Moro rights group KAWAGIB calls for the release of all Moro political prisoners, Cotabato City, December 10, 2011

On International Human Rights Day:

Moro rights group KAWAGIB calls for the release

of all Moro political prisoners

Cotabato City

December 10, 2011

Photos courtesy of KAWAGIB





x 10 December 2011 Moro rights group leads international human rights day celebration, calls for release of all Moro political detainees Cotabato City - Moro human rights group Kawagib leads a host of human rights advocates and defenders in calling for an end to all forms of human rights violations and the release of Moro political detainees in the country as the world observes the 63rd International Human Rights Day this December 10. Kawagib spokesperson Bai Ali Indayla said that President Benigno Aquino III (PNoy) should act on his words of upholding human rights and see to it that Moro civilians being kept in detention on grounds that are political in nature are freed at once. Kawagib and a number of supporters will stage a five-hour cultural presentation on the eve of December 10 to depict the state of human rights in the country especially the plight of Moro people traumatized by different forms of human rights abuses. “The presentation is a tribute to human rights defenders and martyrs world over and part of our continuing campaign to press this government to free Moro political detainees and put an end to military incursions in Moro communities,” Indayla said. The group will mark the celebration of international human rights day with a march rally urging clear-cut action from the government on pressing human rights issues. Indayla said that contrary to his public pronouncement, PNoy has not impose anything decisive to improve that state of human rights in the country and, as record show, is even worse than his predecessor. She said PNoy’s administration failed to address alarming rise in the number of human rights cases upon their assumption particularly incidence of extrajudicial killings, which numbers at 64 for this year alone according to human rights group Karapatan. “This government appears to tolerate extrajudicial killings,” she said. Indayla also lambasted PNoy’s “all-out justice” campaign for causing the displacement of more than 20,000 Moro individuals in the municipalities of Payao in Zamboanga Sibugay and Al-Barka in Basilan. Her group points to the label used in the campaign, which is purportedly intended to bring justice to soldiers killed in a military clash with forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on October 18 in Al-Barka, as a devious attempt to mislead the public on the conduct of an all-out war. In addition, Kawagib, finds the accusation of at least 300 residents of Barangay Cambug in Al-Barka of perpetrating atrocities in the October 18 clash highly unjustified. "All 300 of them are being charged without substantial evidence. This move could give way to massive illegal arrest and other human rights abuses," Indayla said. ###









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Press Release:

December 10, 2011

References:

Rep. Raymond ‘Mong’ Palatino, Kabataan Party-list, 0908-5927099

Bugsy Nolasco, media liaison officer, 0922-8240740

Youth solon reminds PNoy: Adequate social services funding integral to human rights

On the commemoration of International Human Rights Day, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raymond “Mong” Palatino today reminded President Benigno Aquino III that the government should provide adequate funds for social services like health, education, food and housing because these are integral to basic human rights.

“The apparent government neglect to social services such as health, education, food and housing, behooves us to remind the Aquino administration to prioritize the people’s access to these basic needs because they are integral to the fundamental rights of all humans,” Palatino said.

Palatino explained that in the 2012 national budget now awaiting the final approval of the President, basic social services are underfunded making the government, in many respects, guilty of committing human rights violations against the people, especially the poor:

Particular	2012 National Budget	Per Filipino per day
Education (all levels)	P224.92 billion	P6.32
Health	P42.77 billion	P1.20
Food (Food security and price stabilization, NFA budget)	P4.0 billion	P0.11
Housing (NHA)	P5.63 billion	P0.16

Source: 2012 GAA, Kabataan Party-list

“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of which our country is a signatory, affirms the equitable access to basic social services as an inalienable right of all humans. Underfunding social services and subjecting them to rapacious commercial interest to benefit the few are human rights violations,” Palatino said.

Palatino added that as the call for sufficient social services funding grows louder the Aquino administration resorts to state violence instead of properly addressing the people’s legitimate demands.

The youth solon cited the police brutality that took place early this week when thousands of protesters attempted to reach Mendiola to call for social justice and systemic change and in preparation for the commemoration of International Human Rights day.

Palatino also said that in light of the police brutality that transpired, the Aquino administration is starting to reveal its striking resemblance to the Arroyo regime under which countless human rights violations have been committed.

Based on human rights group KARAPATAN, as of September 2011 under the term of President Aquino, 55 individuals have been extrajudicially killed, 8 have been subjected to enforced disappearance, and 4,224 residents from various communities have been forcibly displaced due to militarization. ###

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