Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2003-2004
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
(Full report at: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/shrd/2003/
)
PHILIPPINES
The
Philippines is a vibrant, freewheeling democracy with an elected president,
an elected bicameral legislature, and a fractious but functioning multiparty
system. The Government generally respected the human rights of citizens;
however, there were serious problems in some areas. Elements of the
security forces were responsible for extrajudicial killings, disappearances,
torture and arbitrary arrest and detention, and there were reports of
physical abuse of suspects and detainees. Other problems included widespread
corruption in the judicial system and police forces.
Embassy outreach efforts are numerous and broad-based.
The Mission focuses on building respect for human rights in the security
forces, promoting rule of law and transparent practices in government
and the judiciary and strengthening civil society.
To encourage respect for human rights among members of
the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies,
the Embassy sent approximately 150 officers to the International Law
Enforcement Academy for courses with human rights, ethics, rule of law
and anti-corruption components. In addition, the Legal Attaché's Office
coordinated with the Philippine Public Safety College to train senior
executives from Philippine law enforcement agencies on ethics, human
rights, jail management and American law enforcement standards. A separate
U.S. Department of Justice program sent senior management officials
from the PNP, National Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Immigration
to the FBI's National Academy in Virginia for training on similar topics.
The Embassy's International Criminal Investigative Training and Assistance
Program provided the Embassy a temporary Police attaché to conduct a
series of classes for Philippine police officers with rule of law and
ethics components; the Mission's Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program,
which also sends Philippine law enforcement officials to the United
States for training, has a rule of law component as well. The Legal
Attaché, a new Department of Justice Attaché and U.S. law enforcement
officials representing other U.S. agencies bolster rule of law by assisting
in prosecutions and extraditions and emphasizing human rights in their
outreach meetings with local contacts.
The Embassy also works to strengthen the Philippine Commission
on Human Rights (CHR), an independent agency tasked to monitor and investigate
alleged human rights abuses. A $161,000 Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights
and Labor program administered through The Asia Foundation provides
CHR regional offices with computer software and other equipment to more
efficiently track cases and relay information to Manila. The same software
also was made available free of charge to Philippine non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) that separately track human rights abuses such
as disappearances and torture. Embassy officers continue to coordinate
closely with the CHR, which provides human rights training for members
of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the PNP.
Strengthening democracy is an essential Mission goal.
Numerous programs at both the local and national level promote equity,
transparency and popular participation - all key to democracy. For example,
the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Economic and
Technical Assistance Program supports the Philippine Government's effort
to make corruption a high risk, low reward activity. Assistance to the
Office of the Ombudsman, which has responsibility for prosecuting graft
and corruption by high-level government officials, included support
to a series of training seminars and help in the campaign to encourage
people to report incidences of corruption. At the local level, USAID
assisted more than three dozen municipalities to develop and implement
good governance and anti-corruption programs.
The USAID-funded Transparent and Accountable Governance
program, implemented by The Asia Foundation, works at the local and
national levels to promote better governance, increase public participation
in governance through conferences and other public forums and reduce
opportunities for corruption. A recently completed project enabled the
Philippine Department of Education to significantly reduce corruption
in the delivery of textbooks to students. Another example of the program's
work includes assistance to a southern Philippines city to establish
a one-stop shop where businesses can meet all the requirements for renewing
permits. In addition to curbing corruption, the reforms helped to cut
by a factor of seven the amount of time it takes to renew business permits,
helping to attract more businesses to locate in the city.
To strengthen rule of law, USAID institutionalized alternative
dispute resolution systems at various levels, increasing judicial transparency
and improving case management in the courts. At the community level,
USAID's Barangay Justice program enabled marginalized groups to gain
access to the judicial system. As a result, community disputes are resolved
more rapidly, greatly reducing caseloads in municipal courts.
Building respect for rule of law is a key challenge in
conflict-affected areas where armed separatist groups have clashed with
government troops and continue to solicit support from local communities.
