A rabid human rights violator has no place to UN Security Council
APCHRP welcomes the rejection of UN General of Pres. Marcos Jr. bid to UN Security Council
The Asia Pacific Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (APCHRP) welcomes the rejection of the UN General Assembly to Marcos Jr. administration’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). This bid forms part of the regime’s broader campaign to whitewash its dismal human rights record, rehabilitate its image before the international community, and project the false image of a democratic government that respects human rights and the rule of law. Together with its ambition to chair ASEAN in 2026, the Marcos administration seeks to bolster its diplomatic prestige abroad while concealing the worsening realities faced by the Filipino people at home.
The Marcos administration’s attempted to secure a seat in these institutions tasked with “maintaining international peace and security” is the height of hypocrisy. A government that has consistently failed to defend national sovereignty and protect the interests of its own people has no moral authority to claim a leadership role in global affairs. Under Marcos Jr., the United States’ military footprint in the Philippines has expanded significantly through the establishment and expansion of military facilities and bases across the country. At the same time, the administration has pushed policies and agreements that serve foreign strategic interests at the expense of the Filipino people, including the controversial PAX Silica project, which has allocated more than 1,600 hectares of land to support global supply chains and the United States’ strategic competition with China.
On the question of peace, the Marcos administration has absolutely no credibility to speak before the international community. It has failed to take serious and concrete steps toward resuming meaningful peace negotiations between the Government of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), a vital mechanism for addressing the root causes of armed conflict. Rather than confronting the deep-seated socio-economic and political injustices that fuel unrest, the regime has further intensified militarization, repression, and counterinsurgency operations as its primary response.
Equally alarming is the continuing pattern of human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law under the Marcos administration. Reports of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, intimidation, forced surrenders, fabricated criminal charges, and attacks against activists, journalists, community organizers, and government critics continue unabated. The reported massacre of nineteen individuals during a military operation in Negros on April 19, 2025, drew widespread condemnation from human rights organizations and further exposed the administration’s disregard for human rights and accountability.
According to KARAPATAN, the number of political prisoners had reached 699 as of December 2025, including 165 arrested under the Marcos Jr. administration. Among them are NDFP peace consultants and staff who play critical roles in advancing the peace process. Meanwhile, the government’s relentless red-tagging campaign continues to endanger legitimate progressive organizations, human rights defenders, church workers, development advocates, and ordinary citizens exercising their democratic rights.
Beyond its human rights record, the Marcos administration presides over a nation mired in deepening social and economic crises – the very conditions that give rise to widespread human rights violations. Millions of Filipinos continue to suffer from unemployment and underemployment, poverty wages, soaring living costs, landlessness, and worsening inequality. Farmers remain deprived of genuine agrarian reform, workers struggle under stagnant wages, and basic social services remain inadequate and inaccessible for many communities. Yet instead of addressing these urgent problems, the administration devotes enormous energy and resources in securing international recognition.
The APCHRP together with the Filipino people is reminding the Marcos Jr. administration before seeking a seat on the United Nations Security Council, the Marcos administration must first be held accountable for its human rights violations and rampant corruption, and address the deepening crises faced by the Filipino people. ###
For reference:
Sister Patricia Fox, Spokesperson
Email: apchrp2019@gmail.com
