Aquino scored on rights issue

One extrajudicial killing recorded every week

THE Aquino administration is no different from the previous Arroyo administration when it comes to human rights violations and extrajudicial killings, the Catholic Church said Sunday. In a report over the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the conveners of the Religious Discernment Group denounced the recent spate of human rights violations in the country.

They expressed shock at the fact that the administration of President Benigno Aquino 3rd has an average of “one extrajudicial killing per week.”

“The number of sectoral leaders, particularly peasants, jailed on false charges has continued to increase,” the group said.

Signatories to the statement were conveners Fathers Wilfredo Dulay, Quirico Pedregosa Jr., Gregorio Obejas, Tito Maratas and Joselito Sarabia; and Sisters Ailyn Binco, Pat Fox, Angelita Navarro Rebecca Pacete.

The group’s advent gathering was held to discern their prophetic role in promoting and defending human rights in the country.

“There will be no justice, freedom and peace for our people until the government take the welfare of the people, especially [those] of the urban and rural poor instead of the interests of local elites and large foreign corporations, as the starting point for all development policies,” they said.

The group added that the government’s failure to bring to justice the perpetrators of human abuses is an “indictment” of Aquino’s “and daang matuwid [righteous path].”

On the counter-insurgency front, the group said that continued implementation of “Oplan Bantay Laya” [Operation Guard Freedom] by the Armed Forces of the Philippines worried the group because of human rights violations associated with it.

“We ask the Government to abandon plans to implement the Oplan . . . but rather to resume peace talks with the NDFP [National Democratic Front of the Philippines] and MILF [Moro Islamic Liberation Front] to ensure that the roots of injustice are stamped out,” they added.

Palace open to general amnesty

But Malacañang on Sunday said that it is open to the proposal of Former House Speaker Jose de Venecia to grant amnesty to other political detainees.

Former House Speaker de Venecia earlier proposed general amnesty to cover other political prisoners, including communist rebels. This would require the government to drop all the charges it filed against jailed suspected rebels.

De Venecia made the proposal after President Aquino ordered the Justice department to drop criminal charges against the “Morong 43” accused of being communist guerillas.

“Let’s just say that the administration is open-minded to such proposals, as the one made by former Speaker Jose de Venecia, insofar as its overall spirit is to honor our commitments in terms of human rights,” said Secretary Herminio Coloma, head of Presidential Communications Operations Office.

“This can be the subject of a comprehensive study. From day one of the Aquino administration, it has been fully committed to human rights and the pursuit of justice,” he said.

Coloma acknowledged that many cases have “intricacies of law” that need to be reviewed by government agencies, including the Armed Forces, Commission on Human Rights and the departments of National Defense and Justice.

On Friday, the President ordered the Justice department to withdraw the criminal charges against the 43 health workers arrested in February in Morong,
Rizal, on suspicion that they were members of the New People’s Army.

President Aquino issued the order to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima during the celebration of the International Human Rights Day on Friday.

House on Aquino proclamation

At the House of Representatives, Mr. Aquino’s proclamation extending amnesty to rebel soldiers will be concurred today before the plenary.

House Committee on Justice Chairman Niel Tupas Jr., who is backing the amnesty proclamation, said that there is no more reason to delay its adoption and that the rebel soldiers be given a second chance for the sake of national reconciliation. He cited that the Senate has adopted the amnesty proclamation of President Aquino.

“[This is] in principle of peace and reconciliation and we should give a second chance to those officers, supporters who might have committed crimes and may wish to come back to the fold of law,” Tupas added.

Former President and now Rep. Gloria Arroyo of Pampanga also welcomed the amnesty proclamation, but said that it is right that the rebels soldiers should not be admitted back to the uniformed service.

“I am gratified that the proclamation being considered by Congress today penalizes the amnestied officers by barring them from reentry into the police or armed forces, and by maintaining their civil liability for their actions. This is clearly an acknowledgment that the mutineers indeed committed wrongdoings, it may be recalled, put hundreds of lives at risk, including the Australian Ambassador and other foreign dignitaries and visitors,” she said.

“The granting of amnesty or pardon is truly a constructive action when it is motivated by a laudable objective, such as the reestablishment of national unity.

But let us remember that it is also a singular action of executive generosity which should be dispensed with great caution, taking care always to exclude,” Mrs. Arroyo added.

The Aquino’s amnesty covers soldiers who took part in the Oakwood mutiny, the Marine stand-off and the Peninsula Manila Hotel incident, which all took place during the previous administration of Mrs. Arroyo. –JOMAR CANLAS AND CRIS G. ODRONIA REPORTERS wITH REPORT FROM RUBEN D. MANAHAN 4TH, Manila Times