Categories: Human rights

Deterioration of individual freedoms and human rights in the Philippines, a dangerous tunnel

WhatsAppWhatsAppFacebookFacebookTwitterTwitterPinterestPinterestRedditRedditGmailGmailShareShare

Human rights in the Philippines are waste paper. The alleged war on drugs has created a climate of total impunity in the country, which has led to an impressive number of killings by the police, including human rights defenders. That was underlined by UN experts who have requested an independent investigation by the Human Rights Council into violations in the Philippines.

For three years, the UN experts have been urging the Philippine government to take concrete measures against extrajudicial executions, including those of children, disabled people, indigenous peoples, trade unionists, and representatives of non-governmental organizations.

This climate has also led to arbitrary detentions, cases of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment, sexual violence against women. Experts point out that in many of these accidents the perpetrators belong to the armed forces, paramilitary groups, or people related to them. And all of this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are also attacks and threats against voices critical of the government, in particular independent media, lawyers, and journalists.

UN experts also note that the President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte himself, has publicly intimidated human rights defenders, the UN special rapporteurs, and even the Supreme Court judges. She has publicly made degrading judgments against women with sexist statements and incited violence. “He also threatened to bomb schools of the indigenous peoples of the island of Mindanao,” UN experts insisted.

The latest serious sign in order of time is Manila’s decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court. That is the latest of many actions that show that the government is trying to evade control and reject accountability, UN representatives said. Also, highlighting repeated and personalized attacks against independent international bodies.

The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), which brings together more than 225 churches in over 110 countries, is close to the Filipino people affected by a worrying deterioration of civil liberties and human rights. The WCRC said, on the occasion of an international web-meeting, hosted by the National Council of Churches of the Philippines. On that occasion, the participants released a joint declaration “of unity for the protection and promotion of human rights in the Philippines.”

“We are alarmed because the current anti-terrorism law poses serious threats to civil liberties.” The declaration continues, stating that it is a law that legitimizes illegal arrests and detentions, and that undermines justice, the regularity of trials, and individual protection. All principles that, until recently, were guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution. The proliferation of extrajudicial executions, including the killing of thousands of people in the war waged to combat “drugs and terrorism” is a reprehensible action. “We are worried – it says – about the climate of impunity that it is generated. For the blatant incitement to violence advocated for appeals to the police to punish any form of dissent raised by citizens.”

About WR News Writer

WR News Writer is an engineer turned professionally trained writer who has a strong voice in her writing. She speaks on issues of migrant workers, human rights, and more.

WR News Writer

WR News Writer is an engineer turned professionally trained writer who has a strong voice in her writing. She speaks on issues of migrant workers, human rights, and more.

View Comments

  • Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this post plus the rest of the site is really good.

Recent Posts

The New Career Currency: Why Top Talent Now Demands Both Big Salaries AND Work-Life Balance

The labor market in India is modernizing the expectations for any employment where paychecks were a major consideration, workers now…

June 10, 2025

ITR Filing 2025: Is Landlord’s PAN Mandatory to Claim HRA?

For Assessment Year 2025-26, the Income Tax Department has broadened its disclosure requirements for salaried taxpayers who are claiming House…

June 10, 2025

The New York Fashion Workers Act: Key Impacts for Model Management and Fashion Companies – Details Inside

New York Fashion Workers Act (NYS Labor Law, Article 36) will come into effect June 19, 2025. This legislation makes…

June 10, 2025

Trump Deploys Additional 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles, Officials Confirm

President Donald Trump has approved the dispatch of an additional 2,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to Los Angeles,…

June 10, 2025

Tier-2 Cities Take the Lead: Randstad 2025 Report Reveals India’s Job Market Shift

India's job market is going through a significant transformation with tier-2 cities emerging as massive employment centres. According to the…

June 9, 2025

Japan’s Ruling Party Targets 1000 Trillion yen nominal GDP by 2040, Higher Incomes by 50%

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba revealed a bold new economic strategy, directing the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to present…

June 9, 2025