Since January 2001, the number of persons killed in political assassinations has reached 833, according to Philippine human rights group Karapatan (literally, ‘right’ or Alliance for the Advancement of Human Rights). In 2006 alone, there were 207 extra-judicial killings in the Philippines, which translates to an average of four persons killed per week. Prior to the Philippines human rights conference, the delegation will present to more than 1,000 international faith-based and civil society leaders and activists concerned with U.S. foreign and domestic policies, at the fifth annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days Conference, March 9 to 12, in Washington.

The Philippine report, “Let the Stones Cry Out: An Ecumenical Report on Human Rights in the Philippines and a Call to Action." was prepared by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP). The 86-page report details cases of political killings and studies the chilling pattern and alarming proportions with which these assaults on life were perpetrated.

The report links the unbridled political killings to the Arroyo government’s counter-insurgency program. ‘The manner with which the victims were executed or abducted was done professionally and systematically, establishing a connection between the national security strategy and the incidents of violations," the NCCP says in the report.

The document likewise mentions the poor record of the Philippine government in complying not only with the procedures required of a member of the United Nations but also of its failure to adhere to its declared commitments to the UN Human Rights Council. The report to be released by the NCCP is the latest one to pin the responsibility for the killings to Philippine military and security forces.

On February 21, Prof. Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, asked the Armed Forces of  the Philippines (AFP) to “acknowledge” its involvement in the extra-judicial killings and conduct a “genuine” investigation. The UN Special Rapporteur spent ten days in the Philippines.

The human rights situation in the Philippines has gone so bad that even the commission formed by President Arroyo herself to investigate the political killings came out with a report naming a retired Philippine Army general Jovito Palparan along with other generals as the ‘prime suspect behind the extra-judicial killings’ in the country. The commission, headed by a former Supreme Court justice, called on President Arroyo to punish those who were responsible for the killings.

Victims were killed for their political beliefs, for exercising their freedom of expression and for opting to live by their Christian mission of serving their fellow brethren. Among those killed were lawyers, human rights defenders, journalists, church leaders, local officials, community leaders and organizers, students, peasants, indigenous leaders, workers, professionals, women and children. Twenty-five church people were among those who were killed.

For more information, go to www.philippinesadvocacy.org.