United by the common pain of loss and injustice, families of victims of involuntary disappearance were joined by the families of victims of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) on Holy Wednesday to intensify their call for justice, which for years has eluded them. An annual event of the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND), the Kalbaryo…
STATEMENT FROM BAHAY TULUYAN INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR STREET CHILDREN More than 3 decades after the first national attempts to address the plight of children on the street in the Philippines, the situation for these children in many Philippine cities remains dire. In the recent 3rd Street Children’s Congress in the Philippines, hosted by Bahay Tuluyan,…
Pamatid uhaw, Pantawid sarap Nakasilay nang hita, sinaniban na. Inabangan nang mag-isa Kumuha nang tyempo hanggang sa dinamba Tinakpan ang bibig Maging mga mata Sinuntok sa tiyan, pinalo sa ulo Nawalan nang malay Ayos na pare. Isang panghahalay.. Kawawang Nene Hindi na nakauwi. Matapos parausan Puso ay tumigil Sinaksak paulit ulit Ng punyal sa dibdib…
FMA is currently undertaking a series of capacity-building and awareness-raising activities, including the digital rights camp, to advance human rights in the Philippine digital environment. The Digital Rights Camp aims to enhance local networking, popularise digital rights issues, and expand digital rights campaign and movements by connecting human rights defenders and advocates to empower one…
Focus Policy Review on the Progressive Agenda in the 2019 Elections and Beyond This issue of the Focus Policy Review explores how the Duterte administration responded to key issues through its policies and action points. These responses, which in a nutshell are very neoliberal and authoritarian, fall under Duterte’s promised change at the beginning of…
An organization of human rights lawyers on Monday sought the Supreme Court’s protection from alleged continuing harassment and “red tagging” of their members by the military and the police. In a 23-page petition, the officers and members of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) sought the Supreme Court’s help by filing a petition for…
In a unity declaration protest held on Saturday, April 13, in Bacolod City, youth leaders urged the public to be on the lookout for national and local candidates’ environmental platforms. They stressed that the youth must choose candidates who are for the protection of the environment – by opposing the use of coal energy and…
sa mundo ng mga dapat by Bantayog Initiative April 27, 2019 at 8 PM Z Compound (33A Malingap, Teacher’s Village east, 1101 Quezon City) https://www.facebook.com/events/452755722136856/453767408702354/?notif_t=admin_plan_mall_activity¬if_id=1555322691528027 Support #KarapatDapat na Agenda campaign! Click the poster to know more. Submit your contribution online through HRonlinePH@gmail.com Include your full name, e-mail address and contact number. All submissions are republished…
As an organization of human rights defenders, Balay endorses the following 10-point agenda for the 2019 national election along with their critical aspects which, from its perspective, could be used as a yardstick by voters in making an informed decision on who among the candidates to support and whom to reject. From a human rights…
Thousands of human rights victims during the martial law period are set to receive $1,500 each starting next month after a federal judge in New York affirmed the settlement agreement that will divide some $20 million worth of the Marcoses’ ill-gotten assets that were recovered in the United States. American human rights lawyer Robert Swift,…
A starving child crawling to an empty pot in the middle of a temporary shelter while its mother looks on helplessly is a scene that Muy (not his real name) constantly encounters in his work. Scenes like this prompted the young nurse from the northern part of the country to work as a lay missionary…
The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) said on Thursday, April 4, that initial drug war documents showed a lack of effort to investigate the killings committed under the mantle of Oplan Tokhang. “Investigation leaves much to be desired. While all cases indicate that investigations are ongoing, it appears that not much effort has been placed…
A broad national youth movement, #WeTheBrave, launched its call for a Vote for Sovereignty and Human Rights in the 2019 National Elections on April 9, 2019, during a press conference held in Quezon City. Coinciding with the National Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan), youth leaders representing around 100 youth groups nationwide vowed to show…
As school break starts, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) again call on the DepEd leadership to consider junking the results-based performance management system (RPMS) and revert to the simplified performance appraisal system for teachers (PAST) which has been in use for several decades until the introduction of RPMS in 2012. “We are supposed to be…
PEACE BE TO THIS COUNTRY We, the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines, an association of 327 religious congregations in the Philippines, strongly condemn the continued barrage of malicious allegations made on the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and other human rights and sectoral organizations, by some leaders of the government and the…
Cynthia Avelino will bury her father Ismael and uncle Edgardo Avelino on Monday morning at the Canlaon City Cemetery in Negros Oriental. Ismael, 53, will be entombed on top of the tomb of their mother, Criscenciana, while Edgardo will be buried on top of the tomb of their brother-in-law, Joel Gallenero. The city government gave…
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism has responded to what it called President Rodrigo Duterte’s “broadsides” aimed at PCIJ’s recent reports on the Duterte family’s wealth, saying there was no reason for the President to “lose his cool”. “The PCIJ report was built on the Dutertes’ own declarations in their SALNs (Statements of Assets, Liabilities,…
Five United States senators introduced a bipartisan resolution highlighting human rights concerns in the Philippines and urging the Duterte administration to respect freedom of expression. US Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) this week filed the six-page resolution, which specifically raised the cases of…
Another group of former political prisoners during the martial law regime of President Ferdinand Marcos has questioned the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) for blocking what should have been the third payout of reparation claims granted human rights victims by a Hawaii District Court. In a statement, Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at…
Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David was temporarily banned from Facebook on Thursday after his criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte went viral. A report by CBCP News said the prelate lost access to his Facebook account for about 2 hours after the social media giant accused him of “phishing” or fraudulently attempting to acquire sensitive information.…
A petition was filed before the Supreme Court on Thursday to temporarily stop the implementation and eventually void the allegedly onerous irrigation project loan deal between the Philippines and China. Members of the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives asked the high court to issue a temporary restraining order to halt the ₱3.69-billion Chico…
Makabayan Chairman Neri Colmenares and several progressive groups asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to block a $62-million loan from China to fund the construction of the Chico River Dam. The petitioners argued the deal was unconstitutional because it contained a confidentiality clause that violates the Filipino public’s right to information on foreign loans. The…
Free Legal Assistance Group lawyers on Thursday said the small fraction of police reports on the war on drugs they have reviewed bore a “strikingly” similar and almost “cut-and-paste” style of accounts of the killings. Incomplete records, lapses in police procedure, and unidentified assailants also marked FLAG’s findings from reports on 29 cases related to…
Human Rights in Two Minutes (Filipino) Watch this video for a clear, fun and simple explanation of what human rights are. This video was translated from its original French version produced by the Amnesty International Swiss Section, supported by the Commission on Human Rights. Support #KarapatDapat na Agenda campaign! Click the poster to know more.…
CHR identifies ‘common patterns’ in police ops that killed 14 in Negros The Commision on Human Rights-Central Visayas has identified common patterns in the deaths of 14 individuals during police operations in Negros Oriental. Based on their initial probe, CHR-Region 7 Investigation Chief Leo Villarino said that most of the slain individuals were moved out…
