Groups lay out human rights agenda for 2022 polls, endorse Robredo and other advocates
MANILA, Philippines — Groups and advocates on Monday laid out their human rights agenda for the 2022 elections and endorsed candidates — among them Vice President Leni Robredo, who is running for president — whom they believe will help push this agenda forward if elected.
Including human rights in the campaign for the 2022 elections is essential, Rose Trajano of the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates said, because "from the moment you open your eyes in the morning until you close them at night, everything is connected to human rights."
The advocates, grouped under Human Rights Vote 2022, have put forward an agenda centered on the primacy of life, social justice and accountability. They called for an end to the "war on drugs", a return to peace talks with communist rebels, the protection of human rights defenders and the prosecution of those who attack and harass them.
"There is no place for the central policy of killing in the political and legal landscape," Cagayan de Oro-based rights worker Brylle Chavez said at the launch of the human rights agenda, which was held at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City and online.
Human Rights Vote 2022 said that Robredo, who has been critical of the "war on drugs" and other policies of the Duterte administration, has "demonstrated a proven record of effective COVID-19 response, clean and accountable governance and a respect for human rights.
Aside from Robredo, the human rights advocates also endorsed the candidacies of re-electionists Sen. Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros as well as of human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, former Rep. Teddy Baguilat (Ifugao), women's rights advocate and former Bangsamoro Transition Authority member Samira Gutoc, labor leaders Luke Espiritu and Sonny Matula, and former Rep. Neri Colmenares (Bayan Muna).
'Non-militarized' pandemic response, accountability for rights abuses
Human Rights Vote 2022 is also urging transparent and science-led pandemic response "that is not militarized". That response should include equitable access to vaccines and medicine as well as proper compensation to medical frontliners.
They said that economic recovery from the pandemic should include policies that will raise wages and protections for workers and provide support for farmers and fisherfolk.
Support for farmers and fishers includes the suspension of "mega development" projects and land conversion, they said, as well as a moratorium on mining, dredging, reclamation and other extractive and destructive projects that are being promoted as pandemic response and economic recovery strategies.
"They say that human rights is just for addicts or is an agenda of the Left," Joseph Purugganan of Focus on the Global South said. "All aspects of our lives are aspects of human rights."
Lawyer Marlon Manuel of the Alternative Law Groups said Human Rights Vote 2022 is also pushing for recognition of victims of human rights violations and accountability for their attackers and abusers. Candidates should, he said, work for "the protection of the right to fight for human rights."
That would include passage of the Human Rights Defenders Protection Bill, a measure whose passage is being opposed by government agencies like the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
He said government must also pass legislation like the Anti-Extrajudicial Killings and Anti-Red-Tagging bills that have been filed at the House and at the Senate.
He stressed that criticism of and opposition to government policies and projects are part of the community's exercise of their freedom of expression "and do not have to be viewed as fighting the government or violating the law." — Jonathan de Santos
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