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Philippines: Front Line Mission reports on the dangers to human rights defenders

A Front Line delegation expressed grave concern about ongoing killings and enforced disappearances of human rights defenders in The Philippines at the end of a two week visit to the country. Front Line representatives met with human rights defenders in Manila, Central Luzon, Zambales, Mindanao and Cebu as well as with the army, the police, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Commission on Human Rights and the Ministry of Justice.  Read More

Manila: ASEAN foreign ministers agree in principle to set up human rights body.

MANILA (Reuters) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers agreed in principle today to set up a human rights body after military-ruled Myanmar dropped objections to the plan, but diplomats said key differences remained. The issue had created a rift within the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and threatened to divert attention from the group's efforts at economic integration.  Read More

Philippines: A spate of violence against three human rights defenders

On 12 April 2007, in Iloilo province, the Philippines, unidentified gunmen ambushed the car in which three human rights defenders were travelling, leaving one man seriously injured.

Reportedly, the gunmen opened fire at the pick-up and then dragged Nilo Arado and Maria Luisa Posa-Dominado to their van and drove off. Jose Ely Garachico was taken to a hospital in Iloilo city where he remains in a critical condition awaiting an operation to remove a bullet, which is lodged in his chest. The pick-up used in the abduction of Nilo Arado and Maria Luisa Posa-Dominado was reportedly found in a burned-out state in a secluded area in Barangay Guadalupe, Janiuay, and 30kms northwest of Iloilo City.  Read More

Extrajudicial killing of human rights defender in the Philippines

A gunman riding a motorcycle killed human rights defender, Siche Bustamente-Gandinao as she was retuning home with her husband and daughter on 10 March 2007 in Misamis Oriental.

Siche Bustamente-Gandinao is a member of Misamis Oriental Farmers Association (MOFA) and of opposition party Bayan Muna. During Philip Alston's - the U.N. Special Representative on Extrajudicial Killings - visit to the Philippines in February 2007, Siche Bustamente-Gandinao submitted a written testimony detailing the recent killing of her father-in-law, Dalmacio Gandinao, Chairman of MOFA and Coordinator of the Misamis Oriental Bayan Muna, in front of her and other family members by a group of seven gunmen.  Read More

Killing of human rights defender a ‘terrible loss for the human rights community’

A leading human rights defender and critic of the Philippine government, Bishop Alberto Ramento was brutally murdered in his parish of San Sebastian on 3 October 2006.“His death is a terrible loss for the human rights community in the Philippines,” Director of Front Line, Mary Lawlor said.

Bishop Ramento was a prolific peace and human rights advocate in the Philippines. He was a convener for the ‘Pilgrims for Peace’, an organisation that supports the peace process in the country, a leader of the human rights group, ‘Karapatan’ one of the most active human rights organisations reporting on extra-judicial killings in the Philippines. Bishop Ramento was also the Chairman of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente’s (IFI) Supreme Council of Bishops, and Chairman of the National Council of Churches.

Police investigations have reportedly concluded that Bishop Alberto Ramento's death was the result of a robbery. His family and fellow clergy strongly suspect that his killing was politically motivated, as he had received a series of death threats prior to his murder.  Read More

Philippines: Death Threats Against Human Rights Defender

Bienvenido Salinas, Director of the Saint Thomas Law Center, a unit of the Urban Poor Associates (UPA), has received multiple death threats. The UPA is a Philippine non-governmental organisation working for the housing rights of the urban poor in Quezon City.

According to the information received, on 9th February 2005 a man telephoned the office and threatened the staff that “Atty (Bienvendio) Salinas' days are numbered, and so are his children’s.” It has also been reported that on 15th February 2005, a man telephoned the offices and issued the same threat to the office staff. Furthermore, on 17th February 2005, two vans with tinted windows were allegedly seen outside the office of Saint Thomas Law Centre.

Recently, Bienvenido Salinas has been involved in a litigation case on behalf of seven families whose homes were demolished on 21st January 2005 without prior demolition notice.  Read More

Extrajudicial Executions of Women Human Rights Defenders in the Philippines

According to reports by the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, on 13 February 2004, Mrs. Juvy Magsino and Mrs. Leima Fortu, both human rights defenders working in the Philippines, were reportedly killed by members of the Philippines Army (IBPA). Mrs. Juvy Magsino had allegedly previously received two death threats claiming that she would not live past 15 February 2004.

According to the information received, on 13 February 2004 at approximately 23.00, members of the 204th Infantry Brigade of the Philippines Army (IBPA) followed Mrs. Magsino and Mrs. Fortu while they were driving to Pinagsabangan to get a computer from a friend. Two men on a motorcycle without a license plate armed with a 9mm and an armalite allegedly covered Mrs. Magsino's vehicle with bullets and shot Mrs. Magsino and Mrs. Fortu to death in Barangay Amuguis.  Read More

Human rights defender Rashid Manahan killed in the Philippines, August 2004

Rashid Manahan, coordinator of a newly established network of Philippine NGOs and human rights institutions, “Mamamayang Tutol sa Bitay” (Citizens against the Death Penalty), was shot dead in Davao city while on his way to attend a forum on the abolition of death penalty on 24 August 2004.

A staunch campaigner against summary executions, Rashid aged 27, was also executive director of the Community Resource and Development Centre (CRDC), a partner non-governmental organization of the United Nations Multi-Donor Program (UNMDP-3) for peace initiatives in former war-torn towns and villages on the island of Maguindanao.

He had just returned from the airport, having collected two guest speakers of the forum against the death penalty, Martha Alvarez of the Asia Monitoring Team of the European Union and Dr Nymia Simbulan, a Philippine National human rights co-coordinator, when he was shot by an unidentified assailant on a motorcycle. He died while being transported to the Davao Medical Centre.  Read More