UN working group urged to reject move to delist over 600 cases of desaparecidos

MANILA, Philippines — Local rights group Karapatan called on a United Nations working group to reject the Philippine government’s move to delist more than 600 cases enforced and involuntary disappearances — an action seen to “erase the narratives of desaparecidos.”

This, after senior government officials formally asked the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances to delist 625 cases of disappearances — mostly attributed to government forces — that occurred from 1975 to 2012.

Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general, said the delisting of cases is “tantamount to an outright whitewashing of these hideous crimes.”

“The victims have been abducted and are still missing and yet the government even wants to obliterate their families’ efforts to seek justice. The Philippine government is desperately trying to deodorize the stench of the atrocities that its state forces have committed at the expense of the victims and their families,” Palabay said Monday.

She added: “This can only be an extension of the grave injustice that the kin of desaparecidos have gone through and fueling impunity beneficial to the perpetrators.”

Citing figures from human rights groups, Palabay said there were at least 759 individuals disappeared during the term of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., 821 during the term of former President Corazon Aquino, 39 during the term of Fidel Ramos and 26 during the term of Joseph Estrada.

Karapatan also documented at least 206 victims of enforced disappearances during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 29 during the presidency of Benigno Aquino III and at least eight cases during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte.

“What is the real intention behind this? Unfortunately for the Duterte government and its predecessors, they do not deserve a clean slate. They deserve a strong and consistent reminder of the crimes and atrocities committed against the Filipino people,” Palabay said.

During the meeting with the UN working group, Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade, Armed Forces of the Philippines deputy chief of staff for operations, claimed that many of the cases took place at the height of the internal purging by the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army.

While it sought to delist cases of disappearances, the Philippine delegation assured the UN working group that the government would continue to assist families of the disappeared.