4Ps and Human Rights Series Part 2: 4Ps’ Impact on Children’s Rights and Women’s Rights by Isaac Linco ABOUT THIS SERIES: It has been over 11 years since the inception of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). This three-part series examines the ways it has or has not addressed the progressive realization of human rights…
Small fishers call for pro-people rehabilitation of Manila bay The Duterte administration’s rehabilitation of Manila Bay is set to begin on 27 January but a group of municipal fishers around the bay are decrying the lack of community involvement in the P47 billion clean up, and are demanding a more pro-people rehabilitation plan. “The government’s…
Tiraniko at sistematikong pagkitil sa kinabukasan ng kabataan ang pagpapababa ng edad sa responsibilidad sa krimen Mahigpit na kinokondena ng PAGKAKAISA NG KABABAIHAN PARA SA KALAYAAN (KAISA KA) ang galaw ng Mababang Kapulungan na pababain ang edad ng responsibilidad sa krimen sa siyam (9) na taong gulang. Pangunahing obligasyon ng estado na tiyakin ang maganda,…
Don’t hold our children hostage When GMA passes this bill under her leadership in the House of Representatives, she can prove several things: One, that she is capable of hijacking a long dead agenda to come to life just as how she was able to put herself back in power after years of pretending to…
Do you remember when you were 9 years old? The Filipino youth mourns the move of the lower house of Congress in bringing down the age of criminal responsibility of children from 15 to 9 years old. Instead of strengthening RA 9344 also known as the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, the government opted to…
Anne Curtis saddened by proposal to lower age of criminal liability Actress Anne Curtis has expressed her stand on lowering the age of criminal liability from 15 to nine years old. “Nakakalungkot isipan na ibaba nila ang criminal responsibility to the age of 9. At that age, they are still very much children,” Curtis wrote…
Mga child advocate, NGO sa CDO, tutol sa pagpapababa ng edad ng pananagutan CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Sabay-sabay na nagsindi ng kandila at nanumpa ang mga child advocate at non-government organization sa Kiosko Kagawasan, Cagayan De Oro City Martes ng gabi. Simbolo ito ng kanilang pagtutol sa inaprubahang panukalang batas sa House Committee on…
UN’s Callamard slams lowering age of criminal liability; Palace reacts United Nations Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard took to Twitter to criticize the bill in the House of Representatives seeking to lower the age of criminal responsibility to nine years old. Callamard on Monday called the proposal “shameful” and “potentially deadly” after the House justice committee…
CHR to gov’t: Address conditions pushing children to commit crimes The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) urged the government to address the problems that push children to commit crimes, instead of “confining” kids as young as 9 and holding them liable. “We urge the government to address conditions that push children to such circumstances, rather…
The Bloody Mendiola Massacre Took Place 32 Years Ago Today Black Thursday happened 32 years ago. Until now, farmers have yet to receive the fairness that they’ve been asking for. The media used to dub it “Black Thursday.” Now, it’s referred to as the “Mendiola Massacre,” a diplomatic protest that turned into a bloody mess…
Child rights group to Congress on age of criminal liability: Why the turnaround? Back in 2006, Congress passed what would become Republic Act No. 934 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA) that set the minimum age of criminal liability at 15 years old. It was signed into law by former president and now…
Lower age of criminal liability dead in the Senate —Bam Aquino The measure seeking to lower the age of criminal liability to nine years old will not pass the Senate, Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV declared on Monday. Aquino made the bold remark after the House Committee on Justice on Monday approved the substitute bill…
Senators disagree on lowering age of criminal liability Senators are divided on the move to lower the age of criminal liability, even as Senate President Tito Sotto maintained that majority of the upper chamber’s members are in favor of the move. Sotto said senators would only have to discuss the minimum age it would be…
BALAOD Mindanaw, Inc. is deeply distraught by the decision of the House of Representatives – Committee Level approving the bill on lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 years old to 9 years old! We reiterate our stand that this bill is not the solution to the increasing crime rate in the Philippines!…
Green advocates call for “clean, green” elections Candidates urged to veer away from waste, violence and embrace green platform Civil society organizations gathered to call for a ‘clean and green’ election season, urging candidates to minimize waste, refrain from ‘dirty’ tactics such as political violence, as well as pledge to support genuinely positive reforms on…
World Vision calls to stop the lowering of minimum age of criminal responsibility Child-focused agency World Vision is one with other like-minded advocates and groups to stop the approval of the current House bill which attempts to lower the Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility (MACR) from 15 to as low as 9 years old. “We…
Children in conflict with the law are victims too — rights groups MANILA, Philippines — A children’s rights group on Friday again voiced opposition to proposals lowering the age of criminal liability as a House panel is set to finalize proposed legislation which to hold minors accountable for breaking the law. In a statement, Salinlahi…
UNICEF: Lowering age of criminal liability ‘act of violence against children’ The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) opposed Friday fresh calls to lower the age of criminal liability, saying it is an act of violence against children. “Children in conflict with the law are already victims of circumstance, mostly because of poverty and exploitation by…
Philippines: Crackdown Against Critics Intensifies ‘Drug War’ Killings Continue; Attacks on Activists, Journalists Rise (New York, January 17, 2019) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration heightened its repression in 2018, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2019. The government’s murderous “war on drugs” expanded to cities outside Manila. Attacks escalated against activists,…
Most Filipino voters want candidates supporting ban on single-use plastics, survey says A new Social Weather Stations poll commissioned by environmental group Greenpeace found that most Filipino voters will opt for 2019 election candidates who will ban single-use plastics. In the survey conducted in the third quarter of 2018, 73 percent of respondents said they…
Drug users in Philippine parish get new lease of life Jonathan Padrones has been hooked on illegal narcotics for years but is trying to “redeem” himself with the help of his parish church, he says. Padrones, 44, said he first tried hydrochloride, a methamphetamine commonly known by its street name “shabu” in the Philippines, out…
Best protection of journalists: A community that understands role of media At a consultation meeting on safety of journalists organized by the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication November last year, former Dean of UP College of Mass Communication Luis V. Teodoro, now chairperson of AlterMidya, said there is a need for media to explain…
Opposition solon scores SEC’s profiling, witch-hunt of foundations, NGOs An opposition lawmaker scored Tuesday the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for profiling and witch hunting foundations and non-government organizations. Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said the supposed “criminal profiling” of SEC is “prone to abuses” and violates the basic human rights and fundamental freedoms. “This is…
New SEC memo on non-profit organizations violates right to organize – Karapatan Surreptitiously, without consultation with many non-profit organizations, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued SEC Memorandum Circular No. 15 (s. 2018) or the Guidelines for the Protection of SEC Registered Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) From Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Abuse or the NPO Guidelines…
Duterte gov’t allows ‘drug war’ deaths to go unsolved The memory of the night Manny* was killed remains vivid in the mind of his mother Lita* one year later. His lifeless body slumped on the ground with a pool of blood slowly spreading on the ground, turned the gray concrete darker in color. It was…
