ON the last leg of the launch of its State of the World’s Human Rights 2023/24 Report, Amnesty International celebrates its 63rd anniversary with a press conference in Cagayan de Oro,
Mindanao on 28 May.
The rights group said that in all its years of existence, their annual reports have established one thing – that undermining peoples’ agency to strip them of their dignity is a force entrenched in human rights violations.
“A situation that is worsened by the government’s neglect of its obligation to respect, protect,
and fulfill human rights is at the core of abuses and violations. This time of the year is a
celebratory season for Amnesty International around the world, but it seems as though there isn’t much to celebrate following our human rights report’s rolling launch. We thank the Commission on Human Rights, however, for taking time to join us at our press conferences around the country. We now know from their reactions and comments that on the ground, the Philippine entry to the report holds true. In fact, there are more local human rights issues that needs to be addressed according to their regional offices,” said Butch Olano, Amnesty International
Philippines Section Director.
Amnesty shared earlier that as part of its policy advocacy with the government, they reached out
to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. through the Office of the Executive Secretary in their effort to
include the President’s input in its global launch and provide a space for the Marcos
Administration to respond.
They recently confirmed that through the Presidential Human Rights Committee, a dialogue with relevant agencies has finally been arranged for this purpose.
“The upcoming dialogue is the result of our relentless attempt to engage the government in our work to dermand for accountability. While we received a positive response this time, we’ve already felt the dismissive nature of President Marcos in addressing human rights concerns from the beginning of his term. His stance emboldens all levels of government to commit violations with impunity, from his cabinet down to local government units. We need the president to lead by example, whenever he showd non-commitment in responding to human rights issues, a shift is felt down the line,” explained Olano.
Amnesty noted that Mayor Sebastian Duterte’s pronouncement on reviving his father’s “war on
drugs” and siding with erring cops is also a reflection of President Marcos’ indifference to human rights. This displays what they both lack, as with most elected and appointed officials, a rights- based approach to governance.
“No one is minding the store when leaders get away with distorting human rights principles. And
when the government leads the way it does, bad businesses see this as a sign that they, too, can
get away with exploiting workers, the environment, and the most vulnerable – women, children, members of LGBTQl+, and indigenous peoples while no one is watching,” added Olano.
Amnesty International laments human rights situation in Mindanao
