Withdrawal of US assistance hampers PNP opn
By J.Lo
“It is very unfortunate that congresswoman in US introduced an amendment in their National Defense Act due to questions about human rights,” PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said PNP hopes that an amendment passed by United States House of Representatives limiting US assistance to the police organization will be reconsidered.
In a press conference, Fajardo said police organization will address the matter through diplomatic channels.
“Hopefully, they would reconsider para naman po for the benefit of both countries also,” she stressed.
On July 14, US lawmakers agreed to include an amendment seeking to stop US assistance to PNP in proposed National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 “until series of human rights requirements are met.”
In her remarks on the House floor, Pennsylvania Congresswoman Susan Wild, who introduced the amendment, said US taxes should not be used to supply weapons, training, and other forms of assistance to Philippine state security forces over “violent” human rights violations.
“After an estimated 30,000 extrajudicial killings in the Philippines between 2016 and today, after assassinations, arbitrary arrests, torture, and red-tagging of labor organizers and oppositions leaders, after former President Rodrigo Duterte’s calls for assassinating politically engaged bishops, and after Philippines has been named year after year by International Trade Union Confederation as one of the world’s 10 most repressive countries for labor movement and workers, the time is long overdue to begin putting some basic human rights guardrails in place in the United States-Philippines relationship,” the Democrat lawmaker said.
Fajardo assured PNP as an institution is an advocate and defender of human rights.
She added that PNP is not aware of specific cases lawmakers considered in passing amendment.
Fajardo said police organization has been coordinating with Department of Justice (DOJ) in its investigation into alleged human rights violations committed in some police operations.
Under amendment, the US Secretary of State and Defense should certify first that Philippine government has already “investigated and successfully prosecuted members of PNP who have violated human rights,” before providing assistance.
Among assistance PNP has been receiving from US are trainings in investigation, anti-drug enforcement, and anti-child trafficking, Fajardo said.
From 2016 to 2021, the US provided over 600 trainings to over 11,000 Filipino participants.
The US also provided laptops and investigative equipment that are now being used by PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Special Action Force, and Anti-Cybercrime Group, she said.
Fajardo added, however, that removal of assistance from US would only have small impact on PNP since other foreign countries and Philippine government are also supporting operations of the organization.
If the is implemented, it would affect programs of PNP in 2023, she concluded.
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