General News and Announcements

February 10, 2010

The following is a statement by Omega Bula, Executive Minister of the United Church’s Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit.

The United Church of Canada strongly condemns the arrest by 300 government security forces of two medical doctors, a nurse, a midwife, and 39 health workers in the Philippines on February 6, 2010.

We call on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to immediately ensure that their rights are respected and to order their release.

We are informed by Philippine partners of The United Church of Canada that the victims were participants in a training course organized by the non-governmental organization Council for Health and Development (CHD) at the home of Dr. Melicia Velmonte in the province of Rizal. The United Church of Canada respects the work of the CHD, which provides basic health services and trains health care workers to serve in the many communities that have no access to health services. Dr. Velmonte is a renowned and respected infectious disease specialist. Dr. Merry Mia, the Education and Training Services coordinator for CHD, and Dr. Alex Montes of Community Medicine Development Foundation, who were conducting the training, are dedicated proponents of community health care and worked many years with their respective NGOs. Dr. Montes is a member of The United Church of Christ in the Philippines, which commends his work with marginalized communities.

The unfounded accusations that the victims are known members of the New People’s Army lead us to believe that the arrest and detention of these health workers are linked to the state agenda to terrorize those who struggle for human rights as the country approaches presidential election in May 2010. We are informed by our Philippine partners that this is part of the campaign to discredit political parties and organizations, including party-list groups, who are critical of the government, and a campaign to harass and intimidate the supporters of political parties and organizations, including party-list groups, who may pose a serious challenge to those who are entrenched in power during the coming election.

The United Church of Canada is deeply concerned that abuses such as the arrest and detention of the 43 health workers as well as political violence such as the massacre in Maguindanao will escalate during the run-up to the election. We are concerned that such election-related violence and abuses will deter the citizens of the Philippines from effectively exercising their right to vote and the holding of a free and fair election in May 2010.

We join the voices of our partners and many international groups in calling on President Macapagal Arroyo to immediately order the release of the 43 health care workers who are now in illegal detention.

We call on the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and all other government security forces and apparatus to end all forms of abuses, harassment, intimidation, and violence against candidates, political parties, and organizations, including party-list groups, who are critical of the government.

We reiterate our call to the Philippine government to implement the recommendations of the United Nations Special Rapporteur, Philip Alston, and scrap its counter-insurgency campaign, Operation Plan Bantay Laya.

We call on the Government of Canada to condemn the arrest of the 43 health workers and call for their immediate release.

We call on the Government of Canada to help safeguard the future of democracy in the Philippines by putting pressure on the Philippine government to take immediate and concrete steps to implement measures to stop and prevent election-related violence and human rights abuses.