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We ventured into the land of Don Quixote, the region of Castilla-La Mancha! We were off to the city of Cuenca, Spain a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in between two gorges, this fortress city is perfectly integrated into the marvelous natural landscape around it. Thus, the character of Cuenca is dictated by this breathtaking harmony between architecture and nature. The trip from Valencia was close to three hours.

Be prepared for a lot of walking up and down the narrow roads of this fortress town. Cuenca is actually divided into two areas, the low quarter which is the modern area that sprung up in the 19th Century. And the medieval city located on top of the rugged promontory between the Huécar and Júcar Rivers.

We started our walking tour at the Huécar River Gorge which offers dramatic views of the Convento de San Pablo and the Casas Colgadas, the hanging houses which Cuenca has become known for. There are accounts which say the houses have Muslim roots. Others say that they date back to the medieval period. We got to cross the San Pablo Bridge built high on top of the gorge, linking the convento to the rest of Cuenca.

In the center of town is the Plaza Mayor, the town square which is actually a triangle bounded by the Catedral, Convento de Las Petras, and the Ayuntamiento. The current ayuntamiento dates back to the 18th Century and was designed by Jaime Bort in 1733. What is unique about the design is that it isolates the plaza and yet makes it accessible with the incorporation of three arches at the base.

The Catedral de Santa Maria de Gracia is an exquisite example of early Cuencan Gothic architecture. Construction began at the end of the 12th Century and was completed in 1271. Just like the cathedral in Valencia though, there was a fee to enter (3€ per person).

We walked down Calle Alfonso VIII, enjoying its colorful row of buildings, on the way to the restaurants in the lower part of Cuenca. For lunch, I tried the grilled lamb chops; they say the lamb chops in Cuenca are the best. I spent 6€ for it but I wasn't satisfied with the serving size and it had a lot of fat! Maybe it wasn't the right restaurant for it.

After lunch, we made one last trek up the old city, this time to the Júcar River side where we were treated to a stunning view of the low quarter of Cuenca.

La Lonja de la Seda or the silk exchange market in Valencia, Spain is one of the most outstanding monuments of Spanish Gothic architecture and was thus inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996. Also known as La Lonja de los Mercaderes, it was where commercial transactions related to silk were carried out.

One of its most outstanding features is the impressive hall of pillars which was completed in only fifteen years from 1483 to 1498. It’s a grand space crowned by ribbed vault ceilings supported by two rows of sixteen-meter pillars that look like palm trees.

If you take a closer look at La Lonja, you will notice detailed ornamentation on the building and its façade composed of hundreds of symbolic and grotesque figures. The building is right in front of the Central Market and entrance is free of charge.

Hutong means an old Chinese village. Beijing used to have a lot when I came to settle here three and a half years ago. But now, due to the Olympic brouhaha and the government's desire to develop the capital into a world-class and international melting pot of cultures, a lot WERE tsai-ed (demolished) to pave the way for modernization. Tall buildings are a little farther from this area as the picture shows.

This photo is taken at the top of the Drum Tower in Guloudajie. This area, as my students say, is protected by UNESCO. I guess so. There are indeed a lot of hutongs around here but most residential courtyards are already renovated. There is still an air of ancientness where old people hang outside with their comrades. The narrow alleyways are the rendezvous of senior citizens who play chess, chat or just merely looking at the passersby-- a lot are foreigners who are desperately searching for the good 'ol Beijing!

Happy Earth Day!

I wasn’t that excited today maybe because I was at the Forbidden City just last October. It was also a Sunday, and I was expecting a large crowd and I hate going around heritage sites when they are crowded.

My expectations were not unfounded. There were just too many people and you had to jostle your way to see the different areas of the Forbidden City. Add to the fact that many of the major buildings were undergoing restoration and still covered by scaffolding. I was hoping restoration works on the main palace was finished by now since it was also covered last year. But it was not yet completed. So I just made good use of my time and strolled around the palace complex.

Like yesterday, we had lunch in the bus. They took us to the Yashow Clothing Market in the afternoon but that did not interest me (as a general rule, if it’s something I can buy easily in the Philippines, I won’t buy it). So I asked permission from the organizers to separate from the group. Boris from Serbia joined me to Beihai (North Lake) Park which I had wanted to see during my trip last year. We took a taxi from the market to Beihai which was RMB20 (PHP140). Had I known it was a clothing market, I would have stayed behind at the Forbidden City since many of the historical sites are nearby. Entrance to the park is RMB20.

