Casualties Overview

In 2012, the Monitor identified 59 casualties from explosive remnants of war (ERW) and victim-activated improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the Republic of the Philippines.[1] Where the sex of the casualty was known, seven were female and the rest males.[2] The majority (34) were security forces injured or killed by victim-activated IEDs. The majority of civilian casualties were children (15 out of 25), including at least one girl.

The 2012 data represents a significant increase from the 34 casualties in 2011 and the single casualty identified in 2010.[3] While the overall increase can at least partly be attributed to clearer reporting of device types and improved efforts to differentiate incidents caused by victim-activated and command-activated devices, 90% (53) of all casualties in 2012 resulted from three multiple casualty incidents. In Basilan province, 27 security forces casualties resulted from a daisy chain of victim-activated IEDs initiated during sweep operations of a captured rebel base. In Manila, at least 10 civilians were killed and two injured when an ERW exploded while police were defusing it. Seven child casualties occurred during a clandestine training exercise in Mindanao: casualties among the adults attending the training have been excluded from the casualty total.

In addition to these casualties, the Monitor identified numerous other casualties involving suspected or clearly command-detonated devices. Most of these incidents resulted in casualties among security forces, either from the explosion itself or subsequent small-arms fire, giving a strong indication that they were ambushes targeting soldiers and police forces.

Since 1999, the Monitor has identified a total of 573 casualties from mines, ERW, and victim-activated IEDs (185 killed; 387 injured; one of unknown status).[4]

Victim Assistance

At least 387 mine/ERW survivors have been identified through media monitoring.[5]

According to the government’s National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), there was “no specific program or even database for mine casualties, victims or survivors, because mine warfare is not common in the Philippines.”[6] In 2011, the House of Representatives established a special Committee on People with Disabilities with authority over all issues related to policies to protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities.[7]

During 2012, the ICRC sponsored construction of two new structures at the Davao Jubilee Rehabilitation Center. The prosthetics and orthotics department was completed and the physiotherapy building was under construction by the end of 2012.[8] The ICRC continued to support the Davao Center as the only affordable service provider on Mindanao Island through its referral and follow up system, as well as professional training of both prosthetics and orthotics and other medical staff.[9] Reimbursements of rehabilitation and travel expenses for patients, including for mine/ERW casualties and those wounded by other weapons, continued during the year, and 66 victims of conflict were assisted.[10]

The law prohibited discrimination against persons with disabilities and provided for equal access for persons with disabilities to all public buildings, but implementation was ineffective and many physical barriers remained.[11]

The Philippines ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 15 April 2008.