March 16 marked the 20th year of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) by the peace panels of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). It culminated a series of formal talks held over…
“The sincerity of both parties can only be measured by how faithfully they implement their agreements.”
“Duterte is ignorant of international humanitarian laws, if not willfully disregarding all of them.”
Sandugo allied groups filed complaints of rights abuses under President Duterte’s all-out war and martial law in Mindanao.
“There is no reason now for the GRP JMC to renege on its role to investigate the at least 4,000 complaints filed against GRP State security forces since 2004.” – Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general and independent observer to the JMC on CARHRIHL.
“We believe that the vulnerable poor, marginalized and exploited sectors of society must be afforded every respect of their human rights—for these are the rights of the toiling majority.”
“This is like a slap on Carhrihl – the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law – a slap on human rights.”
“We hope that our complaint filed before the GRP-NDFP JMC would raise the continuing state-sponsored violence against our people and ancestral lands as a flashpoint concern in the pursuit for a peace based on justice.” — Piya Malayao
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said it will not hesitate and is ready to assist those who were illegally arrested and injured in filing charges against those responsible for the violent dispersal.
Many steps have yet to be undertaken for the spirit and intent of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) — to make the armed conflict more humane and to protect civilians — be realized.
From 2004 to 2014 shows that majority of the reported violations were perpetrated by state security forces against civilians.