Human rights in RP alarming — Oslo

06/30/2006

A ranking Norwegian Foreign Ministry official has expressed alarm over the rise in political killings in the Philippines, describing the human rights situation in the country as “very difficult.”

Speaking before a conflict and development seminar on the Philippines last June 20 in Oslo, Tore Hattrem, director general of the Section of Peace and Reconciliation of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted that the situation has stalled peace negotiations between the Arroyo administration and local communist rebels.

“Norway has monitored an increase of 50 percent (in politically motivated killings) in the recent 12 months,” Hattrem, who was quoted by The Umauas Post, a Filipino community on-line news in Norway, said.

Oslo plays a key role in the ongoing peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front (NDF), as third party facilitator.

According to Hattrem, the responsibility for the perpetration of the killings seems to be “fragmented” but that it is unlikely the killings are the result of purges by the leftist movement as mentioned by some observers.

“The trend cannot be explained away as purges being committed within the progressive Left movement,” the official said.

Hattrem stressed the need to improve the human rights situation in the Philippines to ensure that

the two parties in the stalled peace process return to the negotiation table.

He added Norway is still trying to “find a room for the talks” and to “induce confidence between the (negotiating) parties.”

The Norwegian official acknowledged that the recent developments in the Philippines including the declaration of the state of emergency and the increase in military confrontation between the warring parties have created an atmosphere “not conducive to the talks.”

This month, the Arroyo administration has declared an all-out war against communist insurgents in the country.

The government said it is implementing a “total approach” in fighting insurgency, determined to wipe it out in one to two years.

The military said at least 1,500 soldiers have been pre-positioned in three communist-infested areas and are ready to pounce on the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The government also warned protectors and supporters of the communist group from the political, business and civilian fronts, threatening them that charges would be filed against them for coddling and helping the communist group.

The CPP-NPA, which has waged more than three decades of rebellion against the government, was declared by the United States and the European Union as a foreign terrorist organization and its founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison a foreign terrorist.

Peace negotiations grounded to a halt when the Philippine government announced in August 2005 the withdrawal of the Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig) of NDF personnel for “unilateral abandonment of the peace negotiations.”

The NDF, the political and negotiating arm of the CPP, said it would prefer to wait for a new administration to be in place before resuming the peace process.

Among those in the list are Sison, NDF chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni, his wife Connie Ledesma, Asterio Palima, Fidel Agcaoili and a certain Jojo Magdiwang.

Jasig provided the NDF members safe conduct passes to move freely around the country without fear of arrest during negotiations. Michaela P. del Callar