The delegation denounced the extra judicial killings of thousands of people and regretted that they are directly and publicly being encouraged by the president himself, who already had a record of rampant human rights violations as a mayor of Davao.
The progressive delegation is equally alarmed at the aggressive efforts being undertaken by the government to silence dissent about these killings: like in the case of Senator Leila De Lima and now Senator Risa Hontiveros.
If the human rights standards are not upheld, there must be consequences in the Philippines’ inclusion in the special trading instrument of the EU known as GSP+.
The progressive movement is united in supporting our sister party Akbayan in their defence of human rights.
Members of the Mission of the Progressive Alliance:
Emilia Töyrä, Member of Swedish Parliament
Thomas O. Melia, Senior Advisor to IREX (the International Research & Exchange Board)
Arne Lietz , Member of the European Parliament
Benjamin Maxfield works for the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)
Giacomo Filibeck, Deputy Secretary General of the PES
Conny Reuter, Secretary General of SOLIDAR
Konstantin Woinoff, Coordinator of the Progressive Alliance
