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…
TRUE COLORS COALITION – PILIPINAS We forge on! Ngayong taon, kasabay ng ika-50 taong paggunita sa Stonewall Riot na naganap sa New York, nagpapatuloy ang buong komunidad ng LGBT sa paglaban sa diskriminasyon at karahasang ginagawa sa ating buong komunidad. Bago pa man ang mismong Stonewall Riot, pinatunayan na ng mga LGBT ang ating di-matatawarang…
The 1987 Constitution guarantees that no Filipino shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. As long as a citizen abides by the law, he or she should not be in trouble. But what if you’re apprehended by authorities for some reason – or in times of emergency, like the…
For those of you who do not remember or not familiar with Archimedes Trajano, it’s about time you should get acquainted with his story. And when we talk about Archimedes Trajano, Imee Marcos’ name is not far behind. Imee is the daughter of the late Ferdinand Marcos, the president who declared the Martial Law of…
There are many what if’s – most of them dreadful – surrounding the Sunday (June 9) arrest of veteran Mindanao journalist and development worker Fidelina Margarita “Gingging” Avellanosa-Valle. A brief rundown of the case: Shortly past 11 a.m, journalists got an alert posted from Valle’s son, Rius, the Mindanao spokesperson of the Save Our Schools…
GENEVA (7 June 2019) – UN human rights experts* today called on the United Nations to establish an independent investigation into human rights violations in the Philippines, citing a sharp deterioration in the situation of human rights across the country, including sustained attacks on people and institutions defending human rights. “Given the scale and seriousness…
Mahigpit na kinondena ng Karapatan ang desisyon ng Korte Suprema na alisin ang Filipino at Panitikan bilang mga pangunahing asignatura sa kolehiyo. Nakikiisa ang Karapatan sa lahat ng grupong patuloy na naninindigan para igiit ang ating pambansang pagkakakilanlan dahil ito ay mahalang gulugod ng karapatang pantao ng mamamayan. “Sa hakbang ng Korte Suprema, inaatake ang…
On May 17, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to pass marriage equality into law. A few days later, Congress released an online poll on its website asking citizens whether they are in favor of legalizing “same-sex unions as civil partnerships” in the Philippines. Suddenly, social media was abuzz with varying opinions on the…
Amnesty International Philippines, on the occasion of its 58th global anniversary, opened the nominations for Season Two of Ignite Awards for Human Rights. First of its kind, it is Amnesty Philippines’ highest honor given to human rights defenders in the country. “Despite the socio-political turmoil we are experiencing right now, we at Amnesty strongly believe…
Pope Francis encouraged Bishop Pablo David of Kalookan to face the challenges in his diocese with “courage”. The pope met with the first of the three groups of bishops from the Philippines May 20 during the “ad limina” that prelates are required to make to the Vatican. Seated around the pope, David and other bishops…
