The crimes and other atrocities stemming from the implementation of Oplan Bantay Laya are directly instigated by the so-called “war on terror,” which the Bush regime exported to and imposed on the Philippines. The Obama government is faced with the challenge of stopping the war begun by its predecessor – a war that has caused countless human-rights violations in the Philippines and its other “fronts.”
By ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
Human Rights Watch
Bulatlat
SACRAMENTO, California — When Barack Obama was inaugurated on Jan. 20 as the 44th president of the United States, he said: “To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”
One of the major challenges that now lie before Obama to translate his apparently progressive statements on human rights into concrete actions toward the elimination of human-rights violations throughout the world, including the Philippines. Obama has expressed support for the government of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whose regime has been accused of corruption, deceit and of silencing dissent.
That an American citizen, Melissa Roxas, has fallen victim to these atrocities when she was abducted and tortured by Philippine soldiers in Tarlac underscores the need for Obama to put his money where his mouth is.
The Philippines is among several “fronts”in the US-led “war on terror,” which the Bush government instigated in 2001, using as a springboard the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. In January 2002, more than 1,200 members of the US military’s Special Operations Command, Pacific (Socpac) were deployed as Joint Task Force 510 to support Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines.
US military presence in the Philippines has since been continuous, with US troops operating in a number of “cooperative security locations” throughout the country, most controversial of which is the virtual basing facility within the Philippine military’s Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City.
The US troops’ mission in the Philippines is to “assist” the Philippine military in its “counter-terrorist operations.”
These operations have led to human-rights atrocities, including the loss of innocent civilian lives.
Extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture have particularly been rampant under the Arroyo regime.
Based on data from Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights), there have been more than a thousand victims of extrajudicial killings since January 2001, when Arroyo rose to power through a popular uprising. Karapatan has also recorded hundreds of victims of enforced disappearances and more than a thousand cases of torture for the same period.
In a number of the high-profile cases of extrajudicial killings, the perpetrators were usually military men who were either in uniform but without nametags, or were in plain clothes but wearing bonnets or ski masks, and riding on motorcycles or other vehicles without license plates.
The extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances have targeted people from all sectors, including church leaders, journalists, and human rights workers themselves.
The killings and disappearances occur on a national scope, but are particularly frequent in regions designated as “priority areas” under the Arroyo government’s national security program Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL or Operation Freedom Watch). Among these “priority areas” are Southern Tagalog, Eastern Visayas, Central Luzon, the Bicol Region, and, recently, the Southern Mindanao Region.
The killings and disappearances take place within the context of the Arroyo government’s National Internal Security Plan (NISP). The NISP aims to neutralize or destroy by military means both the armed groups fighting the government and the legal, progressive organizations – with virtually no distinction made between the two types of organizations. Legal and progressive organizations, which advocate the interests of the poor majority, are branded as front organizations of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
OBL lumps together guerrillas of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed component of the CPP, and unarmed activists working within the legal framework.
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Filipinos join protests against NATO in Chicago, US (Photo by Brett Jelinek / Bulatlat.com)
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June 30th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
[...] is the first known US citizen to be abducted and tortured in the Philippines during the Obama administration and is seeking justice. The Arroyo presidency in the Philippines has overseen several hundred [...]
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:50 pm
In my opinion, Melissa Roxas has no business in the Philippines if she would not consider the dangers and implications of her actions while there. She is like a spoiled child who do not have the care of being responsible. However, she maybe deeply involved in the propaganda with the rebels. What I am saying is that, why is Raven's eye judging the philippine government without proof. Melissa maybe telling the truth or simply lying, she maybe also be mislead of who had kidnapped her. Please be fair.
July 2nd, 2009 at 11:15 pm
para kay melissa roxas at iba pang biktima ng karahasan dito sa pilipinas,tulad ng sinabi ang kailangan natin ay lakas ng loob at determinasyon para ipaglaban ang karapatang pantao di lang sa pansarili kundi sa mas malawak na mamamayan.minsan lang po tayo mabubuhay sa mundo pero gawin nating makabuluhan ito. samga kababayan kong naapektohan na ng husto ng kolonyal na kultura natin mag-isip-isip kayo balikan ninyo ang philippine history.garapal na ang kawalanghiyaan ng gobyerno wag na tayong matakot kumilos at magsalita.tutal uunti-unti rin nilang pinapatay sa gutom ang sambayanang pilipino di makipagsabayan na tayo sa kanila. sabi nga ni joey ayala wag kang gigitna baka maipit ka……hehehehe kilos bayan
January 29th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Worsening Human-Rights Situation in the Philippines Is a Challenge to Obama —> huh? ano nman paki-alam ni Obama sa atin..problema natin to bkit kailangan pa cya..in short, worst un system of goverment natin, starting from the top to bottom of the system. thats the bottom line.