MANILA – The Philippines offered to host the office of the controversial human rights body which was established by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), a spokesman of the Department of Foreign Affairs reported.
The spokesman said the offer was earlier made by President Gloria Macpagal-Arroyo when she attended the recent summit of Asean leaders in the resort city of Hua Hin in Thailand.
The establishment of the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), as the body is officially called, was among the significant resolutions approved by the Asean leaders during their meeting, the spokesman said.
He added that the Asean also approved Philippine initiatives like enhanced cooperation on disaster risk reduction due to the recent typhoons that wrought massive destruction and damage in the country; disarmament and non-nuclear proliferation and Asean’s common position on climate change.
The spokesman disclosed that the Philippines committed to give $20,000 by the end of the year as start-up fund for AICHR so that it could begin its work in promoting and protecting human rights in the region.
Aside from the Philippines and Thailand, the other Asean members include Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma).
But regional and international human rights advocate have assailed the AICHR as a “toothless tiger†for Asean’s inability to stop rampant human rights abuses, particularly by the military-backed regime in Burma.
The Philippines likewise has been sharply criticized by local and international human rights groups for having a negative reputation on issues such as unabated graft and corruption in government, extra-judicial killings supposedly by members of the police and military of militants, the religious and journalists, and abuse of the rule of law.
In a related development, the New York-based Human Rights Watch called on Secretary Agnes Devanadera of the Department of Justice to publicly condemn the killings allegedly perpetrated by “death squads†in Davao City in Mindanao.
The group also urged Devanadera to remind lower court judges to act independently and efficiently to help in the investigation of the death squads which reportedly have been operating with the blessings of the police and officials of Davao City.
In particular, the group pointed out that lower courts in Davao City and Manila should cooperate fully with investigations into the death squad killings in line with the recent recommendations by a United Nations body instead of undermining efforts to bring the killers to justice.
Recently, the group lamented that judges have delayed judicial proceedings and denied search warrants while those leading the investigations have been required to respond to criminal charges filed against them.
The UN Human Rights Council, in April, castigated the Philippines for its alleged failure for the past 20 years to fulfill its obligation of submitting periodic reports on measures undertaken to implement the UN Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.which it signed and ratified in 1986.
The council also noted that President Arroyo has yet to sign an anti-torture law which was already ratified by the Senate and the House of Representatives after a bicameral conference committee has reconciled the conflicting versions of the two chambers.
The council pointed out that the proposed law is part of the Philippine commitment when it signed the UN-sponsored international covenant to promote and protect human rights.
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