in office.

China, a permanent member of the UNSC along with the US, has opposed Marcos Jr.’ pro-West stance, including the presence of US typhoon missiles in the country. (With reports from Anne Marxze D. Umil)