Aquino receives failing mark from rights advocates

By Kathrina Alvarez and Virgil B. Lopez
Thursday, June 30, 2011
MANILA — President Benigno Aquino III is no different from his predecessor when it comes to addressing human rights violations in the country, a rights alliance said Wednesday.
“No substantial change from the GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) regime,” Jigs Clamor, Karapatan acting secretary general, said referring to the current human rights situation in the country.
Karapatan is an alliance of individuals, groups and organization working for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Philippines.
The militant group said 48 persons have been victims of extrajudicial killings, 81 were illegally arrested and detained, and over 8,000 persons claimed they have been subjected to threat and intimidation by the military and police.
Clamor said the figures gave a preview of more rights violations to be committed under President Aquino, unless he addresses the root causes of insurgency such as poverty and bringing violators to justice.
Karapatan had counted some 1,000 victims of extrajudicial killings and hundreds of involuntarily disappeared under Arroyo’s nine-year rule. The incumbent Pampanga representative is now facing back-to-back human rights cases.
Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Loretta Ann “Etta” Rosales had told Sun.Star that the commission is looking at the problem of extrajudicial killings under the present administration.
In January this year, the government unveiled “Oplan Bayanihan”, which centered on resolving conflicts through peace process as well as community work and so-called civil military operations.
The government and the communists’ political wing National Democratic Front of the Philippines in March also resumed negotiations in Norway after a six-year impasse.
In the House of Representatives, Minority Leader Edcel Lagman said it would not be advisable for his allies and critics to grade Aquino’s performance as if giving a periodic report card to a student. Instead, they should send wake-up calls on his performance versus his campaign promises, he said.
“This way, the President could grade himself if he has sufficient discernment of crucial data and a serious commitment to his exalted position…Otherwise, no amount of faltering grades will jolt him to reality and action, and no diminishing marks from critics will convince him to abandon an offensive agenda of vindictiveness and a defensive aura of braggadocio,” he said.
Lagman also warned Filipinos to brace for the worse “because their mistaken choice is the big problem.”
He said Aquino only brought the same inadequacies, which was concealed during the presidential campaign in 2010.
Lagman foresees that economic and social indicators will worsen, hunger and poverty will escalate, peace and order will deteriorate, investor’s confidence to be below par, and consumer and business confidence to remain negative.
He cited as failures of the Aquino administration the worsening ratings on corruption, self-rated poverty, unemployment, and even the decline in the President’s approval and trust ratings.
But while the economic and social indicators under the Aquino administration remain bleak, Lagman said the President gloats over artificial savings and cash surpluses.
In a separate statement, members of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD in the House opposition bloc said President Aquino also failed to deliver on the sixteen promises contained in his so-called “Social contract with the Filipino people”.
The opposition legislators said despite Aquino’s pronouncement that presidential appointees will be chosen on a selection process based on integrity and competence, the President’s standard for political appointments is his “KKK” or Kakampi (allies), Kaklase (classmates) and Kabarilan (shooting buddies).
While Aquino also promised a corruption-free country, he did not lead by example after purchasing luxury cars amid rising prices of basic commodities, and increased hunger and poverty, they said.
The Aquino administration also managed to demoralize its dedicated civil servants, military and police personnel with the apparent lack of leadership from the President, the lawmakers added.
“As the year progressed, we have seen more and more of the same displays of ineptitude and lack of leadership from the Aquino administration,” the Lakas-Kampi-CMD statement read.
The bloc added Aquino was not able to fulfill his promise of seeking a policy supported with just peace and will redress decades of neglect of the Moro and other peoples of Mindanao. Instead, they said, Aquino pushed for the postponement of the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The minority party vowed to continue voicing out their opposition against the President “so that our nation will hopefully be spared more of the same misgovernance in the years ahead.”
Progressive group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan meanwhile gave Aquino a grade of “four” for his performance in the economy, governance, foreign policy and human rights. Four is the second lowest grade before the outright failing mark of “five” in the Philippines’ tertiary education system.
In a protest march set Thursday in Mendiola, groups will press the Aquino government to provide immediate and long-term measures to help the people amid the worsening crisis.
Bayan said that Aquino failed to improve the country’s economic conditions because of increasing unemployment, rising inflation, depressed wages, and hollow economic growth overall.
The group noted that pantawid or “stopgap” programs were the most the government could offer amid their worsening situation.
Aquino has also done very little to make human rights violators accountable.
While Bayan acknowledged Aquino’s withdrawal of charges against the Morong 43 last year, the government has not filed charges against any military official involved in extrajudicial killings, abductions, and torture. (Sunnex)

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2011/06/30/aquino-receives-failing-mark-rights-advocates-164073

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Manila Sales Office
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