chrp newsletter winter 2011

8/3/2019 CHRP Newsletter WINTER 2011

1/12

NewsletterWINTER 2011

ExclusivEInterview Detlev Mehlispp 4-5

mining

militarisation

& murdErin Mindanao pp 6

CHRP is marking two years since theMaguindanao massacre with an eventsupported by Amnesty International UK,

UNISON, the International Federation o

Journalists and the National Union o Jour-

nalists (UK) ocusing on the killings and

the need or judicial reorm or prosecuting

human rights violations in the Philippines.

On November 23, two years to the day rom

the 2009 killing o 58 people in Maguindanao,

Filipino lawyer and journalist, Carlos Zarate,

Stean Antor, a judge ormerly o the Euro-pean Union-Philippines Justice Support Pro-

gramme (EPJUS), Jim Boumelha, president

o the International Federation o Journalists,

and CHRP UK chair Mark Dearn will speak

at Never Forget, at the Amnesty Interna-

tional Human Rights Action Centre, London.

Since the party o 58 people including 34

journalists were murdered en route to l-

ing Ismael Mangudadatus candidacy or may-

oral elections, there have been no successul

prosecutions. Former local ruling amily the

Ampatuans have been put on trial, but theprocess has been dogged by delays, while

many o the 195 accused remain at large.

While the Maguindanao killings highlight

the way in which provincial rulers needed by

national government - whether to win elec-

tions or ght insurgencies - can act with dis-

dain or human lie and the rule o law, there

remain a number o human rights abuses in

which the military is culpable. Human Rights

Watch documents seven extrajudicial killings

and three enorced disappearances carriedout by the military since President Aquino

came to power in 2010, with no convictions.

Tis year also marks the end o the 18-month,

E3.9 million, EPJUS project. Implement-

ed to help improve institutional capability

around investigating and prosecuting perpe-

trators o human rights violations, such over-

seas technical assistance initiatives should

be actively encouraged by the government.

By examining the lack o progress in pros-ecuting the alleged perpetrators and inthis and many other cases o human rights

violations, CHRP urges the Philippine gov-

ernment to act on its commitment to stopping

human rights abuses and help enable the suc-

cessul prosecution o human rights abusers.

CHRP believes that the 58 killings in Magu-

indanao in 2009 were an expected outcome

o a tacit policy o supporting provincial rul-

ers and granting them immunity rom thelaw as highlighted by the legacy o killings,

torture and abduction that have been docu-

mented to have occurred over the course o

20 years at the hands o the Ampatuans.

Te Maguindanao massacre was a stark

evocation o the culture o impunity around

abuses o human rights in the Philippines, said

CHRP chair Mark Dearn. Te lack o progress

made in prosecuting the killings is a reminder

o the changes needed in the judicial system.

Being a democracy goes ar beyondholding elections. Te Aquino govern-ment must act on its promises and initiate

the reorms long-needed to create the air

and transparent political and legal systems

that will best serve the Philippine people.

President Aquino must bring an end to the cul-

ture o impunity around human rights violations

that persists in the Philippines since his election.

Perpetrators o such violations must be brought

to justice, and the government must workhand-in-hand with the military, police, civil

society and the legal establishment to this end.

cHrP and PartnErs marK

maguindanao massacrE


2/12

The Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines

c/o PIPLinks, Finspace

225-229 Seven Sisters Road

London N4 2DA

Phone: +44 (0)207 263 1002

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.chrp.org.uk

2 Campaign for Human Rights Philippines | Winter 2011

he past year in the Philippines has served as a reminderthat the election o a president promising reorm doesnot guarantee reorm. President Aquino condemned

human rights violations in the Philippines and pledged to bring justice to the victims o the Maguindanao massacre sincehe has come to oce Human Rights Watch has documentedseven extrajudicial killings and three enorced disappearancesin which there is strong evidence o military involvement, andthere has been little progress in the prosecuting o the per-petrators o the 58 murders in Mindanao or the many other

cases o death and disappearance that wait to be resolved.

hese examples serve to highlight problems in the Philippinepolitical and legal systems which i not tackled will result inmore deaths and disappearances i ollowing previous trends,o those who simply cam-paign or better lives - andthe impunity o those whoare responsible or them.

