STATEMENT: Continue to struggle for just peace and genuine development for human dignity and life

PRESS STATEMENT

December 10, 2008

Continue to struggle for just peace and genuine development for human dignity and life

Environmentalist network PANALIPDAN! (DEFEND) Southern Mindanao joins the Filipino and international community in the continued quest for the promotion and protection of human rights (HR) this International Human Rights Day.

As we reaffirm our commitment to justice, peace, equality and freedom as the basic foundations of human rights, let us remember that this day was founded as a denunciation of the past horrors that man has brought upon humanity and the natural world in the forms of war and aggression wrought by apathy, racism, ethnocentrism, and the greed for power and hegemony.

Despite the growing movement in the country and in the world that concretely addresses the need to strengthen the struggle for human rights and peace, it is sad to note that in the Philippines, wanton violation of human dignity and life worsens every day, despite strong warnings and criticisms from local rights groups and churches, international rights watchdogs, United Nations (UN) HR rapporteurs and other independent states.

Extrajudicial killings go unabated, reaching a most horrendous state of more than 900 victims under the Macapagal-Arroyo administration alone. As affirmed by UN special rapporteur Philip Alston in his report, the armed forces are behind the killings, enforced disappearances and harassment of leaders of peoples' organizations critical of the corrupt and militarist governance in the country.

In the Davao region, the year 2008, similar with the previous years, has been marked with the vicious cycle of militarization, displacement and other forms of human rights violations. Behind these is the undeniable hand of development aggression as one of the main precursors as this "cycle" coincided with President Arroyo's order of the creation of the Investment Defense Force (IDF) in Tagum City last February 12, 2008.

Designed to shield business investments, especially foreign mining investments which have been mushrooming in the country's mineral-rich areas, the IDF has covered the whole region from February to December, leaving at its wake gross violations of human rights.

In particular we denounce and demand justice to the displacement of more than 250 Ata-Manobos in Talaingod, Davao Del Norte as logging expansion threatens their communities, the aerial bombing in Baganga, Davao Oriental and consequent displacement of around 400 Mandaya folks amidst the massive commercial logging in the area and the pending entry of BHP Billiton in the nearby municipalities, the displacement to Davao City of more than 300 Ata-Manobo and Matigsalug from Compostela town, the military hamletting of the Tagabawa- Bagobo community right within the construction site of HEDCOR's hydropower plant in Sta. Cruz Davao Del Sur, the military hamletting of the Mandaya, Mansaka, and Dbbawon communities in New Bataan, and Monkayo towns in Compostela Valley Province amidst rising conflict over the Diwalwal foreign mining bid.

These and so much more paint the ugly and sorry state of human rights in the country. Committed under the pretext of pursuing peace and development, the Arroyo presidency denies these violations and has thus failed to address the demand for justice of the broad number of people in various sectors, civil society groups and even the church. Then until now, the whole nation suffers from crimes that have then again severed the foundations of justice, humanity, dignity and life in our country.

This International Human Rights Day let us denounce the crimes against humanity that continues to thrive in unjust and undemocratic societies. Let us continue to seek and struggle for just peace and genuine development for human dignity and life.