Rosales slams US probes on human rights abuses, defends military

Killings under GMA mere blood speck—cardinal

By Marie A. Surbano

03/27/2007

Coming to the defense of President Arroyo, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales yesterday dismissed the extra-judicial executions and other human rights abuses that have occurred and continue unabated during Mrs. Arroyo’s six-year presidency, saying the number of those journalists, activists, leftists, lawyers and even priests and Protestant bishops, is a mere speck of blood that flowed, compared to the number of political murders and human rights violations committed during the term of the late strongman, Ferdinand Marcos.

The cardinal who did not appear to be bothered by the political killings, disappearances, torture and other human rights abuses under the Arroyo regime, echoed the Malacañang and Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) line, saying it is not just the military that has engaged in these political murders, stressing that the (communist) rebels are deeply involved in these political killings.

“Sorry for saying this but even our (rebel) brothers are involved in the killings. But I think what we should do now is to do away with the sin and killings and that all will commit to stop the killings and I think we would all be at peace,” Rosales said.

“Unfortunately the military does kill,” he admitted, but emphasized that “those against the military also kill. (These political killings) are not one-sided. Both of them kill,” the cardinal insisted.

Still parroting the Malacañang allies’ line, Cardinal Rosales blasted the United States Senate for conducting hearings on the Philippines’ human rights abuses, and the US plan to come over on a fact-finding mission on the human rights situation, saying Americans have no right to conduct probes since they themselves engage in human rights abuses.

What would be better, Rosales said, is for the Filipinos to “cultivate a culture of peace” because this is the only way the country can make both the military and leftist groups to stop the killings and violence.”

He stressed that the killings have been going on for decades. “We went through this during the time of Marcos, and even after Marcos,” he said, telling the reporters interviewing him that they are still young, which is why they don’t remember how bad it was during the Marcos years, and as they are still young, they cannot tell how much worse it was under the Marcos rule.

“(What is happening today by way of human rights abuses) is nothing compared (to what we have experienced. What is happening under the Arroyo regime today) is so tiny that it is a mere speck” of the human rights abuses committed then under Marcos, the cardinal stressed during a chance interview at the Christ the King Church in Quezon City.

Records show that there were less political murders in the 17 years of Marcos martial rule than Mrs. Arroyo’s six year term.

Asked for his reaction on the report submitted by Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, the Cardinal refused to comment and instead said that this has been submitted to Malacañang, with a copy sent to the executive secretary, Eduardo Ermita.

Pabillo in his report to Rosales confirmed that military troops deployed in Metro Manila were found to be intimidating and harassing people that are supporting the left leaning groups like Bayan Muna, Gabriela and Anakpawis.

In a related development, the European Union is sending an assessment team to the country to determine how the union can help resolve extra-judicial killings in the Philippines.

Ambassador Alistair Macdonald, head of the delegation of the European Commission in the Philippines, said yesterday the team, that might be composed of police, technical and human rights experts, will arrive anytime soon.

“They will see what the Philippines needs. It could be forensic, witness protection program or police. We need also to talk to people to establish what kind of support we will give. It’s not an investigation. This mission will proceed very, very quickly. We expect them very shortly,” Macdonald told a press conference on the occasion of the EU’s 50th founding anniversary.

On April, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the US government are sending fact-finding missions to the Philippines because of the relentless killings of activists, journalists, and church workers identified with leftist movements.

Human rights group Karapatan said over 850 killings and 180 forced disappearances have been perpetrated in the country since 2001.

The group also said that from Jan. 1, 2007 to the present, there are already 15 additional victims of extra-judicial killings.

Macdonald reminded the Philippine government that it is the state’s responsibility to protect the human rights of its citizens.

He said the EU wants to see prosecutions and arrests of those behind the crime.

“The government is responsible for the citizens of the Philippines in protecting their human rights. First stop the killings and second is investigate, identify and bring to justice those who have been carrying them out,” Macdonald said.

Meanwhile, the EU has downplayed the report of the Netherlands-based People’s Tribunal that found the Arroyo government guilty of committing human rights violations.

Macdonald reserved comment when asked if the EU agrees with the tribunal’s “ruling” saying the court is a “non-official, non-government body.”

Opposition congressmen yesterday hailed the verdict handed down by Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT) declaring Mrs. Arroyo guilty of gross human rights violations in connection with the unabated extra-judicial killings in the country.

The verdict of the PPT, an international opinion court, will be added ammunition for the victims of human rights violations when they file criminal charges against Mrs. Arroyo and military generals linked in the killing before the International Court of Justice.

The PPT’s verdict and that of the findings made by the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial killings Philip Alston will certainly be beneficial in the case being pursued by the families of victims of extrajudicial killings before the ICJ.

“The victims can use the PPT’s findings and verdict, along with the UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial killings report, to file charges against Ms Arroyo before the ICJ,” partylist Rep. Rafael Mariano said in reaction with the verdict handed down by the PPT.

He added that this is the chance of the victims and their families to get justice since they “cannot find justice under the Arroyo regime.

“In addition, the number of victims ranging to more than 800 is not ordinary. It is already in the scale of genocide,” the congressman said.

Other congressmen in the minority bloc welcomed the findings that resulted in a guilty verdict.

According to House Minority Leader Francis Escudero, with the verdict issued by an international forum, aside from the findings of other international body, this should make the President put into action all her claims that she is trying to put an end to these extra-judicial killings.

As expected, administration congressmen refused to accept the verdict of the PPT, declaring Mrs. Arroyo along with United States President George W. Bush guilty for “gross and systematic violations of human rights, economic plunder and transgression of the Filipino people’s sovereignty.”

The verdict came after three days of hearing testimony on political killings, abductions and other alleged violations of human, economic, civil and political rights in The Hague, The Netherlands.

Administration congressmen Douglas Cagas (Davao del Sur) and Eduardo Veloso (Leyte) said they found it ironic that while the PPT talks about human rights violations and killings, their country is the host of the patron of these crimes, referring to Jose Maria Sison’s stay.

“That (verdict of the PPT) is most unfair to our government,” they said.

“These one-sided and hastily-conducted foreign probes only intend to mar our government’s credibility before the international community. That is most unfair for our government which is staunchly promoting human rights protection,” he said.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) yesterday slammed the recent verdict of the PPT in The Hague.

AFP chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr., branded the PPT as a “branch” of Karapatan, a local human rights group identified with the left that has been fingering the government as responsible in the spate of extra-judicial killings in the country.

For his part, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary also commented that the PPT verdict was arrived at by an “international kangaroo court” saying that the verdict was unfair citing the principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty.

Esperon meanwhile said the accusation was very grave considering that besides condemning the killings, the government, the military in particular has already been conducting a full-swing investigation on the matter.

The PPT’s judgment will be transmitted to the UN, the International Court of Justice, the European Parliament, and various foreign governments and is expected to further attract international attention on the killings in the country.

Malacañang yesterday said it does not recognize the PPT, with National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales describing the PPT as an international communist group and called it a kangaroo court.

“This group has no legitimacy whatsover. It is a propaganda front and is allied with the leftists groups in the Philippines,” he said.

“The connection is clear. From an international communist group’s ‘trial’ this will now be bandied about and justified by the local communist groups or fronts,” he added. With Michaela P. del Callar, Gina Peralta-Elorde, Sherwin C. Olaes and AFP