Amnesty International sounds alarm over worsening human rights in Luzon

BAGUIO CITY — Amnesty International (AI) raised an alarm regarding a significant decline in human rights protections across Luzon, noting that accountability for rights remains elusive.

During an engagement with the Baguio- and Benguet-based members of the media on 5 May2026, AI Philippine Section Director Ritz Lee Santos III said there is a pattern of escalating human rights violations in Luzon, from aerial bombardments of indigenous and civilian communities and unresolved cases of enforced disappearances to attacks on press freedom and labor rights, and the worsening effect of climate disasters in the region. While AI acknowledged the efforts of the City Government of Baguio and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Cordillera in prioritizing human rights in governance, the rest of Luzon is falling behind.

"Key human rights issues in Luzon reflect a broader pattern where accountability remains absent, and LGUs fall short with its obligations to address violations," Santos lamented. AI emphasized its concern about the increasing militarization in indigenous communities in Southern Luzon and missing community organizers.

The organization also expressed concern over the same rights violations in Kalinga and other parts of the Cordillera Region. Activists and advocates in the region were being harassed, and some of them were abducted years ago and remain missing to the present. AI lamented that despite legal remedies, their cases remain unresolved.

The organization noted that while the Supreme Court has issued writs of amparo for individuals like Jonas Burgos, Dexter Capuyan, and Bazoo de Jesus, no successful prosecutions have followed. "Families of the disappeared are left without justice," AI stressed.

Chuwaley Capuyan, the daughter of indigenous people (IP) activist Dexter Capuyan, who went missing on April 28, 2023, said they are still waiting for concrete answers and actions from the government on the case of her father since the issuance of the Writ of Amparo. Capuyan, together with IP rights advocate Bazoo de Jesus, was declared "desaparecidos" or victims of enforced disappearances by the Court last year.

Chuwaley said that while they await justice, she is calling for the stop of the attacks against indigenous communities, activists, and advocates.

AI Philippines concluded by reiterating its Human Rights Legislative Agenda for the 20th Congress. The organization noted that since the agenda was first presented to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2022, it has received no formal response from the Office of the President. Recent correspondence from Malacañang indicated that the President would be unable to accommodate the organization’s latest request for a meeting.