[Press Release] Environmental group to President-elect Marcos: Prioritize environmental issues | BAN Toxics

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Environmental group to President-elect Marcos: Prioritize environmental issues

BAN Toxics urged President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to prioritize ratification of the Basel Ban Amendment and take action for proper chemicals and wastes management in time for his upcoming inauguration.

“We call on President-elect Marcos to prioritize the ratification of the Basel Ban Amendment, implement measures for sound chemicals and wastes management, and the total ban of waste importation to protect our nation from becoming the world’s dump site again,” says Reynaldo San Juan Jr., executive director of BAN Toxics.

The Basel Convention on Hazardous Wastes Management and Disposal was established to protect human health as well as the environment from the harmful effects of improper hazardous waste management worldwide.

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[Press Release] Putting torture prevention on the Philippines’ national agenda | TFDP

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PUTTING TORTURE PREVENTION ON THE PHILIPPINES’ NATIONAL AGENDA

In commemoration of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) and Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) in cooperation with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the United Against Torture Coalition (UATC)-Philippines today launched a public forum on the prevention of torture.

The event is supported by the European Union through the project “Reducing risky practices leading to torture and ill-treatment in Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand” (#SafeInCustody).

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[Press Release] Groups Call for Ban on Toxic Thermal Paper Receipts with BPA/BPS | EcoWaste Coalition

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Groups Call for Ban on Toxic Thermal Paper Receipts with BPA/BPS

Three civil society groups are calling on the government and business sectors to protect workers and the general public from the adverse effects of exposure to endocrine disrupting and cancer-linked chemicals present in thermal transaction receipts.

At the “Kapehan sa Dabaw” and the “Forum on Hazardous Chemicals in Thermal Paper Receipts” held last June 20, representatives of the Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS), EcoWaste Coalition and the Wonjin Institute for Occupational and Environmental Health (WIOEH) exposed the hidden hazards in such receipts.

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[Press Release] Environmental group spotlights mercury-free alternatives in a new study | BAN Toxics

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Environmental group spotlights mercury-free alternatives in a new study

In line with the celebration of National Poison Prevention Week, environmental watchdog group BAN Toxics launches alternatives study titled “Mercury-Free Alternatives in the Philippines: Batteries, lamps, and medical measuring devices” in a press briefing.

The fourth week of June is celebrated as the National Poison Prevention Week as declared by Presidential Proclamation No. 1777 s. 2009 as an effort to raise awareness on the preventive aspects of poisoning prevention at home, school, work and the general environment.[1]

The study aimed to assess the availability of mercury-free alternatives in the Philippine market in view of the country’s commitments of phasing out mercury-containing products under the Minamata Convention on Mercury.[2]

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[Press Release] Government must stop judicial harassment against human rights groups | Civicus

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Government must stop judicial harassment against human rights groups

CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, is alarmed by the ongoing judicial harassment against members of three human rights groups, that have been accused of perjury for seeking legal protection from the Supreme Court against government harassment and intimidation. Around court hearings this week – where National Council members from Karapatan will deliver their testimonies – our organisation calls on the government of the Philippines to immediately drop all charges against them and to halt all forms of reprisals against human rights defenders.

The perjury case stems from a petition for protection, through the writs of amparo and habeas data, submitted in May 2019 by the National Council members of Karapatan, national officers of women alliance, GABRIELA and religious group – the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP). The organisations were tagged by the government as alleged fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The petition was initially granted but later denied by the Court of Appeal in June 2019. A petition for review of the decision is still pending.

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[Right-Up] The Philippines and Russia: On Independent Foreign Policy | by Jose Mario De Vega

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The Philippines and Russia: On Independent Foreign Policy

A per report of Yahoo! News, “During the presidential election campaign, Marcos initially maintained a neutral position on the Russia-Ukraine war. However, he later issued a statement that he is united with the rest of world in calling for Russia “to respect Ukraine’s freedom and its citizens’ democratic way of life.” (Russia ready to help Philippines with oil, gas needs: Russian envoy, Nicholas Young, Jun 14).

It was at this period also that the Philippine government during the UN General Assembly voted together with 141 out of 193 member countries to denounced Russia’s aggression against Ukraine (U.N. General Assembly in historic vote denounces Russia over Ukraine invasion, Reuters, March 3rd).

Though, the said Resolution is non-binding, it is my firm view that the decision undertaken by Malacanan and DFA on this critical world issue is undeniably wrong. The Russian Federation may consider that idiotic decision as an act of an unfriendly country. (Putin issues decree requesting ‘unfriendly’ countries pay for gas in roubles, The Financial Times, April 1st).

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[From the web] Drop perjury charges against Philippines Civil Society Organisations | Forum-Asia

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Philippines: Drop perjury charges against Philippines Civil Society Organisations

FORUM-ASIA is deeply concerned by the ongoing court trial on perjury charges filed by Hermogenes Esperon Jr., the former National Security Adviser in the Cabinet of Rodrigo Duterte, against civil societies, Karapatan the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP) and GABRIELA as well as the systematic vilification and smear campaigns against them.

