HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE PHILIPPINES

That this House expresses serious concern for the welfare of Jonas Joseph Tronqued Burgos, who has been missing since 28 April 2009; is deeply troubled at reports that Mr Burgos was last seen being bundled into a van by four armed men and a woman outside a restaurant in Quezon City; notes that the plate number of the vehicle concerned, TAB 194, was traced to a vehicle in the custody of the 56th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; further notes Mr Burgos has a history of campaigning for peasant rights in the Philippines; fully supports the campaign for his immediate release led by his mother, Dr Edita Burgos; and calls on the Government to lend every assistance possible to the campaign and to press the Philippines Government for a proper investigation into the disappearance of Jonas Burgos and for his immediate release.