Beihai Park was part of the imperial gardens. If not for the large weekend crowd, the stroll around would have been very refreshing with its large picturesque lake full of lotus plants in full-bloom and hundreds of trees. As they say, the garden has the dignity of the northern style and the exquisiteness of the southern style. Maybe I could come back on a weekday to absorb the scenery.

In the middle of the lake is Qiong Island linked by two old bridges. The island has a hill with several temples and shrines, and an imposing white Tibetan-style dagoba on top. From the top, you could see the entire Forbidden City and other old structures in the vicinity. Sadly, the weather did not cooperate with us. Since it was foggy, visibility was low.

We walked several hundred meters towards the north gate of the park to get to Sichahai for a rickshaw tour of the hutongs. I was there last year but it was in the evening. So I was not able to appreciate the hutong tour that much. Hutongs are the alleyways which typified old Beijing.

Outside the palace, princes, civil servants, wealthy merchants and other common folk lived in these hutongs. There are just a few of them left as many of them were bulldozed to give way to new developments. But the Beijing government put a stop to the demolition and preserved a large part of the hutongs close to the Forbidden City as a reminder of life before. Sooner or later, cities realize that preserving heritage is vital for their growth and development. And I hope local officials in the Philippines realize it sooner while there is still something left to preserve.

One of the places we visited was the 300-year old Beijing courtyard style home of the Qi family (5 QianGan Hutong), which is one of a few well-preserved private courtyards open to the public (RMB20). One could see the development of the city’s hutongs by visiting these all-gray homes which are still in use. It amazes me how local and foreign tourists visited these alleyways in droves. And residents charge for entrance into their traditional homes. Imagine this happening in old Manila districts such as (Hidalgo Street) Quiapo, San Nicolas and San Miguel.

While in Sichahai, don’t forget to check out Yandai Byway to shop for souvenirs such as Mao memorabilia, silk and traditional clothing, tea (although prices are outrageous), Chinese cultural items, as well as the usual tourist stuff like magnets, key chains, trinkets, etc.

I didn’t buy anything since I wanted to reserve all my shopping towards the end of the seminar. But make sure you bargain hard since they overprice the items beyond comprehension. Don’t think an amount is too low because if you turn away, they might just say yes. I asked the price of a Buddha image and they said RMB260. I didn’t budge. Their asking price went lower but not that much. I said RMB50 and they laughed. When I left, they ran after me and said “Ok, ok, RMB50!” But I said I’m no longer interested and I’ll think about it. Who knows, I could have gone lower.

From Sichahai, we walked towards the Drum and Bell Towers. I had seen these towers last year but in the evening. So I wanted to see them up close while the sun was still out. From there, we walked towards the subway station and took a train back to our hotel in the northeastern area of Beijing, just in time for dinner.

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Finding heritage value
Three years after Unesco's World Heritage Center released a scathing report on the country's poor management of its cultural sites, boom-time China is starting to realize that preserving archaeological finds can be more lucrative than developing shopping malls.

Technorati Tags: beijing, china, forbidden city, hutongs, unesco, heritage, architecture, travel, travel blog

I can't believe I'm back in Beijing in less than a year! I'm attending the Seminar on Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage for Asian and African Countries organized by the China National Institute of Cultural Property (CNICP) from August 1 to 15. However, I arrived a day late because of the GMA event last August 1.

I was hoping to see more ASEAN countries here but it's just me and the two delegates from Myanmar. There are some from the former Soviet Union such as Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkmenistan, as well as Nepal (South Asia) and Mongolia (East Asia). But most of the delegates are from Africa. There are also some Arab delegates attending another seminar.

As always, we're being served several courses for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And at the rate I'm going, I might gain more weight. Sigh! Most of our time will be in sessions at the CNICP. But on weekends, the group will go on educational trips.

Today, I was back at the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall of China, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Good thing they brought us to those I have not yet seen. Last year, I was at Zhao Ling and the Great Wall section at Badaling. This time, we visited Ding Ling, the mausoleum of the 13th emperor of the Ming Dynasty Zhu Yijun and his two empresses. It was completed in 1590. We got to visit it's underground palace (burial chamber) since this was the first of the thirteen tombs to be excavated (only three have been unearthed to date). There was a museum built near the entrance which features all the treasures they found in the underground palace.

