Philippines: Candidates’ Views on Rights in Spotlight
Philippines: Candidates’ Views on Rights in Spotlight
Philippine presidential candidates Jejomar Binay, Miriam Defensor Santiago, Rodrigo Duterte, Grace Poe, and Mar Roxas at a presidential debate on April 24, 2016.
Presidential Contenders Respond to Human Rights Watch Survey
(Manila, May 2, 2016) – Two of the five presidential candidates in the Philippines, Mar Roxas and Miriam Defensor Santiago, responded to a questionnaire on key human rights issues facing the country, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing the responses. Topics covered include accountability for abuses by state security forces, ending torture, indigenous peoples’ rights, killings of journalists, HIV/AIDS, and internal displacement. The presidential election is scheduled for May 9, 2016.
All candidates should take a stand on human rights in the campaign’s remaining days, Human Rights Watch said.
“Human rights are critically important in the Philippines so it’s important to learn what the candidates have to say about them,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The candidates who responded to the questionnaire are helping Filipino voters better understand the country’s problems, and the steps that can be taken to address them.”
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