A fourth insurgent group, the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, known as the New People's Army (NPA), has been denied the benefit of negotiations since the government declared "all-out war" in 2006. The consequence was a wave of extra-judicial assassinations of left-wing activists, allied with apparent deficiencies of the judicial system to investigate these and other human rights violations. Protests that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were acting with impunity led to an internal Commission of Inquiry led by Justice José Melo and eventually to a report by the UN Special Rapporteur, Philip Alston. Professor Alston concluded that at least 100 people had been murdered since 2005 and that "the AFP remains in a state of almost total denial" with not one conviction.
In other respects the country's human rights record has been improving in recent years. The independent Philippine Commission on Human Rights has been established and aspects of human rights are entering domestic law. In July 2006 the death penalty in the Philippines was abolished. At that time there were around 1,200 people on death row in the country. However, the new Human Security Act introduced in 2007 as a counter-terrorism measure has raised concerns that its vague definition of terrorism could enable the provisions to be invoked for political activity.
Press freedom is permitted by the constitution and the extensive Filipino press is known for its freedom to comment and speculate in many areas. However, investigative reporting into major crime and corruption is often criticized. It has led to the arrests of editors and the killing of 25 journalists since 2004.
