VZCZCXRO5728
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHML #2409/01 1990907
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 180907Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7470
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/CDRUSPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RUEAWJB/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 002409 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR DRL, EAP/MTS, EAP/RSP 
PASS TO USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KCRM RP
SUBJECT: SUPREME COURT "SUMMIT" ON UNLAWFUL KILLINGS 
 
REF: A. MANILA 2349 
 
     ¶B. MANILA 2262 
     ¶C. MANILA 2120 
     ¶D. MANILA 1704 
     ¶E. MANILA 1702 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Supreme Court Chief Justice Puno chaired a 
"summit" July 16-17 with approximately 250 government and NGO 
leaders to explore new options to combat the continuing 
unlawful killings.  Speakers from Congress, academia, the 
legal community, law enforcement, the military, and NGOs 
proposed various solutions on how the government could better 
address this problem.  A final report, with formal 
recommendations, will not be available until the week of July 
23, but key concerns including strengthening the Commission 
on Human Rights and the Witness Protection Program.  USAID, 
the Hanns Seidel Foundation, the Asia Foundation, and the UN 
Development Program provided partial funding for the event, 
at which emboffs were observers.  USAID plans to award 
approximately $1 million in grants by the end of FY 2007 to 
strengthen human rights protections, including assistance to 
the Commission on Human Rights. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U)  Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno opened the 
"National Consultative Summit on Extrajudicial Killings and 
Enforced Disappearances" on July 16 with a plea to newly 
elected Congressmen to make unlawful political killings a 
higher priority on the legislative agenda, and not merely 
criticize the Executive Branch for inaction but more 
helpfully propose concrete solutions and reforms.  Speakers 
included retired Supreme Court Justice Melo, Commission on 
Human Rights Chairwoman Quisumbing, Philippine National 
Police Director General Calderon, and Armed Forces of the 
Philippines Chief of Staff General Esperon.  Each Supreme 
Court justice chaired a working group on the second day to 
explore specific recommendations to government on how better 
to address to the problem. 
 
¶3. (U)  Informal recommendations were wide-ranging, but key 
issues included: 
- expanding the legal mandate of the Commission on Human 
Rights to include investigative and prosecutorial functions; 
- strengthening the Department of Justice's Witness 
Protection Program with an increased budget and improved 
operations; 
- allowing private prosecutors from NGOs and other legal 
groups to help prosecute cases (as in trafficking in persons 
cases); 
- allowing witnesses to testify using closed circuit 
televisions (as currently for child witnesses in various 
cases), to encourage greater willingness to cooperate; 
- encouraging changes of trial venue for safety reasons; 
- improving police/prosecutor cooperation under a new 
Administrative Order (ref a); 
- requiring continuous trials (which the Supreme Court has 
already mandated, in principle); 
- reviewing the Rules of Court to examine other ways to 
expedite cases; 
- offering specialized training for judges at the designated 
courts; 
- expanding the role and legal mandate of the Ombudsman 
better to handle such cases allegedly committed by government 
officials; 
- reviving the government's peace talks with Communist Party 
of the Philippines and the New People's Army; 
- reviewing the doctrine of "command responsibility" and its 
applicability to these cases. 
 
¶4. (U)  The final report and recommendations will not be 
available until the week of July 23, according to 
Court officials.  The Chief Justice vowed to forward these 
documents directly to President Arroyo, as well as to the new 
leadership in the Senate and the House of Representatives for 
consideration and possible action.  Puno also designated the 
Supreme Court's Committee on the Revisions of the Rules of 
Court to review the Summit's proposals regarding judicial 
operations and in turn make formal recommendations to the 
Court justices. 
 
¶5. (SBU)  Comment: Most of the recommendations from the 
Summit are not new; however, the Supreme Court's initiative 
to organize this forum helped highlight these issues on the 
national agenda.  Embassy's Law Enforcement Working Group 
will continue to look for additional ways the USG might be of 
assistance.  USAID plans to award approximately $1 million in 
grants by the end of FY 2007 to strengthen human rights 
protections, including assistance to the Commission on Human 
 
MANILA 00002409  002 OF 002 
 
 
Rights.   USAID provided some funding for this summit, along 
with the Hanns Seidel Foundation, the Asia Foundation, and 
the UN Development Program, while emboffs participated as 
observers at the invitation of the Court. 
 
Visit Embassy Manila's Classified SIPRNET website: 
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