In July 2019, Hermogenes Esperon Jr. filed a Complaint-Affidavit for perjury with the Quezon City Office of the city prosecutor (QC OCP) against Karapatan National Council members, GABRIELA Chairperson and Secretary-General, and RMP National Coordinator and Northern Mindanao Region Coordinator. The former National Security Adviser claimed that the respondents committed perjury when they petitioned the Supreme Court for the Writ of Amparo and the Writ of Habeas Data.

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[Press Release] Increase in salaries, first agenda of teachers to incoming VP and DEPED Secertary Inday Sara Duterte | TDC

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Increase in salaries, first agenda of teachers to incoming VP and DEPED Secertary Inday Sara Duterte

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) hopes to engage the incoming Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Vice President-elect Sara Duterte in a discussion to tackle the teachers’ long overdue demand for salary increase.

“What we ask is beyond increase in our salaries, it’s about rectifying the decades-old mistake of the government,” said Benjo Basas, a Caloocan City teacher and the group’s national chairperson.

Basas argued that teachers’ salaries should be based on the recommendations of the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (RA 4670), a 1966 vintage law created to institutionalize and further protect the rights and welfare of teachers. However, the law that currently governs the salaries of teachers is the salary standardization law (SSL) of 1989 and its latest version, RA 11466 or the SSL-5 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in January 2020.

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[Press Release] Youth group takes their part to protect the environment | BAN Toxics

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Youth group takes their part to protect the environment

As part of Environment Month celebration, the Environment Stewards Organization (ESO), a youth organization from T’boli National High School South Cotabato City spearheaded an environmental awareness-raising campaign, tree planting activities, and leadership development training that aims to advocate for environmental sustainability and preservation.

With the goal to involve the youth in nature preservation, ESO was founded in October 2014 through the efforts of then principal of T’Boli National High School, Mrs. Mila A. De Leon, T’Boli Mayor Dibu Tuan, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 12 Director, Datu Tungko Saikul, and four other officers.

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[Press Release] Ensure Rights Panel’s Independence | HRW

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Ensure Rights Panel’s Independence
President-Elect Marcos Should Select Commissioners in Transparent Process

President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines should ensure a transparent, inclusive process to select qualified and independent human rights experts as commissioners for the national Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Human Rights Watch said today. Marcos, who will be inaugurated as the new Philippine president on June 30, 2022, is expected to announce his appointments in the coming days.

The Commission on Human Rights is empowered under the 1987 Philippine Constitution to investigate human rights violations and promote respect for human rights in the country. Marcos ran on a campaign marked by disinformation about his family’s role in human rights abuses during the dictatorship of his father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and so the appointment of the commissioners will be an important first test for his administration’s commitment to human rights.

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[Statement] Red-tagged labor rights NGO filed a complaint at CHR | CTUHR

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Red-tagged labor rights NGO filed a complaint at CHR

On June 14, 2022, the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) formally filed a complaint at the Commission on Human Rights, a week after it publicly denounced the malicious statements made by elements of the NTF-ELCAC against their institution.

In its complaint, CTUHR narrated that they received a report that they have been red-tagged in the program, “Laban Kasama ang Bayan” aired last June 6, 2022. One of the topics discussed in the said episode was “Labor Infiltration Operations of CPP-NDF-NPA in CALABARZON, Central Luzon and NCR,” where they zoomed in on the strike conducted by J&T Express workers in Cabuyao, Laguna.

The guest Charlie “Steve Alejandro” Ponclara and one of the hosts Jeffrey “Eric” Celiz, in a series of exchanges, purported that the strike of the workers was illegal and that they were infiltrated and instigated by operatives of the CPP-NPA-NDF. CTUHR was tagged as one of these, together with Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan – Kilusang Mayo Uno (PAMANTIK-KMU).

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[Press Release] Environmental group lauds DOH-FDA for banning mercury use in medical devices and dental procedures | BAN Toxic

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Environmental group lauds DOH-FDA for banning mercury use in medical devices and dental procedures

Environmental watchdog group BAN Toxics lauds the Department of Health (DOH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Philippines for issuing the FDA Circular which totally bans mercury-added thermometers, sphygmomanometers, dental amalgam capsules, and liquid mercury use in dental restorative procedures in the country.

FDA Circular No. 2022-003 aims for “the total ban of the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, sale, offer for sale, donation, transfer, and where applicable, the use, promotion, advertising, or sponsorship of mercury-added thermometers and sphygmomanometers along with dental amalgam capsules and liquid mercury for use in dental restorative purposes to protect human health from the adverse effects of mercury-added medical devices.”[1]

In addition, the storage, transport, and disposal of the banned medical devices shall comply with the existing implementing rules and regulations of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

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[Press Release] Teachers question work during school break | TDC

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Teachers question work during school break

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) calls on the leadership of the Department of Education (DepEd) to clarify some of the content of its new ordinance that will extend the work of teachers beyond the school year which will end on June 24, 2022.

“This policy should be clarified because we expect teachers to enjoy a two-month vacation between the closing and opening of school years, we have the right under the law,” said Benjo Basas, national chairperson of TDC.