It is clear that there re-mains a need or argreater civilian control oa more proessionalisedmilitary, which itsel must be better educated on human rightsand held to account by the courts. Breaking the dependencyo national government on provincial trapos is another neces-sity the manner in which such regional elites are given unre-mitting support by central government due to their ability towin elections or ght insurgencies highlights systemic aws inthe political system. Again, a well-unded military under rmpublic control would do away with the need or private militiasand the well-understood risks o allowing provincial rulers toamass private armies. Here, the issue o tackling insurgenciescomes to the ore it is clear that orce alone will not deeat

the governments enemies, and it is well understood that in

the case o both communist and Islamic separatist conicts,poverty in Mindanao the countrys breadbasket is a keydriver. Te government attitude o no development withoutpeace rst thus presents a conundrum which must be broached.

Underscoring all these issues is the need or deep and widereorms to the criminal justice system an issue CHRP haschosen to highlight this year. A belie that there is no punishmentor crime only serves to incentivise would-be criminals. Here,Maguindanao must be seen as a test case setting an example to

would-be human rights violators. As Detlev Mehlis head o thenow ended EU-Philippines Justice Support Programme - tellsCHRP in an interview in this newsletter, the criminal justicesystem is in desperate need o reorm, rom the police, throughto prosecutors and criminal procedures. And in this, civil society

has a role to play.Ultimately, though,it is government

which must takethe lead. As Me-hlis tells CHRP,while civil society

plays a most im-portant role in cre-ating awareness and observing the government, unction-ing courts, an efective and determined prosecution serviceand an efective police respected by the people can only beimplemented by the elected political institutions. Andhere Mehlis says there must be a much bigger efort andmore determination than he saw when in the Philippines.

We remain hopeul that Presidents Aquino will act with thedetermination that he promised. And where he does not,CHRP will be there to remind him o what needs to be done.

Salamat

lEttErfrom the Chairman

Udrscrig a hs issus is h d fr dp

ad wid rfrs h criia jusic sys

a issu CHRP has chs highigh his yar.

CHRP Newsletteris published in London

Editor : Mark DearnLayout: RJ Fernandez

Mark Dearn


3/12

Bnifaci P Ilaganis the award-winning writer of FAMASaward-winning flm Dukot and new release, Deadline, which CHRP

is screening in London this December (see page 8). He spoke to

CHRP about what motivates him to make human rights-ocused

flms, human rights in the Philippines, his past and his uture.

Winter 2011 | Campaign for Human Rights Philippines 3

Ive been writing scripts or theatersince the 1970s, particularly or the re-surgent peoples movement in my coun-try. My writing benetted a lot rom theact that I had an activist theater groupthat perormed my plays, and that I was

part o the movement mysel. Ive alwayssaid that I owe my art to my politics.Tat is because my being a writer wasbrought about by my being an activist.

From theater, I moved on to televisionand the cinema. But as always, my workswere what you may call the political, orsocial. In the 1980s, I did an unprecedent-ed documentary drama series on the lieand times o Filipino heroes and anotherdrama series on the Philippine revolu-

tion against Spain. Tese were both pro-duced and aired on mainstream television.

With a couple o independent videogroups, I continued to write and also di-rect socio-political documentaries. I amnow a creative consultant with KodaoProductions, a progressive media outt.

Was Dukot the rst project youworked on focused explicitly on humanrights? What inspired you to write it?

Not exactly. But Dukot is the rst ea-ture lm I wrote that had human rights asan overriding theme. Previous to Dukot,I had written and directed a video docu-mentary on extrajudicial killings whosevictims were members o the UnitedChurch o Christ in the Philippines.

What goaded me to write Dukot was theclimate o impunity that saw the murderand abduction o more than 1,000 Filipinoactivists since 2001. I must admit, too,

that a great deal o the inspiration hadbeen engendered by my own personal expe-riences in the hands o the military that ab-ducted and tortured me in 1976 and 1994,as well as the disappearance o a younger

sister o mine in1977, who remainsmissing to date.

Were you at allsurprised about the

success o Dukot,and why do you feelit was successul?

No. I hadthought all alongthat Dukot wasgoing to make adiference in thelittle big world oPhilippine cinema,i only because o its

daring. I expectedthat it was going tobe one o the reasons or its success. Andalso because it had many mainstream el-ements, including its being directed byprobably one o the most sought-aterFilipino directors today, Joel Lamangan.

