EU increases aid for Philippines investigators

(MANILA) - The European Union said Thursday it would increase aid to the Philippines to help police investigations, amid a wave of political killings that rights groups say the government has failed to address.

The 10-million-euro ($14 million) package comes on top of 3.9 million euros donated in 2009 to improve Filipino police competence in collecting material evidence at crime scenes, EU ambassador to Manila Guy Ledoux said.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said in report this week that President Benigno Aquino had failed to curb extra-judicial killings and other human rights abuses by the military, after more than a year in office.

Ledoux welcomed a reduction in extra-judicial killings and disappearances, saying only 90 cases of human rights violations had been reported in Aquino's first year, compared to 139 per year under predecessor Gloria Arroyo.

"I believe that some breakthroughs have been made," he said.

"I nourish strong hopes that the major efforts made by the various stakeholders with our support will soon result in an increase in convictions of gunmen and masterminds of extra-legal killings and enforced disappearances."

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and police chief Raul Bacalzo both said the EU aid had improved the quality of investigations of human rights abuses in the Philippines, which is fighting long communist and Muslim separatist rebellions.

"This is a big step for the country to move forward towards ending the culture of impunity that plagues the justice system," de Lima said.

The EU envoy also handed over DNA and fingerprint sample collection kits, and other crime scene equipment.

Human Rights Watch said that although Aquino's administration appeared more willing to tackle the problem than previous governments, soldiers were still getting away with the unlawful targeting of mainly leftist activists.