MANILA, Philippines?A New York-based human rights group Tuesday called on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to press President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to prosecute soldiers allegedly responsible for political killings.

Clinton will be in Manila on Nov. 12-13 and is expected to discuss disaster management following the devastating typhoons that struck the country.

There has been no indication that human rights would be on the agenda, according to US Ambassador Kristie Kenney.

Human Rights Watch, in a statement, said the ?historically close relations? between the two countries and the direct US support for the Philippine military places ?particular responsibility? on the US to press the Arroyo government to end the military?s alleged involvement in human rights violations and to prosecute those responsible.

?Clinton should not waste this opportunity to raise human rights concerns in the Philippines. She should make it very clear that failure to seriously address unlawful killings could harm relations, particularly military-to-military cooperation,? said Elaine Pearson, HRW deputy Asia director.

The Arroyo administration has not sufficiently investigated numerous extrajudicial killings in which the military has been implicated, the group said.

It has yet to take strong action against local government-backed ?death squads? in Davao City and elsewhere, and has tolerated ?unnecessary delays? in investigations into these killings, the HRW added.

?There should be an understanding that the US intends to monitor progress in bringing perpetrators to justice and that failure to do so will increasingly raise concerns about US-Philippine relations,? Pearson said.

Pearson also urged Ms Arroyo to sign into law an anti-torture bill passed by Congress last month. The measure would disallow confessions obtained by torture as evidence. It would also make torture a criminal offense and would prohibit returning people to countries where they could face torture.

In May, the UN committee against torture expressed its deep concern about the numerous, ongoing, credible and consistent allegations of routine and widespread use of torture in the Philippines.

Killings continue

?Clinton should tell President Arroyo that each day the anti-torture bill goes unsigned is another day her government is tolerating torture,? Pearson said.

The group also noted that since 2001, when Ms Arroyo took office, hundreds of left-wing political party members, human rights activists, journalists and outspoken clergy have been killed or have disappeared, but only six cases have been successfully prosecuted.

Although the military has been implicated in many of the crimes, none of the 11 persons convicted in these cases were active military personnel at the time of the killing. The killings surged after President Arroyo?s declaration in June 2006 of an ?all-out war? against the communist New People?s Army insurgency.

The HRW said that despite a reduction in killings since 2007 attributed to international and local pressure, the killings continue.

The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) vowed to mobilize protesters in front of the US Embassy on Thursday, saying Clinton was visiting to deepen US security ties with the Philippines regardless of human rights violations. With a report from Associated Press