AFP chief: Distrust and old biases hamper human rights efforts

Distrust and old biases against government law enforcers are hindering efforts to improve the human rights situation in the country, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Ricardo David said Friday. "Wala tayong maaasahang pagbabago kung kakapit tayo sa mga makalumang idea ng pagdududa at pagkiling (We can't expect change if we keep harboring old biases and doubts)," said David’s statement read by AFP vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu at a human rights conference in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Friday. The one-day forum dubbed "Human rights and International Humanitarian Law in the AFP" was the first ever military-initiated meeting on human rights. The event aims to foster constant dialogue among the military, the Philippine National Police, and members of civil society and other non-government organizations by giving all stakeholders time to raise concerns and give recommendations on how to address human rights issues in the country. "Hindi uusad ang bansa ukol sa human rights kung mananatiling nakasara ang puso at isip sa tawag ng kooperasyon at sa tawag ng pagkilos," the military chief said. David expressed hope that military and civil society groups could work together for a common goal, despite disagreements over approaches on a range of human rights issues. "We have to focus and capitalize on our shared commitment to human rights. It is what will keep our minds and eyes open despite the differences in approaches," he said. Aurora Parong, director of Amnesty International-Philippines, welcomed the AFP's efforts in organizing the military-civil society dialogue. But she urged the AFP leadership to make available to the public the military's handbooks on human rights, including its manual on the rules of engagement. "We have started small steps in terms of engagement between the AFP and civil society. But transparency on manuals would really be needed in efforts to understand each other," she said during the open forum. A new handbook on human rights crafted by the AFP and dubbed "AFP Soldiers Handbook on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law" was launched during the latter part of the conference. "This handbook manifests the AFP's seriousness in its efforts to put into practice the dos and don'ts in protecting and observing human rights," said AFP vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu. Among the guests at the event were Commission on Human Rights chairperson Loretta Anne Rosales and Sen. Francisco Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on justice and human rights. In his speech, Escudero said human rights are all about "pag-ibig (love)" and should not be seen by the government and the public as a "complex" subject. — LBG, GMANews.TV