According to Basas, DepEd Order No. 25, p. 2022 signed by Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan last week seems to ignore the supposed entitlement of two-month vacation of teachers. The Order will require some of the teachers to conduct ‘summer’ or end of the school year classes for children with failing grades in two subjects. Meanwhile, children with low marks of 75 to 79 in any subject must attend enrichment classes. These two interventions will be held from July 24 to August 12.

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[Press Release] EcoWaste Coalition Hails Global Ban on Highly Toxic Chemical PFHxS

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EcoWaste Coalition Hails Global Ban on Highly Toxic Chemical PFHxS

The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition lauded the decision by the world’s governments to add PFHxS to the Stockholm Convention’s list of banned persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with no exemptions.

PFHxS, or perfluorohexane sulfonic acid, its salts, and related substances, will be added to Annex A of the treaty for global elimination as agreed during the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the Stockholm Convention in Geneva, Switzerland.

PFHxS belongs to the highly persistent group of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or the “forever chemicals.” Related fluorinated chemicals, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), were added to the Convention in 2009 and 2019.

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[From the web] Financing a Fossil Future – Tracing the Money Pipeline of Fossil Gas in Southeast Asia | CEED

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Southeast Asia (SEA) is spiraling into a fossil future thanks to a massive fleet of gas projects and the financial institutions backing them, risking the region’s energy security, biodiversity, and any and all hope to limit global temperature rise to less catastrophic levels – a new report from civil society reveals.

Financing a Fossil Future: Tracing the Money Pipeline of Fossil Gas in SEA published by think-tank Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) and partners dives into projects and companies involved in fossil gas exploration and development, transportation, gasification, storage, re-gasification, pipelines, and power generation, and the institutions that offered them financial services from 2016 to 2022.

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[Statement] “Angat Buhay Para sa Kalikasan” Statement on the New Administration

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“Angat Buhay Para sa Kalikasan” Statement on the New Administration

President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. and Vice-President-elect Sara Duterte are slated to take their oath this month and govern our country for the next six years.

However, in the wake of election irregularities such as massive-voting buying, malfunctioning VCMs, disenfranchisement of voters and allegations on electronic vote rigging, we call on the Comelec to investigate these cases and hold accountable those found guilty.

We recognize that President Marcos, Jr. and Vice-President Duterte has captured the votes of the electorate in a landslide victory. But we also note that this victory is a result of a decades-long campaign to rehabilitate the reputation of the Marcoses through historical revisionism and the propagation of fake news. There have been reports of massive disinformation and misinformation, particularly on Martial Law and the dictatorial rule of President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.

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[From the web] Environmental group pushes for stricter regulation as illicit trade of mercury-added skin lighteners prevails | BAN Toxics

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Environmental group pushes for stricter regulation as illicit trade of mercury-added skin lighteners prevails

BAN Toxics calls the attention of local authorities in Manila City after the group discovered the continued selling of Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene and Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream despite a public health warning issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

FDA advised the public against the purchase and the use of Goree products which were tested and found to contain toxic mercury (Hg) levels beyond the 1 part per million (ppm) limit. Pursuant to Republic Act No. 9711, the manufacture, importation, exportation, sale, offering for sale, distribution, transfer, non-consumer use, promotion, advertising or sponsorship of health products without proper authorization from FDA is prohibited.

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[From the web] Groups Back Phase-Out of Toxic “Forever Chemicals” to Protect Women and Other Vulnerable Sectors | EcoWaste Coalition

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Groups Back Phase-Out of Toxic “Forever Chemicals” to Protect Women and Other Vulnerable Sectors

Various civil society groups have joined forces to call for a global ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) ahead of the World Environment Day. Also known as the “forever chemicals,” PFAS do not break down in the environment and build up in the bodies of humans and wildlife over time, resulting in adverse health effects.

At a webinar co-organized by the EcoWaste Coalition with the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP), Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS), Taiwan Watch Institute (TWI) and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), the groups pressed for a ban on PFAS as a class while conveying support for PFAS-free clothing, food packaging, cookware and other applications.

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[From the web] Next Admin’s funding for Teachers’ Magna Carta sought | TDC

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Next Admin’s funding for Teachers’ Magna Carta sought

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) acknowledges the findings of the Senate Committee on Basic Education and its recommendation to fully implement the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (RA 4670), a vintage law enacted in 1966. The group particularly commended Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the committee chair for raising the matter in Senate’s plenary yesterday and expressed hopes that the next DepEd secretary, the Vice President-Elect Sara Duterte will at least consider the senator’s recommendations.

“We acknowledge the gesture of Sen., Gatchalian in Senate’s floor yesterday. By standing in the podium, he made our tiny and unheeded voices for more than 5 decades audible,” said Benjo Basas, the group’s national chairperson.

Basas said that the TDC has been in constant coordination with the leadership of relevant committees in both houses of Congress who expressed support for their advocacies.

“With the enthusiastic Senate Education Committee on our side, we are certain that the 19th Congress will use its oversight function and legislative powers in our favor. But we still need the proactive stance of the DepEd, the agency primarily tasked to implement the letters and spirit of the law,” Basas added.

