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Benigno Aquino Administration (2010 - 2016)

On June 30 2010, Benigno Aquino III was sworn into office as the President of the Philippines. Notable acts during his term includethe implementation of the K-12 program, the revocation of midnight appointments, the founding of the PhilippineTruth Commission, the creation of agencies such as the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and the Bangsamoro Basic Law. The administration vowed to eradicate corruption within the government system; such cases include that of Hacienda Luisita and the Priority Develoment Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam. Listed below are the cases of human rights violations under the second Aquino administration:

Lumad Killings

The Lumads are people from various ethnic groups in Mindanao. Residing in their ancestral lands, they are often evicted and displaced due to the Moro people claiming the same territory. They have lost parts of their ancestral land due to failure of understanding modern land tenure system. To counter this, the Lumads have established schools in their communities, supplying essential knowledge for the tribe members to protect their rights, property and culture. However, the Lumad communities are located in mountains which are distant from urban areas. These areas are also the location sites of armed conflicts between the New People's Army (NPA) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Caught in the middle, the Lumad people's education, property, and security are endangered because of the increasing amount of military activities by the armed conflicts. Increasing military activities eventually lead to the displacement of the communities to shelter sites and growing anxiety caused by the escalation of armed conflict or detainment of community leaders (tribe leaders and teachers) as they may be labelled as rebels by the military. Alternative Schools within the communities (aided by NGOs and Universities) face concerns of closing down the buildings or demolition of property, with some buildings being converted for military use. Lumad leaders and tribesmen, having experienced political detention due to false suspicions as well as the displacement of their tribes from their areas, demand respect of their human rights.

As a counteraction to these events, the Lumads organized groups to gain attention from the public by calling for the halt of militarization in their communities. Students, religious leaders, and human rights advocates support the Lumads in their movement against this militarization. Activities held to support the Lumad movements include concerts, cultural festivals (focusing on ethnic culture) and commemoration of Lumad leaders that died because of the conflict, namely Fr. Fausto Tentorio, Father Tullio Favali and Father Salvatore Carzedda. Groups like the Manilakbayan 2015, support these movements through recruitment and handing out national situationers to students to spread information about the Lumad people's situation. The Commission on Human Rights is investigating the incidents regarding the murders of Lumad leaders and school officials. These murders were committed by a paramilitary group by the name of Magahat-Bagani in line with the idea of the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU), created by the AFP to hunt for NPA members. The AFP denies these allegations and attributes the killings to tribal conflict. However, the AFP did admit that the CAFGU was able to recruit Lumads into its ranks, but reasserted that the NPA has been doing the same. There is also a delay in the investigation due to the lack of cooperation by Lumad groups with the Commission on Human Rights. These investigations have been interrupted by the Kalumaran Mindanao spokesman, Kerlan Fanagel. Fanagel insists that the group need not have another 'false' dialogue with the CHR since the CHR has yet to present the results/findings of the investigations from the past months. Due to insufficient data, CHR has decided to postpone the time of presenting their initial report to the second week of December 2015.

Political figure detainees

Political prisoners are the people arrested due to of their opposition towards a ruling government. They are seen as 'enemies of the state' and thus, are often placed in jails/prisons . As recorded by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the Bureau of Corrections as of September 2014, 840 political prisoners are held in detention cells and prisons. To promote human rights, the Philippine government permits access towards International Humanitarian organizations and grants pardon, parole and amnesty programs based on NGO lists.

Growing number of Journalists’ killings

The killings and disappearances of journalists remains an issue. The disappearance or murder of a reporter entails information kept from the public, making several agencies/organizations at risk of exposure towards certain crimes (a legitimate occupation of a whistle blower). Notable journalists killed on the job include Henry Araneta, Desidario Camangyan, Joselito Agustin, Gerardo Ortega, Romeo Olea, Christopher Guarin, Mario Sy, Fernando Solijon, Joas Dignos and Rubylita Garcia. According to Human Watch Report 2014, only 6 out of 26 cases were successful in identifying and capturing the suspects. The amount of killing towards journalists allowed Philippines to earn the 3rd place as most deadly country for journalists. The Aquino administration has implemented reforms towards the criminal justice system for a more effective investigation as well as pressed several passages of laws to improve human rights, but the reforms are underdeveloped including the fact that the implementation and execution of the laws are stagnated. An example would be Administration Order 35, having gained problems identifying which cases are to be pursued because of prerequisite processes.

