PRESS STATEMENT                                                             REFERENCE: Marie Hilao-Enriquez
15 February 2004                                                                                            Secretary General

GRP-NDFP Agreement on the Formation of the Joint Monitoring Committee: A Breakthrough for the Cause of Human Rights

KARAPATAN, the Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights congratulates today both panels for the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines for finally completing the formation of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) and achieving a breakthrough for the cause of human rights in the Philippines.

In a joint statement issued by both panels, they arrived on a 10 point agreement after the conclusion of the Formal Peace Talks in Oslo, Norway last February 10-14. Among those agreed upon is the formation of the JMC. They have also come out with its operational guidelines.

"There is some hope to look foward to," Marie Hilao-Enriquez, KARAPATAN Secretary General said. "The Filipino people are seeing a glimmer of light in the horizon with this positive development."

Enriquez along with Iglesia Filipina Independiente Supreme Bishop Tomas Millamena were designated by the NDFP as observers of the JMC. For the GRP side, Mercy Contreras, former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Aileen Bacalzo were appointed to be observers of the JMC.

Members of the JMC for each of the parties were -for the GRP, Rene Sarmiento, Jose Luis Martin Gascon and Major Ferdinand Baraquel. The NDFP confirmed the earlier designation of Fidel Agcaoili, Coni Ledesma and Danilo Borjal as members of the JMC.

"We can only hope that with the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHR-IHL) through the Joint Monitoring Committee, we can move on forward towards the genuine protection and respect of human rights of the Filipinos and that the long impunity of the perpetrators shall somehow be stopped." Enriquez said.

The implementation of CARHRIHL had been on hold since the time the talks collapsed between the NDFP and GRP under the former Estrada Administration. With its implementation, KARAPATAN hopes to see the rest of the agenda between both parties to be discussed in future schedules of the peace negotiations.

"This is definitely good news. Our significant additional task now is to continue our work unhampered in monitoring human rights violations through this alternative mechanism and give our people a chance to live peacefully based on true justice." The human rights leader concluded. ###