Workers ask gov’t to reopen factory to make facemasks Workers of a garments firm that has been shuttered for the past four months are asking the government to reopen the factory to produce facemasks. Sejung Apparel Inc., a Korean-owned firm in the First Cavite Industrial Estate (FCIE) in Dasmarinas, was shutdown in December last year.…
Workers of garments factory Sejung Apparel Inc. have been on picket-protest since December. In recognition of the need to maintain social distancing, the number of people at the picket line was reduced by the union. From March 27 until today, all attempts to bring food and water to Jackie Elorde and Amer Taluba, the two…
It has been 24 days since President Duterte put the entire Luzon under enhanced community quarantine, part of the government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. COVID-19 was declared as an “outbreak that threatens national security which requires a whole-of-government response” by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 922 (March 8, 2020). Fifty-seven million people from eight regions,…
Philippines Uses Humiliation as COVID Curfew Punishment LGBT People Ordered to Dance and Kiss on Video By Ryan Thoreson Researcher, LGBT Human Rights Watch The spread of COVID-19 has given Philippines law enforcement broad discretion to enforce public health measures. When discrimination is added to the mix, that unfettered power can be particularly demeaning and…
“Rambulan” -Engineered Bayanihan Words by Joshua M. Romero and Nikka V. Salandanan Rumbles we see on TV always end with one bringing the belt home, but the rumble engineers are in today will sure end with everyone winning, proving that while the white flag remains unraised, there is hope. Community quarantine due to the COVID-19…
𝙷𝚞𝚠𝚊𝚐 𝚐𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚐𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚢𝚊 𝚜𝚊 𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚖 𝚗𝚐 𝚔𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚢𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊 𝚕𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚔𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚜𝚢𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚝 𝚔𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚊 𝚖𝚐𝚊 𝙻𝙶𝙱𝚃 𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚊𝚗! Kinukundena ng True Colors Coalition (TCC) ang karahasan na ito ng isang barangay kapitan sa mga LGBT at sa mga kabataang nahuli sa curfew. Bilang opisyal, alam niya dapat kung hanggang…
Philippine Authorities Go After Media, Online Critics Misuse of COVID-19 Law as Dozens Face Probes, Backlash By Carlos H. Conde Researcher, Asia Division Human Rights Watch @condeHRW The Philippine government is cracking down on journalists and social media users critical of the government’s COVID-19 response, threatening media freedom and the rights to free expression and…
𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗧: Joshua Molo, editor-in-chief of UE Dawn, the official student publication of the University of the East, was forced to apologize in public over a Facebook post criticizing the Duterte administration’s negligence amid the coronavirus pandemic. This happened after Molo argued with his former high school teachers, who were offended by Molo’s online post. At…
We strongly condemn the harassment of Joshua Molo, the Editor-in-Chief of the University of the East’s official publication UE Dawn, for publishing his opinion about the current administration’s response in the #COVID19 pandemic. Earlier today, Molo was threatened by barangay officials with the filing of a libel case against him if he will not issue…
Young People Locked in Dog Cages, Coffins, Stripped Naked By Margaret Wurth and Carlos H. Conde Philippine authorities have subjected children to absurdly abusive treatment for violating curfew and quarantine rules imposed to limit exposure to COVID-19. Police and local officials in several parts of the country have mistreated people detained for violating COVID-19 regulations,…
The shockwaves caused by the pandemic on our economy and political life indicates that we will come out as COVID-19 refugees and with each of us nursing an aftershock. The media failed to offer a focused reportage on the elements of shock that hit the government and the people. Hence, it tends to appear that…
As COVID-19 sweeps across the globe, we face an unprecedented crisis that is having an impact on us all in varied but profound ways. My hope, and that of everyone here at the Fund for Global Human Rights, is that you, your loved ones, the activists we support, and the communities they serve remain safe…
VIENNA / COPENHAGEN / WARSAW, 2 April 2020 – Noting a troubling rise in domestic violence in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and self-isolation guidelines in many countries, OSCE leaders called today for measures to be taken by governments to protect women and children. They said that unfortunately, for them home is not always…
Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima slams health authorities for delaying the implementation of national testing for COVID-19 even after admitting that they are in possession of thousands of test kits, both purchased and received from foreign donors. De Lima also joins the calls of several groups and personalities who are petitioning the government to…
I was COVID-19 Patient No. 4 “The only way to battle this is through faith and belief that you will be better.” Ito ang mensahe ni Atty. Carlo Navarro, isang COVID-19 survivor. Siya si Patient number 4, ang kauna-unahang Pilipino na nagkaroon ng COVID-19 sa Pilipinas. Ngayong patuloy ang kanyang paggaling, ibinahagi niya ang kanyang…
In response to the call for prayers today, 29 March 2020, by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for the country’s medical frontliners against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the women and men of the EcoWaste Coalition earnestly offer the following prayers: 1. For the doctors, nurses, clinical laboratory technicians, administrative personnel, ancillary…
COVID-19 Response Should Respect Detainee Rights (Manila, March 26, 2020) – Philippine authorities should respect the basic rights of people detained for violating the government’s COVID-19 regulations, Human Rights Watch said today. Police and local officials have confined those arrested to dog cages and forced them to sit in the midday sun as punishment, among…
The following is a synthesis of recommendations issued by a variety of international organizations on the prevention and control of COVID-19 in prisons. The purpose of this document is to streamline the copious amount of information generated daily on this subject in order to assist DIGNITY partners to make sense of it all and take…
“We are fine here in spite of the limited movements of goods due to the lockdown being implemented by the government because our own farm provides us with the commodities we need.” These words of assurance from Teodulo Badillo and his wife Delia, our farmer leaders in Molave, Zamboanga Del Sur who called me up…
As COVID-19 focuses the world’s attention on infectious diseases, we have our eyes on one of the most dangerous places for the spread of such outbreaks: prisons, where densely packed people and (often) limited access to health care make for a risky situation. Overcrowding, poor ventilation, and infrastructures, deficient health, hygiene, and sanitation conditions favour…
