U.S. Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr., Human Rights Advocates Discuss PH Human Rights Condition
November 3, 2011
U.S. Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr., Human Rights Advocates Discuss PH Human Rights Condition
U.S. Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr. said the U.S. government is committed to promoting respect for universal human rights and is hopeful for a “renewed opportunity” under the Aquino administration “to combat extrajudicial killings and the associated culture of impunity.”
The ambassador made the statement during a roundtable discussion with representatives of Philippine-based human rights groups at the U.S. Embassy in Manila on Friday, October 21.
At the meeting with the U.S. ambassador were: Philippines Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) chairperson Teodoro M. de Mesa; Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) project coordinator Ma. Aurora Fajardo; Task Force Detainees of the Philippines representative Jonal Javier; Alternative Law Group (ALG) project director Atty. Marlon J. Manuel; Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearances (FIND) co-chairperson Nilda Sevilla; FIND secretary-general Wilma Tizon; Ateneo Human Rights Center executive director Atty. Ray Paolo J. Santiago; Philippine Human Rights Information Center executive director Nymia P. Simbulan; and Diaz, Parreño, Caringal Attorneys-At-Law partner Atty. Al Parreño.
The human rights groups’ representatives informed Ambassador Thomas of their ongoing projects and suggested measures that could significantly improve human rights conditions in the Philippines.
The ambassador said the U.S. Embassy was encouraged by the pledge that President Benigno S. Aquino III made in his 2010 State of the Nation Address to curb extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. He noted, however, that the 2010 U.S. Department of State Human Rights Report on the Philippines included assertions of cases of extrajudicial killings that occurred under the Aquino administration and expressed concern regarding the slow pace of investigations and prosecutions of past cases. Ambassador Thomas mentioned that from 2007 to 2010, the U.S. government extended $3.5 million in grants to the Philippine government and nongovernmental organizations to strengthen their capacity to address human rights violations. He informed the human rights advocates that the U.S. Congress continues to withhold a portion of U.S. assistance to the Philippine military until the Philippine government meets certain conditions related to solving and prosecuting cases of extrajudicial killings.
“The U.S. government will continue to press for progress on addressing past cases and the ongoing problem of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines,” the ambassador said.
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