We had lunch in the bus before proceeding to Juyongguan Pass which is the section of the Great Wall nearest to Beijing. What is unique about this section are its fortified gates.

Since it looked like it was going to rain (and it did), I decided not to go to far up. I was able to explore the walls on both sides of the gate. In front of the gate, I was also able to get on a camel for a photo. We got back at the hotel at about 4 p.m. which gave us two hours to rest before dinner was served. Tomorrow, I will be back in the Forbidden City. More photos is Multiply.

Technorati Tags: beijing, china, great wall, ming tombs, unesco, heritage, architecture, travel, travel blog

It’s been quite a while since the Philippines has had a new UNESCO World Heritage Site. The latest was still way back in 1999, with the inscription of two sites, Vigan and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park known as the Underground River.

Batanes has tried several times to get in the list but never seems to make it because of human error I was told. Besides, some experts say Batanes is not ready for inscription. Aside from being culturally significant and well-preserved, the host community has to be ready for it. That means that the ordinary man on the street should know about the UNESCO inscription, how it will affect them, as well as the duties and responsibilities that accompany such an inscription. The Underground River is a prime example of how a local government, with the right political will and proper guidance from experts, can push proper conservation policies that could lead to inscription.

The park is the only one that is managed by a local government unit in fact. It was under the care of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) before. But illegal logging was rampant. Newly-elected Puerto Princesa mayor, Edward Hagedorn brought then DENR Secretary Angel Alcala to the park to show him the illegal logging activities of the DENR personnel. This resulted in a memorandum that turned the whole area over to the city government.

Lucky day 07-07-07 was spent at the Underground River today via another group tour I booked from my hotel. According to UNESCO, “The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park features a spectacular limestone karst landscape with its underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it flows directly into the sea, and the lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The area also represents a significant habitat for biodiversity conservation. The site contains a full mountain to the sea ecosystem and protects forests, which are among the most significant in Asia.” This was the reason justification for its inscription in the prestigious list.

The ride to Sabang Beach, the jump-off point for the Underground River, is about two hours from the city center, with two stopovers: one as you leave the National Highway, and another at the Buenavista View Deck where you could savor a panoramic view of Ulugan Bay.

At Sabang Beach, you had to visit the park office to get a permit to visit the Underground River and book your boat to the river entrance. You could also opt to hike 2.1 kilometers up and down a mountain trail from Sabang to the river entrance. The group tours are really convenient since they took care of all the logistics. The PHP1300 I paid includes hotel pick-up, land travel to and from Sabang Beach, boat transfers from Sabang to the river entrance, all entrance fees, and lunch.

On the boat on the way to the river entrance, we were afforded stunning views of the limestone karst landscape that characterizes the park. The boat passed by a beach which I remember from my trip in 1997. Swimming is not allowed in the river entrance area which is why you had to hike up and down the Monkey Trail to get to that beach to swim.

At the river entrance, you had to sign their register, wear life jackets and protective helmets, and wait in line to board small boats with outriggers that would take you into the cave. Each boat had a battery-powered lamp in front which I would later find out while exploring the area, were charged with solar energy. Our boat guide was Toting, who is the most popular of the guides for his humor. In fact, he is sought after by visitors and is the one who appears when the Underground River is featured on television.

Indeed, he was hilarious, cracking jokes every now and then, breaking the silence inside the cave. It was a different world we entered, one covered in complete darkness, pierced by the solitary spotlight we had on board. Looking up, you would see different species of bats hanging from the ceiling, fast asleep. Their presence was obvious due to the pungent odor of guano, or bat dung, close to the mouth of the cave.

Flying around were cave swiflets (not bats as others mistake them for) that are most known for the nests they create from their saliva that become the main ingredient of nido soup. The formations inside the cave are spectacular. The speleothems (the cave formations or secondary mineral deposits) formed by thousands of years of mineral accumulation, were very interesting.

The Underground River in Puerto Princesa is the longest explored underground river in the world. A total of 8.2 kilometers have been discovered; 4.3 kilometers are navigable; but access to tourists is limited to 1.5 kilometers. You’ll have to get a special permit to explore the rest of the river.

