With around half a million Filipinos displaced by armed conflicts in the provinces, two lawmakers filed a bill to strengthen the country's human rights laws and protect "internally-displaced people (IDPs)." Through House Bill 48 or Internal Displacement Act of 2010, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and his brother Abante Mindanao Rep. Maximo Rodriguez seek greater human rights protection for victims of armed conflicts. Under the proposed measure, displaced persons will be given access to:
adequate food and nutrition; potable water; basic shelter and housing; clothing; medical and dental services, and psychological and social services, among others. "Internally displaced persons shall not be detained or confined to a camp. If in exceptional circumstances such confinement is necessary, it shall not last longer than required by the circumstances, as may be determined by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR)," the Rodriguezes said. They added that displaced persons will: be protected against discriminatory practices of recruitment into any armed forces or groups; have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his or her residence; be free to seek employment and participate in community affairs; be protected against torture, rape and slavery, and have the right to leave the country. The bill also states that 20 years imprisonment will be imposed on those who will violate the provisions of HB 48. The bill further states that when a victim dies because of a military or police operation, the amount of P50,000 will be granted to his or her legal heirs. When loss or damage to property happens during a military or police operation, the corresponding fair market value of the property will be paid to the victim. The lawmakers proposed that the amount for the initial implementation of the Act be charged against the current budget of the CHR, DSWD, Department of National Defense, Department of Interior and Local Government and National Disaster Coordinating Council. Guiding principles The legislators said the Philippines should focus on the guiding principles on internal displacement set by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR). "IDPs are differentiated from refugees, the latter flee across international frontiers with a well-founded fear of persecution based on racial, religious, national, social or political grounds," the Rodriguezes said. They said IDPs do not enjoy adequate protection and assistance compared to those who crossed an internationally-recognized border. According to the lawmakers, the government's counter insurgency operations and other related military activities are among the leading causes of conflict-induced displacement, especially in Mindanao where ethnic groups have been struggling for autonomy for the last 30 years. Citing data from the United Nations, the Rodriguezes said the country is among the top 40 nations all over the world where internal displacement is considered a significant phenomenon. "After the breakdown of the Mindanao peace process during August and September 2008, a new round of armed conflict began. The United Nations claims that around 500,000 persons - Christians and Muslims - including at least 300,000 infants and children were displaced from their homes without the basic necessities of life," the partylist representative said. The Asia America Initiative conducted in mid-September an emergency humanitarian relief mission and visited refugee camps in war-torn communities in the provinces of Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur and Cotabato. Other data, gathered by the Moro-Christian People's Alliance (MCPA) showed an estimated number of displaced persons in Mindanao at 600,000 in 2008, according to Rodriguez. "This figure sums up the number of internally displaced persons from the most devastating all-out-wars in Mindanao from the State of Lawlessness in Basilan in 2001 which displaced nearly 80,000, the war in Northern and Central Mindanao in 2003 which displaced some 450,000 persons, and the war in Sulu in 2005 which displaced nearly 80,000 persons," he said. The MCPA is a grassroots organization of Muslims and Christians working on peace and conflict transformation in the country from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center based in Geneva, Switzerland. Meanwhile, the Amnesty International released a report in September 2009 citing that the war in Mindanao, during the last 17 months, had the highest number of internally displaced persons in the world, Rodriquez noted. More than 750,000 people forced out of their homes, he added. –VVP, GMANews.TV -- 
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