Philippines: Government Bans Its Critics From
Entering
Human Rights Watch Has Obtained Official
Blacklist Barring More Than 500 People
(New York, September 28, 2007) – The Philippines
government should stop blacklisting peaceful
critics and banning them from entering the
country, Human Rights Watch said today.
Human Rights Watch has obtained a copy of a
Philippines government blacklist banning 504
people from entering the country in July and
August with, according to the document,
“Al-Qaeda/Taliban Link.” The Bureau of
Immigration of the Philippines Justice
Department blacklist includes individuals from
more than 50 countries, including expatriate
Filipinos. The blacklist includes individuals
from US-based organizations such as Church World
Service, the Methodist Church General Board of
Church and Society, the National Lawyers Guild,
and the Center for Constitutional Rights. It
also includes individuals working for the
International Labor Solidarity Mission, and from
Philippine unions and civil society
organizations such as Bayan and Gabriela/Gabnet.
The blacklist can be viewed at: http://hrw.org/pub/2007/asia/philippines_blacklist-watchlist0907.pdf.
The blacklist went into effect on July 24 and
was apparently lifted on August 10. According to
a Philippines foreign ministry official, the
list was put in place at the time of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
ministerial meeting held in Manila from July 21
to August 2. Since the government did not
publicly announce the blacklist, it is not clear
whether this or any other blacklist is in effect
at present. The blacklist was attached to a
letter to an attorney requesting the removal of
a client’s name from the blacklist.
“The Philippine government has the right and
duty to protect its citizens from genuine
security threats,” said Sophie Richardson, Asia
advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “But
labeling peaceful critics as Al-Qaeda or Taliban
only serves to sap public confidence in
counter-terror measures and exposes them as a
cover for suppressing dissent.”
Some of those named had visited the Philippines
to help victims of human rights violations
committed by the Philippine armed forces. Ramsey
Clark, one of those blacklisted, is a former US
attorney general. Human Rights Watch does not
know if any of the 504 people on the list
include individuals known to be on international
criminal watch lists.
Philippines government blacklists burst into
public view in December when Brian Campbell, an
American lawyer for the International Labor
Rights Fund, was denied entry into the
Philippines. A Philippines Foreign Affairs
Department official told Human Rights Watch that
the blacklist had existed only at the time of
the ASEAN meetings in late 2006 and early 2007,
and that it was no longer in effect. He also
explained the blacklist was put together in
conjunction with other countries’ security
agencies, and that those on the list were
thought to be national security threats. Why
Campbell was deemed to be a security threat has
never been explained.
“The government’s blacklisting of its critics is
shocking in a country that prides itself on
being a democracy that values free speech,” said
Richardson. “Many people on this blacklist have
done little more than criticize the government
or work to protect Filipinos from the country’s
abusive security forces.”
The blacklists have been put into effect at a
time when the government has been under
increasing domestic and international pressure
over large numbers of extrajudicial killings of
government critics and activists. Human Rights
Watch has recently documented how domestic
critics of the Philippines government have been
treated, including in the June report, “Scared
Silent: Impunity for Extrajudicial Killings in
the Philippines” http://hrw.org/reports/2007/philippines0607/).
Human rights activists continue to tell Human
Rights Watch of killings, abductions and
threats, allegedly at the hands of the security
forces.
Human Rights Watch called on Philippines
President Gloria Arroyo and her government to
clarify whether any blacklists are now in effect
and to make a commitment to end bans on
nonviolent government critics.
“While President Arroyo has made numerous public
announcements welcoming international assistance
in investigating unsolved killings in the
Philippines, her government’s banning of
peaceful critics makes a mockery of this,” said
Richardson.
Charles F. Boyer Says:
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:38 am
Here is a story for you and I do not know who to talk to about this matter.
In the year 2001 I was in Davao Philippines to be marred to a girl there but the girls Ant and she stole all my money and I had to get the US Embassy to help me get back home.
1 1/2 years ago, I try to come back to the Philippines and I landed in Manila air port and immigration told me that I could not come back into the country because I am black listed for a 3 month over stay in the year 2001 and they told me that I owe them $165.00 dollars and I offer to pay them at the air port and they told me no, That I have to go back to the USA and pay them from there.
Philippine immigration told me that it was the US embassy that had me Black listed and when I called them from manila air port they said that it was Philippine immigration and when I hung up the phone ,I told immigration what the embassy told me and they said NO, it was not them that it was the US Embassy ,so I call them back and told them that Philippine immigration told me that it was them that black listed me and that got mad on the phone with me and said no it was not them, they hung up on me and would not talk to me.
I did not know that I owe this money because the US embassy never told me this and it was there felt any way because it took them over 2 months to decade if they where going to help me or not and they all so said to me that if I miss my flight that I will be stock in the Philippine and they will not help me no more.
Now for over 1 1/2 years I been righting to every body in the Philippine, like immigration office and Philippines embassy and any where else I can think of to pay this money back no one is willing to help me out so I will be taken off the Black List for the TNT of 3 month over stay I had there 7 years ago because of my money was stolen.
Here is my full name…Can you please help me with this problem
Charles Franklin Boyer
I can pay the money my self but need help to find out where and to who to send it to so I would be off the Black list, I have a New girl friend there and we been web caming for over 5 years now and we want to get marred and I have sent much money there and for her to open up a restraint for me and my girl friend and her mom and dad is now running the place and it has been doing good now for over a year.
This is my business and my income for when I get there.
I will wait to here from you … darkmanta12000@yahoo.com
Thank You
Charles F. Boyer