Act on abuses, AFP chief urged

MANILA, Philippines – Go beyond public rhetoric.

The Human Rights Watch, a New York-based watchdog, made this appeal to Armed Forces chief of staff Gen Jesse Dellosa in a letter it sent him April 1, noting that the military high command has not matched its public statements with concrete actions on human rights.

“General Dellosa should make a professional, accountable military his legacy,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in her letter to the AFP chief. “As a first step, the military needs to be cooperating with, rather than obstructing, civilian investigations.”

Dellosa retires in January 2013.

The group has seen “little progress” in the way the military has been dealing with agencies investigating complaints against the men in uniform, Pearson added. The group cited continued instances of forced disappearances, the use of paramiltary forces, and the military’s “unlawful” use of schools as camps or detachments.

The military is fighting a 43-year-old communist insurgency and a persistent Muslim rebellion in the Mindanao.

Under the past Arroyo government, the Armed Forces of the Philippines intensified its campaign against the communist New People’s Army and targetted urban villages and campuses suspected of fronting for the rebels.

One of the key officers behind that campaign is retired Maj Gen Jovito Palparan, who has been charged in court but who remains at large. The retired Army general is respected by peers, and local human rights groups suspect the military itself is coddling him – an accusation repeatedly denied by the military.

“Every day that Palparan avoids arrest further damages the military’s reputation,” Pearson said. “The armed forces leadership needs to send a message that they, and not abusive officers, are in control.”

While Human Rights Watch acknowledged the significance of the military’s public statements promoting human rights, it lamented that these “have not resulted in better military cooperation with investigating authorities, comprehensive internal investigations of implicated military personnel, or increased openness within the military structure.”

Beyond rhetoric, the military should comply with civilian inquiries and help authorities in arresting members, regardless of rank, implicated in human rights abuses, the group said.

Dellosa should also issue a public order “stating clearly that political activists, unionists, and members of civil society groups are not to be targeted as part of efforts against rebel fighters.” – Rappler.com