*EPF119 02/26/01
Excerpt: State Department Human Rights Report on Philippines 2000
(Security services responsible for killings, torture) (950)
The U.S. Department of State released the 25th edition of its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices February 26.
The full report is available online at:
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/eap/
Following is an excerpt featuring the text of the opening narrative of the report on the Philippines for the year 2000:
(begin excerpt)
PHILIPPINES
The Philippines is a democratic republic with an elected President, an elected bicameral legislature, and a functioning political party system. The President is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President from 1998 through year's end was Joseph Estrada. In November the House of Representatives sent to the Senate articles of impeachment of President Estrada, citing bribery and corruption and other violations of the Constitution. His trial in the Senate began on December 7 and continued at year's end. An organized Communist insurgent group operates in many regions of the country. A large Muslim separatist group operates mainly in parts of the south. Many armed clashes took place during the year; several involved serious human rights abuses by both sides. Negotiations between the Government and both insurgent groups were stalemated at year's end. The judiciary is independent, but suffers from inefficiency and corruption.
The Department of National Defense (DND) directs the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has authority over the civilian Philippine National Police (PNP). The AFP, which has primary responsibility for counterinsurgency operations, also is involved in traditional law enforcement efforts, including the pursuit of kidnapers, whose actions are a chronic criminal problem. Some members of the security forces, including police, soldiers, and local civilian militias, committed human rights abuses, often during counterinsurgency operations.
The Philippines has a market-based, mixed economy. Agriculture contributes about 12 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), but accounts for more than one-third of employment. Principal crops include corn, sugar, and rice, most of which are consumed domestically. Export crops include coconut products and fruits. Manufacturing, particularly electronics and electronic components, accounts for nearly two-thirds of export receipts, although the rate of growth in electronics exports slowed considerably during the year. Annual per capita GDP is approximately $980. Income distribution is highly skewed: The richest 30 percent of families earned nearly two-thirds of national income, while the poorest 30 percent received only 9.3 percent of national income, according to the most recent (1997) Family Income and Expenditure Survey. Urban incomes averaged 2.43 times rural incomes. Overseas worker remittances, estimated at $5 to $6 billion per year, are a major source of foreign exchange.
The Government generally respected the human rights of citizens; however, there were serious problems in some areas. Members of the security services were responsible for extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture, and arbitrary arrest and detention. Other physical abuse of suspects and detainees and police corruption remain problems. The Government's Commission on Human Rights (CHR), established under the 1987 Constitution, again described the PNP as the worst abuser of human rights. Police leaders at times appeared to sanction extrajudicial killings and brutality as expedient means of fighting crime. The Government took some steps to stop military and police abuses; however, such actions were not sufficiently effective. Government forces were responsible for disappearances. Prison conditions are harsh. The Government was ineffective in reforming law enforcement and legal institutions. The court system, with its poorly paid, overburdened judges and prosecutors, remained susceptible to corruption and to the influence of the wealthy and powerful and often failed to provide due process and equal justice for others. The courts were hindered by backlogs, limited resources, and a lack of judges. Long delays in trials were common. The authorities failed to prosecute many persons who broke the law, and some persons committed abuses with impunity. The Government at times infringed on citizens' privacy rights. The Government in some cases supported the forcible displacement of squatters from their illegal urban dwellings to make way for industrial and real estate development projects, often leading to disputes and human rights complaints.
An estimated 5 to 6 million citizens living abroad effectively are disenfranchised because the Government has not enacted a system of absentee voting, as required by the Constitution. Some local military and police forces harassed human rights activists. The CHR, whose primary mission is to investigate complaints of human rights violations, expanded the local monitoring system; at mid-year there were more than 14,000 local human rights officers nationwide, up by more than 1,000 from 1999. Although this is an improvement, CHR monitoring and investigation remain inadequate.
Violence and discrimination against women and abuse of children continued to be serious problems. Discrimination against indigenous people and Muslims persists. The law places restrictions on worker rights. Rural poverty is the major cause of the continuing child labor problem, which the Government has addressed only partially. Forced labor in the informal sector, the practice of using forced underage workers in domestic servitude, and forced child prostitution were problems. Trafficking in women and children was a serious problem.
The New People's Army (NPA), the main Communist insurgent group, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the main Muslim insurgent group, both committed serious human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, kidnapings, torture, and detentions. The NPA's use of children as armed combatants and noncombatants continued to increase significantly. Fighting between the AFP and the MILF resulted in the large-scale displacement of noncombatants. Various factions of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) committed numerous kidnapings, prompting government rescue efforts and the consequent displacement of civilians.
(end excerpt)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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