VZCZCXRO6198
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHML #1702/01 1440822
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 240822Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6642
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/CDRUSPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 001702 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV RP
SUBJECT: PHILIPPINE POLICE, MILITARY CONTINUE EFFORTS 
AGAINST UNLAWFUL KILLINGS 
 
REF: A. MANILA 855 
     ¶B. MANILA 777 
     ¶C. MANILA 458 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Summary.  Police continue to file new cases 
against suspects in unlawful killings, leading already to 
several arrests and ongoing prosecutions, in addition to four 
earlier convictions.  The Armed Forces launched two dozen 
inquiries into alleged involvement by military personnel in 
some cases.  President Arroyo plans soon to sign an Executive 
Order mandating police/prosecution cooperation in order to 
improve chances of successful convictions in cases of 
unlawful murders and other crimes.  A European Union 
delegation in June will examine possibility for future 
assistance against unlawful killings.  Embassy officials 
continue to highlight both U.S. concern for such crimes as 
well as our desire to find additional ways to help the 
Philippines combat this problem.  End Summary. 
 
Police investigations 
--------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Philippine National Police (PNP) Task Force Usig 
Commander Geary Barias on May 22 provided an update to Pol/C 
on efforts to bring to justice those involved in unlawful 
killings of leftist activists and journalists (ref c).  Key 
accomplishments in recent months regarding 116 killings of 
leftists and 27 killings of journalists from 2001 to the 
present have been: 
--  filing of two more cases related to leftist killings, 
bringing the total of cases in which police have filed 
charges to 52, along with 21 cases related to killings of 
journalists; 
--  investigations continue on another 64 leftist killings 
and on five journalist killings; 
--  two more arrests of suspects in leftist killings, 
bringing the total to twelve suspects in jail in nine 
different cases; 
--  eighteen suspects currently in detention in journalist 
killings awaiting trial, with another four already convicted, 
and one suspect released on bail; 
--  filing of charges in five of the six cases of leftist 
killings with "military elements" as suspects (with one 
arrest and one surrendered suspect already), as well as 
charges in two of five other cases in which suspects were 
"military assets" (leading to one arrest already); and, 
--  an additional three police superintendents have been 
relieved of command (in Misamis Oriental, Iloilo, and Quezon 
provinces) for suspected involvement in or failure adequately 
to pursue cases of unlawful killings, in addition to four 
others relieved of command earlier (in Laguna, Albay, 
Sorsogon and Kalinga provinces). 
 
¶3.  (U)  The PNP has now set up its own internal Human Rights 
Committee, with specific responsibility to investigate cases 
in which police are suspects in killings of leftists or 
journalists.  It also provides human rights training.  Pol/C 
and the U.S. Senior Law Enforcement Advisor will meet wih 
its commander during the week of May 28 to detrmine ways in 
which the U.S. Embassy might be ofassistance. 
 
¶4.  (U) Task Force Usig statistics ndicate that there have 
in 2007 so far been fourkillings of leftist activists and 
one of a journalist, compared to 39 and 2, respectively, for 
¶2006.  General Barias said that President Arroyo recently had 
ordered that the PNP resolve at least 20 more cases before 
the end of the year, a target that he predicted Task Force 
Usig would meet or exceed. 
 
Military efforts 
---------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  In a separate meeting on May 21, Lt. Col. 
Benedicto M. Jose, Chief of the Armed Forces of the 
Philippines' (AFP) four-month old Human Rights Office (HRO), 
briefed Pol/C on latest efforts.  The HRO has already 
launched 24 "inquiries" into unlawful killings with alleged 
involvement of AFP personnel.  The current focus is primarily 
on cases that took place in 2006 or 2007, especially related 
to unusual concentrations of cases in northern Luzon and 
Bicol regions.  Initial responses from commanders in the 
field tentatively ruled out complicity by AFP personnel in 
most cases, and often assigned blame to elements of the New 
People's Army (NPA) or declared that the deaths took place 
during military operations against the NPA.  In a few cases, 
the commanders were able to refute that the alleged killings 
took place at all, citing inaccurate media reporting.  Lt. 
Col. Jose said that he would strengthen the HRO's 
investigatory cooperation with not only the AFP's Offices of 
 
MANILA 00001702  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
the Provost Marshal General, Inspector General (where a U.S. 
Subject Matter Expert under the Philippine Defense Reform is 
already working), and Judge Advocate General, but also with 
the Philippine Commission on Human Rights.  He noted that the 
HRO is in close and regular consultation with the 
Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC), chaired by 
Malacanang's Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita (a retired 
AFP general who once served as AFP Vice Chief of Staff and 
also as Secretary of National Defense). 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  In addition to the HRO's ongoing inquiries, Lt. 
Col. Jose confirmed that there are currently five cases filed 
in court against regular AFP members (four involving leftist 
killings and one of a journalist), along with two cases 
against suspected military assets.  Four cases against 
regular AFP members are still under police investigation, 
along with police investigations against two AFP units.  In 
eight other cases allegedly involving AFP personnel or 
assets, either the Department of Justice had already 
dismissed charges or the individuals had been acquitted.  He 
provided details about these individuals and the 
circumstances of the various criminal cases. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  According to Lt. Col. Jose, the AFP HRO's longer 
term goals, subject to funding (possibly including from 
foreign donors), would be to: 
--  recruit AFP reservists who are lawyers to help with 
investigations; 
--  require re-registration and ballistics checks for all 
AFP-issued firearms for later cross-checks with crime scenes; 
--  develop AFP forensics capabilities; and, 
--  create a separate and dedicated military police unit 
within the AFP, which would be independent and specialized in 
investigations and detentions. 
 
Malacanang role 
--------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  The Presidential Human Rights Committee is 
finalizing a draft Executive Order that would mandate 
police/prosecutor cooperation from the outset of a crime in 
an effort to ensure more successful prosecutions and 
convictions of a wide variety of crimes, but targeted 
explicitly in the short term on unlawful killings.  According 
to Executive Director Cecilia Quisumbing, PHRC chairman 
Ermita ordered that the Philippine Department of Justice 
finalize its review of the contents by May 31.  She said that 
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as well as Justice 
Secretary Raul Gonzales had already indicated their strong 
 
SIPDIS 
support for this new measure, and that the President hoped to 
sign the E.O. in June 2007.  This measure would implement the 
kind of cooperation between investigators and prosecutors 
that U.S. experts had advocated in a recent INL-funded 
seminar (septel), Ms. Quisumbing noted. 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  A European Union delegation will visit the 
Philippines in mid-to-late June to examine the problem of 
unlawful killings and determine possible new training and 
other assistance, according to Ms. Quisumbing.  She added 
that she was chairing a series of meetings for relevant 
Philippine agencies -- including Foreign Affairs, Interior 
and Local Government, Justice, PNP, AFP, and the Supreme 
Court -- to ensure that their proposals and suggestions were 
comprehensive and relevant. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU)  Embassy officials from the Ambassador on down 
continue publicly and privately to highlight U.S. concern 
about unlawful killings (as well as other political violence, 
as during the recent election campaign season) and to seek 
additional ways the USG could provide assistance to the 
Philippine Government in combating these human rights abuses. 
 The Embassy's Public Affairs team, Law Enforcement Working 
Group, and Political/Military Working Group, as well as the 
U.S. Senior Law Enforcement Advisor and his staff, remain 
seized with the issue, and will sustain or expand our efforts 
while promoting greater cooperation with Philippine 
authorities. 
 
Visit Embassy Manila's Classified website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm 
KENNEY