Good afternoon.
Since Arroyo assumed power, 98 women have been killed for political reasons, with 30 abducted and 24 detained. My party, the Gabriela Women's Party, is a key target of the political repression. The president of Gabriela has been charged with rebellion and was forced to seek the protective custody of Congress for two months. She still faces charges of multiple murder. I am charged with rebellion and recently survived a bombing incident at the House of Congress that killed six people, including my driver. The bombing occurred on the day that my party and other opposition parties filed an impeachment case against President Arroyo.
I come from Mindanao, an island rich in natural resources and where Canadian mining companies are very active. Canada has filed major mining projects in the Philippines worth about $1 billion in investments, and many more companies are engaged in exploration.
I ask the subcommittee to look into the link between the activities of Canadian mining companies in the Philippines and the human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings. Eighteen women involved in community protests against large-scale mining have been assassinated.
In the Philippines, militarization is the evil twin of development projects such as mining. Even as we meet here today, military troops have been deployed to an indigenous community in northern Philippines and are terrorizing residents who opposed the mine project of Toronto-based Olympus Pacific Minerals.
Conducted under the guise of counter-insurgency, the military operation secures the area and allows the mining operations to proceed. Individuals and organizations opposing the mines are labelled by the military as members of the rebel New People's Army and enemies of the state, making them legitimate targets of attack.
I will now ask the leader of our delegation, representative Satur Ocampo, to present our recommendations to the subcommittee.
Thank you.