I eel it was successul because it con-nected, in a big way, with the public onthe issue o human rights. We screenedDukot in many cities and provinces allover the Philippines and it did make an

impact, especially on the non-activistviewers. Quite a ew award-giving bod-ies also cited Dukot or its artistic merits.

How difcult is it to promote aFilipino lm overseas? And how do

you try and attract (non-Filipino) peoples interest in Filipino movies?

Honestly, without the network o Fili-pino migrants, descendants and riendsoverseas with whom we have been

working, I cannot say how we couldscreen our lms in the various coun-tries weve covered, including in North

America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

We try to attract (non-Filipino) peoplesinterest by underscoring the act that humanrights, reedom, democracy and peopleswelare are universal themes. Tese maytake on a Filipino nationality and context,but in a larger perspective, when these aretrampled upon, the violation is committedagainst humanity. One can very well iden-tiy a corresponding story in other climes.

What made you want to make Deadline?

Again, as with Dukot, what made mewant to make Deadline was reality theseries o media killings that plagued thePhilippines and ended the careers andlives o at least 150 people since 1986.

And then the Maguindanao Massacrehappened. At least 32 media womenand men were killed. Deadline is inspiredby that single most violent incidentagainst the media anywhere in the world.

What is the message you are

trying to bring with the ilm?


4/12


Detlev Mehlisis a world-renowned lawyercurrently working as Senior Public Prosecutor

in the Oce o the Attorney General, in Berlin,

Germany. In 2005, then UN Secretary-General

Ko Annan appointed him Commissioner o

the UN International Independent Investigation

Commission into the assassination o ormer

Lebanese prime minister Rak Hariri and 22

other people in Beirut. He has recently ended

an 18-month posting leading the European

Union - Philippines Justice Support Programme,

which was created ater the Government o the

Philippines ormally requested the European

Union to assist in the implementation o the

key recommendations o the Melo Commis-

sion made in March 2007. He spoke to CHRP

about what he encountered in the Philippines

and what he thinks must be done to ensure

better prosecution o human rights violations.

Before you arrived, what knowledge didyou have of human rights violations in thePhilippines and their relation to the judicialsystem? How would you summarise the sit-uation you encountered in the Philippines?

Prior to joining the EPJUS programme,my knowledge o the human rights situ-ation in the Philippines was limited. Youhave to realize that the Philippines does notreceive too much

attention in theGerman media,unless it is in thecontext o naturaldisasters. Humanrights violations in the country are not a bigissue, as you have neighbouring countrieswith a much worse record than the Phil-ippines, i you think o China, Myanmar,Vietnam and others. However, what makeshuman rights violations worse in the Philip-pines is the act that they happen in a democ-racy. Anyway, ater consultations with rep-

resentatives o human rights groups prior tomy departure I started to realize the extent othe problem. Tis was conrmed ater my ar-rival. My immediate main conclusions were,that: the police was - sometimes deliberately,but mostly or lack o expertise - not properlyinvestigating human rights violations; pros-ecutors and judges were incapable to ulltheir appropriate roles in the criminal justicesystem, partly because o an insucient legalramework; and civil society, including thepress, was either ignoring the problems or

approached them on an individual basis -an organised, common efort was missing.

Why do you think there are so few hu-man rights prosecutions in the Philip-

pines, giventhe numbero recordedcases o hu-man rightsa b u s e s ?

Te pros-

ecution ser-vice seems tobe part o theproblem. Itis incredibleand totallyunacceptablethat onlyabout 10%o all politi-cally motivated murder-cases are brought

to court. In scrutinizing the reasons, we rea-lised that prosecutors had been threatened oreven attacked, and are sometimes araid oefectively investigating these cases. Yet, theynever received any personal saety and secu-rity training. Tis is where EPUS imme-diately stepped in. By now, the Departmento Justice is providing this training to allprosecutors in the country. Prosecutors haveto efectively lead the investigation o thesecases and have to cooperate more strongly

with the po-

lice. It is thep r o s e cu t o r who has totake the lead.C r i m i n a l

procedures have to be improved as well.New and up-to-date investigative tech-niques, like undercover-investigations,wire-tapping and up-to-date witness-pro-tection will have to be introduced undertight judicial control. On this, the EUcould be a role model or the Philippines.

What are the key reforms that youbelieve need to be made to the Phil-ippine justice system in this regard?

