As President Benigno Aquino III prepares to deliver his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), rights groups challenged him to seriously pursue “zero human rights violations” during his term.

According to Max De Mesa, Chairperson of the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), PNoy “should put human rights at the heart of his governance” and adopt policies that will put a stop to killings and forced disappearances of militants and journalists.

Meanwhile, Teody Navea of the NGO-PO Network for ESC Rights also stressed that the PNoy administration should also give equal importance to economic, social, and cultural rights particularly food, housing, education, work, and health.

PAHRA condemns the continuing actions of the accused Ampatuans and the insensitive collaboration of government security officials to perpetuate the impunity committed in the heinous massacre of 57 people in Ampatuan, Maguindanao last November 23, 2009.

Conducting a press conference in the detention facility, riding in a private vehicle for a check-up, having a party while in detention, attempting to bribe and harassing witnesses – all are incremental acts with the same objective of perpetuating impunity. Even earlier, the then OIC Secretary of Justice Agra attempted to delist on the flimsy grounds two Ampatuans from those who were charged in relation to the massacre.

Eight (8) political prisoners were granted conditional pardon with parole conditions by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. After more than a decade of political detention and punishment by the state, Orlando Bundalian Jr., Ruperto Lopez Jr., Pedro Madera, Pedro Pascual, Anacleto Mercader, Rogelio Galero, Mariano Reyes and Rodolfo Tubera were released at last this July 8, 2010 from the Maximum Compound of the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa eight days after the former president’s term ended.

Who will be the next Chairperson of the Commission Human Rights? With a new wave of extrajudicial killings, that person will have the challenge of independently investigating these new and existing cases, and monitoring the government. The present CHR Commissioners and major Human Rights civil society groups s say that the selection process is just as vital as the actual individual appointed.

“A participatory and transparent selection process is vital to the CHR’s standing in the U.N. and other international bodies to speak up on the Philippine human rights situation and advocate for victims,” said CHR Officer in Charge, Commissioner Cecilia R.V. Quisumbing.