We heard testimony in a previous session from Bishop Marigza, who spoke on behalf of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. He informed the subcommittee of the extrajudicial executions of ministers, leaders, and of course the members of the church, and noted that on average almost one person per week continues to be a victim of extrajudicial killings.
There was also an incident in 2008, when Muslim rebels forced hundreds of mainly Christian families off their farms in the southern Philippines. This incident was conducted by heavily armed members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, who were claiming that the lands there belonged to the Muslims.
Now, and in fact just this month, the government has signed a framework peace plan with the former group, so the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will set up an autonomous region in part of the south, where Muslims of course are a majority. Given the persecution of Christians that has been seen in the south in general, how do you think this newly signed framework will affect the rights and livelihoods of the Christians in that region?