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PRESS RELEASE
Information Bureau
Communist Party of the Philippines
AFP under-reporting rights violations
May 31, 2004
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today countered the claim by the spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that the number of human rights violations perpetrated by the AFP have been going down.
CPP spokesman Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal said that the number of human rights violations perpetrated by government forces as cited by the AFP is "ridiculously small".
In an interview, Lt. Daniel Lucero, AFP spokesman claimed that there has been a "steady decrease" in the number of complaints of human rights abuses against the AFP. He claimed that the number of complaints received by the AFP has gone down from 263 in 2001, to 78 in 2002 and to 55 last year.
"The figures cited by Lucero are misleading. These do not reflect the growing number of human rights abuses perpetrated by the AFP, PNP and other armed groups supported by the military," Rosal said.
"The decrease in the number of complaints received by the AFP can only mean that the people do not trust the military to address the grievances against their men," Rosal added.
Citing records by independent human rights organizations, Rosal said that the number of human rights abuses perpetrated by government armed forces has gone up especially since the Arroyo regime joined the US government's "war against terror" in 2001.
He said that the number of human rights violations perpetrated by government forces has gone up from 436 in the first 11 months of 2000 to more than 550 in 2001, the first year of the Arroyo government. The number jumped to almost 1,000 cases in 2002.
Rosal took note that since 2001 up to the end of 2003, an average of 2 persons every week were 'salvaged' under the Arroyo regime.
"The grave abuses of human rights by the AFP, PNP, CAFGU and other government-supported armed groups underscore the need to immediately put the GRP-NDF Joint Monitoring Committee into operation," Rosal said.
Reference:
Anne Buenaventura
Media Officer
Cellphone Number: +63910-240-3553
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