PHL human rights record scored

BAGUIO CITY — Amnesty International Philippines on Wednesday accused the state of escalating human rights violations in Luzon, particularly in Metro Manila, up north and down south.

In a press conference here during the first leg of its “State of the World’s Human Rights 2023/24 Annual Report” rolling launch, AI Philippines scored the Marcos administration for a supposed policy that portrays “activists as terrorists” and denies the role of human rights defenders in uplifting the nation.

“Attacks against human rights defenders and critics of the government have increased under a climate of impunity. A growing number of human rights defenders, including student activists, journalists, lawyers, and those belonging to Indigenous peoples’ groups have repeatedly been “red-tagged” in Luzon,” said Wilnor Papa, Amnesty Philippines’’Activism and Mobilization Manager. 

The group also criticized ongoing extrajudicial killings under the government’s anti-illegal drugs war, noting that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. allegedly failed to address human rights issues.

“No progress in sight for this administration on key human rights issues, whether on civil and political or economic, social, and cultural rights,” said Mr. Papa. — Artemio A. Dumlao