NCCP to US
Congress: Pass the PH Human Rights Act now
Press Release
June 26, 2021
QUEZON CITY – The
National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) an
aggrupation of Protestant and Non-Roman Catholic Churches commends
and welcomes the reintroduction of the Philippine Human Rights Act (PHRA)
to the US Congress last June 17, 2021, by US Representative Susan
Wild of Pennsylvania. This bill seeks to intervene in the massive
and intensifying human rights violations in the country under
President Duterte’s administration.
“The reintroduction of the
PHRA gives hope to the Filipino people whose rights and lives have
been ferociously trampled upon by state security forces. We believe
that the international community has been vigilantly keeping watch
to the bleak human rights situation in the country and we thank
churches and human rights organizations in the US for their
determined lobbying”, said Bishop Reuel Norman O. Marigza, the
General Secretary of the NCCP. He added that such vigilance to walk
alongside the suffering Filipino people is a concrete manifestation
of “bearing witness with us, of love and justice in action, which is
the hallmark of Christian living”.
The PHRA aims to block
security assistance and funding to the Philippines until President
Duterte’s administration made the necessary reforms to its military
and police forces. NCCP hopes this will help in improving the human
rights condition in the country. If passed, the PHRA will prevent
the sale of arms to the Philippines worth two billion dollars. The
sale includes attack helicopters and the additional 126 million
dollars worth of assault boats and armaments.
“This Act has been a
direct result of tireless work and lobbying efforts of our allies
and partners in the US, the churches and grassroots people’s
organizations, Filipino-American activists and rights defenders who
have been working along our side to push for reforms. This is a
concrete example of solidarity work being built and strengthened by
movement-building, and this movement from the ground up can be a
very powerful tool for impacting change” Bishop Marigza added.
We express gratitude to
Rep. Wild and to the 13 honorable members of the legislative body
who co-sponsors the H.R. 3884,” the bishop said. “We pray and call
that this Bill be passed without delay in the US Congress. This
critical bill can spell life and death for many who are made
vulnerable by the policies and actions of the Duterte government,
particularly the economically poor and human rights activists.
Indeed, acts of solidarity can go a long way”, Bishop Marigza
concluded.
