By Czarina Nicole Ong Ki
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is alarmed over the series of attacks against human rights defenders in the country in the past two months, and has denounced what it called the "patterns of harassment" directed towards individuals who are only working with peoples organizations.
Commission on Human Rights (MANILA BULLETIN)
The CHR reported that on January 19, peasant organizers Emerito Pinza and Romy Candor went missing in Brgy. San Antonio, Kalayaan, Laguna. It has been suspected that elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Mobile Force Battalion 4A were involved in their disappearance.
On February 3, the CHR said that indigenous people leader and organizer, Jay-ar Mercado of Oriental Mindoro, was killed by alleged members of the 4th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army. His remains were found buried in Bulalacao without the consent and knowledge of his family.
Two days later, Engr. Jennifer Agohob, a resident of Oroquieta City and member of the Union of People’s Lawyer in Mindanao (UPLM) and Karapatan, was illegally arrested. The arrest was based on the warrant of arrest for murder issued on July 26, 2019 by Judge Victoriano Lacaya, Jr. of Regional Trial Court Branch in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte. According to the CHR, Agohob was not even made aware of any of these complaints.
Then finally on February 7, five activists were illegally arrested in simultaneous raids in Tacloban City, including staff of political party Bayan and peasants’ organization SAGUPA; spokesperson of People’s Surge Network; a staff member of Rural Missionaries of the Philippines; and the Executive Director of Eastern Visayas. All activists were charged with “illegal possession of firearms” and detained at the Palo PNP station.
"The judicial harassment, arbitrary arrest and criminalization of human rights defenders should be a key area of concern of the people and should never be tolerated," said CHR Spokesperson Atty Jacqueline Ann de Guia. Some government officials have tried to connect human rights defenders with communist groups and terrorist organisations among others to pursue a politically motivated defamation campaign against them."
She urged the government to end all forms of violations against human rights defenders, including extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
"We also demand the authorities to recognize the legitimacy and importance of their work and to cease stigmatization of these individuals which could incite perpetrators to act against them," she added.
De Guia said that the government should develop "protection mechanisms" that would support and protect human rights defenders, especially individuals working for indigenous people’s rights, land, and environmental concerns; journalists; and women human rights defenders.
For now, the CHR has dispatched investigation teams to seek the truth behind the reported cases of human rights abuses.