First-hand
Account on the US Senate Hearing
by the Ecumenical Voice for Peace and Human Rights in the Philippines
March 15, 2007
We
are the Ecumenical Voice for Peace and Human Rights in the Philippines,
a delegation of Roman Catholic and Protestant bishops and clergy,
Christian and Muslim human rights defenders all working for the
defense and promotion of human rights in our country. We brought
with us the document released by the National Council of Churches
in the Philippines called "'Let the Stones Cry Out': An Ecumenical
Report on Human Rights in the Philippines and A Call to Action".
Our
church partners, countrymen and women and overseas friends in the
US have raised deep concern over the human rights crisis in the
Philippines. They have invited us to visit the United States to
talk with ecumenical leaders, legislators, government officials,
faith communities in the hope of deepening their awareness about
the extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and other forms
of political repression obtaining in our country today.
Taking
off from the testimonies and the report we presented, our partners
spoke to some members of the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific
Affairs of the Foreign Relation Committee of the Senate and the
Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives.
They
asked for a review of the policies on development and military assistance
of the George Bush administration as to whether such policies exacerbate
instead of reduce social and economic inequities or aggravate rather
than stop the prevalent violations of human rights.
We
believe that the alarming spate of killings under the present dispensation
in the Philippines must be raised internationally because the government
is required to comply with its obligations under international law
and rescind its national security program which has the effect of
legitimizing the killing of innocent civilians.
We
had briefings in the State Department, and the House of Representatives,
but you are most interested in the Senate hearing conducted on March
14, at 2:30pm (Washington time).
The
Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee heard the following testimonies:
-
Mr Eric G. John, Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs of the Department of State
- Mr
Jonathan Farrar, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor
- Mr.
T. Kumar, advocacy director for Asia and the Pacific, Amnesty
International USA Mr. G. Eugene Martin, Executive Director,
Philippine Facilitation Project US Institute of Peace
- Bishop
Eliezer Pascua, general secretary of the United Church of Christ
in the Philippines , and
- Ms.
Marie Hilao-Enriquez, General Secretary of KARAPATAN.
Senator Boxer opened the hearing by quoting heavily from the
Alston press statement.
She
accepted the 1st three calls submitted by the delegation through
Bishop Pascua; commended these by saying " these hit it right
on the head" and actually asked him to repeat the calls for
the record.
She
admonished the Philippine government for sending military and police
officials to the hearing and did not allow them to enter the hearing;
said "you do not send military and police officials to intimidate
the witnesses
She
also said that given the large military assistance to the Philippines,
these should not be used for extrajudicial killing but instead "we
should tie some strings around military aid". Also mentioned
that her constituents are complaining about the use of government
funds to kill people in the Philippines. "It is important that
we don't have blood in our hands," she said.
She
also mentioned we do not want to train the to kill their own people
or commit human rights violations after the Deputy Assistant Secretary
Eric John mentioned that the US State Department has been providing
training to Philippine soldiers
Aside
from the above opinions, she stated the following:
- That
it would be good if international observers could go to the
next elections in the Philippines after G. Eugene Martin said
that there is an expected upsurge in election related violence
-
That this is not the 1st hearing on the human rights situation
in the Philippines but will could be followed by a series of
such hearings
-
Thanked Bishop Pascua and Marie Enriquez for coming forward
and appearing before the subcommittee given the dangers involved
|
