A step in the right direction

The international spotlight on the Melo Commission should be viewed as a welcome opportunity to inject some sobriety into what has become a muddled political debate over extrajudicial killings. From where I stand, what needs to be done is to painstakingly sift the fiction from fact, so that the necessary step of prosecuting those responsible for the murders can be accomplished.

Those who say that President Arroyo’s recent trip to Europe was disastrous, fail or simply refuse to appreciate the fact that the President faced the human rights issue head on. Having done so, she has conveyed the complexity of the issue: the political murders are happening in the context of a longstanding insurgency.

Her interview with the Honolulu Advertiser on September 16 was revealing in this regard. A day before the interview, the newspaper’s editorial called on her to answer questions about her government’s possible role in the deaths of political opponents and journalists.

During the interview, President Arroyo raised the topic herself. "Yesterday, I read your editorial and I think this is a beautiful opportunity to be able to address the issue of human rights head on. It’s not just the concern for the international community, it’s also a deep concern for me and our government. So I’d like to address that right on, if I may. I condemn these killings in the harshest possible terms. There’s a very deep and regrettable stain in our Philippine history, that for many years, has fueled the political vendetta killings, and we aim to stop it once and for all," she told the editorial staff of that newspaper.

The President also revealed that Amnesty International (AI) had lauded her for seeking a dialogue with its leaders. It turns out she was the only head of state who ever reached out to them. It will be recalled that AI had released a report last month detailing 51 killings in the country from January to June this year – which according to more recent news reports attributed to AI, has increased by 15 more as of early this month. While in London, Pres. Arroyo had invited Irene Khan, AI secretary general, for a dialogue. Her interview with the Honolulu Advertiser reveals she asked AI for assistance "because I’m dead serious about breaking the cycle of the violence and political retribution once and for all."

It was the same tack she took with European Union President Jose Barroso, who had likewise raised concern about the matter. She clarified the security situation in the country, pointing out that the Melo Commission had been formed, and inviting the EU to send monitoring teams to assess the actual human rights situation. The approach seems to have dissipated the EU’s apprehension. "We welcomed her intention to crack down on extrajudicial killings by creating a commission of inquiry and taking steps to investigate these cases rapidly. I believe that doing so will further enhance the Philippines’ standing as being serious on human rights globally and more importantly within Asia," Barroso was later quoted in media reports. More importantly, the spotlight on political killings has prompted the EU to assist us in strengthening judicial institutions. For starters, the EU will reportedly provide 25 million euros to support the peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Which brings us to the core of this issue: the long-drawn out peace process. Just when the government finally succeeded in its peace talks with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) 10 years ago, the MILF emerged squandering the gains of that breakthrough. We only have to hear the stories of former revolutionaries who now lead fulfilling lives as social entrepreneurs, to recognize the lost opportunities.

In its Sept. 11 special report marking the 10th anniversary of the GRP-MNLF peace agreement, Newsbreak Magazine documented the experience of former MNLF guerrillas in Sulu and Lanao del Sur who are now engaged in finfish farming. "Alhamdulilah, finfish growing is an answer to our prayers for a better life. With increased income, more people in our community will engage in this lucrative venture, Insha’Allah," Newsbreak quoted Eloi Salim, an MNLF commander who is now the leader of the Marunggas Alliance of Seaweed Farmers Association. Nauman Tomanto, formerly a demolition expert of the MNLF who is now engaged in tilapia farming, said, "I never imagined we would one day be venturing into tilapia production. We have not only been able to significantly increase our incomes but more importantly, we now provide a better future for our children."

In a recent news report, Francisco Payot, a former guerrilla leader who now heads a cooperative set up by the military in Bohol as part of the government’s counterinsurgency efforts, opined: "I joined them [CPP] on the promise that our lives would be better. But as I went through all the years, all the idealism I espoused with the party proved to be false. Now that I am with the government, I realized I should not have allowed myself to be used by false ideology. Now, I could say I’m free."

Affidavits of two rebel soldiers associated with the Magdalo Group include tales that smack of wanton adventurism – violent acts being planned as some sort of loyalty test or fund-raising activity, without regard for the consequences. The soldiers — 1st Lt. Patricio Bumidang Jr. and Lt. Kiram Sadava – have since realized that senseless violence was not quite what they had bargained for when they cast their lot with the Magdalo Group.

I believe the same sense of remorse is now being felt by many more who are engaged in some form of insurgency – whether communist or military adventurism. All violence is senseless.

So is rabid fomenting of blame, for that matter. Such as the case of Batangas Vice-Gov. Ricky Recto, who has been accused by Gov. Armando Sanchez of frustrated murder on the basis solely of his presence in one of the houses where the coup plotters had met. In both affidavits of Bumidang and Sadava, which form part of the evidence against Recto, the former point to a solitary incident wherein they saw Recto enter the La Vista residence where they were meeting regarding the planned coup. The rest is conjecture about Recto’s involvement in the ambush of Sanchez. There are neither money transfers proving the fact nor any other shred of documentary evidence that he financed the ambush. Somebody just said he probably did, and now Recto stands accused of frustrated murder.

This just proves how easy it is to come up with accusations. Which makes it all the more important that a competent body take charge of discerning fact from fiction. The composition of the Melo Commission lends credence to its ability to accomplish this calling. Now that the body has the eyes, ears and hands of the international community, we have better chances that justice will indeed prevail.

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Meanwhile, the Melo Commission has expressed great elation over the acceptance by Finland and Spain of the government’s invitation to send monitoring teams "in the earnest efforts to put an end to media and activist killings."

The Commission said the participation of the delegations from the two countries underscores the firm resolve of the Philippine government to dig into the bottom of these incidents. It will certainly erase the misconception that the government is not doing anything significantly to cope with the situation. Accordingly, the work of the non-government organizations sent by the two countries will immediately compliment the task that is now being started by the Commission."

Moreover, with the visiting teams, the Melo Commission "can hopefully gain breakthroughs that will eventually ferret out the truth, that the Philippine government adheres strictly to a high regard for human life and protection of civil liberties. The recent abolition of the death penalty attests to this advocacy."

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