Int'l teachers' group seeks end to RP killings

A global federation of teachers meeting in Berlin, Germany has urged the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to put an end to extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances, and to punish perpetrators of these crimes. In an urgent resolution adopted on Thursday, the Education International (EI) urged President Arroyo to "immediately put a stop to extrajudicial killings and involuntary disappearances; investigate, prosecute, and punish those responsible for these acts; and ensure that its security forces respect the human rights and civil liberties of citizens." The more than 1,700 delegates of the EI’s Fifth World Congress held in Berlin, Germany, from July 22 to 26, unanimously adopted the resolution. Two delegates from the Philippines, one from the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and another from the Teachers' Organization of the Philippines-Public Sector, were participants to the congress. The resolution cited the report on Philippine human rights situation given by ACT chairperson Antonio Tinio. It said "that more than 1000 activists fighting to uphold the rights and welfare of poor and oppressed Filipinos have been assassinated or made to disappear since President Gloria Arroyo took power in 2001," and that "the victims include nine teachers, two of whom were national officers of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Victoria Samonte and Napoleon Pornasdoro." It also expressed "outrage that these gross human rights violations are carried out with impunity." Tinio hailed the approval of the resolution saying, "We told the world's educators about the appalling human rights record of the Arroyo administration, and they have given us their support. Their message to Mrs. Arroyo is simple: “Stop the killings and disappearances now and put an end to impunity by punishing those responsible." The EI is a global federation of teacher trade unions with 30 million members from more than 300 affiliated organizations in over 180 countries, which holds world congress every three years. German president Horst Koehler gave a speech during the opening ceremony for this year’s education congress. - GMANews.TV