HRW urges Philippine gov't to ditch plan to arm civilians

July 1 ------ The Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday called on the Philippine government to drop its plan to organize "new militias" as it opposed the suggestion of arming anti-crime civilian volunteers. In a statement, the HRW said the plan would only lead to more human rights abuses in the country. “The Philippine government should immediately drop its plan to organize new militias that would worsen the country’s disastrous human rights situation,” the HRW said.

It added that the country has a long history of arming civilians in militias or other organized groups that have been responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, and other rights violations committed with impunity. HRW Asia director Brad Adams warned that arming untrained and unaccountable militias may cause “another human rights disaster” under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. “It’s incredible that despite the growing international backlash against Duterte-linked abuses, the government is still devising more ways to threaten the lives of ordinary Filipinos,” he said. Adams urged "the Philippines' friends abroad" to publicly oppose the plan.

Duterte's call

The plan to arm civilian volunteers came to light after the Philippine National Police (PNP) launched the Global Coalition of Lingkod Bayan Advocacy Support Groups and Force Multipliers with Duterte as the keynote speaker. The coalition is composed of civilian organizations that will serve as the police’s partner in community relations programs and in its fight against crime.

In his speech during the event, Duterte called for arming civilian groups to help the police in crime fighting even as he said that authorities should not kill suspects who already surrendered. “If you have this coalition, you have a list of people who are there who can arm themselves. I will order the police if you are qualified, get a gun, and help us enforce the laws,” Duterte had said.

As groups voiced their opposition to this proposal, PNP chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar pointed out that civilians are allowed to apply for a license to possess a gun as long as they are qualified based on the law. “There is no reason to prevent members of civilian volunteer groups to enjoy the same privilege,” he said. Malacañang, for its part, has said that Duterte's call to arm civilians is not a policy

The HRW said the Philippine government’s support for armed civilian groups is not new, citing the late President Ferdinand Marcos’ “abusive” Civilian Home Defense Forces in 1976, vigilante groups Alsa Masa and Tadtad in the late 1980s, and the Citizen Armed Force Geographic Units (CAFGU) in 1987. According to HRW, the militias that Duterte said helped drive the communist insurgents out of the Davao City in his early days as city mayor were responsible for abuses. “Largely untrained and with unclear command and control structures, these militias were responsible for countless abuses, particularly as part of counterinsurgency operations,” it said.

“They were also engaged to help the military provide security to big companies, especially in mining and logging areas, where many also committed abuses,” it added. Also among the factors that can create opportunities for abuses were the “war on drugs,” the New People’s Army rebels, the 2022 national elections slated, the HRW said. The group said many private armies operate under the control of local mayors and governors, citing the infamous 2009 Maguindanao massacre where armed men working for the powerful Ampatuan political clan summarily executed 58 people, including journalists and members of a rival political clan.

Source: gmanetwork.com