AMBASSADOR ENGAGES GOVERNMENT, CIVIL SOCIETY ON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MANILA 000494 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MTS LABOR FOR ILAB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM ELAB KFRD RP SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR ENGAGES GOVERNMENT, CIVIL SOCIETY ON HUMAN RIGHTS REF: A. MANILA 0365 (NEW PEACE PROCESS ADVISER OPTIMISTIC ABOUT FUTURE TALKS WITH REBELS) ¶B. 08 MANILA 2732 (HUMAN RIGHTS DATA IMPROVES BUT CIVIL SOCIETY STILL CRITICAL) ¶C. 08 MANILA 2103 (DEMONSTRATING COMMITMENT TO STOP KILLINGS) ¶1. SUMMARY: (SBU) Mindful of broad concern among domestic and foreign observers about the human rights situation in the Philippines, the Ambassador in the first two months of 2009 embarked on a concentrated effort to engage government and civil society audiences on human rights issues, and listen to their views about the current environment. The participation of the Ambassador and other senior Mission officials in several events over six weeks demonstrated high-level U.S. support for the Philippine government's human rights mechanisms, and also highlighted U.S. support for the role of civil society in promoting and protecting human rights in the Philippines. A key focus of the Ambassador's engagement is to identify proactive strategies that have achieved success and share that knowledge with others. The events included the launching of a U.S.-supported human rights database at the Commission on Human Rights, a roundtable with civil society human rights advocates, a U.S.-sponsored forum on the role of journalists in promoting peace in the southern Philippines, a major policy speech at the Philippines Military Academy graduation, and a U.S.-funded training seminar focused on human rights for young prosecutors. The Ambassador's plan for aggressive engagement will continue into the second quarter, to include U.S.-sponsored training on human rights for police and military. END SUMMARY. HELPING THE GOVERNMENT TRACK HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES -------------- --- ¶2. (SBU) At a January 26 event at the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR),the Ambassador delivered remarks to launch a nationwide database that tracks investigations of human rights abuses. Three grants over six years from USAID and the Bureau of Democracy, Rights, and Labor (DRL) supported the work of The Asia Foundation on this project. The database enables CHR national headquarters, CHR regional offices, and civil society groups to document, report, and monitor cases of human rights violations through a web-based interface. Adapted from open-source human rights software, the system permits immediate information sharing between the CHR and cooperative civil society groups, critical for disappearance and extrajudicial killing cases, which become more difficult to solve over time. The Ambassador commended the CHR for its commitment to protect and promote the human rights of Filipinos, and called attention to the need to strengthen judicial and law enforcement institutions so that they can more effectively hold human rights violators accountable. The Ambassador's remarks were widely and favorably reported in the press. BRINGING HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES TOGETHER -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Challenging civil society groups to focus on positive ways to foment change, the Ambassador hosted a February 4 dialogue at her residence with a dozen leaders from groups active in human rights, including the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the Ateneo Human Rights Center, and the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights. Participants shared their organizations' best practices with the Ambassador and each other, noting certain strategies as particularly effective: heavy lobbying in both chambers of the Philippine Congress for human rights legislation; analyzing gaps between laws and their implementation to look for weaknesses in human rights protections; providing financial assistance to victims' families to dissuade them from dropping cases; creating networks of paralegals and local human rights defenders; deputizing legal aid volunteers as prosecutors through agreements with local governments; and maintaining comprehensive and precise documentation for all human rights investigations. The Ambassador acknowledged the challenges of working on human rights issues in the Philippines, and encouraged participants to focus on achieving positive outcomes in their work and seek ways around political and legal obstacles. This strategy, she said, appeared to be more effective at producing results than public campaigns that blame the government, a tactic employed by some NGOs. MANILA 00000494 002 OF 003 SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS JOURNALISM IN MINDANAO -------------- - ¶4. (SBU) Demonstrating U.S. support for a responsible Philippine press, the Ambassador addressed a Manila audience of journalists and journalism students at a February 10 forum on the role of the media in the Mindanao peace process. The Institute for War and Peace Reporting, a DRL grantee, hosted the event, whose panel featured journalists and official members of government and rebel negotiating teams. The panelists shared many of the same concerns: the general ignorance among journalists about the history of Mindanao, the excessive use of the label "Muslim terrorists" when referring to acts committed by lawless groups, and the need to strike a balance between transparency and secrecy in peace negotiations, because an uninformed press is more likely to speculate and be inaccurate in its reporting. A peace panel member suggested that journalists who assign blame for the Philippines' current troubles to its former colonizers should recognize that the conflict in Mindanao is a Philippine problem. The press, he emphasized, have an important role to play in changing those perceptions and ending the conflict. In brief remarks, the Ambassador noted that journalists can have a positive impact on the quest for peace by holding themselves to the highest standards of integrity and accuracy. AT THE MILITARY ACADEMY, URGING RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS -------------- -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In her February 20 address at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in Baguio (septel),the Ambassador congratulated nearly 300 graduating officers and 600 lower classmen on their achievement, encouraged them to bring innovation and discipline to their careers, and emphasized to them the importance of upholding human rights and embracing democracy. PMA graduates are considered to be the nation's elite, and many spend their careers in government service, some eventually assuming high ranking positions where they may have influence on government human rights policies. In her remarks, the Ambassador said that even while the Philippine and U.S. militaries serve with dedication in areas of conflict, we must all continue to hold ourselves and others accountable as we work to expand human rights and create a world that respects these rights. Acknowledging our two countries' long, shared history, the Ambassador noted that our nations' close cooperation continues to demonstrate our shared values, including through joint humanitarian assistance projects conducted throughout the Philippines, which have become increasingly effective in offsetting terrorist elements in the country. IMPROVING HUMAN RIGHTS AWARENESS AMONG PROSECUTORS -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) On February 20, Acting PolCouns delivered remarks on the importance of police-prosecutor cooperation in solving human rights cases at a USAID-sponsored basic orientation for Philippine prosecutors in Iloilo, organized by The Asia Foundation. The remarks at the seminar's graduation ceremony capped five days of intense training covering court procedures, evidence, and ethics, among other topics. Case studies of extrajudicial killings were used to illustrate the concepts, while the moot court session on the final day was based on a fictional case of extrajudicial killing. COMMENT: PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS IS A MISSION-WIDE ENDEAVOR -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) While the Mission takes advantage of special events to deliver focused messages on human rights, Mission engagement on the issue is an ingrained part of many U.S. programs in the Philippines. Through courses sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP),the Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA) Program, and the Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG),U.S. instructors deliver human rights training to police and military personnel from across the Philippines. A mid-March military law exchange hosted by PACOM for 10 Philippine military and civilian officials will include a workshop on the concept of command responsibility and its connection to extrajudicial killings. On the law enforcement side, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Consular Section's Fraud Prevention Unit cooperate and coordinate with Philippine authorities to MANILA 00000494 003 OF 003 apprehend perpetrators of human rights abuses and human trafficking. With regard to development assistance, USAID programs valued at over USD 2 million support the Philippine government's effort to respond more effectively to human rights abuses, including through judicial reform. Even as our 2008 Human Rights Report on the Philippines noted a decline in the number of killings and disappearances from the previous year, the Mission continues to push the government, both publicly and privately, to take more aggressive action to improve its capacity to protect the rights of its citizens. KENNEY