Rights watchdog scores Aquino output

LITTLE has been done by the administration in upholding human rights and delivering on the campaign promise to dismantle private armies, an advocacy group said in rating the first-year performance of President Benigno S. C. Aquino III.

“President Aquino’s record during his first year in office shows that human rights have just not been his priority,” Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) http://www.hrw.org/ said in a statement.

“He says he won’t tolerate killings and disappearances, but he needs to do a lot more to stop them.”

Mr. Aquino was sworn into office exactly a year ago.

In its report, “Falling Far Short: Aquino’s First Year and Human Rights,” HRW said extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances have remained since the President took office.

“Despite strong evidence of military involvement in several cases, police investigations have stalled, the military persists in making blanket denials, and arrest warrants against alleged perpetrators go unexecuted,” the report read.

To address the concerns, HRW recommended that the government send a firm message that torture will not be tolerated by thoroughly investigating all allegations of such abuse and holding perpetrators accountable.

“The Aquino administration should order the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and police to investigate all allegations of torture in which security forces are implicated, starting with the Morong 43 case,” the report read.

The report was referring to the 43 health workers who were arrested by the military in February 2010 for alleged involvement in the New People’s Army.

Report from BusinessWorld