Repression in the Philippines continues despite Duterte's arrest

Manila"One night, while I was sleeping, they broke into my house, hid several weapons among my children's toys, and arrested me without a warrant, accusing me of false charges," explains Cora Agovida, her voice breaking from the headquarters of Karapatan, the leading Philippine human rights organization. Four years ago, when Rodrigo Duterte was president of the Philippines, she was imprisoned. "My 'crime' was being part of the Gabriela women's movement: they accused me of terrorism and belonging to a rebel group," she explains. "Without a sentence, I was locked up for three years in the Manila women's prison, the most congested in the country."

The arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte this March, accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, has not changed the situation. Over the past few years, the Philippine government has systematically persecuted human rights organizations and civilians. Under the guise of fighting an armed insurgency, any expression contrary to the government's positions is liable to be labeled as terrorist and suffer serious consequences: from public profiling to arbitrary imprisonment and extrajudicial killings.

A conflict that comes from afar

The Philippines has been in a civil war for over 50 years: an armed conflict between the Philippine government and the New People's Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. Started in 1969, this communist rebellion is one of the longest-running insurgencies in Asia and has already resulted in the deaths of 40,000 people, according to data from the National Intelligence Service (NIS). Crisis GroupAlthough the intensity of the fighting has decreased, hotspots remain, particularly on the island of Mindanao.

The root of the conflict stems from a historical malaise: the unequal distribution of land. The Philippines is a predominantly rural country, and although nearly 65% of the population originates from rural areas, land ownership remains in very few hands. In this context, the country's Communist Party has for decades advocated for a political and armed struggle for a revolution "against imperialism and for social justice."

In addition to the years of Spanish and US domination, to understand the current situation in the Philippines, it is necessary to focus on the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the country for 21 years (1965-1986). Under his leadership, more than 100,000 people were killed, kidnapped, tortured, and imprisoned; yet no one has ever been held accountable for human rights violations. These consequences are reflected in the policies of recent Philippine governments: that of Rodrigo Duterte (2016-2022); and the current one, led by Bongbong Marcos, the former dictator's son.

The danger of being (considered) a communist

Duterte led the "war on drugs"", which involved criminalizing thousands of poor drug addicts or drug dealers, to the point of killing them, in highly controversial police operations. According to Karapatan, at least 25,000 extrajudicial killings were recorded during Duterte's term.

Duterte also intensified the practice of red-tagging (red labeling): The public targeting and accusation of terrorism by state security forces of government critics. In fact, the anti-terrorism law passed in 2020 allows any protest against the state to be classified as terrorist and equates the label "communism" with terrorism. The profiles of those labeled include activists, human rights organizations, opposition politicians, indigenous leaders, religious groups, journalists, teachers, and lawyers.

Since 2022, the Philippine government has been led by Marcos Jr., with Sara Duterte—Rodrigo Duterte's daughter—as vice president. "Marcos Jr. continues to use the law to arm himself and assassinate activists and opponents of his administration," explains France L. Castro, spokesperson for an opposition parliamentary group.Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), which adds that "those who speak out are extrajudicially killed or labeled as rebels, communists, or terrorists." The persecution now takes the form of fabricated court cases every day. In 2024, she was found guilty of child abuse, charges that Karapatan denounces as fabricated.

Arlene D. Brosas, a representative of the Gabriela Women's Party, is also being persecuted. "We are targeted and receive death threats. It's not easy to defend women's rights in a House dominated by misogyny." Gabriela, in addition to being a women's movement, is also a political party formed entirely by women, with more than 20 years of history. The name refers to Gabriela Silang, a historical figure who fought against Spanish colonization.

A stranded peace

Steps are currently being taken to resume peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), which since 1973 has served as the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines, establishing diplomatic relations abroad and representing the peace negotiations.

Some of the NDFP leaders live in exile in the Netherlands, such as Coni Ledesma, a negotiator since 1991. "Peace will come when there is a fair distribution of land and farmers can work it, when there is work for the population, when there is access to health care, when poverty is eradicated," she says.

Negotiations between the Philippine government and the NDFP began in 1986, following the overthrow of the Marcos dictatorship. In 2017, after little significant progress, Duterte unilaterally halted the talks, leading to a sharp escalation of violence, particularly by government forces. But months of secret negotiations facilitated by the Norwegian government in the Netherlands led to the announcement, in late 2023, by the current Marcos Jr. government and the NDFP to reactivate the negotiations that had been cut short six years earlier. For Coni Ledesma, the goal is clear: "to ensure that everyone has the minimum standard of living. When we achieve that, we will have achieved peace."

*This report has been possible thanks to the work of theCatalan Association for Peace jointly developed with local Philippine entities to defend the protection of human rights in the country.