Published November 25, 2005

Amidst disputes on controversial political issues, one hundred and twenty legislators from various political persuasions resound the call for the Philippine government to urge the ASEAN to support the growing demand from the international community for the UN Security Council to include Myanmar on its agenda as manifested in House Resolution 996.

The said resolution was originally authored by Akbayan solons Mayong Aguja, Etta Rosales and Risa Hontiveros, and signed by 23 partylistas, and 97 district representatives from both majority and minority parties.

Burma has been ruled by a military junta since 1962. Since then, there have been several efforts to restore democracy in Myanmar both from the local and international community. In the 1990 free elections for 489 parliamentary seats, the National League for Democracy (NLD) won 406 seats but the ruling military regime did not allow the formation of the new government. Moreover, the members of the NLD have been harassed, jailed and even murdered by the government led by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). “Even Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, NLD’s leader, still remains under house arrest”, Hontiveros said.

The United Nations, thru the Office of the Secretary General, the General Assembly and its various organs have attempted to promote change and development in Burma by facilitating national reconciliation. Such efforts have seemingly failed due to the Burmese government’s refusal to cooperate. “Even a recent request by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Paolo Serghio Pinheiro, was again turned down by the government. Note that he has been denied entry to Burma since November 2003″, Aguja explained.

The abovementioned House Resolution affirmed the recent report commissioned by The Honorable Vacláv Havel, Former President of the Czech Republic and Bishop Desmond M. Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town which calls for the UN Security Council to intervene in Burma’s case. “The Tutu-Havel reports that Burma is not just a severe human rights problem, but also a continuously growing threat to international peace and security”, expressed Rosales.

The Akbayan solons explained it is not difficult for the Filipinos to empathize with the people of Burma as we also experience some of their concerns, such as political repression, increasing number of child soldiers, sexual violence against women by military troops, and internal displacement of persons, among others. “As a people who have been looked up to as a champion in upholding democratic principles, in defending the human rights and in supporting electoral democracies, the Filipinos should be at the forefront in promoting the call for the UNSC’s action on Burma, especially with its two-year term in the UNSC coming to a close by the end of this year.”, said the partylist legislators.