On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged presidential contender and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr to address alleged human rights violations in the Philippines, beginning with ending the Duterte administration’s drug campaign.
According to the incomplete and unofficial total of votes from 97.14 percent of the nationwide election returns (as published in the Comelec Transparency Server), BBM and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte are leading the presidential and vice-presidential races.
At 11:17 a.m., Marcos received 30,790,621 votes on Tuesday.
“Once in office, presumptive President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should take immediate and decisive action to improve the human rights situation in the Philippines. He should declare an end to the ‘war on drugs that has resulted in the extrajudicial killing of thousands of Filipinos, and order the impartial investigation and appropriate prosecution of officials responsible for these unlawful killings,” Phil Roberton, deputy Asia director for HRW, said.
“Marcos should publicly order the military, police, and other security forces to cease targeting activists, human rights defenders, and journalists for killing and other rights violations,” HRW said.
“He should end the practice of ‘red-tagging’ [or] accusing activists and government critics of being Communist fighters or supporters,” Roberton noted.
Human Rights Watch calls on Marcos to end the drug war, rights violations
HRW called on Marcos to “fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court investigation into allegations of ‘crimes against humanity’ implicating outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte and others” in the drug war.
“He should support the Philippines rejoining the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court” and “seek to reverse human rights violations by the Duterte administration, notably by dropping the charges against Senator Leila de Lima and ordering her release from detention,” Roberton added.
Former President Benigno Aquino III signed the Human Rights Reparation and Recognition Act in 2013. This law provided financial compensation to victims of human rights violations committed during the martial law imposed by the elder Marcos from 1972 to 1981 and up until his death on February 25, 1986.
The compensation for these victims came from Marcos cash seized from Swiss banks by the Philippine government and was based on the degree of their suffering at the time.
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