quote:

---

The reign of terror in the Philippines is of similar scope and depth as in Colombia. Unlike Colombia, the rampaging state terrorism has not drawn sufficient attention, le3t alone outcry, from international public opinion.

Between 2001 and 2006 hundreds of killings, disappearances, death threats and cases of torture have been documented by the independent human rights center, KARAPATAN , and the church-linked Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research. Since Macapagal Arroyo came to power in 2001 there have been 400 documented extrajudicial killings. In 2004, 63 were killed and in 2005, 179 were assassinated and another 46 disappeared and presumed dead. So far in the first two months of 2006 there have been 26 documented political assassinations.

---

quote:

---

Malnutrition is widespread, according to the World Health Organization. Upwards of eight million Filipinos, unable to find decent work at home, are working abroad to support their families 'Better to die working in Iraq, than to stay home and watch your family starve' was the pitiful, but common slogan of Filipino workers clamoring for exit visas to perform menial work for the US occupation army in Iraq. As many as 4,000 Filipino workers are believed to be in Iraq.

In the years following the overthrow of the Marcos dictatorship (Feb. 26, 1986) by a military and Church-backed revolt, the subsequent elected presidents have failed to stem the ongoing deterioration of the country.

---

quote:

---

Local newspaper reports described the army's selling of weapons to rebels as "an open secret" and "common knowledge." The army's chief-of-staff, Gen. Narciso Abaya, conceded that there is "graft and corruption at all levels." And police have admitted that al-Ghozi couldn't have escaped from his cell without help from someone on the inside. Most significant, Victor Corpus, chief of army intelligence, resigned, though he denies any role in the Davao bombings.
Besides, the soldiers were not the first to accuse the Philippine government of bombing its own people. Days before the mutiny, a coalition of church groups, lawyers and NGOs launched a "fact-finding mission" to investigate persistent rumors that the state was involved in the Davao explosions. It is also investigating the possible involvement of US intelligence agencies.
These suspicions stem from a bizarre incident on May 16, 2002, in Davao. Michael Meiring, a US citizen, allegedly detonated explosives in his hotel room, injuring himself badly. While recovering in the hospital, Meiring was whisked away by two men, who witnesses say identified themselves as FBI agents, and flown to the United States. Local officials have demanded that Meiring return to face charges, to little effect. Business World, a leading Philippine newspaper, has published articles openly accusing Meiring of being a CIA agent involved in covert operations "to justify the stationing of American troops and bases in Mindanao."

---

I haven't been following the situation very closely though.

quote:

---

The Philippines is a regular recipient of transfers of Canadian military equipment. Canadian aircraft parts and engines as well as handguns, worth $11.6 million in total, were transferred to the Philippines between 1990 and 2001. Reliable reports of indiscriminate aerial bombardment of civilians by the Philippines Air Force as part of the government’s attempts to defeat opposition groups seem to have not been taken seriously by the Canadian authorities. In 1993 Amnesty International detailed full military operations in the Cordillera mountains in Northern Luzon, an important base area for the New People’s Army (the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines), including aerial bombardment, forced evacuations on a massive scale and widespread destruction of property. Again, in 2000 Amnesty reported periodic aerial bombardment of villages suspected of harbouring members of opposition groups that led to mass displacement of civilians, particularly in Mindanao; and in 2001 it said that over 400,000 civilians in central Mindanao were internally displaced amid reports of indiscriminate aerial bombardment of civilian areas suspected of containing forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Aircraft parts and aircraft engine parts continued to be transferred to the Philippines during 2000 and 2001.

---

That's not all that much, admittedly, compared to what the US has been doing:

quote:

---

Since the withdrawal of US military bases in 1991, domestic nationalist sentiments have opposed strenghtening of US-Phillippine ilitary links. But since 9/11, the US pledged to provide $100 million in security assistance to the Phillippines. The International Military Education and Training program is the largest in Asia and the second largest in the world. At $148 million, the Phillippines is also the number one recipient in Asia of Excess Defense Articles. The US has also committed significant military equipment, including 30 helicopters and spare parts, under presidential drawdown order.

---

quote:

---

More than half of Canada’s arms sales are to the USA, which raises two major concerns.

Firstly, the Canadian government is unable to exercise sufficient oversight on the re-export of Canadian military items from the USA: the USA has re-transferred items to other countries where there were strong concerns the weapons would be used to commit violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

In contrast, the reexport of most military goods imported from the USA by Canada requires authorization from Washington to “ensure Canada is not used as a diversionary route to circumvent US embargoes”.

Secondly, military exports to the USA are not recorded in the Canadian government’s annual report. Therefore there is almost no information available on these exports. Transparency is seriously lacking, and not even the Canadian Parliament can scrutinize and oversee these exports.

Because of the unique defence production agreements between Canada and the USA, arms exports by Canada to the USA are not subject to the same stringent controls as other countries – in fact, no export permits are required for Canadian arms exports to the USA. According to press reports, Canada has exported armoured vehicles, landing gear for fighter aircraft, and a host of components for US weapon systems which are frequently transferred by the USA to countries at war or to governments involved in human rights violations.

---