[Statement] Pro-people and rights-based COVID-19 response is needed, MAG demands for a comprehensive COVID-19 pandemic response | MAG

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#HumanRights #HealthWorkers #COVID19ph

MAG Statement
Pro-people and rights-based COVID-19 response is needed, MAG demands for a comprehensive COVID-19 pandemic response
September 3, 2021

More than a year in lockdown, the Philippine government still needs to understand that the imposition of wide-scale lockdowns will not suffice in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. By September 1, 2021, the Philippines recorded a total of two (2) million COVID-19 cases. With a population of 109 million people, only around 33 million doses have been administered, with 13.7 million individuals fully vaccinated, and 19.3 million got their 1st dose, as of August 29, 2021.

As the Philippine government continues to fall behind in supporting the overwhelmed health system, more and more lives of Filipinos are put at risk. The recent issue on misuse and underutilization of DOH funds and questionable COVID-19 supplies procurement, involving PhP 67 billion worth of COVID-19 funds has raised concerns on corruption within the health department. At the same time, reports of patients not able to access health services, whether for COVID-19 or not, due to overcapacity of hospitals have become common. The government needs to hasten crafting solutions in accordance with these realities in the grassroots and the health facilities. Specifically, this may include provision of additional life support equipment (e.g. ventilators and hospital oxygen supply), establishment of systematic contact tracing, integration of local and national referral systems such as the One Hospital Command Center to effectively coordinate COVID19 and non COVID19 cases, as well as faster vaccine rollouts.

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URGENT: Early Notice Regarding the Possibility of the Persecution of the Executive Coordinator of KontraS and Lokataru, Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar | KONTRAS

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URGENT: Early Notice Regarding the Possibility of the Persecution of the Executive Coordinator of KontraS and Lokataru, Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar

The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS)—a human rights non-governmental organization based in Jakarta, Indonesia— would like to give early notice for accommodating safe space for the possibility of the persecution of Executive Director of Lokataru, Haris Azhar, and Coordinator of KontraS, Fatia Maulidiyanti.

On August 26, 2021, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, gave a subpoena to Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti through their attorney Juniver Girsang & Partners regarding a talk show on Haris Azhar’s youtube channel with the title “Ada Lord Luhut dibalik Relasi Ekonomi-Ops Militer Intan Jaya!! Jenderal BIN Juga Ada!!” (There is Lord Luhut behind the Economic Relations-Military Operations Intan Jaya!! The General of the State Intelligence Agency is also there!!).

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[Statement] on the murdered human rights lawyer, Rex Fernandez | by Bishop Alminaza

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Bishop Alminaza statement on the murdered human rights lawyer, Rex Fernandez

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” – John 15:13

On behalf of the Visayas Clergy Discernment Group (VCDG), a 2008 CBCP initiative to address social concerns, I express our grief over the senseless murder of human rights lawyer Rex Fernandez. He was killed last August 26, 2021 in Cebu City.

Lawyer Rex Fernandez, a former Redemptorist seminarian, had a heart for the people and had touched so many lives.

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[Tula] Pakikiisa sa laban ng health workers | ni Greg Bituin Jr.

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PAKIKIISA SA LABAN NG HEALTH WORKERS

sa mga health workers kami’y sadyang nakikiisa
sa isyu nila, sampu ng aking mga kasama
upang itaguyod ang mga kapakanan nila
at kami’y sasama sa kanilang kilos-protesta

ipakita ang matagal na nilang mga hinaing
na ibigay na ang benepisyo nila, gayundin
ang hazard pay nila, allowance para sa pagkain
tirahan, transportasyon, special risk allowance din

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[From the web] Victims and their families will engage a justice system that they can trust | iDEFEND

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Victims and their families will engage a justice system that they can trust- iDEFEND

The report of the ICC registry indicating an overwhelming support of victims and their families towards an investigation into the war on drugs by the International Criminal Court, proves the lack of credibility of the Philippine system to provide justice to more than thirty thousand cases of extrajudicial killings in the country.

According to the Victims’ Participation and Reparations Section of the registry, there had been more than 200 submissions to the ICC supporting the request of the prosecutor to launch a formal investigation into the human rights violations in the country. The VPRS cited that some reasons given by the victims are the reign of impunity entrenched by the President, the unending trauma that they endure, and their conviction that their relatives did not fight back against authorities.

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[Right-Up] Sino ang mga Bayani at mga Bangag, Bulag at Talipandas ng Bayang ito? | ni Jose Mario De Vega

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Sino ang mga Bayani at mga Bangag, Bulag at Talipandas ng Bayang ito?