Anyway, the tour inside the cave lasted about 45 minutes. In the picnic area, lunch was served by the guides. Just a warning though, watch out for the long-tailed macaque monkeys. If you let down your guard even just for a while, you might lose your lunch to them. Monitor lizards or bayawak also walk freely in the area.

After lunch, our group made its way back to Sabang Beach, and then the city center. But we made a brief stopover at Viet Ville to have more Vietnamese food. This time, I ordered chicken salad and beef ball soup.

Back in the city proper, I took a quick nap before heading to Balinsasayaw Restaurant where our group decided to have dinner. It was a full menu of nido soup, grilled meat and sea foods, and garlic crabs for us. Thanks to Oliver Banzon, Em’s friend, for treating us to a sumptuous dinner. The night wasn’t over since Rolly and Gigi Padilla treated us to drinks at Itoy’s Coffee just across the street. It was our last night and I was taking the Cebu Pacific flight back to Manila the next day. Although Rolly and Gigi were still staying another day for a Dos Palmas tour which completes any Puerto Princesa holiday. More photos in Multiply.

Technorati Tags: puerto princesa, palawan, philippines, beach, travel, travel blog, food, unesco, heritage, underground, river

Prambanan, another UNESCO World Heritage site in Central Java, is the largest Hindu temple compound in Indonesia. To get to Prambanan from Borobudur, I had to take a bus to the main bus terminal of Yogya, the Umbulharjo Bus Terminal, and transfer to a Solo-bound bus, getting off at the gates of the temple. I spent Rp3,000 for the trip to Prambanan from Yogya. You could easily finish the park in half a day which is composed of the main temple, Candi Rara Jonggrang (which is what most refer to when they say Prambanan), and three others namely Candi Lumbung, Candi Bubrah and Candi Sewu.

There are 224 temples in the Prambanan complex, which is named after the village where it is located. Three are main temples namely Brahma Temple in the north, Vishnu Temple in the south, and the biggest among the three which lies between Brahma and Vishnu temples, is the 47-meter high Shiva Temple.

Characterized by tall and pointed architecture typical of Hindu temples, the main temple incurred significant damage during the 2006 earthquake which hit Yoyga which is why it was fenced out and you could only view it from a safe distance.

Candi Sewu on the other hand, is actually a Buddhist temple and the second largest in Central Java after Borobudur. The fact that the Hindu Rara Jonggrang Temple and Buddhist Sewu Temple were built 800 meters apart indicated that Hindus and Buddhists lived in harmony with each other. The Sewu Temple complex has 249 temples, consisting of one main temple, eight apit temples and 240 perwara temples. The main temple forms a polygon of 20 corners with a diameter of 29 meters and a height of 30 meters.

After a late lunch at a warung along the road, I waited for a bus back to the Umbulharjo Terminal in Yogya and took bus no. 4 to the Jalan Marlioboro area.

Technorati Tags: yogyakarta, central java, indonesia, travel, travel blog, heritage, unesco, prambanan

When I arrived in Jakarta, the city had several greeting arches which read "Hari Raya Waisak." It was obviously a big festival. Little did I know that it was a holiday the day before I arrived. Although majority of its citizens are Muslim, Indonesia also declares holidays on important Christian, Hindu, Chinese and Buddhist days.

June 1st this year was Waisak in Indonesia, a festival which commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and demise of Buddha. The celebrations center around the largest man-made structure in the Southern Hemisphere, the Buddhist temple of Borobudur in Central Java.

After a nine-hour train ride from Jakarta, I arrived in Yogyakarta (pronounced Jogjakarta) at about 6 a.m. I'll write more about Yoyga when I get back and continue exploring this Javanese city. But I'll go fast forward and talk about my surreal experience in Borobudur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Friends in Manila had tipped me that there was a hotel within the grounds of the park itself and that by staying there, I would be able to explore the temple long before the crowds were allowed in. So after doing some research, I finally found the Manohara Hotel's contact numbers and asked my friends in Jakarta to book a room for me. It was good that the Waisak was over since that meant rooms would be easily available.

I took a one-hour bus from the Jombor Bus Station to Borobudur which cost me Rp10,000 (US$1.15). The good thing about booking in Manohara was that the entrance to the park was free for two days. That meant close to Rp200,000 (US$24) in savings since foreigners paid hefty amounts to enter. All I had to say at the gate was that I was booked at Manohara and my reservation number.

