PH enjoins int’l community to keep IHL spirit ‘alive’

FILE: The hand or fist in the iron glove of the Armed Forces. Foreign Affairs in my watch. (Photo: @teddyboylocsin/Twitter)

MANILA — The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), on Monday urged foreign states to advocate and keep the spirit of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the Geneva Conventions alive.

In a speech, DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. underscored that weaponry developed in terms of speed, volume, and power. On the other hand, its victims are often the countries that cannot account for these advances.

“The rich make the weapons deadlier, and, thanks to economies of scale, more plentiful and cheaper. So it behooves the makers to go for volume,” he stressed.

“It is in this context that it behooves the international community — weapons making and selling states, and their victims together — to share the responsibility of keeping the spirit of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions alive,” Locsin said.

The Geneva Conventions form the core of the IHL, which regulates the effects of war. It sets limit on an armed conflict, mandating for the humane treatment of prisoners as well as the protection of medical personnel, civilians, and their properties.

In the Philippines, Locsin highlighted the “effective enforcement” of Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity as reflected when a member of terror group Maute-ISIS was convicted in a court of law in violation of the IHL.

“On the part of the Philippine government, the commitment to international humanitarian law is well-established in history,” he stressed.

Locsin was speaking during the commemoration of the IHL Day and the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Pasay City. He was joined by Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Michael Ong, Defense Undersecretary Ricardo David Jr.

, and lawyer Lorna Kapunan, who delivered the message from the Philippine Red Cross.

Among the observance’s highlights were the launch of the new IHL infomercial and the pledge of uniformed personnel reaffirming commitment to the IHL.

In an interview, DFA Assistant Secretary for UN and other International Organizations Noralyn Baja said the government will continue organizing annual activities to raise awareness on the IHL’s principles.

“You have to spread the word that there is something like the IHL including its applicability. Part of our job is to advocate. It’s up to us to keep the flame alive,” she told the Philippine News Agency.