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PHILIPPINES: Military style intimidation tactics are being used against labour rights defenders

October 23, 2009

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-141-2009

23 October 2009
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PHILIPPINES: Military style intimidation tactics are being used against labour rights defenders
 
ISSUES: Human rights defenders; political violence; threats
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STOP extrajudicial killings in the Philippines
http://www.pinoyhr.net/
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that intimidation tactics are being used against a group advocating labour rights. Men giving a military impression have been openly surveying the office in shifts and photographing visitors to the building. Three of the men also beckoned a volunteer to them, late one night. These activities should not be taken lightly in the Philippines, where such tactics do regularly precede assassination, and where human rights activists and labour rights campaigners commonly report threats, intimidation and violence from the military.

CASE DETAILS:

According to volunteers at the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR), suspicious looking men with military 'buzz cuts' have been taking pictures and videos of people visiting the office since late September this year. The office is in Lapu-Lapu City, on Visayas island.  It is reported that these men, who appear to be armed, have been taking turns watching the only entry to the organisation's private compound.

A volunteer at CTUHR, who helps workers of the nearby Mactan Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) and victims of demolitions nearby, reported that on one occasion on 2 October a man sat outside for half a day at a table, taking photographs of people coming in and out of the office for a meeting. Late that night the volunteer was called to by three men near the compound, raising his fears that he was being targeted.

The Center's branch office in Lapu-lapu City has started operation earlier this year and its staff and volunteers facilitate training and basic human rights education. They also supports the activities of Unity for Workers Rights (U4WR), which deals with workers rights advocacy and was also established this year.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

The Philippines has a lamentably long and strong history of violence waged by the state against human rights defenders and labour rights activists, and it is one documented extensively by the AHRC, as seen in its Urgent Appeals. These include AHRC-UAC-068-2009; AHRC-UAC-072-2009; AHRC-UAC-239-2008.

More can be found in our ongoing campaign website on extra judicial killings in the country (http://www.pinoyhr.net/ua_phil.php). Particular attention was also given to the issue in 2007 report by the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston.

Further clarifying this issue was a document leaked earlier this year from suspected military origins, which featured the names of 105 alleged 'targets'. Most were lawyers, journalists, human rights and political activists, as well as union and religious leaders. It should be understood that therefore any kind of military-style surveillance techniques carry significant threat in the country.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the authorities below, asking for them to investigate the threats discerned by CTUHR members and to offer support and protection.

Please be informed that the AHRC has sent a letter to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and the Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions informing them of this case.

To support this appeal, please click here:

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear __________,

PHILIPPINES: Military style intimidation tactics are being used against labour rights defenders
 
Name of the organization under threat: Cebu center for Trade Union and Human rights (CTUHR)
Date of incident: September to October 2009
Place of incident: Lapu-lapu City

I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the surveillance and intimidation tactics being used against volunteers at the Cebu Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) by men that are suspected to be from the military.

I have learnt that since late September various men have been taking pictures and videos of people coming in and out of the CTUHR Cebu Center in Lapu-lapu city, (Visayas island).  It is alleged that these men, suspected to be military and who appear to be armed, have been taking turns watching the only entry to and exit from the CTUHR private compound.

On October 2 a volunteer and human rights defender at CTUHR who assists workers of the nearby Mactan Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) and who works with victims of demolitions in the surrounding zone, reported that a man sat outside for about half day at a table, taking photographs of people coming in and out of the office.  . Late that night the volunteer was called to by three men near the compound, raising his fears that he was being targeted.

CTUHR Workers Center started operation in April this year, but its staff and volunteers have facilitated training and basic human rights education. The Center also supports the activities of Unity for Workers Rights (U4WR) - an organization of workers and workers rights advocates which was established in February this year.

Considering the lamentably long and strong history of violence waged by the state against human rights defenders and labour rights activists in the Philippines, I am sure you understood the threat posed by any kind of military-style surveillance techniques. Please ensure the protection and support of these civilians by initiating thorough investigations into the threat.

Yours sincerely,


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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President
Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace
JP Laurel Street, San Miguel
Manila 1005
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 736 1010
Tel: +63 2 735 6201 / 564 1451 to 80
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph

2. Ms. Leila De Lima
Commissioner
Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue
U.P. Complex, Diliman
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 929 0102
Tel: +63 2 928 5655 / 926 6188
E-mail: chr.delima@yahoo.com or mtm_rodulfo@yahoo.com

3. Deputy Director General Jesus A. Verzosa
Chief, Philippine National Police (PNP)
Camp General Rafael Crame
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2724 8763
Tel: +63 2 726 4361/4366/8763
E-mail: ruth_cossid@yahoo.com

4. Ms. Agnes Devanadera
Secretary
Department of Justice (DoJ)
DOJ Bldg., Padre Faura
1004 Manila
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 521 1614
E-mail: raulgonzalez_doj@yahoo.com

5. Lieutenant General Victor S. Ibrado
Chief of Staff
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
AFP-GHQ Offices, Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 911 6436
Tel: +63 2 911 6001 to 50

6. Mr. Emilio Gonzalez
Deputy Ombudsman
Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military
and Other Law Enforcement Offices
3rd Floor, Ombudsman Bldg., Agham Road, Diliman
1104 Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 926 8747
Tel: +63 2 926 9032

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia) 

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
AHRC-UAC-141-2009
Countries :
Issues :
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Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.