Press Release
June 29, 2009

KIKO PANGILINAN: FIL-AM'S LAWSUIT VS. TORTURERS A TESTAMENT TO RP'S WEAK JUDICIAL SYSTEM

Independent senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan laments Fil-Am Melissa Roxas' lawsuit against the Philippine government for allegations of torture by the Philippine military.

"Bringing the suit before the U.S. courts is a testament to the sorry state of the country's human rights record and its lack of commitment to respecting and upholding these rights. Our justice system is also being indicted here," says Pangilinan.

Roxas, a member of the U.S. chapter of BAYAN, was abducted in La Paz, Tarlac on May 19. She is set to file a complaint before the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations. "Why she opted to sue her alleged captors abroad rather than in Philippine courts may be a sign of her lack of faith in our system of justice characterized more be serious delays rather than swiftness, by dismissals rather than convictions. We cannot blame her considering that hundred of cases of extrajudicial killings and abductions have remained unresolved for many years now."

Pangilinan, an advocate of judicial reforms, says Roxas' suit is a challenge to the Arroyo government.

"Because our system of justice is broken in many places and is in dire need of fixing, she has opted to pursue justice elsewhere. Whether the allegations are true or not, it is in the best interest of the state to find out the truth."

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