Sa kanyang paskil sa Facebook noong Agosto 25 ay sinabi ni G. Jose ang mga sumusunod:

“In these perilous times we need heroes. Those young NPA rebels killed by this country’s Armed Forces—whatever their personal achievements, however their courage, are not Filipino heroes. They fought to destroy this Republic in their protracted war. Was Ninoy Aquino a hero? He had murky connections that provoke this question. His massive funeral—never in our history has such event occurred. Is this enough to anoint him? Our thousands of workers who left this country that cannot sustain them—how truly heroic are they? Our frontline health workers—fatigued, sometimes underpaid—many have died—how do we recognize their heroism? In my novel Po-on, the fictional Mabini declares—“the heroes are the foot soldiers, the peasants who produce our food.” Now, look at the mirror and ask yourself, “Have I toiled, suffered and sacrificed something precious for Filipinas? You may not know it, friend, but our unhappy country needs you.”

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[Statement] The Importance of Eliminating Enforced Disappearance in Asia | by Asia Alliance Against Torture

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Joint Statement on the International Day of the Disappeared: The Importance of Eliminating Enforced Disappearance Practices in Asia
Asia Alliance Against Torture
August 30, 2021

Today, on the occasion of International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the Asia Alliance Against Torture (A3T) condemns the practice of enforced disappearances that continues to occur in Asia. It is a cruel practice that perpetuates impunity, where the government shows no political will to investigate and solve cases of enforced disappearance. Marking today’s annual commemoration of the Day of the Disappeared, the A3T would like to highlight the importance of eliminating enforced disappearance practices in Asia.

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[Statement] AFAD Commemorates the UN International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

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AFAD Commemorates the UN International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances
30th August, 2021

Manila: Today, on the occasion of International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) remembers the victims across the globe and extends solidarity to the families of the disappeared and countless human rights defenders fighting to put an end to impunity amid great challenges. According to the United Nations, enforced disappearance is more than “a human rights violation against an individual”. Enforced disappearances affect the entire family of the victim and is “used as a strategy to spread terror within the society”.

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[Event] Facebook Live! International Day of the Disappeared: Remembering their Heroism and Activism | CAED

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Facebook Live! International Day of the Disappeared: Remembering their Heroism and Activism

The event aims to forge unity while honoring and paying tribute to the desaparecidos as well as expressing solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of families and relatives around the world who are searching and waiting for their disappeared loved ones to return home.

Coalition Against Enforced Disappearance (CAED) believes that it is imperative for us to unite, draw inspiration from the lives of the disappeared, and together help their families especially in these unprecedented times.

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[From the web] Lessons Unlearned: Fight for Inclusive Education Carries into Second Year of Remote Learning | by Isaiah Castro/ PhilRights.org

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#HumanRights #Education

Lessons Unlearned: Fight for Inclusive Education Carries into Second Year of Remote Learning
by Isaiah Castro

“It makes me anxious,” John Carlou, 20, confesses when asked how he feels about remote learning. “Since it started, I have been struggling financially, mentally, and emotionally. Also, learning at home does not work well for me because I keep doubting myself.”

The eldest among four children, John Carlou resides in the rural Daanbantayan town in northernmost Cebu. An incoming third-year student of political science at the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu, he admits that he feels “alienated” and is still adjusting to the virtual set-up. He worries about his performance, especially during the heavily stressful final exams, which reflects on the grades he received last semester.

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[Petition] Stop Kaliwa Dam, Save our Future! | Change.org

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Stop Kaliwa Dam, Save our Future!

The Kaliwa Dam Project violates legal processes and the Philippine constitution, is destructive to the environment, and is against the country’s national interest.

With the increasing demand for water supply in Metro Manila, costly options appear to seemingly solve this concern. In fact, the recent “water crisis” was used to expedite and justify the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project as the solution to such.

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[Event] Kwentong Kalikasan, Kwentong Kaliwa Dam | Stop Kaliwa Dam

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#HumanRights #IndigenousPeoples

Patuloy ang ating pagpupugay sa mga katutubong Pilipino!

Malaki ang ambag ng mga katutubong komunidad sa pambansang kaunlaran – sa pang-ekonomiko, sosyo-kultural, sa kalikasan, at marami pang iba.

Kilalanin pa natin sa Kwentong Kalikasan, Kwentong Kaliwa Dam, ngayong Martes, 2:00 ng hapon, live dito sa Facebook!

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[Tula] Panawagan ng Maralita | ni Greg Bituin Jr.

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Panawagan ng Maralita

tingni ang tarpolin nila’t kaytinding panawagan
na talagang ikaw mismo’y mapapaisip naman
krisis daw sa pagkain, trabaho at kabuhayan
ay marapat daw lutasin para sa mamamayan

ipaglaban din ang karapatan sa makatao
at abot kayang pabahay, panawagang totoo
pahayag nilang ito’y tumitimo sa puso ko
na di sila dapat maapi sa panahong ito

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[Off-the-shelf] 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 | 𝗔 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘁 | ATM

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𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 | 𝗔 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘁

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴?

