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OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
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O 080043Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6882
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/CDRUSPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 001910 
 
SIPDIS 
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PLS IGNORE ALL SECTION OF MANILA 1910 RETRANSMITTED IN ERROR THKS 
 
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SENSITIVE 
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FOR EAP/MTS, DRL, INL/AAE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL EAID RP
SUBJECT: PHILIPPINE POLICE SETS UP NEW HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE 
 
REF: A. MANILA 1702 
 
     ¶B. MANILA 599 
 
MANILA 00001910  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (U)  General German B. Doria, Officer-in-Charge of the 
Philippine National Police's new Human Rights Affairs Office 
(HRAO), on June 6 briefed Pol/C and U.S. Senior Law 
Enforcement Advisor on the role of this office, which PNP 
Director General Calderon had formally established only on 
April 18, 2007.  We were the first foreign diplomats to meet 
with him and to visit the new offices on the main PNP 
compound at Camp Crame.  He underscored that General Calderon 
had specifically chosen a one-star general equivalent to head 
the HRAO to demonstrate its importance. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  According to General Doria, an immediate priority 
of the HRAO will be to ensure the successful implementation 
-- with full respect for human rights -- of the Philippines' 
landmark counterterrorism legislation, the Human Security Act 
of 2007 (ref b).  Legislators had built into the bill a 
series of human rights protections -- with steep penalties 
against officials who violate basic civil or human rights -- 
and the HRAO will undertake training of the entire police 
corps to ensure that PNP personnel do not engage in any 
abuses that would lead to penalties coming out of the PNP 
budget.  PNP is now part of a 46-agency team that, under the 
leadership of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, 
is drafting the implementing regulations for the legislation, 
which formally will come into effect on July 14 (e.g. two 
months after the mid-term elections).  General Doria admitted 
the enormity of this task, and said he would rely heavily on 
"train the trainers" techniques, given that his entire staff 
will include no more than six officers (ideally, all lawyers) 
and eight other PNP personnel.  The HRAO has already 
organized one seminar, for the PNP's Special Action Force. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Over the longer term, the HRAO's mission will be 
both to provide policy advice on improving human rights 
respect within the PNP and to serve as an action office to 
ensure disciplinary action against those PNP personnel who 
violate the human rights of suspects and detainees.  He 
promised to obtain and share with Embassy statistics on how 
many PNP personnel had in recent years faced disciplinary 
action in such cases, especially "unnecessary use of force." 
He said that there had not been any actual dismissals on such 
charges, nor of physical abuse of detainees or use of 
torture, at least in recent memory.  He added that the HRAO 
also would also eventually provide training on legitimate 
techniques, including proper use of fire-arms. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  For cases in which PNP personnel may have been 
involved in unlawful killings of leftist activists or 
journalists, the HRAO plans to coordinate closely with the 
PNP's Task Force Usig to ensure full and fair investigations 
and to bring to justice any culprits from within the PNP. 
Noting the number of police superintendents already relieved 
of command over the past year for alleged complicity in such 
cases or for failure to provide adequate oversight (ref a), 
General Doria insisted that, even without dismissal, such 
disciplinary actions have a deep psychic toll on police 
commanders and also would forever remain a stain on their 
personnel records, thus making this an effective punishment 
and providing a strong incentive for local commanders to take 
every possible measure to avoid. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  General Doria promised that HRAO would also begin 
soon to organize regular seminars on human rights for new PNP 
officers at the National Police College and for enlisted 
personnel at the Philippine National Training Institute.  He 
noted that he had already received offers of assistance from 
the prestigious Ateneo de Manila Law Center, and will reach 
out next to other possible partners in the legal and human 
rights communities, including the Philippine Commission on 
Human Rights and the Armed Forces of the Philippines' new 
Human Rights Office. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Pol/C and Senior Law Enforcement Advisor 
underscored the USG's commitment to assisting the Philippine 
government and PNP better to protect and promote human rights 
generally, and, more specifically, to ensure that those 
involved in unlawful killings -- regardless of who they are 
-- face justice.  Our Senior Law Enforcement Advisor 
described ongoing INL-funded activities under the PNP's 
Transformation Program, all of which include human rights 
training.  He and General Doria agreed to meet again soon to 
review curriculum and determine future areas of coordination 
and assistance. 
 
 
Visit Embassy Manila's Classified SIPRNET website: 
 
MANILA 00001910  002 OF 002 
 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/ 
 
 
KENNEY