Karapatan to Palace: UN report backed by evidence, testimony
MANILA, Philippines — A rights group on Thursday cried foul over Malacañang’s accusation that groups critical of the government feed United Nations experts false information to discredit the Philippines.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo earlier Thursday claimed without proof that the UN has been used by groups critical of President Rodrigo Duterte as a “tool for vilification” after Michel Forst, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, called on the government to end all forms of violations against human rights defenders.
He said the UN was being used "to parrot baseless criticisms of local interest groups who are supported by resentful politicians belonging to the opposition."
But rights group Karapatan said in a statement that "reports raised in the UN platform are not baseless, but grounded in strong, substantial evidence and testimonies of victims and their families." It said the allegations are also substantiated by the persecution, harassment, illegal arrest and detention, and even deaths of colleagues.
“It is no secret to the world, let alone to the Filipino people at the forefront of the Duterte regime’s fascist attacks, that the ruthlessness and repression of the Duterte regime has reached an unprecedented level,” Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay said.
Alleged surveillance on Karapatan office
On the same day that Karapatan issued its response to Panelo, it reported that it had note an "increased presence and unusual activity of suspected military and police agents" in the vicinity of a building in Quezon City where it has an office. The same building houses the offices of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, activist umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and alternative media outfit Kodao Productions.
"Such forms of surveillance, intimidation, and harassment come in the wake of most recent rhetoric of President Duterte and Malacañang against human rights defenders, as well as recent arrests of peace advocates and activists," Palabay said.
"We are warning government forces — stop harassing rights defenders, lawyers and alternative media practitioners; and do not plant evidence in our offices. We shall make you accountable in different fora in time," she also said.
'We are not being used by political opposition'
Palabay also disputed Panelo’s accusation that local groups are being used by the political opposition.
“We are not resentful local groups being used by the opposition, but rather individuals and rights defenders who bear witness to the gross rights violations in this country… We are people who have, throughout regimes, demanded accountability. The Duterte regime is no exception,” she said.
In his report, Forst noted instances of rights violations, including efforts of some government officials, to defame human rights defenders critical of the administration. He also called on the government to develop mechanisms that protect and support rights advocates.
The report cited data from various organizations, including Karapatan, which documented 697 killings of rights defenders since 2001. The group tallied 84 killings under the present administration.
"[Panelo] can belittle our efforts, in the same way that all past governments have, but we will continue to move forward," Palabay also said.
Platforms of accountability
Panelo, who is also Duterte’s chief legal counsel, dared local groups to submit alleged cases of violations against their members to proper authorities.
“Unless they can properly do so, we stand by our firm admonition of these groups to refrain from making a fool of these UN special rapporteurs, a mockery of the UN, as well as using their allegations as a leverage to secure financial resources from overtrusting funding institutions,” he said.
Palabay said Karapatan is making use of all available platforms for accountability, which includes filing formal charges.
“We have availed remedies in court, particularly countercharges with regard to the Sagay 9 incident, the killing of Lumad Obello Bay-ao by paramilitary groups and past cases such as the disappearance of UP students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan of which retired Gen. Jovito Palparan was recently convicted,” she said.
Palabay added: “No spokesperson’s frothing mouth can discourage us from exposing these violations. He can belittle our efforts, in the same way that all past governments have but we will continue to move forward.”
Human rights and human rights defenders are portrayed by officials, including the president himself, as idiots and as obstacles to progress and peace and order in the Philippines.
In May, Andrew Gilmour, UN assistant secretary-general for human rights, raised concern on the increasing threats and attacks against human rights defenders under the Duterte administration.
“Even if extreme, such sweeping threats against hundreds of civil society representatives, defenders of human rights and UN expert labeled ‘terrorists’ in the Philippines are symptomatic of worrying regional trends,” Gilmour wrote in an opinion piece sent to media by United Nations Information Center in Manila.
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