News
Senator Dela Rosa refuses to participate in human rights committee inquiry
On June 25, 2024, the Human Rights Committee of the House of Representatives held another hearing to investigate the drug-related killings or extrajudicial killings in the course of the so-called "war on drugs" under former President Duterte. In this third hearing,...
Fourth conviction of police officers in drug-related killing case
On June 18, 2024, the Caloocan City Regional Trial Court convicted four police officers for the killing of Luis Bonifacio and his son Gabriel Bonifacio in 2016 during an anti-drug operation. Police Master Sergeant Virgilio Q. Servantes and Police Corporals Arnel De...
Final acquittal for Leila de Lima
On June 24, 2024, the Muntinlupa Regional Court acquitted Philippine opposition politician and former senator Leila de Lima of the third and final charge of conspiracy to traffic drugs. The court's decision ended a trial that lasted around seven years, of which De...
House of Representatives leads inquiry into drug-related killings
On May 22, 2024, the Human Rights Committee of the House of Representatives of the Philippines launched an inquiry into the drug-related killings or extrajudicial killings in the context of the so-called "war on drugs" under the term of former President Rodrigo...
Terrorist financing charges against CERNET
On May 8, 2024, the Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) filed charges against 27 former and active members of the organization Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET) for alleged violations of the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012...
New special committee for human rights criticized
The passing of a new ordinance (Administrative Order 22/AO22), which is intended to set up a new special committee to improve the human rights situation in the Philippines, has met with increased criticism from civil society and the government opposition. Former...
Philippines should ratify International Convention for the Protection against Enforced Disappearance
On May 29, 2024, as part of the 2nd Franco-German Human Rights Gathering, the Manila-based embassies of Germany and France called on the Philippine government to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance...
Department of Justice examines potential ICC arrest warrants
The Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on May 9, 2024, that it is preparing a legal brief analyzing various legal options for the issuance of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC). This initiative came against the backdrop of former...
NTF-ELCAC stays, says President Marcos Jr.
In a decision dated May 8, 2024, the Philippine Supreme Court (SC) declared so-called "red-tagging" (i.e., branding individuals or organizations as "terrorist") as a threat to a person's right to life, liberty, and security. The organization Human Rights Watch then...
AMP-Statement: Fabricated charges against CERNET members in the Philippines
In a statement, the Aktionsbündnis Menschenrechte Philippinen (AMP/Action Network Human Rights Philippines) strongly condemns the fabricated charges, filed on May 8, 2024, against 27 individuals affiliated with the organization Community Empowerment Resource Network...
US report: No significant changes of human rights situation in Philippines
The US Department of State's report on the human rights situation in the Philippines in 2023, published on April 22, 2024, found that human rights violations continued to occur under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Furthermore, the annual report...
Trillanes: ICC spoke to 50 police officers
On April 24, 2024, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV stated on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that over 50 active and former Philippine National Police (PNP) officers have been contacted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for their involvement...
Amnesty International calls for a clear end to the “war on drugs”
A few days after the US State Department published its report, Amnesty International presented its annual report “The State of the World's Human Rights” on April 23, 2024. The report underlined that drug-related killings or extrajudicial killings in the context of the...
Supreme Court recognizes “red-tagging” as a threat
On May 8, 2024, the Supreme Court (SC) issued a landmark ruling declaring so-called “red-tagging” (i.e., branding individuals or organizations as “terrorist”) as a “threat to a person's right to life, liberty or security, which may justify the issuance of a writ of...
Conviction in Percy Lapid killing, mastermind still at large
A regional court sentenced self-confessed gunman Joel Escorial to eight years and eight months or up to 16 years in prison in the case of murdered journalist Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa. Mabasa, a vocal critic of the previous government, was killed in Las Piñas in...
New “super body” to enhance human rights protection
On May 8, 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. formed the Special Committee on Human Rights Coordination under Administrative Order No. 22 (AO22) to “enhance the mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Philippines.” This so-called “super...
Press freedom ranking: Philippines slides down two places
On May 3, 2024, International Press Freedom Day, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published its annual press freedom ranking. The Philippines slipped in the RSF index from 132nd to 134th place out of a total of 180 countries. Despite the lower RSF rating compared to...
Forcible disappeared environmental activists in Pangasinan resurfaced
After three days of intensive search efforts, the missing environmental activists, Francisco 'Eco' Dangla III and Joxelle 'Jak' Tiong, were found safe on March 28, 2024. A fact-finding team formed by progressive groups confirmed that Dangla and Tiong are injured but...
De Lima: Marcos should put an end to drug-related killings
In a speech on March 18, 2024, President Marcos emphasized the alleged progress of his human rights policy, as the number of cases of crimes and human rights violations should have decreased under his administration. He mentioned that the number of index crimes had...
EU-Philippines free trade agreement talks starting
The European Union (EU) and the Philippines (PH) have officially resumed negotiations on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA), according to a joint announcement on March 18, 2024. The EU-PH-FTA could cover a wide range of issues, including trade, investment,...