US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday (Tuesday in the US) announced the release of the 2007 human rights country reports.

Read her remarks here.

Why is this important to the Philippines? Well, US law requires the State Department to report to the US Congress on human rights adherence by countries receiving US aid, and that list includes the Philippines.

The report on the Philippines will be used as a guide by the US Congress on whether aid will be maintained, reduced or increased in the future.