Better training or prosecutors, improved

criminal procedures, improved witness-pro-tection. Above all, restoring public trust inthe criminal justice system. Without thetrust o civil society in the police, prosecu-tion service and courts, the situation cannotimprove. In EPJUSs nal-report, we in-cluded an extensive list o recommendations,

which - i applied - will improve the situationconsiderably. However, this will not happenovernight, but will require extensive eforts,determination by the Philippine government,outside support and several years o work.

To what extent do you think poli-tics is separated from the judicial process?

Te judicial process needs ull government

support - politically and nancially. How-ever, there must not be political inuence.Prosecutors and judges must be paid by thecentral government, not by cities or prov-inces. Appointments and pro-motions have to be authorizedby an independent body o

judges, prosecutors and lawyers.

How receptive werestate actors you met to yourand your teams input?

Te new government supported EPJUS

as best as it could. However, there were aws:we were not authorized by the judiciary tocheck on ongoing case les to learn more

The JProces

FUll GoSUP

BoTh PaNd Fi

Civil sci

have t cr

cl

It is incredible that nly 10%f plitically mtivated


5/12


about the problems and nd solutions - thisis indispensable or any ecient support.Fortunately, human rights groups providedus with actual case les, which helped a lot.

Another problem was that most o the politi-

cal actors did not seem to realise that ghtingpolitically motivated murder - organizedcrime, in act - has to be a priority in thePhilippines. How do you expect tourists to

come to the country or businessto invest i there is uncontrolledcrime? I recall a situation whereI requested a meeting with a sec-retary o a certain department todiscuss the issue, but was toldthat the gentleman had moreimportant business. Sometimes

I had the eeling that it was more impor-tant or us to help the Philippine authori-ties than or them to be helped by us. Tisis unacceptable and has to change. Withcivil society, the picture was quite diferent.

What role doyou think Phil-ippine civil soci-ety should playin combatinghuman rightsviolations, andhow can it bebetter enabledto do this?

Civil so-ciety has toplay a big-ger role inghting hu-man rights

violations. Te groups will have to co-

ordinate more closely. Tey have to getaway rom having their own individualcases. A common efort, some kind oramework, a loose network, is needed. Westarted by setting up a Philippine HumanRights Network website, with much help-ul inormation and coordination eatures.Unortunately it does not seem to be usedand developed in the way we hoped it would.

What are the prospects for mean-ingful reform of the judicial system?

Te desperately needed reorm o thecriminal justice system will lead to moreprosecutions and convictions o humanrights violations and other crimes. Again, itrequires a much bigger efort and more deter-mination than what I saw during EPJUSstime. Drating nice-looking memorandaand signing important treaties is one thing,but implementing them is another. Onpaper the Philippines look like the perectdemocracy, but we all know that it is not.

Do you see problems around pros-ecuting human rights as something thatcan be solved by an individual govern-ment, or as more systemic in nature?

Efectively prosecuting human rightsviolations denitely can and has to beimplemented by the present government.It is the original responsibility o any gov-ernment. While civil society plays a mostimportant role in creating awareness andobserving the government, unctioning

courts, an efective and determined pros-ecution service, and an efective police re-spected by the people, can only be imple-mented by the elected political institutions.

Are there any plans for an EP-JUST 2?How can the knowledge gained and sharedbe maximised now the programme has ended?

Teir will be no direct and immediateollow-up to EPJUS, and the Philippinegovernment has not asked or one. How-ever, the EU is planning or an Access toJustice programme which will contain el-ements o EPJUSs eforts. I anticipatethe start o this program in late 2012.

What are your abiding memories fromEPJUST and will you return to the Philippines?

I I will ever return to the Philippinesin an ocial unction - and i so in whatcapacity - remains to be seen and cannot bepredicted, yet. No one has approached meso ar and I have my important job with theBerlin Prosecutors Oce here in Germany.

My main personal conclusions are that a loto countries are willing to assist the Philip-pines and that there has to be more coordina-tion between donors or the welare o thePhilippines. Te EU should curb bureau-cratic procedures. I spent more time typingreports than in the eld. Te Philippinesdenitely deserved to be helped by Europeand things can be changed. Although rac-tured, civil society is impressive, efective andmost helpul or the country and its people.

dicials Needs

eRnmentoRt-liTicalaNcial

on paper the Philippines

lks like the

perfect demcracy,

but we all knw that it is nt

grups

nate mre

y


6/12


militarisation and murdEr

in

mindanao mining

On Monday, October 3, theCommunist New Peoples

Army (NPA) launched apunitive raid on mining companieson the east coast o Mindanao. Initsel this was nothing new, as suchraids - oten equated with the impo-sition o war taxes have been en-

demic around small extractive com-panies in the outskirts or many years.

