FP cited for better human rights record in year 2009

The year 2009 was a banner year for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in terms of its improved human rights record.

“The past year saw a deeper permeation of human rights consciousness among AFP troops. This was ably shown in the handling of the Maguindanao situation especially during the declaration of martial law there,” according to Brig. Gen. Francisco Cruz, chief of the AFP Civil Relations Service.

Cruz particularly took pride in a report by Jose Manuel Mamauag, one of the commissioners of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), following the AFP’s implementation of martial law in Maguindanao province late last year after the gruesome massacre of at least 57 civilians and media practitioners in Ampatuan town.

Mamauag’s report stated “that there had been no complaints against the AFP of human rights abuse as documented by a team of CHR lawyers sent to Maguindanao,” according to Cruz.

Cruz attributed such improvement to AFP’s close partnership with CHR which, he said, enabled the AFP to further educate the soldiery in upholding people’s rights at all times, especially during the conduct of military operations.

“The Commission on Human Rights has been our active partner in our human rights advocacies and we truly appreciate the agency’s cognizance of our efforts in inculcating respect for human rights to our troops,” Cruz said.

Cruz further said the AFP’s Human Rights Office (HRO) also worked closely with the Presidential Human Rights Committee, the Supreme Court, the Departments of Justice, of Social Welfare and Development, of Interior and Local Government, and of Foreign Affairs as well as the Office of the Ombudsman and several non-government organizations in the promotion of human rights.

Cruz also took note of a statement issued by former Akbayan Rep. Loretta Rosales who said the “military’s participation in the dialogs makes all the difference in finding genuine solutions to human rights violations.”

According to Cruz, the HRO has been actively monitoring cases of human rights violations against military personnel.

Latest update from the HRO showed that a total of 16 cases of human rights violations, involving 30 AFP personnel, were referred to concerned government agencies. Of these, seven cases are now pending before the regional trial courts and another one is being deliberated upon by the Office of the Ombudsman.

Five cases were dismissed by the DoJ while two were junked by the courts.

Two soldiers are presently undergoing general court martial proceedings on top of criminal charges before the courts. –Mario J Mallari, Daily Tribune