  1. It was a fall-back position after sustainable mining was discredited by environmental groups.
  2. Responsible mining has no legal definition, no parameters and is not measurable. Best practice is not enough.
  3. Mining must be done in the context of other Philippine laws. Responsible mining cannot merely be the implementation of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
  4. The current proposed model of responsible mining by the DENR or the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CoMP) has never been completed in one single mine in the Philippines.
  5. It is only possible if given free, prior or informed consent (FPIC) by indigenous peoples or social acceptability by non-indigenous peoples.
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[Event] WeDecide-Alternative Politics Youth Bootcamp (Y-CAMP) | YND

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#HumanRights #Youth

Enroll for free and be part of WeDecide-Alternative Politics Youth Bootcamp (Y-CAMP) with the theme “WeDecide to Alterpolitics. WeDecide for the future, Now!”

Y-Camp Highlights:
The youth camp will bring together youth leaders and volunteers of Alternative Politics Movement. The youth campers will also shape the collective decision of the youth for a free, intelligent, and critical voting.

This activity will also gather volunteers, pool of speakers, writers, cultural warriors and digital soldiers.

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[Statement] Karapatan condemns the killing of Atty. Rex Fernandez

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#HumanRights #StopTheKillings

Karapatan condemns the killing of Atty. Rex Fernandez in Cebu City yesterday, August 26.

As Karapatan’s former legal counsel, Atty. Fernandez handled cases of rights violations, and represented victims and their families in court for years and defended political prisoners charged with trumped-up cases.

A few years after the writ of amparo – a legal remedy to seek protection amidst threats to life, liberty and security – was made available by the Supreme Court in 2007, Atty. Fernandez served as legal counsel in petitions for writ of amparo on a number of cases of abductions and enforced disappearances. Among these were the petition for the writs of amparo for Romulo Robinos, Ryan Supan, and disappeared UP students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan. He also lawyered for peasant activist Noriel Rodriguez and Filipino-American activist Melissa Roxas, both abducted, detained and tortured in Cagayan and Tarlac, consecutively, both in the year 2009.

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[Statement] On the brutal killing of Cebuano lawyer-activist Rex Fernandez | SANLAKAS

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#HumanRights #StopTheKillingsPh

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐲. 𝐑𝐞𝐱 𝐅𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐳

Sanlakas vehemently condemns the brutal killing of Cebuano lawyer-activist Rex Fernandez.

To date, Fernandez is the 64th lawyer assassinated under President Rodrigo Duterte, himself a lawyer. Human rights defenders, among them lawyers, have been defenseless targets of murderers who remain at large. Their fault lies in their vigilance and persistence in defending the poor and marginalized as well as being active in causes for social change. The unabated killings make more evident the complicity of the Duterte Government in both encouraging attacks on human rights defenders and failing to exact justice from perpetrators.

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[Statement] on the ambush of lawyer Rex Fernandez | CHR Spokesperson, Atty Jacqueline Ann de Guia

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#HumanRights #StopTheKillingsPh

Statement of CHR Spokesperson, Atty Jacqueline Ann de Guia, on the ambush of lawyer Rex Fernandez

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) condemns the killing of lawyer Rex Fernandez in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City on Thursday afternoon, 26 August 2021. CHR will be sending a quick reaction team to conduct an independent investigation on this incident.

Fernandez was said to have been ambushed by unidentified assailants when his vehicle stopped at an intersection. The lawyer died on the spot. The lawyer’s driver was reportedly left wounded after the attack.

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[People] The Loss of Life in a Twenty-Year War | by FR. Shay Cullen

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#HumanRights #Peace

The Loss of Life in a Twenty-Year War
by Fr. Shay Cullen

Life is precious and sacred. Many people believe in the sanctity of the human person with rights and dignity to be protected and preserved. This is not true for many more who kill and murder and execute their perceived enemies. Those that declare war and invade other nations are also guilty of bringing death and destruction. There is no “good” war. In the end, after millions are dead and wounded, peace is negotiated and made, and life returns to normal. Why then fight the war in the first place and not negotiate a settlement of differences before violence is inflicted? That is because war is very profitable for weapons manufacturers. A prolonged “endless” war is the best thing ever for the industrial military complex.

This industry dominates and greatly influences American politics and the US economy. It is what President Dwight Eisenhower warned the nation about in 1946. He called it a danger to the nation. The permanent armaments industry is today immensely greater and more powerful. It needs, and perhaps, promotes continuous wars to sell more arms to prosper and grow.

