Reform the Philippine Judiciary with a Jury System

Philippines, where an ordinary citizen’s life is only worth US$110! 

Here is another reason why the JURY SYSTEM is urgently needed.  Some of the paragraphs were omitted.  The full report is available on www.hrw.org/node/125247. Email shaycullen@preda.org and  visit www.preda.org. ### 

Saved from the death squad - by street children

by FR. SHAY CULLEN, SSC

Preda

What should be a matter of outrage and great moral concern of every Filipino and decent human being is the very recent, well documented revelations by Human Rights Watch, alleging the actions of a death squad in Tagum City, Mindanao, where hundreds have been murdered including street children as young as 9 years old. The killings were allegedly carried out by hit men allegedly on orders of the former mayor.  Each person was killed for a payment of only P5000.00 (US$110).

This is not the first report documenting the dark side of the Philippines where government officials, have been accused of using private assassination squads of hit-men that go around on motor bikes killing children, priests, missionaries, pastors, church and human rights workers. This column has documented many of these murders. The Sun Star of Davao has bravely documented many of the death squad murders over the years. Investigations by the Philippine Commission on Human Rights have failed to uncover the killers or those behind the murders.

The killings are done to drive away begging street kids, create fear and silence critics and defenders of human rights on the pretext of preserving law and order by killing people said to be suspected criminals. Anyone can denounce their neighbor as a drug pusher and it's likely that person would be killed. This is how the tiny minority of wealthy Filipino elites use fear, force and murder to intimidate the people, eliminate rivals, cheat at elections and stay in power through family dynasties. Thus, the one percent can rule the nation as they have always done. The hit-men do it for money and the elites do it for political and economic advantage. They act with total impunity.

The Human Rights Watch report gives credence to the many allegations made by Filipino human rights workers for many years including this writer who exposed a Davao death squad and was sued by the former Davao Mayor in 1999, although no allegation was made against him personally. It was a harrowing, dangerous year of legal defence, and a scary visit to Davao where a group of street children formed a protective cordon around me at the airport lest the death squad would kill me. I was trying to save them, but they saved me.

Your donations are urgently needed.  Help us save lives by reforming our judicial system.  A jury system that is embedded in our body of laws will:  1) Empower the Filipino people in the administration of justice; 2) Make our leaders respect justice and fairness; 3) Enforce our country’s laws and instil respect for them from all levels of our society; and 4) Create a Judiciary that is untainted and equal to our peers throughout the world.

We have now gathered  over 300,000 signatures.  Between 6 and 7 million signatures are needed by middle of December 2014.

Links:

• Philippine Jury International