Philippines: Make Compensation Act a Christmas Gift to Martial Law Victims — Nene

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Nene” Q. Pimentel,
Jr. (PDP-Laban) today expressed the hope that the
Human Rights Compensation Act will be finally approved
by the 14th Congress before its year-end adjournment
as the government’s Christmas gift to some 10,000
victims of martial law atrocities.

The Senate approved on second reading Wednesday (Nov.
21) Senate Bill 1532 indemnifying the victims of human
rights violations during the Marcos authoritarian rule
from a P10 billion fund to be taken from the Marcos
bank deposits recovered from Switzerland.

Pimentel, who sponsored the bill as its principal
author, said it is very distressing and shameful on
the part of the State that its commitment to indemnify
the human rights victims remains unfulfilled more than
21 years after the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolt which
freed the nation from a repressive regime.

The opposition lawmaker noted that the Arroyo
administration was rebuked in a United Nations report
presented last month by UN special rapporteur Philip
Alston for failing to compensate the human rights
victims as ordered by the courts.

He said it is an unconscionable act of neglect that
the victims are still waiting for the promised
compensation – meant to rectify the sufferings and
injustice inflicted on them – four years after the
$383 million Marcos bank deposits in Switzerland which
were plundered from the national economy – were turned
over to the Philippine government.

Many of the qualified victims have already died from
old age and ailments without receiving state aid while
many others are in the twilight of their years, still
hoping that they will receive the long-delayed
compensation to sustain their basic needs, including
medicines.

“With the approval of this Act, we hope this will
mitigate the sufferings that they had undergone during
those parlous days.”

Pimentel said there is every reason for the Arroyo
administration to give priority attention to the grant
of compensation to the victims in keeping with its
much-vaunted commitment to promote and protect human
rights.

“The bill acknowledges that compensation for victims
of human rights violations is an obligation of the
State. After all, it is the State that guarantees the
civil and political rights of its citizens.”

Certified by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as
urgent, the bill had already been approved on third
and final reading by the Senate and House of
Representatives during the 13th Congress. During the
last three days of session of the 13th Congress, the
Senate ratified the consolidated version of the bill,
but the House was unable to do so for vague and
mysterious reasons.