Impeach Gloria grounds also major UN concern

By Michaela del Callar

12/04/2008

What President Arroyo’s allies in the House of Representatives recently threw out as unsubs-tantiated allegations in the impeachment case against her, the United Nations (UN) recently expressed its concern about the very same charges.

The UN said widespread corruption in the country, the persistence of extra-judicial killings, poverty and other social problems of the country all need immediate attention from the Arroyo government.

In a report released last Nov. 24 during the 41st session of the UN Economic and Social Council (EcoSoc) in Geneva, Switzerland, the UN agency noted that despite the efforts undertaken by the country to curb corruption and the establishment of an anti-corruption court, the phenomenon continues to be widespread.

EcoSoc said Manila should intensify its efforts to prosecute cases of corruption and review its sentencing policy for corruption-related offenses.

It recommended that police and other law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges must be trained on the strict application of anti-corruption laws, conduct

of public authorities, in law and in practice.

It also said that it remains concerned about reports that forced disappearances and extra-judicial killings of trade union activists, indigenous leaders, peasant activists advocating for the implementation of the agrarian reform and human rights defenders engaged in defending the economic, social and cultural rights of their communities continue to occur.

“The committee is particularly concerned about the limited progress made by the state party in investigating cases of forced disappearances and extra-judicial killings and in prosecuting the perpetrators of these crimes,” the report said.

It called on the government to ensure that all alleged cases of forced disappearances and extra-judicial killings are “promptly and thoroughly investigated, and that alleged perpetrators are prosecuted and appropriately punished, if found guilty.”

The UN also cited the adverse effects of economic activities connected with the exploitation of natural resources, especially mining operations, carried out in indigenous territories and its effect on the right of indigenous peoples to their ancestral domains, lands and natural resources, as recognized in the 1997 Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA).

EcoSoc noted the “conflict of laws” between the 1995 Mining Act and IPRA, particularly section 56 of the IPRA, which provides for the protection of property rights already existing within the ancestral domains.

Persistent high unemployment and underemployment rates in the Philippines also remain a problem, the EcoSoc observed amid the government’s pronouncements that millions of jobs have been created and that the economy remains buoyant.

It said the government should allocate sufficient funds for the implementation of its poverty eradication strategy, and ensure the full integration of economic, social and cultural rights.

It lamented that in spite of the high rate of economic growth achieved in recent years, the percentage of persons living below the official poverty line in the Philippines has actually increased to an estimated 36 per cent of the population in 2007.

EcoSoc also noted with concern the wide regional disparities between the National Capital Region and the poorest regions of the country, particularly the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, and the significant inequalities in income distribution, especially between urban areas and poor rural areas.

It added that the low levels of minimum wages, particularly in the agricultural sector, are insufficient to provide an adequate standard of living for workers and their families.

“The Committee is also concerned that the minimum wage legislation does not apply in some important sectors, including government employment and export-oriented and labour-intensive manufacturing, and that its enforcement is made difficult especially by the shortage of labor inspectors, the report said.

The UN organ also urged the government to address the poor education system, protection of women migrant workers, human trafficking, child labor, access to housing and healthcare, and protection of sexual and reproductive rights of women.

EcoSoc is the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to UN members.

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