Manohara Hotel was a sprawling complex of guest rooms, conference rooms and restaurants that followed a distinctly Javanese architectural style which blended well with the surroundings. From the hotel, I could see Borobudur perched on top of a hill. Before climbing up the temple, I checked-in to drop off my bags. The room was Rp351,000 (US$41) a night. While you had to pay an extra Rp102,500 (US$12) per person to be able to enter the temple at 4:45 a.m. the next day. It was most definitely worth it. I didn't take too long in the room since I was raring to climb up this gargantuan structure which, together with Angkor Wat and Bagan, ranks among the great monuments of Southeast Asia.

Sometimes, I ponder how man was able to construct these masterpieces with the little technology they had at that time. Decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 statues of Buddha, this great temple, when viewed from the top, takes the form of a tantric Buddhist mandala, and is thus said to be the biggest mandala in the world. If we Catholics have the Fourteen Stations of the Cross, Buddhists who made the pilgrimage to Borobudur were said to reflect on each of the 1,460 narrative panels which depicted various scenes from the life of Buddha and his teachings. I finally reached the top after several rounds appreciating the reliefs at various levels.

Since Borobudur is the only temple inside the park, I decided to make my way back to the hotel to take a nap, waking up just in time for an early dinner. This was one of the few legs of my journey where I really made sure I maximized my vacation. Later in the evening, I watched an educational video about Borobudur in the hotel audio-visual room. I guess I was just too excited to climb up early the next morning so I had a difficult time sleeping. But I was able to get up thanks to the 4 a.m. wake-up call.

A van took me and two other hotel guests to the back entrance. It was still dark when we got there and the entire temple was lit by strong spotlights on every side. I first took some photos from below then made my way up the stairs to the top of the temple to wait for the arrival of the sun.

It finally made its way up, slowly enveloping the sky and the surrounding mountains with its radiance. The experience was indeed one of a kind. As I absorbed this heavenly scene, the silence around me was broken as I heard the noise of school kids down below. The first regular visitors for the day were making their way up the temple. I had it all to myself, well almost. But it was now time to give way to the droves of tourists which were climbing up the stairs.

I started to walk back to the hotel for my complimentary breakfast. After a quick meal, I was back to bed to get more sleep. By 11 a.m., I was on my way back to the bus station to rush over to Prambanan, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. More photos in Central Java Indonesia 06/06 and Central Java, Indonesia 06/05.

Technorati Tags: yogyakarta, magelang, central java, indonesia, travel, travel blog, heritage, historical structures, architecture, unesco, borobudur

I won't write about the Hong Kong and Shenzhen leg of my trip since you've already read about the forgettable stuff below. But Macau was definitely a breath of fresh air. We arrived at the border close to 7 p.m. of May 27 and were brought straight to the Hotel Taipa Best Western where we stayed for our last night. Then we were on our own.

For dinner, we just got some take out food next door and ate in our hotel room. My family slept early that night but I went out for some drinks with my brods around old Taipa. I really like the way other Asian countries treat their colonial heritage. Taipa was an old fishing town and they were able to preserve the historic core. Walking the narrow streets gave one a feel of its rich history and age. We chilled out at this place called Taverna which looked like an old shop house that was reused as a bar.

The next day, after breakfast at the hotel, we took a cab to Plaza Senado and strolled around the charming colonial buildings, many of which were reused as shops and restaurants. Indeed, heritage is alive in Macau. It's historic core is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But the old buildings continue to suit the needs of the current generation with this wonderfully implemented adaptive reuse. One should not miss the Ruins of St. Paul which are the iconic symbol of old Macau.

We weren't able to do much since we had to be at the airport by 1 p.m. Add to the fact that it rained. But it was fun exploring on our own, with no tour guide ramming down compulsory shopping tours down our throats.

Check out my latest albums:
Seremban, Malaysia 06/13
Singapore 06/12
Singapore 06/11
Jakarta, Indonesia 06/09
Bandung, Indonesia 06/08
Yogyakarta, Indonesia 06/07
Yogyakarta, Indonesia 06/06
Central Java Indonesia 06/06
Central Java, Indonesia 06/05
Yogyakarta, Indonesia 06/05
Jakarta, Indonesia 06/04
Jakarta, Indonesia 06/03
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 06/02
Macau 5/28
Shenzhen, China 5/27
Hong Kong 5/26

Technorati Tags: macau, taipa, china, travel, travel blog

In Philippines: Speech Of Professor Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur Of The United Nations Human Rights Council


I have spent the past ten days in the Philippines at the invitation of the Government in order to inquire into the phenomenon of extra-judicial executions.

