[People] The US must curb rights abuse to keep the basesby | Fr. Shay Cullen
The US must curb rights abuse to keep the bases
by Fr. Shay Cullen

It is highly unusual for the office of President Joe Biden in the White House to speak out directly and offer condolences to a victim of human rights violations in the Philippines with whom it is strengthening military cooperation by occupying nine Philippine military bases.
The recent gruesome murder of Alex Dolorosa, a young dedicated and committed Filipino labor rights worker, was brutally murdered in Bacolod, Negros Occidental. It is one of many murders of human rights workers that have continued to shock the international human rights community. Alex was a committed human rights worker, one of the young leaders that this country needs to challenge the evil exploitation and oppression of workers as guaranteed by the constitution.
Many international and Philippine human rights organizations are one in condemning the brutal murder of Alex Dolorosa and of hundreds of others that have happened in recent years. The United States spokesperson at the office of President Joe Biden at the White House issued a message, “We extend our condolences to Dolorosa’s family and friends, as well as the greater international labor union and LGBTQI+ communities who loved him.” This following an official visit by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. The Philippines, once known as a truly Christian country for its gentle, kind-hearted, and welcoming people, has become known in recent years as a killing field for extra-judicial murders. Once a beacon of hope for the rule of law in a democratic society, it is now a country that has one of the worst records of human rights violations in Asia because of a small group of killers operating with impunity.
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