MANILA – Edith Burgos, mother of disappeared activist Jonas Burgos and prime mover of search campaigns for two decades, is the new president of the International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED).

ICAED is a global network of organizations and individuals against enforced disappearances. It supports families of the disappeared and promotes the implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 20, 2006. The Philippines government however, has not yet ratified the convention.

Read: Ratify UN convention against enforced disappearances – kin of victims

Burgos was elected through its General Assembly on May 29, coinciding with the Week of the Disappeared. Upon accepting the position, Burgos said, “I will accept [being president] as a gift not only to my son, but to all [victims of enforced disappearances].”

In a joint statement of Karapatan and Desaparecidos, the groups said that there is more weight to Burgos’ election as it comes at a crucial time when enforced disappearance is a rampant form of human rights violation under the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“The Marcos Jr. administration is dead silent about enforced disappearances, enabling further impunity enjoyed by State security forces,” they said.

Read: Marcos Jr. urged to end pattern of disappearances, rights violations
Read: Kin of the disappeared find domestic legal remedies wanting

Both groups reported 18 victims of enforced disappearances, part of the 1,918 cases since the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr started in 1972. The numbers do not include those who are victims of abductions who have surfaced.

Prior to being ICAED’s president, Burgos was spokesperson of Desaparecidos and the vice chairperson of Karapatan.

“We hope that with Burgos at the helm of ICAED, coming from being one of the movers of campaigns against enforced disappearances and human rights violations in the country, there can be significant impact in all our efforts in putting an end to enforced disappearances,” they added.

Human rights groups have demanded that the Philippine government adopt and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

“Saying that the country does not need to ratify the Convention because there is existence of a law criminalizing enforced disappearance is extremely unacceptable, when none of the perpetrators of abductions and enforced disappearances have been put to justice,” Karapatan and Desaparecidos said.

The Philippines passed the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act in December 2012, the first country in Asia to criminalize the practice of enforced and involuntary disappearances. However, no one has been convicted despite the documented incidents by various human rights groups. (AMU, DAA)