MANILA, Philippines -- The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) of the Philippines’ human rights record concluded with at least 17 member-states expressing concern about the situation, a leftist lawmaker said Friday.

Bayan Muna (People First) Representative Teodoro Casiño, who attended the first session of the UPR in April, said the 17 UNHRC member-states raised “critical issues” over the extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the country but stopped short criticizing the Arroyo administration.

“They did not directly criticize the government because it’s undiplomatic, but they expressed concerns over the situation,” Casino said over the phone on Friday.

The second and final session of the UPR on the country’s human rights record ended last week with the Philippine delegation expressing disappointment over the government’s continued denial of what they said is the real situation in the country.

The delegation was composed of Fr. Rex Reyes, secretary-general of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), Marie Enriquez of Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights), lawyer Edre Olalia of the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL), and Edita Burgos of Desaparecidos, an organization of families of victims of enforced disappearances.

In a joint statement, the human rights advocates criticized the government for using the UPR to attack UN special rapporteur Philip Alston, who went to the Philippines to investigate the killings and disappearances and concluded that most of the human rights violations could be attributed to a counterinsurgency strategy that included targeting leaders and members of legal organizations openly tagged by the government as rebel fronts.

“We are appalled at the way the Philippine government fiercely attacked Professor Alston,” the human rights advocates. “They have resorted to denials, twisting of facts, unabashed name-calling and even ad hominem arguments to the conclusion and observation of Prof. Alston.”

“The bid by a handful of states including the Philippines, to unseat mandate holders like Professor Alston is a way to get back at people who speak the truth,” they added.

Towards the end of the UPR process, they said, the Philippine government chose to ignore Alston’s recommendations as well as a recommendation to invite other special procedures to the country.