Days before SONA, HRW urges Marcos to focus on human rights issues

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday called on Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to prioritize resolving human rights issues and to acknowledge them in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25.

In a statement, the HRW said Marcos should show a serious commitment to human rights as his SONA is an opportunity to distance himself from the “rights violations” and “impunity” of the Duterte administration.

“President Marcos has a golden opportunity to get the Philippines on the right track by setting out clear priorities and policies to improve human rights in the country,” HRW deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said.

“After six years of Duterte’s disastrous ‘drug war’ that killed thousands of people, Marcos needs to make a clean break by showing he is serious about accountability for past human rights violations as well as preventing abuses in the future,” he added.

In line with this, the HRW advised Marcos to take the following actions:

• drop all cases against former Senator Leila de Lima , who has been in police detention for more than five years on drug charges that she said were fabricated by the Duterte administration;
• order the Philippine National Police and the Interior Department to stop “abusive and unlawful” raids linked to the supposed drug war;
• order the Department of Justice, including the National Bureau of Investigation, to conduct a credible, impartial, and transparent review of alleged extrajudicial killings;
• repair the Philippines’ damaged credibility with the International Criminal Court (ICC) by ensuring his government’s full cooperation with its investigation;
• state unequivocally in his SONA that he will end “red-tagging”;
• commit to respecting the rights to freedom of expression the media;
• order officials to drop all charges against Rappler’s Maria Ressa and the Securities and Exchange Commission to reverse its “politically motivated” decision to close Rappler on spurious claims of foreign ownership;
• overturn the National Telecommunications Commission’s decision to block the websites of two news organizations, Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly, and several nongovernmental groups;
• appoint members to the Commission on Human Rights who have proven track records for upholding human rights and reputations for independence and impartiality

“Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has become president of a country riven by human rights problems and overlaid with a systematic failure to hold abusers accountable and ensure justice for victims,” Robertson said.

“His nationwide address should be all about how he will protect the rights of all Filipinos, and right past wrongs,” he added.

In June, United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in the Philippines Gustavo Gonzalez said Marcos has committed to enhancing accountability on human rights issues in the country. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News