Philippine Human Rights Act

Philippine Human Rights Act

This bill imposes limitations on providing assistance to the police or military of the Philippines.

No federal funds may be used to provide such assistance until the Philippines government has taken certain actions, including (1) investigating and successfully prosecuting members of its military and police forces who have violated human rights, (2) withdrawing the military from domestic policing activities, and (3) establishing that it effectively protects the rights of journalists and civil society activists.

The President shall also direct U.S. representatives at multilateral development banks to vote against providing loans to the police or military of the Philippines.

Bill 117 hr 3884, also known as the Philippine Human Rights Act, is a piece of legislation introduced in the US Congress. The purpose of this bill is to address human rights violations in the Philippines by suspending US security assistance to the Philippine government until certain conditions are met.

The bill specifically targets the Duterte administration in the Philippines, which has been widely criticized for its alleged human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings in the government's war on drugs. The bill calls for the suspension of security assistance to the Philippine government until it can demonstrate that it is taking steps to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations.

Supporters of the bill argue that the US should not be providing military aid to a government that is accused of committing human rights abuses. They believe that suspending security assistance will put pressure on the Philippine government to address these issues and improve its human rights record. Opponents of the bill argue that suspending security assistance could harm US-Philippine relations and weaken the Philippines' ability to combat terrorism and other security threats in the region. They also question the effectiveness of using aid as a leverage to promote human rights. Overall, the Philippine Human Rights Act is a controversial piece of legislation that highlights the complex relationship between the US and the Philippines, as well as the ongoing debate over how best to address human rights violations in other countries.