TOLD TO ‘STOP’ Activist-playwright Boni Ilagan files a complaint on Wednesday at the Quezon City Police District’s Station 15 about the phoned-in death threat he received on Jan. 2. —Contributed photo
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Saturday said it has started a probe into the death threat received by martial law survivor and playwright Bonifacio Ilagan.
On January 2, Ilagan received a phone call from a man who told him to stop what he was doing, without further elaboration. The unidentified caller told Ilagan that he is just waiting for the order to kill the playwright and other alleged communists.
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“It is in the interest of the State to protect the freedom of expression in these spaces of discourse from threats of violence. Conflicting opinions often facilitate the synthesis of a peaceful, democratic middle ground. CHR, through its National Capital Region office, has already taken steps to investigate the death threat against Ilagan,” said the commission in the statement.
According to the CHR, Ilagan’s works shed light on the human rights abuses perpetrated during the martial law period. Ilagan’s sister, Rizalina Ilagan, was an activist who opposed the martial law. She disappeared in 1976.
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“In light of the 1987 Constitution and the country’s commitment to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), the government has the primary responsibility to guarantee that such abuses never occur again in present times,” the CHR said.
According to the United Nations’ website, the ICCPR is a multilateral treaty to uphold civil rights, while the CAT is likewise another international agreement where signed members must prevent acts of torture.
“CHR also reminds the government that it is responsible for protecting artists’ rights and freedoms. The Commission stresses that in a democratic country, it is only natural for different, sometimes conflicting, political perspectives to emerge in matters of history and the arts,” it said.