Philippines: Martial Law Threatens Escalation of Abuses Duterte Places Mindanao Under Military Rule, Suspends Habeas Corpus (New York, May 26, 2017) – The Philippine government’s declaration of martial law in the southern island of Mindanao threatens to widen the scope of abuses under President Rodrigo Duterte, Human Rights Watch said today. On May 23, 2017,…
A Comprehensive Audit, Not Selective Rejection of Aid MANILA, Philippines—A comprehensive audit of public debt and related policies is what the Filipinos need, not an impulsive and selective rejection of development aid from a critic of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, debt watchdog Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) said in a press release on…
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS TO GOVERNMENT: COMPLY WITH UPR RECOMMENDATIONS Quezon City- Human rights advocates today held a press conference to report on the events at the recently concluded UN Universal Periodic Review in Geneva. The UPR’s report on the Philippines has been received by the government, which has until September to respond formally to the…
Broadcasting Misogyny and Abuse in Congress: A Mockery of (In) Justice KAISA KA Reacts to Hearings Probing De Lima Links to Drug Trade As an organization of grassroots women who are believe that women must be empowered fully in order to harness our full potential towards nation-building, Pagkakaisa ng Kababaihan para sa Kalayaan or KAISA…
UN to GPH: reinstate national minimum wage, end “endo” Workers, trade unions, labor rights groups found an international ally in UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) when it called for reinstatement of a national minimum wage, an end to endo system in its report following a review of Philippines’ economic and social…
Painted Women Performed Warrior Dance against Violence To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, women with painted faces and bodies performed a warrior dance at noon today in Quezon City. Filling the streets around the World Scout Jamboree roundabout in Timog, the women denounced the violenceof the current administration, and…
Youth demand DOLE to disclose results of their investigation of SM More than a month after a mandatory conference was held between the management of SM Supermalls and the labor department to investigate allegations of labor-only contracting, a youth group demanded from the agency to disclose its findings on the extent of contractual employment being…
Kaliwa Dam: An Earthquake Hazard The intensity 5 earthquake that shook General Nakar last November 10, 2016 should convince MWSS and NEDA to totally scrap the Kaliwa dam in General Nakar and search for creative alternatives open even to the latest pro-environment and renewable energy technologies. In no way should they endanger peoples’ lives especially…
Rage! Marcos is no hero! “Where were they when the many years of oppression and atrocities were happening? Were they sitting on the lap of the dictator?” This was the reaction of Sr.Emelina Villegas, ICM, President of Board of Trustees of the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights when the Supreme Court on November…
Where is our PBB? Teachers ask DEPED The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) asked the Department of Education (DepEd) to release the performance based bonus (PBB) that should have been given this month based on the DepEd timeline. This PBB has always been an object of criticism in the system because of the usual delays in…
Dakila Launches The Digital Museum of Martial Law in the Philippines http://www.MartialLaw.ph On September 21, 2016, 44 years after the signing of Proclamation No. 1081 that put the Philippines under Martial Law, Dakila, a group of artists working on human rights, launched the Digital Museum of Martial Law in the Philippines. The Digital Museum of…
Don’t make the war on drugs a war on human rights, new HR group told President Duterte August 12, 2016 – Newly formed human rights coalition, In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement (iDefend|) calls on President Rodrigo Roa Duterte not to make his government’s war on drugs a war on human rights. In…
A Rights Agenda for President Duterte Extrajudicial Killings, Accountability, and Health Care Are Key Issues (New York, August 10, 2016) – The Philippines’ new president, Rodrigo Duterte, should focus efforts on tackling the country’s persistent human rights problems, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the president. Human Rights Watch makes specific recommendations…
Civil society launches #FreeThe5KH campaign in support of the imprisoned ADHOC staff and NEC official We, the undersigned civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations, launch today – 8 August 2016 – the #FreeThe5KH campaign in support of the five human rights defenders, who are currently in pre-trial detention and under judicial investigation for allegations of…
The Role of Civil Society and ASEAN Bodies in Achieving a People-centered ASEAN Dili, Timor-Leste – 05-08-2016- The final day of the ACSC/APF 2016 examined the progress and efficacy of ASEAN and its mechanisms in achieving a people-centered community. H.E. Mr. Xanana Gusmao, Minister of Strategic Investment in Timor-Leste, engaging participants in an open dialogue,…
Respect for human rights in war vs drugs urged too: Workers call for war vs endo, poverty On the occasion of the opening of the new Congress and the SONA speech of President Rodrigo Duterte, the workers group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on the government to wage a vigorous war against contractualization and poverty. At…
Youth group fires back after QC Vice Mayor defend curfew ordinance AN ANTI-CURFEW youth organization criticized Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte after she claimed in a live interview that the curfew ordinance in Quezon City has been “very successful” in reducing the crime rate. Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) spokesperson, Joanne Lim responded by…
Stop the bloodshed, human rights defenders tell Duterte July 14, 2016 – The Citizen’s Council for Human Rights (CCHR) today asked President Rodrigo Duterte to initiate measures that will halt the surge of extrajudicial killings of suspected criminals and drug offenders. The group also called for the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for human…
Briones asked: implement Magna Carta for teachers Teachers and civil society groups vowed to engage DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones and the Duterte administration on their five-decade advocacy for the implementation of Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (RA 4670), a vintage law enacted in June 1966. “This Magna Carta is considered a bible of Filipino…
TFDP to President Duterte: Marcos’ hero’s burial an insult to Fr. Rudy Romano, enforced disappearance victim during Martial Law One of the thousand reasons why Ferdinand Marcos should not be given a hero’s burial is the disappearance of Fr. Rudy Romano thirty-one years ago, according to the human rights group Task Force Detainees of…