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[From the web] Five reasons why gender-based violence against women should be considered torture | OMCT

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Five reasons why gender-based violence against women should be considered torture

Gender-based violence against women (GBVAW) is the most systematic and widespread human rights violation worldwide. It includes sexual crimes such as rape or harassment but also forced marriage, intimidation, threats and physical violence. In this blog post, our expert presents five reasons why GBVAW is torture and should be legally considered as such.

Mylene comes from an impoverished area in the rural Philippines. As a young adult, she moved to Manila in the hope of a better future. Instead, she fell into the hands of traffickers and was forced into prostitution. Over the years, she experienced numerous forms of violence. For instance, the police arrested her for vagrancy and raped her in exchange for charges being dropped. Once a police officer detained her in an apartment for several days where he sexually abused her. One night she escaped naked from a car containing four police officers who, after forcing her to use illegal drugs, had taken turns raping her inside the moving vehicle. She also suffered frequent physical and sexual violence from those who sought her services.

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[Statement] Stop enforced disappearances everywhere in the world, including Bangladesh |AFAD, FIDH, Maayer Daak, and Odhikar

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A Joint Statement by the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Maayer Daak, and Odhikar on the occasion of International Week of the Disappeared 2022

BANGLADESH: Government must stop enforced disappearances and ensure right to truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-recurrence

Dhaka/Manila/Paris, 23 May 2022: On the occasion of the International Week of the Disappeared, the Asian Federation against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Maayer Daak, and Odhikar remember and pay homage to victims of enforced disappearance and stand in solidarity with the families of the disappeared.

In Bangladesh, enforced disappearances continue to occur. Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies, particularly the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Detective Branch of police are responsible for the commission of the majority of cases of enforced disappearance in the country. Most of the victims of enforced disappearance have been identified as leaders and activists of opposition parties and dissidents.

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[Statement] On the 2022 Philippine Presidential Election | AMP

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Joint Statement on the 2022 Philippine Presidential Election

After the landslide victory of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte-Carpio in the 2022 presidential election the Aktionsbündnis Menschenrechte-Philippinen (AMP) calls on the new government to immediately address the dire human rights situation in the country.

The AMP expresses its concern that neither Marcos Jr., the son of former dictator Marcos Sr., nor Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, have distanced themselves from the human rights violations committed under their fathers.

Both Marcos and Duterte-Carpio vowed to continue President Duterte’s war on drugs and to disallow independent international investigations into the human rights abuses under the Duterte government. Instead of neglecting these abuses, the unity proclaimed by the Marcos-Duterte tandem should imply acknowledging the victims and human rights violations, enabling justice, and ending impunity. The AMP therefore calls on the designated President Marcos and Vice-President Duterte-Carpio to enable the investigation and prosecution of at least 279 cases of extrajudicial killings of human rights defenders (HRDs) and journalists1 as well as of about 12,000-30,000 extrajudicial killings in the name of the so-called war on drugs.

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[Video] Paano ba nag-mo-move on ang mga biktima ng pag-aabuso noong Martial Law? | 11,103

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*Warning: Graphic descriptions of violence

Paano ba nag-mo-move on ang mga biktima ng pag-aabuso noong Martial Law? Pakinggan ang kwento ni. Dr. Aurora Parong.

11,103 is a documentary about the survivors of State-sponsored violence administered during the dark days of the Marcos dictatorship. Many have struggled to come to terms with what had happened to them.

https://www.facebook.com/11103film

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[Featured site] www.remember-love.org

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Sa darating na halalan sana maalala natin ang mga batang naulila sa “War on Drugs”.

PARA KANINO ANG BOTO MO? SANA PARA RIN SA KANILA.

For more information on this project, possible collaborations, or donations please check our website:
https://www.remember-love.org/

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[Statement] Recent shooting incident against IPs, Ka Leody’s team, a product of Duterte’s years of emboldening and enabling a culture of violence and impunity |LILAK

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Recent shooting incident against IPs, Ka Leody’s team, a product of Duterte’s years of emboldening and enabling a culture of violence and impunity

LILAK Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights strongly condemns the shooting committed by the security guards of an agri-business plantation company at the Manobo- Pulangiyon indigenous peoples in Quezon, Bukidnon yesterday, April 19.

Around 500 Manobo-Pulangiyon people were set to repossess their ancestral land yesterday occupied by the Kiantig Development Corporation (KDC). They planned to occupy the remaining four hectares unplanted to pineapples, out of the 958 hectares recognized by the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) as their ancestral land. As the indigenous peoples reached the area, they planted a white flag, as part of their repossession activity. That was when the security guards fired shots at the Manobo-Pulangiyon, together with the team of Presidential aspirant Ka Leody de Guzman, and senatorial candidates David D’Angelo and Roy Cabonegro.

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[Off-the-shelf] No Time to Waste: Climate action through secure land rights and sustainable land use | ANGOC

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No Time to Waste: Climate action through secure land rights and sustainable land use

The impacts of climate change on human communities and land-use systems can bear heavily on people’s land access and land tenure in ways that affect their homes and livelihoods, well-being, and sense of security. Communities may be hit by sudden and extreme events such as storms and floods, or they may gradually be detached from their homes and lands as a result of slow-onset environmental degradation, such as sea-level rise, and overall shifts in weather patterns.