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[From the web] Global torture prevention community calls for protection of Afghanistan’s national preventive mechanism | APT

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#HumanRights #Torture

Global torture prevention community calls for protection of Afghanistan’s national preventive mechanism

The recent Taliban military offensive poses a grave threat to the continued independence and functioning of Afghanistan’s National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) – the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) – and for the safety of its members and staff.

Everyone in Afghanistan who has engaged in work to promote human rights and democracy now faces a serious risk of reprisals under the Taliban. At particular risk are the women who lead and work for the AIHRC. All those under threat, including the staff of the AIHRC and their families, need protection including, if necessary, through visas and safe passage.

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[Statement] NTF-ELCAC’s Unwanted Visits to Unionists Homes Threatens Unionists | CTUHR

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#HumanRights #StopRedTagging

NTF-ELCAC’s Unwanted Visits to Unionists Homes Threatens Unionists

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) raised the alarm anew on the report of a new wave of “unwanted visits” of elements of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to homes of union officers of Nexperia Philippines Inc. Workers Union (NPIWU), in Laguna last Sunday, August 22.

According to the account of the union, elements of the NTF-ELCAC, clad in fatigue military uniforms, some with firearms, simultaneously visited the homes of four (4) officers of their union at around 8:00 to 9:00 in the morning of August 22. The residences of the four (4) are in Brgy. Pulo and Brgy. Banaybanay in Cabuyao, Laguna. The said agents were summoning them to the Barangay Office to have an orientation with a “surrenderee” and sign an “agreement.” The three (3) refused to come to the Barangay Hall, while the other one was at work at the time of the visit.

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[People] The Burning and Flooding of the Planet | by Fr. Shay Cullen

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The Burning and Flooding of the Planet
Fr. Shay Cullen

Anyone watching on television the images of burning forests, the raging floods destroying lands and villages, massive landslides burying homes and people have no reason to deny the truth. The latest UN report on the climate crises by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) signed by 159 nations once again informs us that we human are responsible for this terrible crisis.

We humans are bringing disasters upon ourselves by tolerating and allowing through corrupt politicians the coal, oil and gas energy companies to promote their extraction and continual burning of fossil fuel. By financially supporting the election campaigns of friendly politicians, they are getting massive government subsidies to continue to produce and burn coal, oil and gas.

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[From the web] It’s Time for the U.S. to Stop Selling Weapons to Human Rights Abusers | HRW

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It’s Time for the U.S. to Stop Selling Weapons to Human Rights Abusers
Published in:The Washington Post

By Elisa Epstein
Washington Advocacy Officer
Human Rights Watch
@elisacepstein

The Biden administration notified Congress in June of a proposed sale of more than $2.5 billion in arms to the Philippines, including fighter jets and two kinds of precision missiles. The notice came less than two weeks after the International Criminal Court prosecutor sought approval to open a formal investigation into crimes against humanity related to the Philippines’ brutal “war on drugs.”

Human rights groups promptly expressed concern that the administration would reward an increasingly abusive government with such a large weapons sale, particularly given public pledges by both President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the new administration would put human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy.

This is not the first time in the Biden administration’s short tenure that it has found itself the object of criticism following an arms sale announcement. In February, the United States approved plans to sell Egypt missiles worth $197 million. In May, news broke of an approved arms sale worth $735 million of precision-guided weapons to Israel amid its latest military offensive in Gaza, where it used large, precision-guided munitions to destroy multi-story buildings containing scores of businesses and homes on the pretext of some unproven Hamas presence at those sites. According to the United Nations, Israeli airstrikes in May killed 260 Palestinians in Gaza, at least 129 of whom were civilians, including 66 children.

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[Press Release] Healthcare workers harbor doubts about Palace decision to give benefits, assert that the struggle continues | BMP

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#HumanRights #Frontliners #Workers

Healthcare workers harbor doubts about Palace decision to give benefits, assert that the struggle continues

Leaders from private hospital unions remain apprehensive on the reported order of President Duterte to the DBM and DOH to give healthworkers the benefits under Bayanihan 2 they have yet to receive within ten (10) days.

According to Jao Clumia, President of the St. Luke’s Medical Center Employees Association – QC (SLMCEA-QC), “Bago po tayo maglulundag sa tuwa sa pangyayaring ito ay kailangan muna nating tiyakin na ang kautusan ng pangulo ay hindi dapat magsilbing malamig na tubig na ipinambuhos sa ngitngit ng mga manggagawang pangkalusugan kungdi isang kongkretong aksyon bilang tugon sa aming mga inihapag na kahilingan. Ang walang diskriminasyong pagpapatupad ng nasasaad na mga benepisyo sa ilalim ng batas: na lahat ng mga manggagagawang pangkalusugan anuman ang posisyon, anuman ang estado sa pag-eempleyo, regular man o kontraktuwal, ay dapat na makatanggap dahil ito naman ang mga nasasaad sa batas na kanyang (Duterte) pinirmahan. Nag-aalala kami dahil hindi ganito ang intindi ni Sec. Duque sa utos ng kanyang amo at tigas-mukha pa ring iginigiit ang selektibo at limitadong pagbibigay ng benepisyo!”

