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.

Here are excerpts of the report which should tell us why President Arroyo and her administration may again be expected to engage in more doses of sophistry, spin and lying starting tonight until the next few days and weeks:

Arbitrary, unlawful, and extrajudicial killings by elements of the security services and political killings, including killings of journalists, by a variety of actors continued to be a major problem.

Despite intensified government efforts to investigate and prosecute these cases, many went unsolved and unpunished. Concerns about impunity persisted.

Members of the security services committed acts of physical and psychological abuse on suspects and detainees, and there were instances of torture.

Arbitrary or warrantless arrests and detentions were common.

Trials were delayed, and procedures were prolonged. Prisoners awaiting trial and those already convicted were often held under primitive conditions.

Corruption was a problem in all the institutions making up the criminal justice system, including police, prosecutorial, and judicial organs.

In addition to the killings, leftwing and human rights activists were often subject to harassment by local security forces.

Problems such as violence against women and abuse of children, child prostitution, trafficking in persons, child labor, and ineffective enforcement of worker rights were common.

The constitution prohibits torture, and evidence obtained through its use is inadmissible in court; however, members of the security forces and police were alleged to have routinely abused and sometimes tortured suspects and detainees.

Journalists continued to be killed.

In 2005 the intelligence service of the AFP released a presentation, “Know Your Enemy” [perhaps the first time the US government itself identified the ISAFP as the source of the document].