It is hard to see last week’s events as anything other than extremely damaging for the government and the country in the eyes of the world.
It was bad enough that the United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston described the Armed Forces of the Philippines as being “in almost total denial” about the need to stop the plague of killings in the countryside and claimed that the executive branch, “openly and enthusiastically aided by the military” was impeding the legitimate work of party list groups.
As if that was not enough, the government at first refused to make public the report of its own Melo commission (which made it look guilty) and then grudgingly agreed to release it after all (which made it look weak). Amando Doronila criticized the initial failure to release the report as follows:
The report will not be released to the Filipino people, who are the victims of the extrajudicial executions which have claimed more than 800 lives of political activists since 2001. The Philippine media will have no access. Ms Arroyo does not trust the Filipino media and has a running feud with them. With this, Filipinos have been denied the fundamental right to learn what’s behind the most atrocious wave of political murders since the Marcos dictatorship.
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales probably doesn’t care, but I don’t think the international community would have been very impressed by his attempts to belittle Professor Alston. Here is a sample: “that sonamugun does not know what he is talking about … he’s just a rapporteur. He’s just a hired man from the UN in certain specific projects … he should be thankful he can even come here … he’s been brainwashed”. That kind of language does not go down well internationally. In fact it sounds exactly like, well, someone “in a state of total denial”.
Still, we should at least be grateful that, because of both Philip Alston’s request and pressure from people like Doronila, the Melo report was finally released. The full text can be found here, but here is a key passage:
the state has the responsibility of protecting its citizens and making sure their liberties are respected … if the state fails to investigate, prosecute or redress private non-state acts in defiance of fundamental liberties, it is in effect aiding the perpetrators of such violations, for which it could be held responsible under international law.
That’s right on the money.
The government seems to feel that, by issuing general statements about being opposed to violence yet praising to the skies one of the main people accused of carrying it out, Major General Palparan, it is fulfilling its responsibilities. The United Nations and the Melo Commission have shown that it is not.
Note: As always, Manolo Quezon provides a lot of useful links to source material, including the full text of the special rapporteur's statement. Alston will be presenting a formal report by way, "within three months".
I hope they send Gonzalez to UN HQ in New York, and then let him belittle Alston right there. That will make him look quite at home in the middle of, say, the representatives of North Korea and Iran.
Posted by: Jon Limjap | February 25, 2007 at 07:01 AM
Wouldn't it be nice if your friend Clarence Henderson could comment on this.
Posted by: betol | February 25, 2007 at 03:00 PM
It seems telling that none of the people who railed on this blog against an American's alleged rape of a single Philippine woman is moved enough to comment on the fact that Filipinos are killing Filipinos in great numbers and with such impunity.
I suppose we'll have to wait for an American serviceman to accidentally shoot a civilian in Mindanao.
Posted by: Cogs | February 27, 2007 at 01:59 PM
People dont give a shit because they know that as long as they work their cozy jobs in Manila, Cebu, or Baguio, the military wont go after them. So I ask the question: What the heck are they "activists" doing anyway? Communism is dead. Move on. Get a job or be an OFW.
Posted by: Dude | March 01, 2007 at 07:26 PM
Thank you, thank you Philippine Military for silencing and decimating those traffic-inducing, noise polluting, foreign-investment deterring, stuck-up lefties. Keep up the good work.
Don't believe the hype. The UN knows shit. There's still a vast majority of Noypi's who dislike the left. The UN don't represent.
And to all of you activists who haven't been silenced or killed yet: get a fucking job will yah? Even if it's a low-paying one.
Posted by: Michael Telebastagan | March 09, 2007 at 05:32 AM
Hey, just wanted to say that you write great stuff. I enjoyed reading your blog. Keep at it. :)
cheers, jae
(stuck-up leftie and proud of it)
Posted by: Jae | March 10, 2007 at 07:13 AM
I sooooooo agree with michael telebastagan. Frankly, I think the communists and lefties are killing each other more than anything else.
Really, I don't think it's THAT damaging to our image.
The Abu Sayyaf and Wowowee was much much worse.
