BY SHAY CULLEN
AS MANY as 281 environmental and justice and human rights advocates have been killed and these human rights violations are ignored by the powerful ruling elite. The Filipino rich elite expect honor, prestige and respect from the international business and political community but they are living in a fantasy world. They are likely to be despised instead for allowing the gross violation of human rights and the killing of the brave Filipinos trying to bring justice to the indigenous peoples.
President Joseph Biden, a Catholic, placed the defense of human rights at the center of his administration and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “The United States is committed to a world in which human rights are protected, their defenders are celebrated, and those who commit human rights abuses are held accountable…”
Yet, it is the United States that is providing the weapons and bullets to the Philippine Army to kill their own citizens, their own youth, their own people who are defending the last of the forests and the rights of the poor and marginalized people. These are the very people that the military swore to defend.
The United States stated in June 2023 that the Joe Biden administration would sell US$2.5 million worth of military weapons to the Philippines. The American military contractors of the arms industry will benefit and become donors to and support the reelection of President Biden.
Weapons and bombs for Ukraine and Israel will win more friends. For sure, that US$2.5 billion arms sales to the Philippines would be borrowed by the Philippines from US banks and paid to the US arms industry. That will place the Philippines firmly in the control of the United States who will hold the Philippines in debt bondage so that the Philippine rulers, politicians and business elites will always do the bidding of the United States and allow the US military to continue to occupy nine and even more Philippine bases.
The United States should act to pressure the Philippine military to stop the killings and murders of human rights defenders using American-supplied weapons. That is a violation of US law if it is shown that the weapons are used to kill civilians. More weapons cannot be supplied or sold to the nation violating human rights.
The United States military or President Joe Biden nor do the Philippine generals want to be associated with the abuse and violations of human rights by rogue Filipino troops. We appeal to the good senior Philippine army officers of integrity with a conscience that believe in moral values to use your command-and-control authority to stop the killings.
You are answerable to God, country and your children not to allow the killings of young advocates. If there are suspects of wrong-doing, bring them to a court of law, present evidence and let the judge decide. Justice and the rule of law must prevail. (preda.org)/PN
