US report on killings affirms sorry state of human rights — Bayan

The US State Department report criticizing the Philippine government for extrajudicial killings amid a climate of impunity and corruption only validated the sorry state of human rights in the country, the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said on Sunday. “The [report] affirms what many groups have been saying all along: that the human rights situation is not at all well in the Philippines, despite claims to the contrary by the Arroyo government. The situation is so bad, even the US can’t ignore it," Bayan said in a statement. (See: RP scored for killings, state abuses in US gov’t report) In a statement, Malacañang claimed the US report "augurs well for the 2010 elections," adding that in 2007, the polls were generally free and fair. "This year, we expect automation to enhance fairness even more," Deputy Presidential Spokesman Ricardo Saludo said. Wary about the expected rise in poll-related violence, Bayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes said the government had yet to come out with the results of its crackdown of private armed groups linked to local politicians. The government has formed the Zeñarosa Commission headed by Court of Appeals Justice Monina Zeñarosa to neutralize private armies threatening to use intimidation and violence in the coming elections (See: Private armies surge as May elections approach) The commission was created in response to calls to disband armed civilian militias, following the November 23 massacare in Ampatuan, Maguindanao where the private army of the powerful Ampatuan clan had allegedly played a key role. Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption chair Dante Jimenez, a member of the commission, earlier said they would identify the private armies by March, but they have yet to do so. The massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao was among the human rights abuses mentioned in the US State Department’s 2009 report. "Arbitrary, unlawful, and extrajudicial killings by elements of the security services and political killings, including killings of journalists, by a variety of actors continued to be major problems. Concerns about impunity persisted… Trials were delayed, and procedures were prolonged. Corruption was endemic," the report said. It also cited the country’s weak criminal justice system, where human rights violators and corrupt public officials and law enforcers go unpunished. Saludo said the police and military should submit to the President by April 1 reports on how they seek to address specific allegations of abuse in the US government report, in cooperation with the Commission on Human Rights. — SMD/NPA, GMANews.TV