<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><a href="https://schakowsky.house.gov/media/press-releases/schakowsky-delauro-lead-call-president-biden-raise-human-rights-concerns" class="">https://schakowsky.house.gov/media/press-releases/schakowsky-delauro-lead-call-president-biden-raise-human-rights-concerns</a><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="block block--drupaltheme-schakowsky-page-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><h1 class="display-4" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; line-height: 1.2; font-size: 2.25rem; color: rgb(170, 0, 1); text-transform: uppercase; width: fit-content; border-top-width: 15px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(179, 221, 243); border-bottom-width: 15px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(179, 221, 243); text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">SCHAKOWSKY, DELAURO LEAD CALL FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN TO RAISE HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNS WITH PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES</span></h1></div><div class="block block--drupaltheme-schakowsky-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><article data-history-node-id="8567" about="/media/press-releases/schakowsky-delauro-lead-call-president-biden-raise-human-rights-concerns" class="evo-press-release node evo-press-release--full" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1.5rem !important; margin-bottom: 1.5rem !important;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><div class="row evo-create-type" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; margin-right: -15px; margin-left: -15px; margin-bottom: 1em;"><div class="col-auto" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; width: auto; padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 15px; flex: 0 0 auto; max-width: 100%;">May 1, 2023 </div><div class="col-auto" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; width: auto; padding-right: 15px; padding-left: 15px; flex: 0 0 auto; max-width: 100%;"><a href="https://schakowsky.house.gov/media/press-releases" alt="View Press Release listings" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(0, 79, 129); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; transition: all 0.3s ease-in-out 0s;" class="">Press Release</a></div></div><div class="evo-press-release__body" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem; text-align: center;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><a href="http://schakowsky.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/schakowsky.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/5.1.2023-schakowsky-delauro-letter-to-president-biden-re-president-marcos-visit.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(0, 79, 129); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; transition: all 0.3s ease-in-out 0s;" class="">Text of Letter (PDF)</a></span></span></span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""></span></span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">WASHINGTON</span> – In advance of President Biden’s meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) and Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) led 13 of their colleagues in a bipartisan letter to President Biden calling on him to raise concerns over the worsening human rights crisis in the Philippines.</span></p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""></span></span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">“We have heard from and represent organizations and individuals working to improve the </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Philippines for all its citizens and we share their concerns that human, labor, environment, and </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">indigenous rights communities continue to be targeted and silenced,” <span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">wrote the lawmakers.</span></span></span></span></p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""></span></span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">There were very well documented human rights violations under the previous Duterte Administration </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">in the Philippines, but recent reports from human rights groups show a “lack of redress” and “ongoing impunity” under the current administration. Karapatan Human Rights Alliance reports that from July to December 2022, there were 17 extrajudicial killings, 165 illegal arrests, and a total of 825 political prisoners, 73 of whom are elderly.</span></p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""></span></span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Furthermore, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) named the Philippines one of the top ten worst countries for workers. Filipino workers are often vulnerable to violent attacks and arrests. Alex Dolorosa, an organizer and paralegal with the BPO Industry Employee Network (BIEN) was found dead after years of surveillance and red-tagging of him and his organization.</span></p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""></span></span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">“Tragedies like Alex’s are far too common for trade unionists, where the military and the government target unions, union leaders and workers attempting to organize with red-tagging, allowing for aggressive surveillance, mistreatment, torture, imprisonment, and even killings,” <span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">continued the lawmakers.</span></span></span></span></p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""></span></span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">The lawmakers would like to see President Marcos “address the historic and current injustices” by :</span></p><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1rem;" class=""><li style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Resolving and providing appropriate compensation for the many outstanding cases of martial law victims.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Ensuring the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators of human rights violations.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">Taking steps to guarantee a judicial system that is capable of investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to justice members of the police and military who have committed human rights abuses.</span></li></ul><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">The letter was also signed by Representatives Susan Wild (PA-07), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (PA-01), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (IL-04), and Nikki Budzinski (IL-13).</span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""></span></span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="text-align-center" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 0px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 1rem; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class="">###</span></p></div><div class="evo-press-release__field-evo-issues" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br class=""></div></div></article></div><div class="">
Arthur Stamoulis<br class="">Citizens Trade Campaign<br class="">(202) 494-8826<br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class="">
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