What made this unusual was boththe scale o the attack - around 200red ghters were mobilised to at-tack three installations - but also thechoice o targets, which included theaganito Mine, run by the Philippineslargest nickel miner, Nickel Asia, inpartnership with Japans SumitomoMetal Mining. Te attack was esti-

mated to do P3 billion (about 43million) worth o damage to propertyand equipment, and the rebels held Japanese nationals on site briey. Allo this happened while the govern-ment was talking down the efective-ness o the NPA in stalled peace talks.

Tere was no mention o revolu-tionary taxes in subsequent NPA state-ments on the attack, rather a litanyo accusations o crimes against thelocal people and environment were

outlined. An October 5 statementconrmed the NPA would carry outpunitive actions against those thatdestroy the environment, exploit the

workers and drive away indigenouspeople rom their ancestral lands.

As i to conrm this, Leo Jasareno,director o the Mines and GeosciencesBureau (MGB), said aganito Mininghad been issued notices o violationor the pollution o Claver Bay - there

was little mention o previous efortso local Mamanwa indigenous tribespeople to barricade the mine in 2009over supposed royalties that were neverpaid. As a result o the attack, the MGB

and the Environmental ManagementBureau promised to dispatch a team toassess the social impact o the mines.

However, there were moredisturbing repercussions.here were immediate

calls or more armed protection ormining companies, especially oreignmining companies. Te Chamber oMines joined oreign embassies to callor armed protection or mining op-

erations. Tis will involve the deploy-ment o unaccountable paramilitaries- known as Special Civilian Armed Aux-iliary units or SCAAs - in areas wherethere are major mining operations.

A number o human rights andindigenous groups have pointed outhow such paramilitaries have beenresponsible or rights violations inthe past, notably against indigenouspeoples, and how there is little con-

dence in their accountability inthe uture. Tis is especially true insituations where local communi-ties are opposing mining projects.

As in many other countries, min-ing is a hugely contentious issue inthePhilippines, and there has been along history o associated environmen-tal and rights violations going backto colonial times. While the biggestenvironmental disaster remains the1996 Marcopper leak on the island oMarinduque that devastated the Boacriver, numerous violations have beenrecorded around Canadian companies,such as VI Pacic and Echo Bay, Aus-

tralian companies, such as OceanaGoldand Royalco, as well as Filipino com-panies, such as Lepanto Consolidatedand Benguet Corp. Many o the big-gest mining companies in the world,including the UKs Rio into, AngloAmerican and BHP Billiton have alllet the Philippines ater protests andcomplaints around their operations.

Gabriela Womens Party Rep. LuzIlagan said: It is very alarming that

the Aquino government opts to colludewith mining rms and multinationalsin implementing a military solutionin order to continue operations andpursue prots at the expense o our

by Andy WhitmoreIndigenous Peoples Links / PIPLinks


7/12


communities. President Aquino hasalso come in or criticism over his sup-port or this specic initiative, givenhe made an election promise to bansuch groups due to human rights im-plications. Amnesty International is-sued a public statement on October14, calling or Aquino to rescind plansto deploy militias in mining areas.

Unortunately the Chamber o Mineschose to condemn non-governmental

organisations which are critical o min-ing, claiming they have emboldenedthe NPA to believe that protection othe environment can justiy their at-tacks on mining companies. Tis wasstrongly denied by legitimate NGOs.

A special committee representing agroup o indigenous women said: Asdeenders o our rights, we organizecampaigns we le cases, we take tothe streets. We monitor, document,report and expose violations com-

mitted by the mining companies inour areas. As a result, our leaders havebeen killed. We experience harassmentand threats. We have been labelled asNPA-supporters, or rebels ourselves.

Prices are put on our heads. All these,

because we oppose mining - because weexercise our right to say no to miningand we assert our right to our land.