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[From the web] The new UN Climate Report and Environmental Defenders | UN Special Rapporteur on HRDs

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The new UN Climate Report and Environmental Defenders | UN Special Rapporteur on HRDs

The report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which came out earlier this week warns of imminent climate catastrophe. Major atmospheric and climatic changes are already underway.

People have caused climate change, and must now bring it to a halt through radical changes in our behaviour and attitudes. And yet it’s the defenders of our environment who are often forced to risk their lives to advocate for increased environmental protection.

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[People] 𝗢𝗛 𝗠𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗔! | by Wilson Fortaleza

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#HumanRights #Corruption #COA

𝗢𝗛 𝗠𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗔!

Bidang ahensya ngayon ang Commission on Audit (COA). Sikat na sikat. Sunod-sunod kasing naglabasan ang audit reports nito para sa taong 2020 at bumulaga sa mata ng publiko ang mga sabit ng maraming ahensyang nababanggit.

Pero bakit nga ba naging bidang bigla ang COA ngayon? Wala namang malalim na paliwanag. Katulad lang ito ng pelikula na ang kinang ng bida ay nakasalalay sa papel ng kontrabida. Ni wala ngang sikat na bida sa tanggapan ng COA.

Dahil wala namang bago sa ginagawa ng COA. Regular lang naman itong naglalabas ng kanyang annual report. At kung hindi man supplied ang media, nakapaskil at accessible din sa publiko ang audit reports nito na makikita sa kanyang website. Ibig sabihin, kahit na manahimik ang ahensya ay nariyan lang din naman ang mga ulat ng COA na maaring makuha ng mamamahayag o ninuman.

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[Campaign] Call on ILC to Reject Harry Roque | iDEFEND

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Call on ILC to Reject Harry Roque

The ILC was established by the UN General Assembly, in 1947, to undertake the mandate of the Assembly, under article 13 (1) (a) of the Charter of the United Nations to “initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of … encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification”.

Civil Society Organizations are protesting the nomination because Roque lacks the moral and ethical integrity to work in such a prestigious global mechanism and demonstrates questionable qualifications and expertise as an international legal expert. Moreover, his record of contemptuous pronouncements against concepts and principles of human rights as well as international treaties such as UNCLOS and the ICC may stain the reputation of the ILC before the international community.

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[Statement] Justice for Gwenn Salamida | NUJP

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#HumanRights #StopTheKillingsPH

[Statement] Justice for Gwenn Salamida

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines condoles with the family and colleagues of Gwenn Salamida of ‘Saksi Ngayon’, who was shot dead in a salon that she owned in Quezon City on August 17.

According to a statement by the National Press Club, Salamida was shot by an unidentified assailant and sustained four gunshot wounds, including two in the head.

NPC said it is in close coordination with the Quezon City Police District and the Presidential Task Force of Media Security on Salamida’s case.

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[People] Standing for the Rights of Indigenous People | by Fr. Shay Cullen

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#HumanRights #IndigenousPeoples

Standing for the Rights of Indigenous People
Shay Cullen
20 August 2021

Indigenous peoples are under threat as never before and need the international community to stand with them as they demand justice, their ancestral land rights, and an end to the exploitation and abuse they suffer in many countries.

They suffer discrimination, stigmatization, and racism. How disingenuous that is since all people in the world today descended from some indigenous tribal people through the ages. In fact, DNA tests show that everyone in the world is descended from one common ancestor in Africa. Real science does not lie. The human species emerged in the Makgadikgadi-Okavango wetland. It was not just any home, but the ancestral “homeland” for all modern humans today. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/controversial-study-pinpoints-birthplace-modern-humans

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[Press Release] CHISMIS, EPAL, REKLAMADOR: Artist-activist group bring light to socio-political issues in time for #Halalan2022 | DAKILA

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#HumanRights #Halalan2022

CHISMIS, EPAL, REKLAMADOR: Artist-activist group bring light to socio-political issues in time for #Halalan2022

In time for national elections next year and in observance of the International Youth Day on August 12, artist-activist group Dakila, along with Active Vista and We the Future, tackles various human rights and socio-political issues relevant to Philippine society through Ibang Klase Rin — a 15-20 minute digital program with three stand-alone episodes.

The episodes entitled Mga Marites Noon at Ngayon, Cancel Mo Mukha Mo, and Araw Gabi Laglag Pantry tackle historical revisionism and disinformation, good governance, and civic spaces, respectively. It aims to provide historical facts and insights on our current societal context to battle the anti-democratic narratives, especially as the country nears Halalan 2022.