Human Rights Initiatives

Department of Labor and Employment

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) was established as the Bureau of Labor on June 18, 1908 under the Department of Commerce and Police. It was renamed and founded as the Department of Labor on December 8, 1933 as mandated by Legislative Act No. 4121. Following the Martial Law period, it underwent a complete internal restructuring in 1982 and was renamed the Department of Labor and Employment. It concerns itself with the protection and welfare of Filipino workers both in the country as well as abroad, and responds accordingly to socio-political and economic challenges that would affect the workers. As an arm of the government's Executive Branch, DOLE is also mandated to create policies and programs for the benefit of workers and employers. It has set up a number of offices and agencies: 16 regional offices, 83 field offices, 4 satellite offices, 28 overseas posts, 6 bureaus, 7 staff services, and 11 attached agencies. These subgroups are tasked to closely monitor and coordinate the implementation of policies and programs.

Major final outputs

There are seven major services offered by DOLE, namely:

1. The Job Search Assistance Services to assist jobseekers opting for wage employment. The service aims to provide employment guidance and counseling, job referral and facilitation, and timely and accurate jobs and skills description.
2. The Capacity Building Services for Livelihood and Employability of Workers in the Informal and other Specific Sectors to assist the marginalized and disadvantaged workers—informal sector workers, returning OFWs, indigent students and out-of-school youth—by providing skills and entrepreneurship training; access to livelihood opportunities and development, and employment interventions.
3. The Social Partnership Promotion and Dispute Resolution Services to minimize lost working days of workers in formal employment. These lost working days should be a result of avoidance, settlement, and disposition concerns.
4. The Skills Competency, Productivity Training Tech-Voc Education Services to aid the unemployed and underemployed with vocational and technical skills to adapt to the demands of a fluctuating labor market. They provide training and information on productivity technologies.
5. The Services to Saveguard Fair and Just Terms and Conditions of Employment to effectively enforce standards of labor through education, advocacy, inspection, and verification of all required documents.
6. The Social Protection and Welfare Services for Workers in the Informal and Other Specific Sectors to aid workers not usually covered by the protection of government laws. This is done through DOLE'S Social Protection Program.
7. The Work Accident/Illnesses Prevention, Work Compensation and Rehabilitation Services to reduce the number of accidents, injuries, and illnesses caused by labor. These services provide compensation and rehabilitation for occupationally-disabled workers.

DOLE, with the International Labour Organization (ILO), was a major contributor to the adoption of the Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers, the Maritime Labour Convention of 2006, and The Kasambahay Law (R.A. 10461).

International Labor Organization

The International Labor Organization (ILO) is an organization structured to support workers, employers, and the government in accordance to labor rights and laws. The Philippines joined the ILO in 1948, two years

"The main aims of the ILO are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues."

The ILO Manila office has been active since its founding, starting with the ratifying of the Workman's Compensation (Accidents) Convention 17 based on Act. No. 1874 to extend responsibility of employers for personal injuries and death suffered by employees at work. Below are a number of the recent programmes and projects by ILO Manila.

1. Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) is ILO Manila's main project. It was made to support the country's Labor Employment Program (LEP). The two major priorities are decent jobs for a competetive Philippines, and improved labor market governance. To achieve this, the ILO will help strengthen the working capacity of the Philippines and apply international labor conventions to constantly update the LEP. The United Nations Development Assistance Framework has listed the DWCP as ILO Manila's top priority.
2. Infrastructure for Rural Productivity Enhancement Sector (INFRES) Project (4 June 2001 - 31 December 2006) to improve their living conditions, poor people require access to employment and basic goods and services. They can improve their situation through national and local investment in infrastructure that provides jobs.
3. ILO-IPEC Project in support of the Philippine Time-Bound Programme (2 September 2002 - 31 August 2007) is the first and most significant contribution toward the elimination of the worst forms of child labour. It has been designed to leverage resources, and to link up with national and international programs for the benefit of Filipino boys and girls.
4. Strategies and Tools Against Social Exclusion and Poverty (STEP) (1 January 2003 - 1 June 2005) aimed to provide better quality of life to informal economy workers and their families through better access to health care. This is a donor project from the Government of Norway.
5. Protecting Domestic Workers against Forced Labour and Trafficking (DOMWORK) (3 May 2004 - 31 December 2006) is a programme on the regulation and condition of Filipino domestic workers. They plan to empower domestic workers on their rights as well as reduce the cases of abuse.

"Through discussions on gender equality, the ILO noted that problems had deepened for the most vulnerable, including women in domestic work. Yet while the global economic downturn has contributed to aggravating their vulnerabilities, domestic workers are beginning to realize gains through changes in public attitude."

1. Tripartite Action for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers in the ASEAN Region (1 May 2012 - 31 March 2016) is an ongoing ASEAN TRIANGLE project that aims to significantly reduce the exploitation of labour migrants in the region through increased legal and safe migration and improved labour protection. This is a donor project from the Government of Canada.
2. Building the Capacity of the Philippines Labour Inspectorate (15 December 2014 - 14 December 2017)is a collaborative project with DOLE to strengthen its Labour Law Compliance System (LLCS) by promoting a positive mindset towards work.