But while climate change affects everyone, it disproportionately impacts the lives and livelihoods of those who are poor and lack land tenure rights. Poverty often forces people to cultivate marginal lands or occupy fragile public land or areas that are vulnerable to erosion, flooding, high tides, and storm surges. Moreover, the lack of tenure security limits people’s choices and diminishes their capacity to recover and rebuild when a disaster strikes.

This publication attempts to describe the links between land rights, climate change, and resource management. It also shares experiences from rural communities in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, and the Philippines.

Click the link to access the document @angoc.org

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[From the web] Asian NGOs Call on Governments to Regulate EDCs in Products | EcoWaste Coalition

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Asian NGOs Call on Governments to Regulate Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) in Products

Non-government organizations (NGOs) from South, Southeast, and East Asia, including the Philippines, have called on national governments to adopt and strictly implement regulations to address endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in products. The NGOs are participating organizations of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), a global civil society network working for a toxics-free world.

At a recently held EDC- Free Asia Conference, the NGOs discussed the results of a regional study undertaken in partnership with the Wonjin Institute for Occupational and Environmental Health (WIOEH), with support from the Financial Industry Public Interest Foundation (FIPIF), Korea to determine the presence of phthalates in erasers and bisphenol-A (BPA) in thermal papers and to promote regulatory reforms.

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[From the web] TDC Formally Submitted the 13-point Agenda to Bets

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TDC Formally Submitted the 13-point Agenda to Bets

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) has now formally submitted the 13-Point Teachers’ Dignity Agenda to the candidates for president, vice president, senators, and some party-list representatives for the coming May 9, 2022.

According to Benjo Basas, the group’s chairperson, “the Agenda focuses on the rights and welfare of the teachers such as salary increase, implementation of the 1966 vintage Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, compensation for those affected by COVID-19, free post-graduate education, provision of free laptop computers and internet services, and the creation of a separate insurance system and hospital for teachers, among other long-overdue benefits. As well, we have demands on learning itself, such as improvements in the curriculum, reduction of class size, provision of books and other materials and facilities and adequate funding for the safe return to normal school operation”

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[From the web] Civil Society Groups Campaign for Children’s Protection from Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals | EcoWaste Coalition

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Civil Society Groups Campaign for Children’s Protection from Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

As thousands of schools brace for limited face-to-face classes amid declining COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, two non-profit groups raised the alarm over the sale of erasers containing endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), particularly phthalates.

The EcoWaste Coalition and the Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) pitched for regulatory measures that will prohibit phthalates — a group of chemicals added to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic — in erasers and, hopefully, in more products other than toys that are marketed for children’s use.

This developed as the groups announced the detection of large amounts of phthalates in erasers they bought from retail stores located in 11 cities and shipped to South Korea for laboratory analysis.

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[Statement] Compressed workweek: misguided policy for workers amidst fuel crisis | IOHSAD

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Compressed workweek: misguided policy for workers amidst fuel crisis

The Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development or IOHSAD calls on the government to directly address the reasons for the continuous oil price hikes instead of pushing for the implementation of a compressed workweek that can be detrimental to workers’ health and safety. This work scheme passes the burden of surviving this crisis to the backs of workers while the government turns away from the responsibility of mitigating or ending, the dreadful effects of oil deregulation on people’s lives.

Long working hours kill workers! Longer working hours prolong exposures to hazards at work, and this increases the risk for work-related injuries and diseases. There is a time-dependent increase in the risk for accidents, injuries, falls, infections, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases beyond the standard working hours. Twelve-hour workdays increase the risk for injuries and accidents by 37%, and this risk increases with overtime and an extended workweek.

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[Press Release] Kumpirmado: Mga gurong uupo sa halalan, kakaltasan ng 20% sa honorarium | TDC

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Kumpirmado: Mga gurong uupo sa halalan, kakaltasan ng 20% sa honorarium

Ayon kay Benjo Basas, National Chairperson ng TDC, ito umano ang kinumpirma ng ilan nilang kasapi na dumalo sa isinasagawang pagsasanay kaugnay sa darating na halalan sa Mayo.

“Para namang atat na atat sa maliit na halagang masisingil ang BIR sa ating mga guro at talagang kinaltas na ang P200 sa P1000 na transportation allowance. Kung tutuusin ay halos wala nang halaga itong P1000 lalo pa ngayong sobra-sobra nang nagtaas ang presyo ng langis. Baka sa huli abonado pa ang mga teacher natin,” ayon kay Basas.

Nananawagan ang grupo sa Comelec at DepEd at maging sa mga mambabatas na agad na himukin ang BIR na suspendihin ang pagpapataw ng buwis na ito na ayon sa grupo ay hindi makatarungan.

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[Off-the-shelf] Labor Laws for NGO Workers | SALIGAN

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Labor Laws for NGO Workers

Non-government organizations (NGOs) engage workers in different capacities, whether as employees, consultants, volunteers, service providers, or project workers or in similar assignments. Labor Laws for NGO Workers focuses on the provisions of the Labor Code of the Philippines and closely related labor laws that apply to employees of NGOs.