Posted by: carlosc | March 24, 2007 at 04:19 PM
The United Nations, the European Union, the United States Senate, Amnesty International, and, as reported in today’s paper, a human rights alliance in the Hague have all condemned the killings and have all implicated the Government in carrying them out.
How bad does it have to get before you think the country’s image has been damaged?
And do you really agree with Michael Telebastagan? Most of the deaths have been of farmers’ organizers and local activists. You “sooooooo agree” that we should say “thank you Philippine Military” for killing them, often in front of their families?
I am amazed and depressed that you think that.
Posted by: torn | March 25, 2007 at 04:45 PM
How bad can the image be? What with being at the bottom of the corruption list, having huge mountains of garbage dumps in the midst of our cities, being economically overtaken by a just recently wartorn Vietnam, etc. etc.
The extrajudicial killings aren the icing on the cake tee hee.
Posted by: Bobby | March 27, 2007 at 09:34 PM
I've just read the Time magazine article about the Filipino communists and what I find laughable about them is their hubris and arrogance. They say that no communist country in the world has truly been communists, that's why they all failed.
The funny thing is that Filipinos have failed to fight colonialism, have failed with democracy, have failed to industrialize, have failed with autocracy, etc. etc. Even the Islamic movement has failed. We're a nation of failures.
And my Filipino brothers and sisters commies think they'll succeed? What makes them so fucking special?
It's so stupid and arrogant that you wish they'd all just fuckin die.
Posted by: Bobolastico | March 28, 2007 at 10:19 PM
Yeah, Filipino farmers turned commies will succeed with communism whereas more brilliant people like Russians and Chinese have failed.
Just remind these peasants that these failed Russiand and Chinese have invented some pretty amazing stuff like the Great Wall of China, War and Peace, the Printing Press, Fireworks, Silk, Porcelain, sending the First Man to Orbit in Space, the USSR, etc. etc.
Laughable indeed. Kill em all.
Posted by: Andrew | March 28, 2007 at 10:38 PM
The thing with Micheal, Bobolastico & Andrew's comments is that it shows they don't have much regard for human life. If an individual has a belief different from theirs (and are actually risking their lives because of it), they think it's ok to kill them. They even think it's funny and they think they sound cool. I wonder how cool or funny they would think it was if they saw their father or mother shot in front of their faces then have people (idiots like them) make fun of the killings or take it lightly.
In other words, why do the 3 (if they are really 3 different people) think they deserve to live more than others do?
Sure I think people who voted for Dubya are a bunch of morons for helping make the world a much more dangerous place but I don't wish they were killed.
Posted by: gail | March 29, 2007 at 12:56 AM
"I wonder how cool or funny they would think it was if they saw their father or mother shot in front of their faces then have people (idiots like them) make fun of the killings or take it lightly."
If my dad is a "rebel" trying to "shake up the system" "sympathizing" for the masses by scandalously shouting in the streets (for what?) then by all mean shoot him in the face.
But mumma and pappa are two good citizens who worked everyday 9 to 5 exceopt Sundays and holidays for the last 35 years of their lives and pay their taxes diligently while raising 4 kids the best way they can and still find time to study a few nights a week to get their second masters. Nobody's (except communists) would want to kill them.
Posted by: Bobolastico | March 29, 2007 at 02:19 AM
I guess you would have been one of the happy ones then when Ninoy was murdered for being a "rebel" and "shaking up the system".
And sorry but I don't think communists are after "mumma and pappa" but that's beside the point anyway because most of the people killed were farmers, journalists, or labor leaders or people who belong to a legitimate party. Not "communists" as you so easily assume.
Posted by: gail | March 30, 2007 at 12:15 AM
"And sorry but I don't think communists are after "mumma and pappa""
Really? Then why are my parent's business and lives being threatened with arson and violence if they don't "voluntarily" pay revolutionary tax?
Posted by: Bobolastico | April 08, 2007 at 07:28 AM
And how dare you compare Ninoy to the Communists! Your just like Marcos!
Posted by: Bobolastico | April 08, 2007 at 07:30 AM