I am very grateful to the Government for the unqualified cooperation extended to me. During my stay here I have met with virtually all of the relevant senior officials of Government.

They include the President, the Executive Secretary, the National Security Adviser, the Secretaries for Defence, Justice, DILG and the Peace Process.

I have also met with a significant number of members of Congress on different sides of the political spectrum, the Chief Justice, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Chair of the Human Rights Commission, the Ombudsman, the members of both sides of the Joint Monitoring Committee, and representatives of the MNLF and MILF.

Of particular relevance to my specific concerns, I also met with Task Force Usig, and with the Melo Commission, and I have received the complete dossier compiled by TF Usig, as well as the report of the Melo Commission, the and the responses to its findings by the AFP and by retired Maj-Gen Palparan.

I have also visited Baguio and Davao and met with the regional Human Rights Commission offices, local PNP and AFP commanders, and the Mayor of Davao, among others. Equally importantly, roughly half of my time here was devoted to meetings with representatives of civil society, in Manila, Baguio, andDavao. Through their extremely valuable contributions in the form of documentation and detailed testimony I have learned a great deal.

Let me begin by acknowledging several important elements.

The first is that the Government’s invitation to visit reflects a clear recognition of the gravity of the problem, a willingness to permit outside scrutiny, and a very welcome preparedness to engage on this issue.

The assurances that I received from the President, in particular, were very encouraging.
Second, I note that my visit takes place within the context of a counter-insurgency operation which takes place on a range of fronts, and I do not in any way underestimate the resulting challenges facing for the Government and the AFP.

Third, I wish to clarify that my formal role is to report to the UN Human Rights Council and to the Government on the situation I have found. I consider that the very fact of my visit has already begun the process of acting as a catalyst to deeper reflection on these issues both within the national and international settings.

Finally, I must emphasize that the present statement is only designed to give a general indication of some, but by no means all, of the issues to be addressed, and the recommendations put forward, in my final report.

I expect that will be available sometime within the next three months. Sources of information. The first major challenge for my mission was to obtain detailed and well supported information. I have been surprised by both the amount and the quality of information provided to me. Most key Government agencies are organized and systematic in much of their data collection and classification.

Similarly,Philippines civil society organizations are generally sophisticated and professional. I sought, and obtained, meetings across the entire political spectrum. I leave the Philippines with a wealth of information to be processed in the preparation of my final report.

But the question has still been posed as to whether the information provided to me by either all, or at least certain, local NGO groups can be considered reliable. The word ‘propaganda’ was used by many of my interlocutors.

What I took them to mean was that the overriding goal of the relevant groups in raising EJE questions was to gain political advantage in the context of a broader battle for public opinion and power, and that the HR dimensions were secondary at best.

Some went further to suggest that many of the cases were fabricated, or at least trumped up, to look more serious than they are. I consider it essential to respond to these concerns immediately.

First, there is inevitably a propaganda element in such allegations.

The aim is to win public sympathy and to discredit other actors. But the existence of a propaganda dimension does not, in itself, destroy the credibility of the information and allegations. I would insist, instead, on the need to apply several tests relating to credibility.
First, is it only NGOs from one part of the political spectrum who are making these allegations? The answer is clearly ‘no’.

Human rights groups in the Philippines range across the entire spectrum in terms of their political sympathies, but I met no groups who challenged the basic fact that large numbers of extra-judicial executions are taking place, even if they disagreed on precise figures.

Second, how compelling is the actual information presented? I found there was considerable variation ranging from submissions which were entirely credible and contextually aware all the way down to some which struck me as superficial and dubious.

But the great majority are closer to the top of that spectrum than to the bottom.

Third, has the information proved credible under ‘cross-examination’. My colleagues and I heard a large number of cases in depth and we probed the stories presented to us in order to ascertain their accuracy and the broader context.

As a result, I believe that I have gathered a huge amount of data and certainly much more than has been made available to any one of the major national inquiries.