Read more @ www.saligan.org

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[Press Release] Group Urges Government to Protect Consumers from Mercury-Added Products | EcoWaste Coalition

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Group Urges Government to Protect Consumers from Mercury-Added Products

In observance of World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) on March 15, a toxics watchdog group urged the authorities to launch a fresh drive to protect consumers from banned mercury-added products (MAPs) that are still sold locally, especially on e-commerce platforms.

WCRD is a yearly commemoration spearheaded by Consumers International to raise global awareness about the rights of consumers to basic needs, healthy environment, safety, information, education, choice, representation, and redress, and to demand respect and protection for such basic rights.

“The government needs to mount a multifaceted campaign to stop the entry, distribution, and sale of mostly imported MAPs phased out in 2020 under the Minamata Convention on Mercury to reduce health risks and environmental contamination,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.

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[From the web] Farmers in MacArthur Leyte demand stop to mining as main canal is destroyed | ATM

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Farmers in MacArthur Leyte demand stop to mining as main canal is destroyed

Farmers in MacArthur Leyte demanded that mining by MacArthur Iron Projects Corporation (MIPC) be stopped as they lamented how they lost their livelihood for a year now as the mining company destroyed the main canal and caused water to overflow in the farmlands.

The farmers testified before lawyers of the National Irrigation Authority who visited the mining site to inspect the canal, which the mining company earlier denied they destroyed.

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[From the web] “Ayuda not loans” – Labor NGO comments on Bayanihan 2 unused loan funds for MSMEs | EILER

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“Ayuda not loans” – Labor NGO comments on Bayanihan 2 unused loan funds for MSMEs

Labor NGO Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research urges the government to provide ayuda instead of loans.

“Local businesses incurred severe losses due to the government’s ineffective lockdowns. Instead of loans, the government should give MSMEs unconditional aid to strengthen the domestic economy,” said EILER Executive Director Rochelle Porras.

In their comment on the recent COA report exposing the PhP 4.9 billion unused Bayanihan 2 loan funds for MSMEs, EILER highlights that only 4.9% of target MSMEs availed of the loan, citing the government lockdown and slow processing time as reasons for MSMEs to be discouraged.

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[Tula] “Nakamamangha…” | ni Kelvin Vistan

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“Nakamamangha…”

Isang tula.
(Binigkas: Nukes Coal-Free Bataan Movement Activity,
February 25, 2022)

Nakamamangha.
Nakamamangha nga namang
Sa pagbagwis ng kamalayan ng sangkatauhan
Ay natanto nyang
kayang
ilibid sa lubid ang kislap
ng pinagbanggang
sangkatining ng sangkatiting ng sangkatiting
at binaligtad ang pagsilang ng bituin,
kalamidad na inamo at nagawang pigain,
nakapagtatakang kayang ipunin,
na ningas at kidlat at kinalikot hanggang
pag-anyuing
dagitab.
Na isusubo sa sibilisasyong
Di maawat sa pag-abante’t pagkonsumo ng daigdig
Kaya madaling alukin ng kasinungalingang
“ligtas” ang mamuhunan sa nukleyar.
Kasinungalingan dahil
maningning na tuklas ay may kakambal
Na gimbal,
May kabakas na dahas.
Hindi simpleng nag-uumpisa
sa kislap ng kisapmatang salpukan
Dahil puhunan ay saling-ilang salinlahi nang
pagtungkab sa dawag ng gubat,
tayog ng bundok, buong pamayanan,
kapalit ng pirapirasong batong sangkap
na gamit sa pagluluto ng putaheng isusubo sa ambuklaw ng
kusinerong halimaw.

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[Press Release] TDC challenged bets for Teachers’ Agenda

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Group challenged bets for Teachers’ Agenda

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) calls on the candidates for May 2022 elections to consider their comprehensive agenda for the country’s teachers and education workers dubbed as the ‘13-Point Teachers’ Dignity Agenda.’

“We have witnessed several forums and even debates where candidates, especially those gunning for the highest office in the land have presented their plans, unfortunately, we have yet to see a suitable platform that responds to the needs of our teachers and the education sector in general,” said Benjo Basas, the group’s National Chairperson.

Basas said that the 13-Point Teachers’ Dignity Agenda focuses on the rights and welfare of the teachers such as the increase in salaries, compensation for those affected by COVID-19, free post-graduate education, provision of free laptop computers and internet services, and putting up of a separate insurance system and hospital for teachers among other benefits. But there are also demands that address the learning of children like the change in curriculum, reduction of class size, provision of books and other materials and facilities, and adequate funding for the safe return of in-person classes.

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[Off-the-shelf] LILAK PRESS: Advocating for Indigenous Women’s Rights: Lessons and Challenges by Judy Pasimio

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LILAK PRESS: Advocating for Indigenous Women’s Rights: Lessons and Challenges by Judy Pasimio

LILAK Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights featured story for Women’s Month is out now. Entitled Advocating for Indigenous Women’s Rights: Lessons and Challenges, Judy Pasimio chronicles her experiences while working with indigenous peoples and their communities. With her experiences working closely with male IP leaders, she asks “Where are the Indigenous women?”

