News
Leila De Lima free on bail, Marcos considers rejoining ICC
Former senator and opposition politician Leila de Lima was released on bail in the amount of PHP 300,000 on November 13, 2023, after more than six years in prison. De Lima thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for upholding the independence of the court and the rule...
EU-PH relations: human rights conditionality less credible
On October 26, 2023, representatives of the European Commission and the Philippine government met in Brussels for the third meeting of the Subcommittee on Good Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights under the EU-Philippines Partnership and Cooperation Agreement...
UN Special Rapporteur recommends NTF-ELCAC abolition
Ian Fry, UN Special Rapporteur on the protection of human rights in the context of climate change, made a series of critical policy recommendations towards the Philippine government on how to improve the human rights situation during a press conference in Manila on...
Previously abducted environmental activists charged with perjury
The Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) announced on October 18, 2023, that it had filed charges of alleged perjury against environmental activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano, who were abducted and surfaced again in September 2023. Castro and Tamano had...
Death threat: Rodrigo Duterte receives subpoena
On October 24, 2023, France Castro, a member of the Philippine House of Representatives from the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) party-list group, filed a criminal complaint against former President Rodrigo Duterte for serious threats to her life. This was due to...
Anti-drug campaign is bloodless says House Representative
Even though it seems that the Philippine government's anti-drug campaign under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has lost media attention, killings continue to take place - even in the context of anti-drug-operations by state security forces. This is emphasized by the...
Worrying cases of enforced disappearances of activists
After about 17 days in the custody of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the two abducted environmental activists, Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamayo, were released. The two activists were abducted by unidentifiable men on September 2, 2023, as they prepared for...
Impunity persists: Lawyer and activist murdered
On September 14, 2023, lawyer Maria Saniata Liwliwa Alzate was shot in broad daylight in her parked car in Bangued town, Abra province, by unidentified assailants on a passing motorbike. The perpetrators managed to flee. Alzate succumbed to her gunshot wounds in...
Maria Ressa and Rappler acquitted
"Today we celebrate the triumph of facts over politics," the online news magazine Rappler wrote in a statement about the recent acquittal of charges of alleged tax evasion against Maria Ressa and her company Rappler Holdings Corporation (RHC). The acquittal on...
Murder of Jemboy Baltazar: Six police officers arrested
On October 5, 2023, six police officers were arrested under Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines for the murder of 17-year-old Jerhode "Jemboy" Baltazar. The policemen were previously remanded in custody but released again for further...
Vice President Duterte: Debate over confidential funds
During the budget deliberations for next year, Michael Poa, spokesperson for the Philippine Department of Education, announced on September 4, 2023, that 16 high schools in Metro Manila are allegedly involved into activities for the recruitment of members for the...
Australia’s prime minister meets Marcos: Trade is the priority
On September 8, 2023, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed an agreement for a strategic partnership between the two countries. As part of the bilateral relations, various collaborations in several fields–including...
Government denies involvement in disappearances of Cordillera activists
Following the abductions of Gene de Jesus and Dexter Capuyan on April 28, 2023, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has denied allegations that they are responsible for the enforced disappearances of the two Cordillera activists. De Jesus and Capuyan have been...
Brutal police violence claimed death of 17-year-old
The killing of 17-year-old Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar on August 2, 2023, in Navotas, Metro-Manila, has brought the issue of brutal police violence in the fight against illegal drugs back into the media spotlight. As Jemboy and a friend were cleaning their fishing boat in...
Government targets activists for money laundering cases
After six human rights activists, four of whom belong to the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA), were designated as "terrorists" by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) on June 7, 2023, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) ordered - based on a resolution of June 30,...
Marcos’ SONA: Human rights situation not addressed
The annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24, 2023, caused great disappointment among human rights groups as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. failed to mention human rights violations. Instead, he described the state of the nation as "sound and improving"....
International Criminal Court: Appeal to stop investigation in Philippines rejected
The International Criminal Court (ICC) rejected on July 18, 2023, the Philippine government's request to stop the continuation of the investigation into crimes against humanity in the so-called "war on drugs" by Rodrigo Duterte, during his time as mayor in Davao City...
EU Commission President puts trade before human rights
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's July 31 to August 1, 2023, visit to Manila created great disappointment among human rights groups. Instead of addressing the lack of accountability for serious human rights violations - particularly in the so-called "war...
AMP-Statement: Terror financing accusations against CERNET
The Aktionsbündnis Menschenrechte Philippinen (AMP) strongly condemns the baseless accusations lodged against members of CERNET’s staff, board, and council. These accusations, initiated by Col. Joey Escanillas of the Philippine Army, have resulted in the subpoena of...
1 year of President Marcos, no improvement of human rights situation
After one year in office, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has done little to improve the human rights situation in the Philippines, as Human Rights Watch notes in a June 2023 analysis. Marcos continued the repressive policies of the previous government under former...