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By Angelo S. Samonte, Reporter
The Philippine government is ready for a full
scrutiny of its human rights record under the Universal Periodic
Review of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) scheduled
this month, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said.
Ermita, who leads the Philippine delegation,
leaves Wednesday for Geneva, Switzerland, where the UNHRC is based.
Ermita also chairs the Presidential Human Rights Committee, created
by President Gloria Arroyo last year.
“We are proud of the achievements we have made
in human rights,” Ermita said. “Like all countries, we cannot
say we have a perfect record but we have instituted programs and
policies that are making an impact and this is what the
international system wants to see.”
Ermita noted an 83-percent decline in the
incidence of activists and media killings in the country last year,
a trend acknowledged by the European Union.
The mission will not only discuss the human
rights situation in the
Philippines but will also expose the
member-agencies of the Philippine Human Rights Commission to the
international human rights system, he said.
“These lead agencies need to understand what
the system is all about and what is required, because under
Administrative Order 163 of 2006, they are now in charge of
coordinating reporting and compliance to international treaties,”
he said.
These agencies include the Departments of
Justice, Social Welfare and Development and the National Economic
Development Authority.
Several non-government organizations criticizing
the Philippine government are also planning to attend the UN
sessions on human rights.
“This shows that our democratic system is
vibrant here and in the UN,” Ermita said.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the
Philippines could benefit from the review because it could get ideas
from the practices being adopted by other countries, which are also
undergoing reviews.
Women concerns
This early, the Filipino women’s group
EnGendeRights submitted their Summary of Women’s Concerns in the
Philippines to the state delegates attending the ongoing UNHRC first
periodic review in Geneva, Switzerland.
In the EnGendeRights summary, issues including
lack of access to information and reproductive health care services,
discriminatory marriage laws, and violence against women including
state-perpetrated violence against women were raised.
The UN rights body is reviewing Philippine
compliance with major human rights treaties that it has ratified,
and will have an open session on April 11, when the official
Philippine government report, the report of the UN special
rapporteurs or technical specialists and advisory, and assessments
of the Philippine case will be given by observer non-government
organizations, based on studies conducted on the Philippines.
The UNHRC will also review the reports of UN
special rapporteurs on the Philippines. These include Philip Alston
who visited in the Philippines in February 2007 and raised issues
about the alleged involvement of the Armed Forces in the killing of
about 900 political activists and the disappearance of about 200
others.
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