Not long ater these statementthere have been two kill-ings in Mindanao, where

the victims are known anti-miningactivists. Italian missionary priest, FrFausto Pops entorio, was shot todeath in his church on October 17,2011. His murder is being linked to his

opposition to the increasingly murder-ous ampakan project in South Co-tabato. Tis controversial project, ledby the Swiss-UK company Xstrata, isone o those being lined up or urther

military support. A number o people,including company staf, have alreadylost their lives over what could be thePhilippines biggest mine. Opposi-tion to the project has led to a hotlycontested provincial ban on open-pitmining, and critical interventions romenvironmental experts o the UKs

Working Group on Mining in thePhilippines. Te second victim was theindigenous Manobo leader and broad-caster Datu (Chie) Roy Boy Gamay

Gallego, whose organisation had ledvarious complaints against miningin the Caraga region o Mindanao.

Te NPA attacks may have been -nancially costly, but at least no one losttheir lives in the groups raids. But arehuman rights activists the ones beingmade to pay or the recent attacks?

Are human rights activists being made to pay for the attacks ?

The remnants of the NPA attack on the compound of Taganito Mining Corp. in Claver, Surigao del Norte. ROEL N. CATOTO


8/12


CHRP coordinated UK union activists last Janu-ary to raise money or the bail o our work-ers jailed or nearly three years without a trial.

As a result the workers were released in March 2010.However, in October this year a judge made a rulingwhich could send them and their co-workers back to jail.

Te our were employees o a company called Kar-nation, based in Rizal, which produces decor productsor export. In 2007 they had gone on strike or better

wages along with 16 co-workers together they wereknown as the Karnation 20 (pictured). Te companysmanager claimed that picketers had put a chain on theactory gates and that this amounted to alse impris-onment. All 20 strikers were arrested and put in jail.

Only through the eforts o sympathetic lawyers tipped ofby the Centre or rade Union and Human Rights were theygranted bail more than two years later at the end o 2009. In

that time two o them had died in appalling jail conditions.Four o the workers could not raise the bail money and wereorced to remain behind bars. A Books or Bail book salein London, organised by CHRP, raised the 600 needed torelease Joseph Atienza, Pulido Baguno, Claro Claridad andone other colleague, who were reed on March 19, 2010.

Since then the company has tried to get the decisionto grant bail overturned. Tis month a judge ruled thatwhile bail would still be allowed the amount would beraised rom Peso 60,000 (about 880) to Peso 80,000

(about 1,170) or each worker. For workers with

no real income this is little diferent rom withdraw-ing bail. Few o the released workers have been able togain employment with the original alse imprisonmentcharges against them still not having come to court.

Te injustice is underscored by a labour court nding onNovember 10, 2010, that all the Karnation workers hadbeen unairly dismissed and should be reinstated with alltheir back pay. Te company has not acted on this order.Tus workers who the law says should be back in their

jobs are now threatened with having to return to jail.

chrP coordiNaTes KarNaTioN Bail

airliNe uNioN ProTesT aTTacKed BY ThuGs

Philippine Airlines, the countrys national airline, hasdismissed 2,600 workers and outsourced all groundstaf jobs and hired thugs have now attacked a

union protest camp resulting in eight injuries and one death.

Te airline is owned by one o the richest men in thePhilippines, Lucio an (pictured).Te decision to outsource on sucha huge scale is set to destroy one o

the Philippines longest establishedand powerul trade unions, PALEA(Philippine Airlines Employees As-sociation pictured in a September2011 protest). Te union has triedto negotiate with the company butsays the management is not inter-ested in meaningul talks. Tenew government, however, is backing Philippine Airlines.

On October 1, 2011, the company sacked its entireground staf workorce. In response, PALEA has organised

a permanent protest camp in ront o the company in-ightservices centre, where it has continued to picket vehiclesgoing in and out. Te company immediately called on thepolice to remove the protest camp, but as the picket was

peaceul and well supported no police action was taken.

On October 29, some 50 men wielding sticks andclubs appeared and attacked the camp, injuringeight workers and killing one innocent passerby. Tecompany has denounced as lies any accusations that it

was behind the attack. On October27, members o the US Machin-ists Union in the San Francisco Bay

area protested outside the Philippineconsulate in solidarity with PALEA.