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[Statement] on the shooting of a curfew violator with mental illness by a barangay tanod | CHR spokesperson, Atty. Jacqueline Ann de Guia

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#HumanRights #COVID19ph

Statement of CHR spokesperson, Atty. Jacqueline Ann de Guia, on the shooting of a curfew violator with mental illness by a barangay tanod

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is now probing the reported shooting of Eduardo Geñoga, a 59-year-old curfew violator with mental illness, by Cesar Panlaqui, a barangay tanod. The shooting happened in Tondo, Manila on 7 August 2021, the second day of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila.

According to reports, Panlaqui accosted Geñoga for allegedly slamming doors and gates in Tayuman Street during curfew hours. The victim allegedly approached the barangay tanod with a stick, which prompted the suspect to shoot the victim in the chest resulting to the latter’s death.

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[Press Release] Indigenous Women marked five years of Duterte with climate of ‘Fear’ and widespread ‘Violence’ | LILAK

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#HumanRights #IndigenousPeoples

Indigenous Women marked five years of Duterte with climate of ‘Fear’ and widespread ‘Violence’

In commemoration of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, indigenous women mark President Rodrigo Duterte’s regime with endless hardships, poverty, climate of fear, and widespread violations of human rights. They recount how they experienced constant fear and continuous intimidation throughout Duterte’s five years in office.

According to Jennevie Cornelio, a Teduray leader from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), fear and violence were the core foundations of Duterte’s rule, and war was his weapon to villainize, harass, torture, and kill his perceived enemies.

“The NTF-ELCAC, E.O. 70, the Anti-Terrorism Act, military deployment in BARMM and indigenous communities all over the country – these are all systematic attacks against us indigenous women human rights defenders. We defend our rights as indigenous people and as women, and every day we live in constant fear,” said Cornelio.

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[Press Release] Labor NGO urges DTI to put on hold price increases | EILER

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#HumanRights #Workers

Labor NGO urges DTI to put on hold price increases

A Labor NGO urges the Department of Trade and Industry to put on hold the price increases of basic necessities which are set at 3-5 percent.

The Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER) emphasizes that instead of price increases, the government should immediately provide additional support to MSMEs, improve vaccine roll-out, provide wage relief to the workers, and ayuda for all affected as ECQ will be implemented by the end of the week.

“The number of jobless Filipinos has increased in June. Given the spread of the Delta variant and considering that many workers have not recovered from losing their jobs, the price increases will make it more difficult for the workers and the working poor to live decently,” said EILER Executive Director Rochelle Porras.

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[People] Human Trafficking, Why so Few Convictions? | Fr. Shay Cullen

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#HumanRights #HumanTrafficking

Human Trafficking, Why so Few Convictions?
Fr. Shay Cullen
6 August 2021

The recruitment and sale of humans is an age-old crime against the rights, freedom and dignity of everyone exploited and forced to work for little or no wages and controlled and trapped by their traffickers and slave-masters.Young women and boys are especially targeted and offered fake jobs and given empty promises to get them to sign documents that put them in debt and under the control of their recruiters. Worse, when trafficked to work in the Philippines or abroad, they are forced to work in brothels, as domestics, in factories and are living mostly in sub-human conditions and are underpaid. Many are brought to brothels and sex parlors, sexually abused and trapped in sex work from which few escape.

The “Not for Sale Fund,” an international charity says, “Today, there are approximately 45.8 million people caught in the trap of modern slavery around the world. This includes 10 million children, 15.4 million people in forced marriage, and 4.8 million people in forced sexual exploitation. However, it is difficult to determine exact statistics because so many cases of human trafficking go undetected and unreported.”

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[Statement] #DutertePalpak | #CourageOn coalition

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Over 70 organizations call Duterte admin’s performance a ‘failure’

The #CourageON: No Lockdown on Rights coalition urges Filipinos to continue holding government officials accountable and register to vote in the coming elections to avoid a repeat of President Rodrigo Duterte’s brand of leadership

Below is the statement of the #CourageON: No Lockdown on Rights coalition, which was signed by more than 70 organizations, following President Rodrigo Duterte’s final State of the Nation Address on July 26. #CourageON is a broad coalition of human rights groups that aims to keep watch on abuses and violations and identify opportunities for collective action to promote and defend human rights.

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[Off-the-shelf] The Killing State: Duterte’s Legacy of Violence | PhilRights

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#HumanRights

The Killing State: Duterte’s Legacy of Violence

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was elected in 2016 under a campaign platform that promised a no-nonsense approach to crushing crime, corruption and the illegal drugs problem. His campaign team packaged him as both tough and compassionate, with “Tapang at Malasakit” and the battlecry “Change is coming.”