To strengthen the credibility of the national and local governments
in these regions, the Embassy's Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group
(JUSMAG) helped the Government deliver much needed public services to
local communities in Mindanao and nearby Basilan and Jolo islands. For
example, JUSMAG built solar dryers to assist local farmers increase
their productivity and efficiency. JUSMAG also sent mobile medical units
to provide free health care for more than 25,000 citizens throughout
2003. Other components of this program included the donation of medical
equipment to local hospitals and the construction of wells to provide
residents with access to safe drinking water.
The International Military Education and Training (IMET)
program is an important component of U.S. efforts to professionalize
the AFP. The IMET program strives to strengthen the AFP's professionalism,
commitment to human rights, discipline and technical expertise. IMET
graduates populate top AFP ranks and actively promote close and professional
U.S. and Philippine military-to-military relationships.
The Philippine Constitution provides for freedom of religion,
and the Government generally respected this right in practice. Muslims
comprise the largest religious minority in the Philippines, and historically
they have been victims of prejudice by the predominant Christian majority.
Embassy officials met with representatives of all major Philippine faiths
to learn about their concerns on a variety of issues. For example, in
April the Embassy hosted a meeting of political and opinion leaders
from the Filipino Muslim community to discuss the past, present and
future U.S. role in Mindanao, site of frequent armed conflict between
government security forces and Muslim insurgents. The United States
continues to actively support the Government's peace process with the
insurgents. These talks have the potential to contribute to peace and
a better climate for interfaith cooperation. In November, embassy officers
traveled to Davao City to host a conference of Muslim ulama (religious
scholars) and discuss the role of education in promoting religious understanding.
The Embassy's Public Affairs Section sponsored numerous public conferences
and gatherings throughout the year across the country, to promote interfaith
dialogue among Filipinos.
In 2003, the Embassy sent both Muslim and Catholic leaders
on International Visitor programs to the United States covering a wide
range of topics to promote human rights and democracy, including grassroots
activism, religion and the community, the role and responsibility of
a free press, leadership development for Muslim women, accountability
in government and business, community service and NGOs, and trafficking
of women and children. The Philippine International Visitor Alumni Association,
one of the world's largest with approximately 300 members, recently
established its own working group focusing on peace and Muslim-Christian
relations.
To strengthen worker rights, the State Department funds
a sweatshop initiative to help ensure that the garment and manufacturing
industries meet core labor standards. A $5 million program to eliminate
the worst forms of child labor has helped economically disadvantaged
families across the archipelago return their children to school. This
program complements two others centered on children: a $5 million education
initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), in coordination
with World Vision and the Philippines Department of Education, and a
DOL-International Labor Organization project to prevent the use of children
in armed conflict.
Trafficking in persons is a serious problem in the Philippines.
The Embassy has undertaken efforts to assist the Government and NGOs
in the areas of prevention, protection and enforcement. A State Department
program implemented in conjunction with the American Center for International
Labor Solidarity helps raise awareness of trafficking, especially among
those most likely to become victims - economically disadvantaged women
and children. The State Department's East Asia and Pacific Bureau funds
halfway houses in the Manila and Davao ports to assist victims of trafficking.
An NGO running the halfway houses attempts to reunite victims with their
families if possible and reintegrate them into mainstream society.
Embassy efforts also focused on enhancing the capability
of Philippine law enforcement officials in the fight against trafficking
- an area in need of improvement. In 2003, the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) provided training to more than 1,200 individuals from
the PNP, the National Bureau of Investigation and various airport and
airline security teams to help them detect trafficking activities and
patterns. DHS is developing an identification system at Manila's airport
that will help Philippine officials track and identify criminals, including
traffickers. Other projects slated for 2004 include funding for two
local NGOs to raise grassroots awareness of trafficking through community
seminars and the production of pamphlets and child-friendly readers.
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Read the Philippines portion in the following:
-- Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices 2003
-- Trafficking Persons Report 2003
-- International Religious Freedom Report
2003
