THE MEASURES MEASURED REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL VERIFICATION AND FACT FINDING MISSION (IVFFM) ON ATTACKS AGAINST LAWYERS AND JUDGES IN THE PHILIPPINES 4-12 November 2008 Released by the Dutch Foundation Lawyers for Lawyers on 4 June 2009. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................... 2 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................................... 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... 5 1. INTERNATIONAL VERIFICATION & FACT FINDING MISSION (IVFFM) ON THE ATTACKS AGAINST FILIPINO LAWYERS AND JUDGES ......................................................................... 12 1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 12 1.2 Composition of Delegation .................................................................................... 16 1.3 Purpose of Mission ................................................................................................ 16 1.4 Method of Working ............................................................................................... 17 1.5 Media Coverage .................................................................................................... 17 2. EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS IN THE PHILIPPINES ....................................................... 19 2.1 Political context .................................................................................................... 19 2.2 Extrajudicial killings during the Arroyo administration .............................................. 19 2.3 Main findings on extrajudicial killings since 2006 ..................................................... 20 2.3.1 The number of extrajudicial killings ................................................................. 20 2.3.2 The various elements of extrajudicial killings ................................................... 21 2.3.3 The reason for the extrajudicial killings ........................................................... 25 2.3.4 Capacity and opportunity to commit the extrajudicial killings ............................ 26 2.3.5 The underlying causes of the extrajudicial killings ............................................ 27 2.3.5.1 The government’s counter-insurgency strategy............................................. 27 2.3.5.2 Culture of impunity ..................................................................................... 30 2.3.5.3 Military involvement in politics ..................................................................... 30 2.3.6 Legal Context ................................................................................................ 31 2.3.7 Command responsibility ................................................................................. 32 2.3.7.1 Major General Palparan ............................................................................... 32 2.3.8 Recommendations ......................................................................................... 33 2.4 Policy responses ................................................................................................... 33 2.4.1 Government’s position .................................................................................... 33 2.4.2 Government’s measures to address extrajudicial killings ................................... 35 2.4.3 Universal Period Review (UPR) ........................................................................ 36 2.5 Measures of the Judiciary ...................................................................................... 38 3. MEASURES TO STOP EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS: EFFECTIVE? .................................... 39 3.1. Scope of the investigation .................................................................................. 39 3.2. Extrajudicial killings of lawyers and judges .......................................................... 40 3.2.1 Recognition of problem by the authorities........................................................ 40 3.2.2 The way of addressing these killings ............................................................... 40 3.2.3 Are the protection and safety measures effective? ........................................... 43 3.2.4 Labelling, surveillance and threats of lawyers and judges still continue .............. 46 3.2.5 Law offices under surveillance ........................................................................ 52 The Measures Measured – IVFFM 2 3.2.6 No adequate action by the authorities ............................................................. 55 3.2.7 Can lawyers and judges still practice law? ....................................................... 55 3.3 The impact of the Melo Commission....................................................................... 59 3.3.1 Recognition of the problem of extrajudicial killings in a wider context ................ 59 3.3.2 The impact of the Melo Commission on extrajudicial killings of lawyers and judges 61 3.3.3 Public opinion ................................................................................................ 66 3.4 Impact of measures on the number of killings ........................................................ 72 3.4.1 Drop of extrajudicial killings? ......................................................................... 73 3.4.2 The killings of lawyers and judges still continue ............................................... 73 3.4.3 Other forms of harassment: fabricated charges ............................................... 75 3.4.4 Government’s record of convictions ................................................................. 81 3.5 Status of cases that were already investigated in 2006 ........................................... 82 3.6 Reasons for drop in killings ................................................................................... 86 3.7 Political will / Lack of trust ..................................................................................... 88 3.8 Writ of Amparo ..................................................................................................... 90 3.9 What should be done to improve the situation? ...................................................... 92 4. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................. 95 5. RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................... 99 LIST OF ANNEXES ............................................................................................................. 101 LIST OF SOURCES ............................................................................................................ 102 The Measures Measured – IVFFM 3 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AFP Armed Forces of the Philippines CARHRIHL Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law CBCP Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines CHR Commission on Human Rights CODAL Counsels for the Defense of Liberties CPP Communist Party of the Philippines CSPS Court Security and Protective Service CTUHR Center for Trade Union and Human Rights DILG Department of the Interior and Local Government DoJ Department of Justice FLAG Free Legal Assistance Group HRW Human Rights Watch IALAG Inter-Agency Legal Action Group IBP Integrated Bar of the Philippines ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights IFFM International Fact Finding Mission on the Attacks against Filipino Lawyers 2006 IVFFM International Verification and Fact Finding Mission on the Attacks against Filipino Lawyers 2008 JAG Judge Advocate General JFA Judges Foundation Association JMC Joint Monitoring Committee KMP Philippine peasant organization MILF Moro Islamic Liberation Front NBI National Bureau of Investigation NDFP National Democratic Front of the Philippines NPA New People’s Army NUPL National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers OBL Oplan Bantan Laya OCA Office of the Court Administrator PAHRA Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates PAO Public Attorneys’ Office PCIJ Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism PILC Public Interest Law Center PLACE Pro-Labor Legal Assistance Center PNP Philippine National Police TFDP Task Force Detainees of the Philippines TFJP Task Force Judiciary Protection TWG Technical Working Group UPR Universal Periodic Review The Measures Measured – IVFFM 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In November 2008, the Dutch Lawyers for Lawyers Foundation ( L4L ) sent a team of eight judges and lawyers from Belgium and the Netherlands to the Philippines to look into the killing and harassment of their Filipino colleagues. The International Verification & Fact Finding Mission (IVFFM) is a continuation of the first mission sent over by L4L to the Philippines in June 2006. Purpose of Mission The main purpose of the IVFFM was to look into the effectiveness of the government’s measures, especially those in response of the Melo Commission’s recommendations. The investigation of the IVFFM focused on members of the legal profession and the question whether their position in practicing law has improved, in particular since its previous mission in 2006. The IVFFM investigated the impact of the measures by the government on the threats and attacks against and the extrajudicial killings of lawyers and judges as well as the progress made in the investigations