To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the Philippines about the four Roman Catholic bishops and four priests charged with sedition, cyber libel, libel and obstruction of justice in that country; and what steps they are taking to ensure that due process is followed.
Answered on
20 January 2020
The UK remains concerned about reports of arbitrary arrest in the Philippines. We have not had discussions with the Philippine authorities on these specific cases, however, the Government continues to call for the promotion and protection of freedom of speech and the British Embassy in Manila continues to follow developments closely.
Freedom of speech, and wider human rights issues, in the Philippines, were raised by senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials with the Philippines Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Enrique Manalo, during the UK - Philippine High Level Talks in London in November 2019.