71 countries to grill PH at UN rights review

MANILA, Philippines -- At least 71 countries have lined up to question the Philippine delegation when the country presents its human rights record to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland on May 29, the group Philippine Universal Periodic Review Watch said.

The group said that the first country in the list is the Republic of Korea followed by the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.

Also on the list are the United States, United Kingdom, China, Italy, the Holy See, France, Belgium and Japan.

Last on the list is Qatar.

Each country is given one minute and 44 seconds to ask their questions.

The UPR is a process that involves a review of the human rights records of all 192 UN member-states once every four years.

This is the second time the Philippines will undergo the review, presenting before member-states its human rights record and the initiatives it has taken to fulfill its commitment in promoting human rights.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima will head the Philippine delegation, composed of officials from the Commission on Human Rights, Department of National Defense, and other agencies.

Groups belonging to the Philippine UPR Watch have submitted their own alternative reports questioning the government’s human rights claims.

In 2008, the Philippine government made a commitment before the UN to eliminate extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.

Rights groups say this has not been met.

“The Philippine report is very underwhelming and provides no clear measure of progress in the Philippine human rights situation. On the contrary, the report glosses over the continuing human rights violations such as extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances," Renato Reyes Jr., secretary general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayaan, said.

Reyes, who will be attending the Geneva gathering, said the Philippine government has continued a counterinsurgency program "that targets unarmed activists."

“The most glaring fact is that the Philippines has a less than one percent conviction rate for extrajudicial killings. That translates to 99 percent injustice for human rights victims. That alone speaks volumes on the Philippine human rights situation and our legal system. This is one reason why impunity persists,” he said.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch earlier reported that the Aquino government has yet to successfully prosecute a single suspect in pending cases of human rights violations.

The rights group also said that the Aquino government should do more that train state security forces to respect human rights, saying this “deflects attention from the more serious problem of failing to investigate, arrest and prosecute those responsible for abuses.”-Interaksyon (May 22, 2012)