First-hand Account on the US Senate Hearing
by the Ecumenical Voice for Peace and Human Rights in the Philippines
March 15, 2007

We are the Ecumenical Voice for Peace and Human Rights in the Philippines, a delegation of Roman Catholic and Protestant bishops and clergy, Christian and Muslim human rights defenders all working for the defense and promotion of human rights in our country. We brought with us the document released by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines called "'Let the Stones Cry Out': An Ecumenical Report on Human Rights in the Philippines and A Call to Action".

Our church partners, countrymen and women and overseas friends in the US have raised deep concern over the human rights crisis in the Philippines. They have invited us to visit the United States to talk with ecumenical leaders, legislators, government officials, faith communities in the hope of deepening their awareness about the extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and other forms of political repression obtaining in our country today.

Taking off from the testimonies and the report we presented, our partners spoke to some members of the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Foreign Relation Committee of the Senate and the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives.

They asked for a review of the policies on development and military assistance of the George Bush administration as to whether such policies exacerbate instead of reduce social and economic inequities or aggravate rather than stop the prevalent violations of human rights.

We believe that the alarming spate of killings under the present dispensation in the Philippines must be raised internationally because the government is required to comply with its obligations under international law and rescind its national security program which has the effect of legitimizing the killing of innocent civilians.

We had briefings in the State Department, and the House of Representatives, but you are most interested in the Senate hearing conducted on March 14, at 2:30pm (Washington time).

The Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee heard the following testimonies:

She accepted the 1st three calls submitted by the delegation through Bishop Pascua; commended these by saying " these hit it right on the head" and actually asked him to repeat the calls for the record.

She admonished the Philippine government for sending military and police officials to the hearing and did not allow them to enter the hearing; said "you do not send military and police officials to intimidate the witnesses

She also said that given the large military assistance to the Philippines, these should not be used for extrajudicial killing but instead "we should tie some strings around military aid". Also mentioned that her constituents are complaining about the use of government funds to kill people in the Philippines. "It is important that we don't have blood in our hands," she said.

She also mentioned we do not want to train the to kill their own people or commit human rights violations after the Deputy Assistant Secretary Eric John mentioned that the US State Department has been providing training to Philippine soldiers

Aside from the above opinions, she stated the following: