United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Monday, June 24, expressed concern over the “extraordinarily high number of deaths” in the Philippines in the context of President Rodrigo Duterte’s continuing anti-illegal drugs campaign. “Even the officially confirmed number of 5,425 deaths would be a matter of most serious concern for any country,”…
Coming out and navigating life in a world that continues to be prejudiced against the LGBTQ community isn’t easy. It’s even more difficult for many when they think about how their family – and parents, especially – would react. More often than not, it’s a journey. And this pride story, of Twitter user “Isko Speaks,”…
A network of civil society organizations remains in solidarity with the 22 fishermen from San Jose town in Occidental Mindoro who figured in an incident with a Chinese trawler in Recto Bank at the West Philippine Sea. “The fisherfolk sector provides food in our table, with the farmers, they are the backbone of our society.…
Pride can be a hard time for those who fall within the bisexual, pansexual, queer and sexually fluid community. Studies show that bi people make up nearly 50% of the LGBTQ community, but too often it can feel like we’re all alone, walking a line between being “too queer” or “not queer enough.” Bisexual people…
Inaanyayahan ng Kanyang Kabunyian Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle ang mga kabataan na makiisa sa paglulunsad ng Laudato Si Gen (Generation) – Pilipinas, ngayong ika-22 ng Hunyo, araw ng sabado. Ayon kay Cardinal Tagle, mahalagang matutunan ng mga kabataan kung paano maisasabuhay ang encyclical ng Kanyang Kabanalan Francisco na patungkol sa Kalikasan o ang…
Salinlahi congratulates the organizations and advocates that have been actively taking part in the campaign against the lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12 years old. Such triumph, although maybe temporary, considering the current political landscape, is undeniably a leap forward in our collective struggle in protecting and defending the rights…
(New York, June 18, 2019) – The Philippine government should promptly and impartially investigate the recent spate of killings of leftist activists, Human Rights Watch said today. From June 15 to 17, 2019, unidentified gunmen fatally shot four members of leftist organizations. A labor organizer was also killed on June 2. During the upcoming session…
“Pride is, at its core, a political space built on the backs of human rights defenders. We cannot stand idly by as fellow activists are violently persecuted while they work on cultural and legislative reform.” #ResistTogether Statement on killings of human rights defenders Stop the attacks On June 15, human rights activists Ryan Hubilla and…
Madonna has released “I Rise,” a new music video that pays tribute to the resilience of people around the world who struggle against tragedy and persecution, including Filipino journalist Maria Ressa. Footage of the Rappler founder and chief executive officer is shown at the 1:31 mark of the music video. In the clip, Ressa is…
Rights activists in the Philippines have revived an organization comprising families and friends of political prisoners that was formed during the martial law years in the 1970s. The group Kapatid (sibling) was formed in 1978 as a response to a crackdown on political activists during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. More than 40 years later,…
Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray has expressed strong support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) community, shrugging off criticism that such stance betrays her Christian faith. Gray posted on Instagram on Saturday a photo promoting “Pride Month”, a month-long celebration dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community. Some Instagram users immediately threw negative comments at…
The January 2019 collapse of the giant Hanjin shipbuilding facility in Subic, Zambales has precipitated a mad scramble for solutions to the crisis. The government frantically scours for new investors and 5 Philippine banks await to retrieve $412 million in unpaid loans. Meanwhile, the plight of the 30,000 displaced Hanjin workers has been all but…
A member of a left-wing organization of farmers was gunned down outside his house at Barangay Halapitan, San Fernando town in Bukidnon province on Saturday (June 16) in what appeared to be another attack on the Left. Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Philippine Peasant Movement or KMP) said one of its members, Nonoy Palma, was killed…
KARAPATAN URGENT ALERT Two Karapatan Sorsogon staff, Ryan Hubilla and Nelly Bagasala, were gunned down at around 8:20 in the morning this Saturday, June 15, 2019 at the corner of Phase 2, Seabreeze Homes Subdivision, Barangay Cabid-an, Sorsogon, Bicol. The perpetrators were onboard a motorcycle. The scene of the crime was only a kilometer away…
(CNN) — Hong Kong will suspend a controversial China extradition bill, its leader said Saturday, in an apparent bid to quell further unrest and mass demonstrations throughout the semi-autonomous Chinese city. Speaking after consultations with lawmakers, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said passage of the bill would be suspended and a second reading due to take…
When a Chinese vessel rammed and sank their ship on June 9 near Recto Bank, the Filipino crew and their captain saw hope from afar. “Meron pong natanaw na ilaw mga limang milya po ang layo (We spotted light 5 miles away),” said Junel Insigne, the captain of Fishing Boat Gem-Ver. He was telling reporters…
Philippines must demand compensation, SC justice says MANILA – It was an “aggressive” Chinese militia vessel under the command of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) that rammed a Filipino fishing boat anchored off the coast of Recto (Reed) Bank in the West Philippine Sea on Sunday, a senior Supreme Court justice said Friday. This is…
Former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo defended the response of President Rodrigo Duterte after a Chinese vessel sank a Philippine boat near Recto Bank (Reed Bank) in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). In an interview with ANC, Arroyo said Duterte and Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr have taken the “right approach.” Arroyo – one…
The Philippines has topped the list of countries facing the highest risk of climate change hazards, according to the latest Global Peace Index (GPI) released by Australia-based independent think tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). Citing data from the Index for Risk Management, the IEP said the Philippines scored the highest in terms of…
PRIDE IS COMMUNITY. Pride is for all of us. For those who paved the way, for those forced to live in the dark, for those no longer with us, and for those who will march long after we have gone. But as we grow bigger and as inequalities and human rights violations persist, Pride needs…
