Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the Philippines about (1) the murder of journalist Jobert Bercasio, (2) the alleged killing of 85 other journalists in the Philippines since 1991, and (3) the deaths of 116 political activists, environmentalists, and human rights defenders on the island of Negros between July 2016 and August 2019.

The UK Government regularly raises concerns about a range of human rights issues with the Government of the Philippines, including the treatment of human rights defenders, land rights defenders and the deteriorating media freedom space. We consistently call on the Government of the Philippines to ensure a safe environment for human rights defenders and the prioritisation of the passage of a Human Rights Defenders Bill.

The Minister for Asia and the Pacific raised our concerns with the Philippine Ambassador to the UK on 21 September. The UK supported the Iceland-led Resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in July 2019 which led to the June 2020 report on the human rights situation by the High Commissioner for Human Rights. We agree with the recommendations of the report and will continue to work with like-minded countries to highlight the report's concerns. The UK supports the provision of UN technical assistance to the Philippines, as set out in the UN Human Rights Council resolution adopted in October 2020.