The United States has said there have been improvements in the Philippines' human rights situation.

The US State Department said “…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 major problems. in recent years, following increased domestic and international scrutiny, reforms were undertaken and the number of killings and disappearances dropped dramatically.”

In its 2008 report, the US State Department said the number of murders and disappearances in the country dropped dramatically. (See: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/eap/119054.htm

However, the report also stated that extrajudicial killings, warrantless arrests and detentions remain a major problem, and leftists and human rights activists were often harassed by security forces.

The State Department also found corruption throughout the criminal justice system.

The report also tagged the New People's Army, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the Abu Sayyaf group for numerous human rights violations. -- report from ANC