April 27 to 29, 2009 will be the time for the Philippine government to submit its overdue report to the United Nations Committee Against Torture. The Philippine Report covers the period from June 1989 to June 2007, seventeen (17) years late, a clear neglect of State obligations under Article 19 paragraph 1 of the Convention Against Torture (CAT).

After 17 years of backlog the government will be submitting their long tale of lies and parables to the United Nations.

Presented to the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) prior to the Philippines’ second periodic report at the CAT 42nd session, from 27 April to 15 May 2009

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Since time immemorial, torture has been humanity’s option for clinging to power and in suppressing truth. This happened to St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, during his stoning to death. This was humanity’s betrayal of Christ which ended up in the nailing on the cross. Indeed, He was a torture victim. Being sold for thirty pieces of silver; tried in public to denounce the supremacy of God over Ceasar; scourged at the pillar to test the vulnerability of the Son of God; crowned with thorns to disgrace the very sanctity of His Father. Torture was a method perpetrated with presumed regularity within the very procedures in the implementation of the law of man. Today, this is still happening. This is happening to any Juan, Pedro, and Maria in their quest to protect integrity and dignity as individuals or communities in the Philippines.

The Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) strongly condemns the brutal torture and extrajudicial killing of Rebelyn Pitao, a 21-year old teacher at St. Peter School in Toril, Davao City. According to the report (Alfred Dalizon, People’s Tonight, Saturday, March 7, 2009), Ms. Pitao’s body was found Thursday, a day after she was abducted by unidentified armed persons last Wednesday, March 4, at 6 pm in Kanto Bago Galera in Talomo near the Apo Golf Course.