This messaging resonated with a populace who felt that the promise of better lives post-EDSA 1986 had never materialized and believed that the ‘progress’ and orderliness in Davao City should be replicated throughout the country. Rodrigo Duterte would go on to win by a very comfortable margin, getting 16.6 million of some 44 million votes, one of the highest voter turnouts in history.

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[Statement] Wakasan ang krisis sa karapatan. Panagutin ang rehimeng Duterte! | iDefend

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Wakasan ang krisis sa karapatan. Panagutin ang rehimeng Duterte!
Monday, 26 July 2021

Matatapos na ang termino ni Presidente Duterte sa gitna ng malubhang krisis sa karapatang pantao, bumubulusok na pandemya, tumitinding kahirapan, talamak na katiwalian, at kawalan ng katarungan para sa libu libong pinaslang sa ilalim ng giyera laban sa droga at giyera laban sa terorismo.

Pamana ng pamunuang ito ang higit sa 11 trilyon pisong pambansang utang, 4.8 milyong gutom na pamilya, at higit 4 milyong manggagawang walang trabaho; kaakibat ang pamamahalang nakabatay sa seksismo at kawalan ng galang sa kababaihan, habang patuloy na inaalipusta ang hanay ng LGBTIQ+

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[Event] PAHRA launches at Mendiola and other areas in the country today a week-long series of nationally coordinated peoples community actions

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PAHRA launches at Mendiola and other areas in the country today a week-long series of nationally coordinated peoples community actions

Members of the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) launch a week-long series of Nationally Coordinated public protest actions on July 19, 2021, at Mendiola. The series of protests of various forms will be undertaken daily leading up to the 6th and final State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte on July 26.

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[Campaign] #Tumindig | Tarantadong Kalbo

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#Tumindig campaign

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[People] Protecting the Planet | by Fr. Shay Cullen

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#HumanRights #Environment

Protecting the Planet
Shay Cullen
11 June 2021

Have you ever seen the sun set upon the sea,
the migrating birds fly in formation proud?
Have you ever seen the mighty forest and heard the birds sing clear and loud?
Have you seen the flowers in the meadows and the fields that provide the nectar for the bee, That gives the honey in the hive hanging from the tree?
Have you ever seen the dolphins race across the ocean wave,
The mighty whales that swim the oceans strong and brave?
A breathless sight of beauty you will ever see
If we will just allow them to live and to be.

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[From the web] Rising unemployment shows Duterte admin’s failed economic policies | EILER

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Rising unemployment shows Duterte admin’s failed economic policies

The increase in unemployment rate in the recent Labor Force Survey (LFS) shows the Duterte administration’s neoliberal agenda and failed economic policies further worsened the labor situation amid the pandemic, according to a labor NGO.

The Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER) said that while the imposition of stricter lockdowns during the previous quarter is seen as the immediate cause, the government’s neglect of local industries and its dependence on foreign businesses is the primary reason for the rising unemployment and precarious working conditions.

The LFS released by the Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA) for April 2021 shows the unemployment rate rose to 8.7% from 7.1% last March. That translates to 4.14 million unemployed Filipinos. Underemployment rose to 17.2% or 7.45 million from 16.2% last March.

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[Video] MAGMALASAKIT! Let’s #RegisterTogether | #WokeDTalk2021 Episode 7

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Let’s #RegisterTogether Serye

Noong Marso ay ipinakita natin sa Woke D Talk 2021 series ang ating hangarin, na #SanaAllDapatAll Pantay at Patas. Noong Buwan naman ng Abril, ipinakita natin na kahit sino ay may kayang gawin dahil nagmamahal at nagmamalasakit, ika nga #HRDpetmalu para sa kapwa, sa kalikasan at sa bayan.

Buwan ng Mayo, ay ipapakita naman natin kung ano at paano ang dapat gawin upang makamit ang ating #SanaAllDapatAll, bilang mga #HRDpetmalu sa pamamagitan ng pagbotong may pagmamalasakit.

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[From the web] Decision to take back hazard pay of contractual airport workers, unjust | EILER

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#HumanRights #Workers

Decision to take back hazard pay of contractual airport workers, unjust

A Labor NGO expresses dismay over the state auditor’s order to recover the hazard pay amounting to P54.36 million given to contractual workers of the Manila International Airport Authority last year. As per the memo released by the service contractor, the retracted hazard pay shall be deducted from workers’ monthly salaries.

The Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER) said that the decision is unjust and shows indifference to the plight of contractual workers who are on the frontlines. EILER also added that all workers deserve hazard pay given the risks they face while at work amid the pandemic.

