PDI: Human rights activists and lawmakers were shocked and disappointed at the Philippine government’s decision to align with China in boycotting the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony honoring imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.
“The Philippines prides itself on its democratic values, which is why it is shocking to see this government turning its back on Liu Xiaobo’s nonviolent struggle for free expression in China,†Elaine Pearson, deputy director for Asia of The Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
Pearson noted that President Benigno Aquino III’s mother, the late democracy icon Corazon Aquino, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, the same year she led the peaceful People Power Revolution that ousted Marcos.
The Philippines declined the invitation to attend Friday’s ceremony in Oslo, Norway.
Pearson said skipping the ceremony along with 17 other countries, including China’s allies such as Venezuela and Cuba, regional neighbors including Vietnam and Kazakhstan, and business partners such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, meant that the Philippines “is failing to live up to its promise to promote human rights in Asia.â€
Calling the Department of Foreign Affairs’ decision disappointing, Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello said he would write letters of protest to both the DFA and the Chinese Embassy in Manila.
“We protest if the US tries to pressure us. I think we should equally protest when the Chinese do so. We should not let this superpower slap us around,†Bello said.
He noted that human rights had been central in the struggle against the Marcos dictatorship and for democracy. “This has been institutionalized,†he said
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Topic: Philippines Boycott Nobel Prize Awarding (Read 881 times)