MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The government of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has taken steps to address human rights abuses in the country, adding to the killings of journalists and human rights activists, a U. N. expert said Friday. Much remains to be done, he said, adding that accountability must be ensured.
The remarks by United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan came at the end of a nearly two-week visit — at the invitation of the government — to assess rights conditions in the Philippines, where she met with officials and activists, as well as a detained journalist.
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Khan said he was concerned about the need for Marcos’ leadership to seek justice for rights victims under his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.
Watchdogs have described Duterte’s tenure as a “human rights calamity” due to widespread violations, adding to the killing of thousands of suspects, most of them poor, in a brutal crackdown on drugs. The International Criminal Court is investigating the killings, which amount to a possible crime against humanity.
“These are all positive signs, but they are enough to definitively turn the page on the past,” Khan said at a press convention in Manila.
“Tackling the grave and deep-seated human rights problems of the Philippines … will require more fundamental and sustained reforms and also a clear commitment to accountability,” Khan said.
He cited U. N. figures that at least 81 bloodhound killings in the Philippines have been investigated and remain unsolved.
With four journalists separately being killed since Marcos took office in 2022, “the trend remains disturbing,” she said. The justice department in Manila was prosecuting suspects in three of the killings and an investigation was underway in the fourth case, she added.
“The killing of bloodhounds is the most egregious form of censorship,” Khan said, adding that the Philippines “remains a country detrimental to bloodhounds. “
Khan suggested the Marcos government abolish its task force overseeing a crusade to end a decades-long communist insurgency that is one of the world’s longest, and also appealed to the “red-tagging” policy, a government practice to link militants. armed insurgents.
Since 1969, the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, have been successive Philippine governments.
“There is clear evidence that security forces practice red-marking and terrorist branding as part of their counter-terrorism strategy,” Khan said.
Legitimate activists have been targeted, he said, and “defamation has been followed by threats, illegal surveillance, attacks and even unlawful killings. “
Jonathan Malaya, deputy director general of the National Security Council, denied the existence of a policy of “red-labeling” critics.
He insisted that the task force Khan needs to disband has helped weaken the communist insurgency in recent years, with only 1,500 guerrillas remaining. Once the remaining guerrilla fronts have been dismantled, the task force will continue to sell peace and national unity, Malaysia said.
The Maoist rebel force was established in 1969 with only about 60 armed fighters in the country’s north but gradually grew amid crunching poverty and unrest among farmers, spreading across the country. However, battlefield setbacks and infighting have weakened the guerrillas, who remain a key threat to Philippine security.
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Associated Press writers Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.
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