RPOC urged: Reject RLECC resolution
BAGUIO
CITY — National media organizations like the National Union of Journalists of
the Philippines (NUJP) and the biggest media group in Cordillera assailed a
resolution of the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee (RLECC) adapting
a “tokhang-type” campaign against “left-leaning” groups and individuals in
media and government in the administration’s drive against communist
insurgency.
The NUJP dubbed the resolution “anathema to democracy. Not only does it violate basic civil rights by arbitrarily judging people sans due process, it also poses a real danger to life and limb given the trail of bodies tokhang has left in the drug war,” the NUJP said in a statement. It called on the RLECC to junk it.
Under RLECC Resolution No. 4, series of 2021 signed by 45 government regional directors, government teams will visit so-called "left-leaning personalities," including government personnel and members of media, as part of counterinsurgency campaign.
“The latest resolution of the RLECC enjoining members of law enforcement agencies together with representatives of local government units to conduct tokhang to known "left-leaning" personalities in the government, media, and other entities is sending a chilling effect to the people who believe in the freedom of expression and who have still faith in democracy,” the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club (BCBC) said in a statement Thursday.
Among others, the BCBC said the intent of the resolution was unconstitutional.
In a separate statement, human rights alliance Karapatan pointed out that the “tokhang operations have been bloody, prompting relatives of victims to file a complaint before the International Criminal Court against President Duterte for crimes against humanity”.
On Thursday, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Cordillera Director Romel Daguimol withdrew his signature from the RLECC-CAR resolution.
“Insurgency must be addressed, but it must be done with human rights at its core,” he said in a statement.
“We continue to condemn terrorism, as well as the use of armed struggle to topple the government. But we continue to stand that activism is not a crime. Our people should be free to express legitimate dissent and grievances for the government to act on,” he added.
Daguimol said the resolution was “inconsistent” with the CHR’s official position.
“As an independent national human rights institution, it is best that CHR maintains its observer status in this and similar committees,” he said.
The BCBC said they, welcomed CHR director Daguimol’s withdrawal of his signature from the resolution and standing by the rights of the people of the freedom of expression.
“We appeal to the other signatories to do the same. May we appeal also to members of the Cordillera Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) to reject the RLECC resolution on Constitutional grounds.” (See Behind the Scenes in page 4 for complete text of BCBC statement).
"Tokhang", or "knock and plead", operations were launched in 2016 as the government began its "war on drugs."
As originally planned, police officers would go to people on their "narco-lists" to convince them to surrender and to go into drug rehabilitation problems.
"Tokhang" has since come to be associated with the deaths of "drug personalities" either in law enforcement operations or by unknown killers.
It is unclear how "Tokhang" will be implemented against "left-leaning" personalities since being a leftist is not illegal.
The government has been equating activism and dissent with taking up arms against the government.
In its 2021 World Report entry on the Philippines, rights watchdog Human Rights Watch noted "leftist activists and human rights defenders were key targets of physical and online attacks."
"On August 17 (2020), unidentified gunmen shot dead Zara Alvarez, a legal worker for the human rights group Karapatan, in Bacolod City in the central Philippines. Alvarez’s killing came a week after peasant leader Randall Echanis was found dead, apparently tortured, in his home in Quezon City. Alvarez was the 13th Karapatan member killed during the Duterte administration."
Rights monitor Karapatan also tallied 328 extrajudicial killings of activists and rights workers between July 2016 and August 2020, according to its May-August 2020 monitor, its most recent report.
Cordillera police director Brig. Gen. R’Win Pagkalinawan, who co-chairs the RLECC with National Bureau of Investigation Cordillera regional director Hector Geologo said police officers are now undergoing special training to operationalize the "tokhang-style" campaign that will be implemented at the barangay level.
According to RLECC Resolution No. 4, series of 2021, police officers will be joined by church leaders and members, NGOs, and barangay officials for the "tokhang."
The plan of the RLECC members, according to Pagkalinawan, will be brought to the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) for their concurrence and adoption to convince LGUs to support the campaign.
The NUJP dubbed the resolution “anathema to democracy. Not only does it violate basic civil rights by arbitrarily judging people sans due process, it also poses a real danger to life and limb given the trail of bodies tokhang has left in the drug war,” the NUJP said in a statement. It called on the RLECC to junk it.
Under RLECC Resolution No. 4, series of 2021 signed by 45 government regional directors, government teams will visit so-called "left-leaning personalities," including government personnel and members of media, as part of counterinsurgency campaign.
“The latest resolution of the RLECC enjoining members of law enforcement agencies together with representatives of local government units to conduct tokhang to known "left-leaning" personalities in the government, media, and other entities is sending a chilling effect to the people who believe in the freedom of expression and who have still faith in democracy,” the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club (BCBC) said in a statement Thursday.
Among others, the BCBC said the intent of the resolution was unconstitutional.
In a separate statement, human rights alliance Karapatan pointed out that the “tokhang operations have been bloody, prompting relatives of victims to file a complaint before the International Criminal Court against President Duterte for crimes against humanity”.
On Thursday, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Cordillera Director Romel Daguimol withdrew his signature from the RLECC-CAR resolution.
“Insurgency must be addressed, but it must be done with human rights at its core,” he said in a statement.
“We continue to condemn terrorism, as well as the use of armed struggle to topple the government. But we continue to stand that activism is not a crime. Our people should be free to express legitimate dissent and grievances for the government to act on,” he added.
Daguimol said the resolution was “inconsistent” with the CHR’s official position.
“As an independent national human rights institution, it is best that CHR maintains its observer status in this and similar committees,” he said.
The BCBC said they, welcomed CHR director Daguimol’s withdrawal of his signature from the resolution and standing by the rights of the people of the freedom of expression.
“We appeal to the other signatories to do the same. May we appeal also to members of the Cordillera Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) to reject the RLECC resolution on Constitutional grounds.” (See Behind the Scenes in page 4 for complete text of BCBC statement).
"Tokhang", or "knock and plead", operations were launched in 2016 as the government began its "war on drugs."
As originally planned, police officers would go to people on their "narco-lists" to convince them to surrender and to go into drug rehabilitation problems.
"Tokhang" has since come to be associated with the deaths of "drug personalities" either in law enforcement operations or by unknown killers.
It is unclear how "Tokhang" will be implemented against "left-leaning" personalities since being a leftist is not illegal.
The government has been equating activism and dissent with taking up arms against the government.
In its 2021 World Report entry on the Philippines, rights watchdog Human Rights Watch noted "leftist activists and human rights defenders were key targets of physical and online attacks."
"On August 17 (2020), unidentified gunmen shot dead Zara Alvarez, a legal worker for the human rights group Karapatan, in Bacolod City in the central Philippines. Alvarez’s killing came a week after peasant leader Randall Echanis was found dead, apparently tortured, in his home in Quezon City. Alvarez was the 13th Karapatan member killed during the Duterte administration."
Rights monitor Karapatan also tallied 328 extrajudicial killings of activists and rights workers between July 2016 and August 2020, according to its May-August 2020 monitor, its most recent report.
Cordillera police director Brig. Gen. R’Win Pagkalinawan, who co-chairs the RLECC with National Bureau of Investigation Cordillera regional director Hector Geologo said police officers are now undergoing special training to operationalize the "tokhang-style" campaign that will be implemented at the barangay level.
According to RLECC Resolution No. 4, series of 2021, police officers will be joined by church leaders and members, NGOs, and barangay officials for the "tokhang."
The plan of the RLECC members, according to Pagkalinawan, will be brought to the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) for their concurrence and adoption to convince LGUs to support the campaign.
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