Group: Human rights being sacrificed for progress' sake

CEBU, Philippines - The government must not trample on human rights in exchange for development.

That is according to Amnesty International, a global organization working for the protection of human rights.

Dr. Aurora Parong, section director of the Amnesty International Philippines, said that they’re seeing poor people forcibly evicted from slums as Cebu City progresses into an economic zone.

“We note the fact that they were given alternative housing, but the houses are in areas where the people do not have access or have difficult access to their jobs,” Parong said in a press conference yesterday morning.

Amnesty International is in Cebu for the Visayas leg of its eight city tour to discuss what they call the “2010 State of the World’s Human Rights Report.”

The organization considers Cebu City is “a key city,” saying it “boasts of investments and development that has been economically beneficial to the local government but not to the people living in poverty.”

“Repression and injustice are flourishing in the global justice gap, condemning millions of people to violence, abuse and poverty and no one should be above the law – and governments must provide access to justice for everyone for all human rights” she added.

The organization, in a statement released to the press, cited that they see in the Visayas, particularly in Cebu City, an increasing economic development, “yet human rights suffer.” — THE FREEMAN