Access the article @ https://bit.ly/3sQvRI9

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[From the web] Duterte Critic Leila de Lima Marks 5 Years in Wrongful Detention | Human Rights Watch

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Candidates Should Pledge to Free Jailed Senator
Duterte Critic Leila de Lima Marks 5 Years in Wrongful Detention

Candidates for the Philippines presidency should pledge to drop all charges against Senator Leila de Lima, who will start her sixth year in detention on February 24, 2022, Human Rights Watch said today. De Lima has been arbitrarily detained since February 2017 on politically motivated drug charges in retaliation for her criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs” and other serious human rights violations.

De Lima was chair of the Commission on Human Rights when she began an investigation in 2009 into “death squad” killings in Davao City, where Duterte was the longtime mayor. After becoming president in 2016, Duterte quickly sought to sideline her politically. Duterte’s allies in the Senate removed her from committee chairmanship and his supporters in the House of Representatives and Justice Department initiated a misogynistic public attack against her. She was arrested on February 24, 2017, and has been held at the police headquarters at Camp Crame, where she faces baseless drug-related cases.

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[People] The Power of the Innocent | by Fr. Shay Cullen

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The Power of the Innocent
Fr. Shay Cullen

They are the brave, they are the strong, they are the empowered children that, at very young ages, some just six years old, stand up to their rapists and abusers, and with courage, bravely recount to the court of justice the wicked, sinful and criminal acts done to them.

The sexual abuse of children is as common as drinking coffee but the public does not know that there are thousands of abusers seeking out children every day. No child is ever totally safe. Anyone could be an abuser. Child abuse is a secret hidden crime done with threats, intimidation, and pressure on the child never to tell anyone or else something bad will happen to them or their siblings or relatives. The rapist will instill fear in the child with threats and he or she controls the child with fear ensuring silence.

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[Press Release] Wage hike for all workers and oil subsidy for PUV drivers amid oil price hikes | EILER

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Wage hike for all workers and oil subsidy for PUV drivers amid oil price hikes – EILER

Labor NGO Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER) calls on the government to increase the minimum wage and immediately release the oil subsidy for PUV drivers amid incessant oil price hikes due to the worsening geopolitical situation and the highly speculative nature of the market.

“Ordinary Filipinos should not bear the brunt of these oil price hikes. The government should ensure that enough safety nets are in place for the public transport drivers and commuters and that there are subsidies for MSMEs so that they can cope with the increase in prices,” said EILER Executive Director Rochelle Porras.

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[Press Release] EcoWaste Coalition Joins Clamor for a Strong Plastics Treaty

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EcoWaste Coalition Joins Clamor for a Strong Plastics Treaty

On the eve of a historic United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the EcoWaste Coalition reiterated its unity with the global plea urging delegates to agree to negotiate for a strong treaty with binding controls and targets that will end the toxic threat and injustice from the plastic wastes and pollutants plaguing the world.

As the second session of the fifth UNEA (UNEA-5.2) resumes on February 28 to March 2 in Kenya, Nairobi on hybrid format, members of the EcoWaste Coalition gathered in Quezon City to remind government delegates of the “make or break” opportunity to negotiate for a legally binding agreement to prevent and remedy plastic pollution and its toxic impacts.

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[Statement] Urging President Duterte to Veto the “SIM Card and Social Media Registration Act”

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Statement Urging President Duterte to Veto the “SIM Card and Social Media Registration Act”

We urge President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to veto the bill entitled “An Act Eradicating Mobile Phone, Internet or Electronic Communication-Aided Criminal Activities, Mandating For This Purpose Ownership Registration of All Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Cards For Electronic Devices and Social Media Accounts”, also known as the “Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act” recently ratified by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines.

The intent and purpose of trying to eliminate illegal activities enabled by mobile phones, the Internet, or other electronic communication-aided crimes are noble. However, the bill is deeply flawed. It contains provisions that are overly vague, violate constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression, freedom of association, personal privacy, and endangers the safety of Filipino citizens and children.

While the benefits of SIM card registration are still under debate, of utmost concern are the provisions on social media registration.

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[Off-the-shelf] Digital Rights in Southeast Asia 2021/2022 | DigitalReach

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Digital Rights in Southeast Asia 2021/2022

DigitalReach’s annual report on digital rights in Southeast Asia reviews the digital rights situation in Southeast Asia over a calendar year. The latest report seeks to understand the influence of technology on the development of human rights between January and December 2021. It serves as a guide for DigitalReach and our partners on digital rights-related work in the region.

The highlight of this year’s report is digital authoritarianism in Myanmar, which focuses on the tactics used by the Myanmar military. This is followed by a discussion of developments that fall under the organization’s three core areas of work: freedom of expression and access to information, the right to privacy, and digital security.

Click the link to read more: digitalreach.asia

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Include your full name, e-mail address, and contact number.

All submissions are republished and redistributed in the same way that it was originally published online and sent to us. We may edit submission in a way that does not alter or change the original material.

