Human Rights in the Philippines

During the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2001-2010), there was a drastic increase in political killings, disappearances, and torture of activists, human rights defenders, and government critics. The human rights organization Karapatan counted a total of 1,206 cases of political killings and the organization Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) 182 victims of enforced disappearance.

When the son of democracy icons Benigno and Cory Aquino was elected President of the Philippines on May 10, 2010, national and international human rights organizations had high hopes that the human rights situation would improve under President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. Despite promises, there was only little change under the new government. Although the problem of impunity was now openly acknowledged, grave human rights violations continued. The alleged perpetrators often came – as is still the case today – from the Philippine police, the military, paramilitary units, or private armies.

In 2026, the situation of impunity in the Philippines remains unchanged.

“Elite democracy”

Despite the democratic reforms that followed the overthrow of of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s dictatorship in 1986, there has been – so far – no lasting consolidation of the rule of law in the Philippines. The country is still deeply shaped by political dynasties, patronage networks, a fragmented party system, corruption as well as a weak legislature and strong executive branch.

A structural overhaul of this political system and a reform of the so-called “elite democracy” – in which political power concentrates in the hands of a few economically and socially priviliged families despite regular elections – continues to pose a major challenge in 2026.

In large parts of the country, the state does not have a complete monopoly on the use of force. Instead, private armed actors – and, to some extent, (para-)state security forces – can use force to enforce their own (economic) interests. This affects segments of the civilian population and, in particular, indigenous communities. The latter are also being displaced from their ancestral domains as a result of mining projects or plantation agriculture because they cannot assert legally secure land rights.

Unresolved land conflicts, land grabbing, and the incomplete implementation of national agrarian reform, as well as poor access to education and health care, are contributing to the country’s persistent socioeconomic inequality. According to surveys conducted by the Social Weather Institute in January 2026, half of the Philippine population identifies themselves as poor. This group primarily consists of rural populations such as smallholder farmers, fisherfolks, and indigenous people’s.

Inadequate human rights protection

In comparison to other Asian countries, the Philippines have ratified all important international human rights treaties. In 2011, the Philippines became a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hauge. Under the autocratic government of President Rodrigo Duterte (2016-2022) the Philippines, however, left the Rome Statute of the ICC in 2019.

At the national level, the Philippines have numerous laws and institutions that could strengthen the protection of human rights. These include, for example, the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHR) or the national Anti-Enforced Disappearance Act of 2012. Although the latter criminalizes the practice of enforced disappearance, it has never once been applied. One reason is the frequent lack of evidence to support criminal prosecution, a problem compounded by the inadequate cooperation of the police with the CHR and victims’ families.

Despite its independence, the CHR is bound by government decisions. The chairperson and commissioners are appointed by the president, and the annual budget is set by Congress. Furthermore, its mandate is limited to violations of civil and political rights.

The adoption of the national Human Rights Defenders Protection Act (HRDP Act) is necessary to help end the extreme intimidation, criminalization, killings, and enforced disappearances of human rights defenders in the Philippines. Several bills related to the HRDP Act have been introduced regularly in Congress for over a decade, but have so far failed to pass the Senate.

Climate of impunity

Human rights violations such as political and extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, torture, and unlawful detentions of human rights defenders  and journalists remain widespread in the Philippines. Trumped-up charges and other attempts of intimidation, especially the practice of so-called “red-tagging,” are used to silence government-critical voices.

“Red-tagging” means accusing a person or organization of being a member of or supporting the communist armed insurgency (New People’s Army/NPA). In 2017, the NPA, along with the Communist Party of the Philippines, was officially designated as a terrorist organization.

Structural impunity is one of the main reasons for continued human rights violations. To date, the majority of the human rights crimes remain unsolved. This is due, on the one hand, to lack of political will and weak rule of law in the Philippines. On the other, forensic investigations into killings remain inadequate, access to police and autopsy reports is limited, and criminal investigations are often deficient. In many cases, the available evidence is insufficient even to bring charges before a court. Witness protection also remains completely inadequate. The Philippine people’s confidence in the rule of law has been severely shattered.

The work of non-government organisations and churches in support of human rights, justice, and development has been strongly hampered by the political persecution, unresolved killings of their staff, and fabricated charges against them. Notably, there have also been non-government actors who commit human rights violations: For example NPA members commit political killings as means of “revolutionary justice.”

A dramatic example of political killings

The so-called Ampatuan massacre committed in the province of Maguindanao on November 23, 2009 has been the cruel climax of politically motivated killings. More than 50 people were murdered in an ambush related to a candidacy for governorship, among them at least 30 journalists. The powerful Ampatuan clan has received assistance in this ghastly deed from its private army and the local police.