Since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the presidency through a popular uprising in 2001, there have been 903 victims of extra-judicial killings in the Philippines- 20 of them killed during the first quarter of 2008. The killings have not spared members of the churches and clergy with 20 victims including a bishop, while there are 23 youth and students killed.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Killings, Summary and Arbitrary Executions Prof. Philip Alston mission in the Philippines in February 2007,bore the findings that the military and the government’s counter-insurgency program called Oplan Bantay Laya, have great accountability on the killings and many human rights violations perpetrated by security forces. Oplan Bantay Laya (Operation Plan Guarding Freedom) blatantly brands progressive and legal organizations as "front organizations" of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People's Army and treats civilians as "collateral damage".

Therefore:

1. We strongly condemn the killings of members of the clergy, church workers, activists, journalists and ordinary citizens coming from the ranks of the workers, peasants, professionals and youth in the Philippines.

2. We uphold as paramount the lives and human dignity of all those who suffer and live under threat in the Philippines today.

3. We affirm that no person should be subjected to repression because of political beliefs. Those who are active in social, human rights issues and concerns including being critical of the Arroyo government should not be victimized.

4. We affirm the basic and fundamental rights of every person to freedom of speech, political belief, association and most especially, the freedom to live in peace and without the constant threat to one's life.

WE CALL ON THE WSCF-IRO, the Regions and all National Movements to:

1. Unite and act against the extra-judicial killings, abductions, torture and human rights abuses in the Philippines.

2. Raise awareness and help in educating students around the world about the situation in the Philippines.

3. Pray for justice and healing for the Filipino people and especially for the SCM Philippines, for the students, activist, church workers, civil society organizations and all those who work for justice in the Philippines.

4. Lobby national governments and inter-governmental agencies on matters of calling the attention on the human rights situation in the Philippines, in calling for justice and healing
WE STRONGLY CALL ON:

1. The Arroyo government answerable for the massive loss of lives and the grave human rights violations in the Philippines, which can be considered the worst since the dark days of Martial Law in the 1970s.

2. We demand for the release and immediate re-surfacing of abducted activists who remain missing until now.

3. We call on the Philippine government to promptly enact the recommendations of United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Killings, Summary and Arbitrary Executions to change the Philippine government’s counter-insurgency plan that has caused many of the extra-judicial executions, abductions and other grave human rights violations.

4. We call on the Arroyo government to stop its "all-out war policy" and scrap OPLAN BANTAY LAYA, that leaves no distinction between the armed revolutionary movement and the legal democratic organizations and civilians.

5. We urge the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant Churches and all other church organizations in the Philippines to lead and sustain the investigation of the killings and other human rights violations. We ask you to play an active role in the pursuit for justice to the victims and their families.

We also call on Churches from the different parts of the world to sustain the pressure to the Philippine government to stop human rights violations and demand justice for all the victims and their families.

6. We urge the Philippine government to officially hold the stalled Peace Negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines-Communist Party of the Philippines

We vow to monitor closely the development in the Philippines, especially the human rights situation and further commit ourselves to be in solidarity with the Filipino people until their long-aspired justice, peace and genuine democracy are achieved.