Human Rights Online Philippines does not hold copyright over these materials. Author/s and original source/s of information are retained including the URL contained within the tagline and byline of the articles, news information, photos, etc.

[Right-Up] Teachers as Believers of Marcos Lies | by Norman Novio

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Teachers as Believers of Marcos Lies

I cannot imagine as I truly lament teachers being Marcos apologists. They are the kind of human beings who first taught us the evils of cheating, lying, and any form of academic, behavioral, and disciplinary misconduct, but continue to defend a cheater and a liar joining the Philippine presidential race.

The biggest “scholastic dishonesty” that Marcos Jr. and his minions of teachers-apologist is when he lied about his educational achievements. I was surrounded by teachers at home and relatives and friends beyond it, both real and virtual. I cannot remember any of them lying about their educational status. Much more they are condoning those who lie about it or any other lies related to the pursuit of education, teaching in particular.

But some mentors are fighting nail and tooth for the truth about the evils of the Marcos dictatorship just like the teachers from all over the world condemning Hitler’s Nazi regime.

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[Statement] on the arrest of health worker Dr. Natividad ‘Naty’ Castro | CHR

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Statement of the Commission on Human Rights on the arrest of health worker Dr. Natividad ‘Naty’ Castro

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expresses grave concern over the manner of arrest of health worker Dr. Natividad ‘Naty’ Castro early Friday, 18 February 2022 in San Juan City.

Dra. Naty had been red-tagged for her work as a human rights and development worker. Before the pandemic hit the country in 2020, Castro initiated several health programs in Mindanao. She also brought members of the Lumad community before the United Nations in Geneva to seek help against harassment in their areas. She also once served as secretary-general of rights group Karapatan in the Caraga region.

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[Video] Indigenous Peoples’ Electoral Agenda | Lilak

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Indigenous Peoples’ Electoral Agenda

Watch here: https://fb.watch/bgJQ3xPect/

Kilalanin ang lupaing ninuno. Itigil ang kriminalisasyon sa IPs – Ilan lamang ito sa mahahalagang itinutulak ng mga katutubo ngayong #Halalan2022.

Panoorin ngayong February 17, Thursday, 4:00 to 6:00 PM, ang buong INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ ELECTORAL AGENDA. LIVE sa Facebook Pages ng In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement, LILAK (Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights), at Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center.

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[Video] Woke D Talk 2022 | Episode 2 | PUSO, KANDIDATO, AGENDA NG TAO | TFDP and Y4R

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Woke D Talk 2022 | Episode 2 | PUSO, KANDIDATO, AGENDA NG TAO

PUSO, KANDIDATO, AGENDA NG TAO
buma-valentines 😍😍
Pag-usapan natin mga ka-WOKE! Kasama si ka-woke na Jayjay ng Most Holy Trinity Parish

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Include your full name, e-mail address, and contact number.

All submissions are republished and redistributed in the same way that it was originally published online and sent to us. We may edit submission in a way that does not alter or change the original material.

Human Rights Online Philippines does not hold copyright over these materials. Author/s and original source/s of information are retained including the URL contained within the tagline and byline of the articles, news information, photos, etc.

[Event] WAR on DRUGS: BALA ang BATAS, WALANG NALUTAS | PAHRA

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Watch here: https://fb.watch/bgG_NcH1Q2/

Makibahagi sa ating UNA sa INTER-ACTIVE FORUM SERIES!
Makikipagtalakayan para sa MAS EPEKTIBO, MAKATAO at KOMPREHENSIBO na #KarapatDAPAT na PROGRAMA.
“WAR on DRUGS: BALA ang BATAS, WALANG NALUTAS”

February 11 (Biyernes) | 10am | Via Zoom and Streamed-LIVE sa FB Page ng PAHRA.

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[From the web] On the arrest & detention of Doctor Ma. Natividad Castro | FLAG

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STATEMENT OF THE FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE GROUP (FLAG) ON THE ARREST, DETENTION, AND WHEREABOUTS OF DOCTOR MA. NATIVIDAD CASTRO:

FLAG is gravely concerned as to the whereabouts of Dr. Ma. Natividad Castro.

On February 18, 2022, police officers took Dr. Castro from her home in San Juan, pursuant to an alleged Warrant of Arrest issued by RTC Branch 7 of Bayugan City.

FLAG was retained as counsel by Dr. Castro’s relatives when she was taken from her home. FLAG immediately sought access to Dr. Castro at the Intelligence Group, Camp Crame where she was reportedly brought and detained. Before this, Dr. Castro’s sister, who was also at Crame, was also not allowed access, as was another lawyer, who was a friend of the family.

Upon inquiry, police officers from the Intelligence Group informed FLAG that Dr. Castro was no longer at Camp Crame as she was supposedly “brought to the airport” to be “delivered to the court” in Butuan City. Family members proceeded to the airport but were not able to see her there. The scheduled flight to Butuan took off without any confirmation of Dr. Castro being on board. Requests for copies of the warrant of arrest, reports and documents relative to Dr. Castro’s arrests and transportation likewise went unheeded.

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