MANILA (UCAN) -- The special United Nations rapporteur on extrajudicial killings ended his 11-day investigation by saying Christian churches have a major role in monitoring future developments.

"I think the churches can exercise a great influence on society by attaching major significance to the need to stamp out this entirely unnecessary practice," U.N. rapporteur Philip Alston said at a Feb. 21 press conference in Makati City, just south of Manila.

Alston, an international lawyer who focuses on human rights, was appointed U.N. special rapporteur in 2004. The professor was born in Australia, and began his human-rights work in 1976. He came to the Philippines at the request of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, after European countries expressed concern over the growing number of extrajudicial killings in the country since 2001.

"I feel they have a very important role to play in the Philippines," he told UCA News, recalling the historic role of the Catholic Church in the EDSA uprising.

EDSA, or Epifanio De Los Santos Avenue, is where millions of Filipinos, called by Cardinal Jaime Sin of Manila, stood vigil in 1986 to prevent violence between late president Ferdinand Marcos loyalists and reformist soldiers. The peaceful uprising eventually dismantled Marcos' dictatorship.

Alston visited with religious leaders, but not as many as he had hoped, he told UCA News. "I met with too few while I was here. I was not rejected, but rather I had a very tight schedule and when we tried to fit them in, it did not work out. I regret that very much," he explained.

Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) press person Roy Legarde said Alston did not meet with any bishops.

Alston's investigation went through Baguio City, 205 kilometers northwest of Manila, Davao City, 1,000 kilometers south of Manila, and Manila itself. He met top government officials, and spent at least half his time with civil society groups who refused to attend the Melo Commission interviews or cooperate with Task Force Usig (prosecute), set up by the Philippine National Police to investigate extrajudicial killings.

The president appointed the five-member Melo Commission, headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo, on Aug. 21 with a mandate to investigate extrajudicial killings. The commission, which included Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos of Butuan, submitted its report on Jan. 30 to President Arroyo.

There is a need for a real witness-protection program, Alston concluded, or no one will testify. He had to stop one interview, with a woman regarding the death of her 21-year-old son, because if she had shown pictures, he admitted, he would have broken down.

Alston also interviewed Doctor Constancio Claver, Bayan Muna (People First) party-list organization chairman for Kalinga and nephew of retired Jesuit Bishop Francisco Claver. Doctor Claver survived an assassination attempt in Tabuk, Kalinga, 315 kilometers north of Manila, last July, in which his wife was killed.

Alston said it will take at least three months for him to complete his report, which will be submitted to President Arroyo and the U.N. Secretary General.

"The first major challenge was to obtain detailed information. The second was to see if the information was credible," he said. "I have 10,000 pages of detailed reports and much of it is credible, even if some is pure propaganda."

Alston was surprised that the military blamed the 1,227 killings mostly on Communists. It must acknowledge a role in the killings, he said, and re-examine its counter insurgency program, which kills more political leftists than real insurgents.

The military is not corrupt, he added, and is dedicated to the protection of the nation, but it has to say "Stop" to all killings now.

Alston was generally concerned about leftists. More leftists must be interviewed, he said, and there must be room to allow legitimate political space for leftists. He recommends former president Fidel Ramos' reconciliation program for national unification, which included peace talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF), an umbrella organization of 12 leftist groups.

In the end, the government must move beyond the Melo report, he concluded, and to restore credibility, Congress must hold the executive branch accountable.

According to media reports, Malacanang presidential palace has agreed to release the Melo Commission report on extra-judicial killings in the country on Feb. 22. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the decision to release the report came in response to calls for public disclosure from the CBCP, the United Nations, European Union and other groups, according to local media reports.

Previously, in a Feb. 15 statement, presidential press secretary Ignacio Bunye said the government could not release the report, because it was awaiting the input of Alston's team.

END

(Accompanying photos available at here)