President Obama is scheduled to host President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines today at the White House. Filipino activists are calling on President Obama to raise human rights concerns, including torture and abductions by government forces. Melissa Roxas, a United States citizen of Filipino descent, recently spoke out about her kidnapping by alleged Filipino soldiers.

Melissa Roxas: “I was never left alone. There were always men watching me. I was constantly interrogated, and during the interrogations, they would ask me repeatedly if I knew why I was there. And I was told by them that I was abducted because I was a member of the CPP-NPA [Communist Party of the Philippines New People’s Army]. I also repeatedly told them that I have rights and that I demanded for my lawyer. I told them that I was just a writer and a volunteer. They told me that even if a year passes, I would never see a lawyer, that in there I had no rights. Although it is still very difficult to talk about the incident, I wanted to tell the truth about what happened to me, because I don’t want what happened to me to happen to anyone else ever again. I want the world to know what happened, because the Philippine government and military should not get away with what they did to me, to Juanito, to John Edward. And they cannot get away with what they did to many other people.”

The Obama-Arroyo meeting comes as Congress begins debate on extending US military aid to the Philippines. Advocates have called for the funding to be cut in half and for increased requirements on protecting human rights.