Hontiveros: Condemning HR violations not red-baiting

Thursday, April 22, 2010

2:29 PM

"I condemn all extrajudicial killings perpetrated both by the state and non-state actors, " said
Liberal Party Senatorial bet and Akbayan Representative Risa Hontiveros, as she laughed off the
allegation of the Makabayan bloc that she is engaged in red-baiting and that there is a tactical
alliance between her and Palparan.

"Palparan burned an effigy of me. We filed a disqualification case against his party-list in 2007.
We pushed for several inquiries on extrajudicial killings. Inside and outside Congress, Akbayan
has consistently condemned the human rights abuses committed by Palparan. Kaya kagaya ng
fake mental record na inilabas nila laban kay Noynoy, ang ganitong akusasyon ay black
propaganda," she said.

"It is actually their refusal to condemn the atrocities and abuses of the CPP-NPA that indirectly
helps human rights violators like Palparan to commit further abuses. It compromises the
establishment of a human rights culture where the human rights of all Filipinos are protected,
and all abusers, regardless of creed and ideology, are penalized," she said.

Hontiveros flatly denied that she is engaging in red-baiting. "Nowhere in my press statement
did I call them communist. To dare them to denounce the human rights abuses of the NPA,
including the imposition of the permit-to-campaign, and to challenge them to reject Villaroyo is
to demand from them to stand up for what is right and what is decent," Rep. Hontiveros said.

She said that the PTC, the NPA's human rights violations, and allegations of corruption
committed by Villar are valid electoral and political issues that all candidates, regardless of party
affiliations, should address. "These are legitimate issues. In short, raising them doesn’t make
one pro-Palparan. Saying so is rather ridiculous."

"How can I be a supporter of a human rights violator, when Mr. Palparan burned my effigy a few
years ago? When I filed a case for the disqualification of his party-list? When I authored a lot of
resolutions investigating incidents of human rights violations? When I have bills penalizing
torture, enforced disappearance, and strengthening the Commission on Human Rights?" asked
the LP senatoriable.

"What is tragic is when you stand up against all forms of human rights abuses, you get criticized
by both the military and the NPA. You speak against Palparan and against extrajudicial killings,
you get tagged as communist and you face harassment. You take to task the NPA for its human
rights abuses, and suddenly for the Makabayan bloc you are pro-Palparan," Rep. Hontiveros
said.

The peace advocate Hontiveros fortified her stance that all forms of violence whether it is state-
sponsored or ideologically peddled, is worthy of scorn. The CHR has records of the number of
innocent civilians killed both by the CPP-NPA and the military. "They simply have to explain why
they condemn only the military that is the only thing I ask of them," ended Hontiveros.