Beyond promises

It’s been two years since the only son of democracy icons assumed the presidency, but assessments of his administration’s human rights record have not improved. In a statement released on the second anniversary of the Aquino presidency, the New Yorkbased Human Rights Watch said rights abuses, while fewer in the past two years, continue to go unpunished in the Philippines.

The group cited statements made by President Aquino at his inaugural, at a human rights event months later, and during his State of the Nation Address last year, in which he promised to put an end to the culture of impunity. Aquino also acknowledged in his statements that justice does not end with the filing of cases against suspected criminals but with their conviction.

Since 2010 the country has also ranked as the third worst in the world in the Impunity Index drawn up by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The index calculates the number of unsolved murders of journalists as a percentage of the national population. Last year the Philippines ranked behind only Iraq and Somalia in the index. Seeing crooks get away with murder, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations guarantees that the crimes will continue.

Earlier this week members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines staged a “fun run” against torture. The gesture is welcome, but the commitment to uphold human rights should be inculcated down the ranks. It will also help if retired AFP Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, dubbed “the butcher” by activist groups, can be arrested. Palparan, wanted for the 2006 kidnapping and torture of University of the Philippines students Karen Cadapan and Sherlyn Empeno, is believed to be enjoying the protection of certain AFP elements and business interests, according to Human Rights Watch.

The commitment against torture should also be expressed by members of the Philippine National Police. Many cops continue to resort to torture as a tool of criminal investigation. In recent months, several men were found dead in the streets of Metro Manila - apparent victims of summary executions. “Salvaging” is still seen by certain quarters in the PNP as a way of maintaining peace and order.

It will take more than presidential promises to end such practices. As in the killings and disappearances of activists and journalists, such short cuts to law enforcement will stop only if the perpetrators are caught, prosecuted and punished.