There were no reports of abuses of religious freedom.
The government did not ban or discourage specific religious groups or religious factions. However, Muslims, who were concentrated in some of the most impoverished provinces, complained that the government had not made sufficient efforts to promote their economic development. The government’s campaign against terrorist groups led some human rights NGOs to accuse the police and military of acting with bias in their treatment of Muslims.
Some ulama (Muslim leaders) argued that the government should allow Islamic courts to extend their jurisdiction to criminal law cases and some supported the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s goal of forming an autonomous region governed in accordance with Islamic law. As in other parts of the judicial system, Sharia courts suffered from a large number of unfilled positions. All five Sharia district court judgeships and 43 percent of circuit court judgeships remained vacant. Aside from budget restrictions, judicial positions on the Sharia courts were particularly difficult to fill because applicants must be members of both the Sharia bar and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
Madrassahs had the option of registering with the NCMF, the Department of Education (DepEd), both, or neither. A total of 423 madrassahs were registered with the NCMF, while 79 were registered with the DepEd. Only registered schools could receive financial assistance from the government. The DepEd’s Bureau of Madrassah Education managed local and international financial assistance to the madrassah system. DepEd-registered schools followed the Standard Madrassah Curriculum and received funding for teachers of the Revised Basic Education Curriculum (RBEC) subjects and for classroom and facility improvements.
The government continued to implement its unified RBEC curriculum, which partially integrated madrassahs into the national education system. DepEd continued to provide Arabic language instruction and Islamic values education to Muslim students in selected public elementary schools and private madrassahs. The DepEd provided 41 million pesos ($1,005,005) to 79 private madrassahs for the 2011-12 school year, a 31 percent increase in funding to an additional 20 madrassahs compared with the previous year.
In August, the media reported that the Pilar College of Zamboanga, a privately-run Catholic college in the southern Philippines, imposed a “no hijab” school policy. Verified reports confirmed that the school’s administrators prohibited wearing the hijab “for uniformity and to avoid discrimination” against Muslims. After a series of consultations with the NCMF and other stakeholders, Pilar College decided to allow the voluntary wearing of hijab for the 2013 school year. The school administration, with the support of the NCMF, undertook training to deepen understanding of the Muslim culture.
The government promoted interfaith dialogue to build mutual trust and respect among various religious and cultural groups. Under President Benigno S. Aquino III’s administration, the Commission on Human Rights monitored issues relating to religious freedom.
On March 9, the Department of Foreign Affairs provided support to a conference, “Dialogue and Heart: Listening for Interfaith Relationship Building.” The Peacemakers Circle Foundation, an NGO promoting interfaith harmony and understanding, organized the conference.
From March 11 through 15, the government participated in the sixth Asia Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue held in Semarang, Indonesia, with the theme “Strengthening Collaborative Communities to Promote Religious Peace and Security: Interfaith and Action.”