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[Right-Up] Historical Distortionism is the Destruction of the Nation’s Foundation | Jose Mario De Vega

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Historical Distortionism is the Destruction of the Nation’s Foundation

This is a response with Lito B. Zulueta’s Aguinaldo in a fairer light. I do have some serious reservations, not only to the tenor of his questionable narration but also firmly dispute the veracity and truthfulness of the very core of his views.

Mr Zulueta stated that:

Independence Day is less than a month away, so it is auspicious that the man who declared it on June 12, 1898, often vilified for having allegedly assassinated Andres Bonifacio and “Heneral Luna,” if not independence itself, is getting a fair shake from a Philippine historian with no mean international reputation.

Comment:

He talked about Independence Day, the question there is that, had he read the whole document of the said proclamation? According to that auspicious document:

And having as witness to the rectitude of our intentions the Supreme Judge of the Universe, and under the protection of our Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, The United States of America, we do hereby proclaim and declare solemnly in the name by authority of the people of these Philippine Islands,

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[Right-Up] The Women of my Life | Jose Mario De Vega

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The Women of my Life

Nearly a decade ago, the Star Malaysia published my article on Mother’s day. As I’ve stated then:

My personal life is a bit complicated, coming as I do from two different social classes. My father is a bit well to do, by virtue of him coming from the bourgeois class, while my mother came from the proletarian class. I deem myself a mixed product of heaven and hell, so to speak! Though, I love my father, I love my mother more. Why? Because she taught me all the laws of life and the mysteries of existence from a very young age.

I believe that what she transmitted and bequeathed to me is far more superior and undeniably more substantive tan all things money can buy.

Material things come and go, but virtue, responsibility, character and wisdom can never be bought, and no one can ever take these away from you.

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[Right-Up] Digong and Johnny, Classic Leviathans | Norman Novio

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#HumanRights #Corruption

Digong and Johnny, Classic Leviathans

Juan Ponce Enrile was Rodrigo Duterte’s special guest in the latter’s regular public address on May 17, 2021 and they spent a one hour and 10-minute of scratching each other’s back, flattering each other like toddlers.

President Duterte, who vowed to eradicate corruption until the end of his term, designated as his honorable guest last Wednesday former Marcos architect Enrile who is still facing one plunder and 15 graft charges because of the reported misuse of his priority development assistance fund (PDAF). Allegedly, Enrile endorsed the phony NGO owned by Janet Lim Napoles in exchange for bribes. Enrile’s chief of staff, Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes, is still incarcerated at Camp Bagong Diwa for her alleged role in said scam. According to reports your old man Johnny and Gigi are lovers. Just this January, Reyes filed a motion for her temporary release citing that the corona virus might spread inside the prison facility. The Sandigangbayan instantly denied her bid.

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[Statement] Statement on the Arrest of Dan Balucio | AMP

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#HumanRights #HRD

Statement on the Arrest of Dan Balucio

The Aktionsbündnis Menschenrechte -Philippinen (AMP) and its member organizations express their deep concern about the recent human rights developments in the Philippines and especially about the arrest of human rights defender and United Church of Christ of the Philippines (UCCP) Pastor Dan Balucioon May 2, 2021.

UCCP Pastor Dan Balucioisa dedicated and well-known human rights activist, community organizer and coordinator of Andurog Mayon, an Ecumenical Disaster Response and Management Committee in Albay Province. In this function he lately coordinated the ongoing humanitarian response in communities affected by the typhoons Rolly and Ulysees. Through his humanitarian activities in the Philippines, he ispart of the civil society movement that facilitates the governments humanitarian response to disasters such as typhoons. He is committed to serve the poor and vocal in his criticism of the current administration under President Duterte. Pastor Dan Balucio is also a member of the South Bicol Conference (SBC) which has a close partnership with the Protestant Churches in Germany.

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[Event] TAKBONG TRENTA MOTORCADE! | KAGULONG

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#HumanRights #RidersRights

TAKBONG TRENTA MOTORCADE!

Inaanyayahan natin ang lahat na makibahagi ika-23 ng Mayo, sa pagkakaisa ng mga riders, siklista, motorista at mga komyuters sa huling araw ng UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY WEEK.

Huling araw na maghuhudyat ng simula ng mas malawak na pagkilos para sa kaligtasan sa kalsada. Tayo po ay naniniwala at positibo na malaki ang ang bilang na maililigtas nating buhay ng mga kabataan at iba pa kung magbabawas tayo bilis ng ating mga sasakyan. Nangyari na ito sa ibang bansa, nang itakda nila ang bilis ng mga sasakyan sa 30kph speed limit sa mga mga mataong kalsada kaya hindi ito imposible sa atin. Lalu pa at may batas na tayo hinggil dito. Ang kailangan lang ay seryosohin ang implementasyon at maipabatid ito sa lahat ng mga gumagamit ng kalsada.

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