TARLAC: The Human Rights Watch (HRW) tagged as “discriminatory” the government’s proposal to impose the mandatory identification card system in Central Luzon (CL) as a counter-terrorism initiative. Aaron Aquino, police regional director, sought to justify the Muslim-only ID as means to “identify and weed out undesirable individuals and terrorists.”This has reference to the best practice of Paniqui town here where Muslim-only ID card system is being imposed and authorities were urged to replicate the practice throughout Central Luzon’s seven provinces. Conde, however, said the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other human rights treaties, to which the Philippines is a party, prohibit discrimination based on religion, in this case an ID system. “The IDs could also violate the rights to equal protection of the law, freedom of movement and other basic rights,” he added. ID requirements for Muslims should be rejected outright,” Conde said.

Source: Manila Times July 06, 2017 14:37 UTC