The Philippine office of the papal charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) decried as “persecution” the criminal charges filed against some bishops and priests. ACN, a group that supports churches in difficult situations, came to the rescue of the clergymen who are accused of sedition and other crimes. “Such charges against them constitute…
MANILA – Cedric Tuazon is just 12 years old, but while his classmates are spending their weekends sleeping in or watching K-Pop, he’s thinking of ways to help address environmental problems. “I also have a lot of interests. I’m interested in different art forms like drawing… I am also interested in K-Pop,” Tuazon said. “But…
Quezon City. Reducing the massive 9.2 million kilos of waste produced on a daily basis by Metro Manila’s 17 local government units (LGUs) is a daunting task but not totally impossible. Environmental health groups espousing the Zero Waste approach to resource management emphasized this point as national government agencies pressed the public to dispose of…
Eleven-year-old Jerry’s crime was breaking curfew laws after fleeing violence at home. His punishment? Being sent to a youth detention centre, where he says he endured sexual abuse. Officially called “Houses of Hope”, proponents in the Philippines say such facilities are places for reformation and education, but critics slam many of them as “hellholes” where…
Tatlong taong nagdaan, sanlaksang kasalanan ng gobyernong Duterte sa taumbayan. Inilunsad ang giyera kontra droga noong Hulyo 2016 bilang pangunahing programa ng gobyernong Duterte, alinsunod sa pangako niyang sugpuin ang illegal na kalakalan sa droga. Ang madugong kampanya ang pumaslang sa higit 27,000 Pilipino kabilang na ang higit 100 kabataan at mga sanggol, na tinagurian…
By Carlos H. Conde Philippines researcher Human Rights Watch Three people – an activist church worker, a provincial politician, and a businessman – were killed in separate attacks in the Philippines on Sunday by unidentified gunmen riding motorcycles. The media reported that on July 7, gunmen shot dead Salvador Romano, 42, in Negros Oriental, a…
By Carlos H. Conde On Sunday, a 3-year-old girl became the latest casualty of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs,” which has killed thousands over the past three years. Myka Ulpina died after being shot during a police raid targeting her father, Renato Dolofrina, in Rizal province, near Manila, media reports said. Police claimed…
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso on Wednesday said he fully supports the campaign against illegal drugs by President Rodrigo Duterte but it must have respect for human rights. Moreno made the statement as he revealed that video karera machines and fruit (video) games were being used to sell and use drugs among the public.…
The UNHRC vote was the first great test of Duterte’s diplomatic investment in China, and it proved disastrous: China simply could not deliver the votes The denouement of the United Nations Human Rights Council vote instructing its High Commissioner to “prepare a comprehensive written report on the situation of human rights in the Philippines” was…
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,”…
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…
(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,…
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…
(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…
Human rights defender protection bill closer to becoming law On 3rd June 2019, in ongoing effort to protect human rights defenders (HRDs) from continued attacks and harassment, the Philippines House of Representatives unanimously approved a Human Rights Defenders bill. Although the bill only becomes law once the Senate and President approves it, the recent decision…
About one in five of the Philippines’s 106 million people lives in extreme poverty, getting by on less than $2 a day. Many, including children, work long hours as street vendors or labourers to make enough to feed themselves. Hunger occurs the most in the agriculture and fishing sectors where 70 percent of workers are…
