(Hong Kong, May 26, 2008) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has launched today a campaign blog which documents cases involving various forms of arbitrary deprivation of life in the Philippines.
The blog entitled Slaughter of Innocents chronicles how a class of people have been systematically murdered on an almost daily basis. The blog may be accessed at: http://noprotection.blog.humanrights.asia
Moon Jeong Ho, AHRC urgent appeals programme coordinator, said that apart from extrajudicial killing of social activists, there have been a pattern of various forms of deprivation of life that has been continuously taking place, targeting dozens of victims, but which remains largely unnoticed.
This includes, amongst others, the unabated murders on the pretext of “vigilante killings” in the cities of General Santos City, Davao and nearby cities; deaths due to “legitimate encounter” that is commonly used by soldiers to justify their killing of civilians; and deaths due to “Gang War” which targets mostly teenagers.
Moon argued that in all these cases, the police had been unable to ensure protection, effectively investigate and identify perpetrators and to effectively prosecute each case to ensure a conviction in court.
Failure to address the issue by preventing this murders and hold perpetrators to account, contradicts the Philippine National Police’ (PNP) power and functions clearly stipulated under the Department of Interior and local Government Act, Republic Act 6975. Yet they have not been held to account for their failure on this.
Section 24 of the said Act requires the PNP to enforce laws regarding protection of lives and properties; ensures public safety; and to prevent and investigate crime by holding those responsible to account.
The United Nation’s Committee on the International Covenant on Civil and Political (ICCPR) Right had also come up with a General Comment No. 6 1982, par. 3, which also stipulates State obligations: “the protection against arbitrary deprivation of life which is explicitly required by the third sentence of article 6 (1) is of paramount importance”.
Moon said that to ensure protection of any person and to prevent anyone from being arbitrarily deprived of their life is not only the core duty of the police; it is also an utmost responsibility of the State. He said adequate measures, for instance effective police investigations, protection of witnesses and others, are actions they should have been doing routinely.
He added that for the police and concerned authorities to systematically fail in doing so, as it has been happening there, already constitutes a violation of the fundamental right to life because the State, who is supposed to ensure protection, has already proved itself unwilling or incapable of dispensing their duties.