Lucio an is also owner o KeppelSubic Shipyard, where on October 11a 42-ton ramp tower collapsed kill-ing six workers. Workers report thatit had been obvious the ramp was

unstable. However, companies employing more than 200workers are exempt rom government health and saety in-spections in the Philippines and are instead let to sel-assess.an has ailed to appear at any hearings into the incident.


9/12

PhiliPPiNe uNioN Welcomes Film

he National Union o Jour-nalists o the Philippines(NUJP) has welcomed the

release o Deadline, the latest lm byaward-winning director, Joel Lamangan.

Te lm, a drama revolving around ourjournalists who nd themselves caught ina web o violence and murder which hasalready claimed the lives o other newsmen,

will have its rst UK screening this Decem-ber ater being brought to the country byCHRP. Deadline is the second Philippine

lm premiered in the UK by CHRP aterlast years FAMAS-winning Dukot, whichchronicled the story o two disappeared ac-

tivists and was also directed by Lamangan.Te Deadline plot plays out against the

stark reality that the Philippines is oneo the most dangerous countries in the

world or journalists. Te NUJP estimatesthat 146 broadcasters and journalists havebeen killed in the Philippines since 1986,with 104 o these killings during the Ar-royo presidency including the 34 killedin the Maguindanao massacre - and vealready under the 18-month-old Aquinogovernment. However, as Lamangans

lm arrives in the UK, there remains littleprogress in prosecuting those responsible.In the past ew months the threat to

journalists working in the Philippines hasnot subsided. In October, Aquiles Zonio,a correspondent or the Philippine DailyInquirer in General Santos City, receiveddeath threats. Zonio was among three

journalists who escaped the Maguindanaomassacre in 2009 when they opted notto join the six-vehicle convoy which waslater ambushed by up to 100 armed men.In September this year, the daughter oradio broadcaster Redempto Anda, anNUJP member, was abducted she waslater rescued ater messaging her motherrom a mobile phone she had kept hidden.

Deadline has been shown in cinemasin the Philippines and is being broughtto the UK by CHRP or screenings onDecember 3 and December 11 at ven-

ues in London details are available atthe CHRP website. A trailer or the lmwill be shown at CHRPs Never Forgetevent on November 23 at Amnesty In-ternationals International Human Rights

Action. Te President o the InternationalFederation o Journalists, Jim Boumelhawill be speaking along with Carlos Zarateo the NUJP and others. Tese events arebeing supported by UNISON, the BritishNational Union o Journalists and the In-ternational Federation o Journalists, along

with Amnesty International and CHRP.

I hopet o h e l p

p e o -p le r ea l i s e tha t the

killings that are happening ev-ery day in the Philippines are not so

ordinary. Especially since the victimshave increasingly become the people inthe media - well, that is no ordinary com-mentary about our kind o democracy.

Do you consider yourself to be an activist?

Indeed.How would you describe the

current situation in the Philip- pines in relation to human rights?

Bad - still. Deteriorating, in act. Tepromised change and protection or hu-man rights has turned out to be anotherempty promise by politicians. Extrajudi-

cial killings and enorced disappearancescontinue at least 53 cases during therst year o the Noynoy Aquino presi-dency it is as i Gloria Macapagal-Ar-royo never let the presidential palace.

Can you reveal anything about anyprojects you have planned for the future?

I just came rom Israel where I did lo-cation-hunting or a lm on the OFWs.Te title tells it all: Migrante (Te Fili-

pino Diaspora). Its going to be directedby Joel Lamangan again. But right now, Iam working on a lm project on the lieand times o a great Filipino revolutionary

who recently passed away, which I hope to

direct. over the past decade that createdthe conditions in which the Ampatuanown massacre could take place.Te IFJcriticised the decision to promote Gen-eral Alred Cayton to deputy commandero the Philip- pine army within weeks ohim reusing a military es- cort or the

convoy that was subsequently massacred.Victims amilies have since launcheda civil action against General Cayton.

Tis promotion not only rewards a atalact o gross negligence, but also makesclear the governments determination notto investigate the role and responsibility othe military in this massacre, added Bou-melha. Prior to the Maguindanao killings,some 104 journalists met violent deathssince 1984. Te murder o the 32 jour-nalists, along with other civilians, made it

the single worst atrocity against the me-dia in living memory and the Philippinesthe most dangerous place or journalists.

BoNiFacio ilaGaN continued from page 3



10/12



11/12



12/12

chrp newsletter winter 2011

Documents