CHR: We didn't clear the AFP in Melissa Roxas case

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Wednesday said it did not clear the military in the human rights case of Filipino-American activist Melissa Roxas as accused by several militant organizations. CHR chairperson Loretta Rosales said their Resolution (IV) No. A2010-130 did not necessarily mean the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) no longer had a hand in the supposed abduction and torture of Roxas in La Paz, Tarlac on May 19, 2009. Rosales said their investigation had simply found no sufficient evidence to prove that military agents were behind the incident, and that the CHR investigating team found no proof that the incident happened in a government facility. "It bears clarifying that... neither did the Commission on Human Rights 'practically clear' the AFP nor did it 'tag' the New People's Army (NPA) as responsible for the violation Melissa Roxas' human rights," Rosales said in a statement. The statement was in response to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) secretary general Renato Reyes Jr.'s accusation that the CHR, in its report, had "practically cleared" the military. In defending the agency, Rosales – herself a torture victim and a former lawmaker advocating human rights – insisted that their investigation was entirely based on evidence. "The mass of evidence gathered in the course of a rigorous field investigation consisting of several site visits, ocular inspections and witness interviews, is deemed insufficient to enable the CHR to reasonably conclude that the state agents perpetrated the acts of maltreatment," said Rosales. The CHR chief said if there was one thing that the CHR investigation was able to prove, it was that Roxas was maltreated and her human rights were violated. However, Rosales said Roxas could not be considered a "torture" victim because the International Convention Against Torture (CAT) and the Philippines' Anti-Torture Law define torture as being "inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity." While the CHR placed high regard to her testimonies in the investigation, Roxas "did not establish with certainty the identity and authority of her captors," Rosales said. Rosales said it would ultimately be up to other agencies such as the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) – which have more sufficient resources and the capability – to carry out more extensive investigation on the matter. The CHR chief said it would be the task of the PNP and the NBI to find out the identities of the perpetrators, and eventually determine if the military indeed played a part in the maltreatment of Roxas. Roxas was abducted along with John Edward Jandoc and Juanito Carabeo in 2009. She was held for several days and allegedly subjected to various forms of torture on allegations that she’s a member of the New People’s Army. Roxas is a member of Bayan’s United States chapter. — LBG, GMA News