Disappointing rights record, says AI of PNoy admin

By CONG B. CORRALES
Associate Editor

NOBEL Peace Prize laureate Amnesty International can offer only two words to describe President Aquino’s human rights record: dismal and disappointing.

“After five and a half years, President Aquino’s government has failed on a range of endemic human rights issues,” said Ritz Lee Santos III, chairperson of Amnesty International-Philippines yesterday.

Santos pointed out, however, that they recognize the “small feats” of the Aquino administration with regard to the ratification of local counterpart laws of international covenants like the Anti-Torture Law and the Anti-Enforced Disapperance Law.

“President Aquino’s record on rights can only be described as dismal. In 2012, when he first took office, we outlined a human rights agenda with key points for his administration to address – yet the agenda we released in 2015 sadly still lists almost all of the same issues,” Santos said.

While Aquino has signed important bills into law during his term, Santos said, the pending cases filed even before his term have still yet to be addressed.

“Di napasa ang FOI (Freedom of Information) bill. Yung RH (Reproductive Health) bill naipasa nga meron namang budget cuts,” said Santos.

He said torture is still rife across the country, and the landmark 2009 Anti-Torture Act has not resulted in a single conviction.

The lack of an effective witness protection program also means that people are still afraid to speak out when they witness human rights abuses–and perpetrators continue to walk free. The Philippines is also still one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists – at least 30 media workers have been killed in the line of duty during the Aquino presidency.