http://www.thepoc.net/breaking-news/local/12651-human-rights-group-blasts-pnoys-weak-policy.html

Nheslaine Eval

Human rights group Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) has released a statement on the occasion of President Noynoy Aquino‘s first anniversary in office, criticizing the president’s human rights policy as “weak.”

“P-Noy’s lack of an explicit policy on human rights, against torture and human rights violations, in particular, may be considered as the weakest link. This can be interpreted that P-Noy is either not in control or that human rights is not really part of his agenda,” said TFDP executive director Emmanuel Amistad.

The statement says that torture cases still persist even after the legislation of Repulic Act 9745 or the Anti-Torture Act of 2009, and that TFDP has documented 42 cases involving 64 victims taking place after the law was enacted.

Based on TFDP’s documentation from 1986 to April 2011, a total of 4,839 individual victims have been recorded in 1,122 torture cases.

The group claims to have received recent reports that a certain Sgt. Mendoza and members of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) harassed human rights defenders in Bulacan. There were also cases of torture and illegal arrests in Central Luzon and Mindanao.

Read full article @ www.thepoc.net

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HRonlinePH says…

We agree with TDFP’s statement that says, “It is hard to comprehend why Umbrero’s case would not deserve the urgent and immediate attention and action of P-Noy. Is this not equally important as the issue of wangwang that merited inclusion in his previous State of the Nation Address? Is human rights not included in P-Noy’s matuwid na daan?”