The Philippines added to human rights watchlist 29 June 2020 • Independent media and journalists are being targeted for their reporting • COVID 19 emergency powers and new anti-terrorism bill puts human rights at further risk. • The state of civic freedoms in the Philippines is rated as OBSTRUCTED by the CIVICUS Monitor The Philippines…
Torture free Philippines should be the “new normal” On 26 June[1], the United Against Torture Coalition (UATC)-Philippines, a broad network of human rights organizations and human rights defenders together with its partners, In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement (iDEFEND), Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the…
Hidden Victims of the Pandemic: The Old Man, the Jail Aide, and the Convict Three persons deprived of liberty describe how inhuman conditions in the country’s jails and prisons are placing them at greater risk amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are their accounts as told to Aie Balagtas See. The images, drawn by Alexandra Paredes,…
US and China Spar over the Philippines Fr. Shay Cullen 27 June 2019 The fishermen of Masinloc and Sta. Cruz, Zambales had fished the Scarborough Shoal for generations. In the past several years, the Filipino fishing boats have been harassed and prevented from fishing near the fish-rich shoal by the incursion of Chinese fishing and…
Green groups denounce DENR plan to mine and dredge rivers as economic stimulus: Mining will not stimulate economic recovery QUEZON CITY – Alyansa Tigil Mina denounced the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) plan to push for more mining and river dredging to jumpstart economic recovery due to COVID19. ATM said that the minuscule…
Physical reporting of teachers, unnecessary, impractical After we have released the appeal to the Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones to extend the work from a home arrangement for teachers yesterday, some of the schools that initially required their teachers to report physically on Monday canceled the order. Many of those field officials said…
When the Light Shines Again Fr. Shay Cullen 19 June 2020 It was a happy day for Joshua. He graduated from the Preda vocational training program and proudly held a student’s driver’s license and his graduation certificate while the camera clicked to record the moment and everyone there applauded. It was his day when the…
Contractual, part-time professors slam alleged University discrimination Amidst the crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, some instructors from one of the country’s leading state universities cried foul over the alleged neglect, injustice and discrimination. The management of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), the country’s largest university system is criticized by its own…
Mga guro ikinatuwa ang pahayag ng deped na walang saysay ang mga ‘waiver’ at hindi sapilitan ang physical reporting Ikinatuwa ng mga guro ang naging pahayag ng Department of Education (DepEd) ukol sa isyu ng mga ‘waiver’ na sa naunang ulat ng TDC ay pinapipirmahan sa mga gurong pinapapasok sa mga paaralan. “Minsan pa ay…
UATC ONLINE LECTURE SERIES: Torture and ill-treatment in time of COVID19 pandemic An online discussion on the impact of the government protective measures against COVID19 to civil liberties and fundamental rights under community quarantine organized by the United Against Torture Coalition held on June 17. Submit your contribution online through HRonlinePH@gmail.com Include your full name,…
Defend Our Rights and Freedoms! Hold the Line! It was a sad day last June 15, 2020, as we witnessed a legal setback that focused on the perils of being practitioners, believers, and defenders of a free press. A court found Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos, Jr. guilty of cyber-libel. Pending an appeal, they remain…
Alyansa Tigil Mina skeptical of mining company’s human rights policy Oceana Gold must dutifully act and not simply pay lip service about human rights. Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) is skeptical about OceanaGold’s commitment and sincerity to meaningfully respect human right in its mining operations. Our experience with their Philippine company OGPI (Oceana Gold Philippines, Inc.)…
KAISA KA stands up for Freedom of Expression and of the Press and the Rule of Law and Justice as significant pillars of Freedom and Democracy. KAISA KA stands up for Ressa, a woman, a journalist, a staunch critic of DU30 administration. KAISA KA condemns the conviction of Ressa for alleged commission of cyberlaw when…
#HoldTheLine Online discussion about the implications on press freedom, freedom of expression, and human rights of the verdict against Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos Jr. Submit your contribution online through HRonlinePH@gmail.com 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…
A punishment for those who dare to tell the truth – LILAK Statement on Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos’ Cyber Libel Conviction LILAK (Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights) condemns the conviction of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and former Rappler researcher and writer Reynaldo Santos for cyber libel. The case made against Ressa and Santos…
FMA denounces guilty verdict on Rappler’s Maria Ressa and Rey Santos Jr. Today, 15 June 2020, the Manila Regional Trial Court handed down a guilty verdict on the cyber libel case against online media organization Rappler’s CEO Maria Ressa and former reporter Reynaldo Santos, Jr. The verdict is a result of a case that is…
Philippines: Rappler Verdict a Blow to Media Freedom Manila Court Convicts Duterte Critic Maria Ressa for Libel (Manila, June 15, 2020) – The conviction of a prominent journalist for criminal libel is a devastating blow to media freedom in the Philippines, Human Rights Watch said today. On June 15, 2020, a Manila court issued a…
Sad day for Press Freedom — Nagkaisa Nagkaisa Labor Coalition is enraged and gravely concerned with the conviction of administration critic Maria Ressa and his former news staff Reynaldo Santos for Cyber libel. The article subject of the charges not only involved a private individual allegedly defamed but matters of public concerns. Matters involving one…
Mga guro nakiisa na sa panawagang payagan na ang pag-angkas sa motor Nakiisa na rin ang mga guro sa panawagang pahintulutan na ang pag-aangkas sa motor bilang alternatibong transportasyon sa panahon ng ‘new normal.’ Ayon kay JR Dona, Secretary-General ng ATING GURO Partylist, nagdudulot umano ng diskriminasyon ang pagbabawal sa pag-angkas sa motor lalo na…
Stable internet connection: crucial in education new normal Building the needed internet infrastructure is crucial for education in the new normal to succeed. DepEd is missing this point. The sorry state of our internet connection is the number one hindrance in ensuring access and equity in education today. Gadgets and laptops, ICT tools, and webinars…
