In a statement in time for its 41st anniversary on Dec. 26, the Communist Party of the Philippines said: “The NPA can take the initiative of developing armed city partisan warfare and launching special operations against enemy facilities and antipeople enterprises in order to force the enemy forces to go on guard duty and put more of its troops on the defensive. The movement of enemy units can be hampered by sapper operations, mine warfare, sniping and other small team operations. These appear to be mere pinpricks but have far reaching demoralizing effects on enemy troops.”

At least 68 journalists worldwide were killed for their work in 2009, the highest yearly tally ever documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the organization said in its year-end analysis. The record toll was driven in large part by the election-related slaughter of more than 30 media workers in the Philippine province of Maguindanao, the deadliest event for the press in CPJ history.

“Consciously put in place protections for human rights during martial law in Maguindanao,” the independent Commission on Human Rights urged the government including the military during International Human Rights Day (10 December).

CHR chair Leila de Lima: “In spite of the scale of efforts to directly or indirectly curb corruption, we come face to face with the realization that the breadth of the problem is not only significantly larger than the efforts against it, but corrupt practice has enjoyed a longevity and permanent entrenchment that requires nothing short of a society-wide transformation. Nothing illustrates the breadth of the issue more completely than the very issue occupying the most of the front page news – the Maguindanao Massacre. Maguindanao and the entrenchment of its political elite expounds the pervasiveness of a culture subservient to corruption across all stakeholders, from local and national duty-bearers, to an entire provincial population of rights-holders.”

December 10, 2009 — In his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech today, President Barack Obama urged the global community to intervene early, and work together, in responding to mass atrocities. “The closer we stand together, the less likely we will be faced with the choice between armed intervention and complicity in oppression,” he said.
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The fundamental principles of legality and due process have been abandoned, with security forces having unprecedented powers given by the head of state under this martial law.

The declaration of a state of Martial Law in Maguindanao sets a most dangerous precedent for the nation. Not since September 21, 1972 has there been any declaration of Martial Law, not even during the years of tumult under the Aquino, Estrada and, prior to this, the Arroyo regime. For the first time since 1972, the writ of habeas corpus has been suspended in an area in the Philippines.

The NUPL’s Committee for the Protection and Welfare of Lawyers said that the death of Attys. Brizuela and Oquendo brings the total number of lawyers and judges killed to 24 and 15, respectively, since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed power in 2001.

“If President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo thinks that she would continue to remain immune from suit by being a member of the House of Representatives in 2010, the president is dreaming,” human rights law group National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said.

The brutal killing of 57 people in Maguindanao, including some 30 journalists, should be seen as a watershed moment for the Philippines, according to two United Nations human rights experts.

On December 3, 1984, twenty-seven tons of lethal pesticide fumes leaked from Union Carbide’s factory in Bhopal, India. The leak immediately killed about 8,000 people and injured more than 500,000. Tens of thousands have died from the toxic exposure in the years since, and the death toll continues to rise as a result [...]

PCCI believes that further discussion or debate on this issue will just exacerbate, if not derail the current efforts by both the government and private sector in concretely addressing the challenges of the global recession and allowing the economy to function effectively for the benefit of our citizenry.

The November 23 Movement and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) invite you to take part in the International Day of Action against Impunity, a collective expression of outrage against the killings of journalists and innocent civilians in Maguindanao and the call for justice for all victims.

Commission on Human Rights: “Now that the people have done their part, it is our turn to do ours. It is the government’s turn to vindicate our people’s faith in our institutions, in our Constitution and laws.”