19 AFP lawyers trained
to apply the rules of war while providing legal advice
|
AFP
Chief of International Law and Special Projects Col. Vener
Malabanan III, Office of the Judge Advocate General (first row,
fourth from left), head of ICRC legal team Kelisiana Thynne
(first row, centre) and armed forces delegate of the ICRC
Ricardo Lucero Jr. (far right) and other ICRC staff with the 19
newly appointed second lieutenants of the Judge Advocate General
Service. (Photo: L. Arada, ICRC) |
By
ICRC
November 24, 2023
MANILA – Nineteen newly
recruited officers of the Judge Advocate General Service (JAGS), the
legal counsels of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP),
underwent a three-week training on international humanitarian law (IHL)
or the law of armed conflict.
Brig. Gen. Erwin Victoriano Machica III, Judge Advocate General,
requested the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to
conduct the training, held from 6 to 24 November 2023, at Camp
Aguinaldo in Quezon City. Those trained form the first batch to be
sent to operational units to provide legal advice on the conduct of
hostilities. Previously, JAGS officers were responsible for
discipline and administration in AFP.
The course touched on pressing topics such as general principles of
IHL regarding the regulation of weapons, detention during armed
conflicts, protection of health care and the natural environment,
domestic law on IHL and the law of naval warfare among others.
“The training aimed to ensure that participants understand the
ICRC’s humanitarian mandate and role in ensuring the rules of war
are respected, that they know what IHL is, can give advice on the
basic principles on the conduct of hostilities and that they
understand related domestic laws,” said Kelisiana Thynne, head of
the ICRC’s legal department in the Philippines.
Resource person Judge Samina Sampaco Macabando-Usman, an IHL trainer
from the Department of Justice, briefed participants about Republic
Act 9851 which penalizes crimes against IHL, genocide and other
crimes against humanity. Sessions also included role plays where
JAGS members drafted rules of engagement or standard operating
procedures for certain scenarios.
Training on management of deceased in emergencies also held
Meanwhile, a separate training session on forensics was also
organized for 21 AFP officers and staff on 15 and 16 November 2023
in Makati City. The training focused on general principles regarding
the protection and management of the deceased in emergencies,
especially during land and maritime conflicts, as well as the ICRC’s
work in the Philippines and its role in humanitarian forensics.
The ICRC discussed internationally accepted standards for the
documentation, recovery, transport, temporary burial or storage of
the deceased, and coordination with the parties concerned. AFP
officers and ICRC officials exchanged best practices and discussed
common challenges in the protection and management of the deceased.
The AFP and the ICRC also explored ways in which they can cooperate
in the future, such as for capacity-building activities.
The workshop aims to pave the way for more strategic cooperation at
the national level.
Prior to the event, the ICRC supported one AFP officer in 2022 to
attend an international course on the protection and management of
the deceased in Pakistan. Another AFP official will soon attend the
same course in December 2023. Material support will also be given
next week to the AFP, through the donation of 200 body bags.
The training sessions are in line with the memorandum of
understanding signed between AFP and the ICRC in 2021 to enhance the
two institutions’ cooperation in the effective implementation of IHL,
and its integration into military teaching, systems and processes.
