Human Rights Watch

Canadian Church Calls on UN to Investigate Political Killings

The United Church of Canada (UCC) called on the United Nations to investigate the unabated political killings in the Philippines. Outraged by the assassination of five members and staff of its Philippine partners in a six-week period, the UCC called on the Canadian government and the United Nations “to take strong steps to end the violence.” 

BY SIKLAB-Ontario
Bulatlat

UCC’s partners in the Philippines come from the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), the Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA) and the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR). The UCC called on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and UN Human Rights Council Chair Luis Alonso de Alba to mandate the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions to conduct an investigation into the political killings in the Philippines. This developed after Canadian members of an International Solidarity fact-finding mission and members of the UCC visited the Philippines recently and met with families of the victims. In their victim-impact statements, witnesses disclosed that they recognized the assassins as members of the Philippine military and paramilitary death squads. President Arroyo mentioned the high incidence of extra-judicial killings in her July 24 state of the nation address (SONA). Critics, however, quickly assailed her for praising Gen. Jovito Palparan who is known as the country’s “butcher” for his bloody campaigns of terror against unarmed civilians suspected as communists or New People’s Army supporters.

GUARDING LIFE: Human rights workers and relatives of slain activists light candles for victims of extra-judicial killings during the launch of Oplan Bantay Buhay, July 28

Protests in Canada

On the same day President Arroyo delivered her SONA as Filipino-Canadians held protest actions in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and other major Canadian cities.

In Toronto, migrant workers, youth, women and other Filipino Canadians held a picket-rally in front of the Philippine consulate last July 24. This was part of the internationally-coordinated action in solidarity with the thousands of people who took to the streets in the Philippines to call for her ouster. Arroyo has not only admitted to participating in electoral fraud, her regime is marked by anti-people, anti-national, and outright fascist policies and measures.

Chanting “Stop the killings! Justice to the victims!” and “Cha-cha, gera, diktador, Gloria! (Charter change, war, dictator, Gloria!)” the protesters carried pictures of the political activists who were killed like Fr. William Tadena, Cris Hugo, Eden Marcellana, Ricardo Ramos and Vice Mayor Juvy Magsino. Gathered in front of the Philippine Consulate were members of the Philippine Women Centre, SIKLAB (Filipino migrant workers organization), the Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance (UKPC-Toronto), Philippine Network for Justice and Peace (PNJP), and the Community Alliance for Social Justice (CASJ).

In a statement, the UCC stressed that it is ironic for the Canadian government to describe the Philippines as a leader in democracy and upholding human rights “relative to other countries in the region.”  Officials at the Canadian embassy in Manila said that Canada is addressing the problem through programs such as “human rights education for police and military officers, and through bilateral discussions on human rights cases with the Philippine government.” 

Diwa Marcelino of PNJP said, “This regime wages all-out war against those who oppose imperialist globalization and plunder, against those who defend human rights and uphold civil liberties. This regime is totally against all genuine social change. (It is) against national industrialization, genuine land reform, a truly democratic people’s government, an independent and sovereign foreign policy and a just and lasting peace.”

According to a UKPC spokesperson, “We only have to look at the latest abduction of University of the Philippines-Diliman students Karen Empeno and Sheryln Cadapan on June 26 in Bulacan, Central Luzon by six suspected elements of the military; the violent dispersal of a recent protest action last July 7 calling for the release of the abducted UP students, where some 40 youth and students were hurt and 8 seriously injured; and the murder of Cris Hugo, 20-year-old student leader in Bicol on March 19. His only crime: fighting for truth, freedom and democracy.”

In an earlier statement, the UKPC said, “Instead of putting genuine effort and the public’s tax money in improving the situation in the Philippines the Arroyo government is taking money away from much need public services like education and putting it into the military. This misuse of public funds is seen in the recent release of P1 billion ($19.39 million, based on an exchange rate of P51.56 per US dollar) for military spending. Abducting students is what the Filipino people’s tax money is being used for.”

 “If Filipino-Canadians continue to cry for justice in the case of 17 year-old Jeffrey Reodica who was shot in the back and killed by Toronto Police, all the more we should raise our voices in protest against the brutal slaying of 704 activists killed by assassins of the new dictator in Malacanang,” declared CASJ chairperson Edwin Mercurio. “The victims are all Filipinos and they are human beings too, despite the assertions of President Arroyo’s decorated butcher… Palparan that they don’t deserve to live because they are suspected of having ties with the CPP-NPA.” Bulatlat

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