Political killings continue in the Philippines

The U.S.-backed Philippine military has been waging a “dirty war” against leftists. Even the liberal, often pro-imperialist

group Human Rights Watch recently added its voice to the chorus of organizations denouncing political killings in the Philippines on June 28.

Local human rights group Karapatan has reported over 800 killings and another 200 abductions since President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo came to power in 2001.

Following a cynical display of concern for human rights by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita before a European delegation, the BAYAN coalition in the Philippines stated that the government’s all-out war against leftists should not be reviewed but rather abandoned.

The United States provides military aid to the strategically important archipelago and conducts joint military “exercises” where the number of U.S. “trainers” largely exceeds the number of Filipino trainees.