My focus goes well beyond beyond that adopted by either TF Usig or the Melo Commission, both of which are concerned essentially with political and media killings. Those specific killings are, in many ways, a symptom of a much more extensive problem and we should not permit our focus to be limited artificially.

The TF Usig/Melo scope of inquiry is inappropriate for me for several reasons: (a) The approach is essentially reactive. It is not based on an original assessment of what is going on in the country at large, but rather on what a limited range of CSOs report.

As a result, the focus then is often shifted (unhelpfully) to the orientation of the CSO, the quality of the documentation in particular cases, etc.; (b) Many killings are not reported, or not pursued, and for good reason; and (c) A significant proportion of acknowledged cases of ‘disappearances’ involve individuals who have been killed but who are not reflected in the figures.

How many have been killed?The numbers game is especially unproductive, although a source of endless fascination. Is it 25, 100, or 800? I don’t have a figure. But I am certain that the number is high enough to be distressing. Even more importantly, numbers are not what count.

The impact of even a limited number of killings of the type alleged is corrosive in many ways. It intimidates vast numbers of civil society actors, it sends a message of vulnerability to all but the most well connected, and it severely undermines the political discourse which is central to a resolution of the problems confronting this country.

Permit me to make a brief comment on the term ‘unexplained killings’, which is used by officials and which I consider to be inapt and misleading.

It may be appropriate in the context of a judicial process but human rights inquiries are more broad-ranging and one does not have to wait for a court to secure a conviction before one can conclude that human rights violations are occurring.

The term ‘extrajudicial killings’ which has a long pedigree is far more accurate and should be used. It may help to specify the types of killing which are of particular concern in the Philippines.

Killings by military and police, and by the NPA or other groups, in course of counter-insurgency. To the extent that such killings take place in conformity with the rules of international humanitarian law they fall outside my mandate.

Killings not in the course of any armed engagement but in pursuit of a specific counter-insurgency operation in the field.

Killings, whether attributed to the military, the police, or private actors, of activists associated with leftist groups and usually deemed or assumed to be covertly assisting CPP-NPA-NDF.

Private actors include hired thugs in the pay of politicians, landowners, corporate interests, and others.

Vigilante, or death squad, killings· Killings of journalists and other media persons.‘Ordinary’ murders facilitated by the sense of impunity that exists.

The response of Government to the crisis of extra-judicial executions varies dramatically. There has been a welcome acknowledgment of the seriousness of the problem at the very top.

At the executive level the messages have been very mixed and often unsatisfactory. And at the operational level, the allegations have too often been met with a response of incredulity, mixed with offence.

When I have sought explanations of the killings I have received a range of answers. (i) The allegations are essentially propaganda. I have addressed this dimension already. (ii) The allegations are fabricated.

Much importance was attached to two persons who had been listed as killed, but who were presented to me alive. Two errors, in circumstances which might partly explain the mistakes, do very little to discredit the vast number of remaining allegations. (iii) The theory that the ‘correct, accurate, and truthful’ reason for the recent rise in killings lies in purges committed by the CPP/NPA.

This theory was relentlessly pushed by the AFP and many of my Government interlocutors. But we must distinguish the number of 1,227 cited by the military from the limited number of cases in which the CPP/NPA have acknowledged, indeed boasted, of killings.

While such cases have certainly occurred, even those most concerned about them, such as members of Akbayan, have suggested to me that they could not amount to even 10% of the total killings. The evidence offered by the military in support of this theory is especially unconvincing.
Human rights organizations have documented very few such cases.

The AFP relies instead on figures and trends relating to the purges of the late 1980s, and on an alleged CPP/NPA document captured in May 2006 describing Operation Bushfire.

In the absence of much stronger supporting evidence this particular document bears all the hallmarks of a fabrication and cannot be taken as evidence of anything other than disinformation. (iv) Some killings may have been attributable to the AFP, but they were committed by rogue elements. There is little doubt that some such killings have been committed.

The AFP needs to give us precise details and to indicate what investigations and prosecutions have been undertaken in response. But, in any event, the rogue elephant theory does not explain or even address the central questions with which we are concerned.

Some major challenges for the future (a) Acknowledgement by the AFP.

The AFP remains in a state of almost total denial (as its official response to the Melo Report amply demonstrates) of its need to respond effectively and authentically to the significant number of killings which have been convincingly attributed to them.

The President needs to persuade the military that its reputation and effectiveness will be considerably enhanced, rather than undermined, by acknowledging the facts and taking genuine steps to investigate.

When the Chief of the AFP contents himself with telephoning Maj-Gen Palparan three times in order to satisfy himself that the persistent and extensive allegations against the General were entirely unfounded, rather than launching a thorough internal investigation, it is clear that there is still a very long way to go. (b)Moving beyond the Melo CommissionIt is not for me to evaluate the Melo Report.

That is for the people of the Philippines to do. The President showed good faith in responding to allegations by setting up an independent commission. But the political and other capital that should have followed is being slowly but surely drained away by the refusal to publish the report.

The justifications given are unconvincing. The report was never intended to be preliminary or interim. The need to get ‘leftists’ to testify is no reason to withhold a report which in some ways at least vindicates their claims.

And extending a Commission whose composition has never succeeded in winning full cooperation seems unlikely to cure the problems still perceived by those groups. Immediate release of the report is an essential first step. (c) The need to restore accountability.

The focus on TF Usig and Melo is insufficient. The enduring and much larger challenge is to restore the various accountability mechanisms that the Philippines Constitution and Congress have put in place over the years, too many of which have been systematically drained of their force in recent years.

I will go into detail in my final report, but suffice it to note for present purposes that Executive Order 464, and its replacement, Memorandum Circular 108, undermine significantly the capacity of Congress to hold the executive to account in any meaningful way. (d) Witness protection.

The vital flaw which undermines the utility of much of the judicial system is the problem of virtual impunity that prevails. This, in turn, is built upon the rampant problem of witness vulnerability.

The present message is that if you want to preserve your life expectancy, don’t act as a witness in a criminal prosecution for killing. Witnesses are systematically intimidated and harassed.

In a relatively poor society, in which there is heavy dependence on community and very limited real geographical mobility, witnesses are uniquely vulnerable when the forces accused of killings are all too often those, or are linked to those, who are charged with ensuring their security. The WPP is impressive – on paper.

In practice, however, it is deeply flawed and would seem only to be truly effective in a very limited number of cases. The result, as one expert suggested to me, is that 8 out of 10 strong cases, or 80% fail to move from the initial investigation to the actual prosecution stage. (e) Acceptance of the need to provide legitimate political space for leftist groupsAt the national level, there has been a definitive abandonment of President Ramos’ strategy of reconciliation.

This might be termed the Sinn Fein strategy. It involves the creation of an opening — the party-list system — for leftist groups to enter the democratic political system, while at the same time acknowledging that some of those groups remain very sympathetic to the armed struggle being waged by illegal groups (the IRA in the Irish case, or the NPA in the Philippines case). The goal is to provide an incentive for such groups to enter mainstream politics and to see that path as their best option.

Neither the party-list system nor the repeal of the Anti-Subversion Act has been reversed by Congress. But, the executive branch, openly and enthusiastically aided by the military, has worked resolutely to circumvent the spirit of these legislative decisions by trying to impede the work of the party-list groups and to put in question their right to operate freely.

The idea is not to destroy the NPA but to eliminate organizations that support many of its goals and do not actively disown its means. While non-violent in conception, there are cases in which it has, certainly at the local level, spilled over into decisions to extra-judicially execute those who cannot be reached by legal process. (f) Re-evaluate problematic aspects of counter-insurgency strategy.

The increase in extra-judicial executions in recent years is attributable, at least in part, to a shift in counterinsurgency strategy that occurred in some areas, reflecting the considerable regional variation in the strategies employed, especially with respect to the civilian population.

In some areas, an appeal to hearts-and-minds is combined with an attempt to vilify left-leaning organizations and to intimidate leaders of such organizations.

In some instances, such intimidation escalates into extra-judicial execution. This is a grave and serious problem and one which I intend to examine in detail in my final report.

The Philippines remains an example to all of us in terms of the peaceful ending of martial law by the People’s Revolution, and the adoption of a Constitution reflecting a powerful commitment to ensure respect for human rights.

The various measures ordered by the President in response to Melo constitute important first steps, but there is a huge amount that remains to be done.(Speech is made 21 Feb 2007 in Manila at the closing of Professor Alston investigation on summary killings in Philippines. The speech is available on this URL http://unphilippines.wordpress.com)