United by the common pain of loss and injustice, families of victims of involuntary disappearance were joined by the families of victims of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) on Holy Wednesday to intensify their call for justice, which for years has eluded them. An annual event of the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND), the Kalbaryo…
A broad national youth movement, #WeTheBrave, launched its call for a Vote for Sovereignty and Human Rights in the 2019 National Elections on April 9, 2019, during a press conference held in Quezon City. Coinciding with the National Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan), youth leaders representing around 100 youth groups nationwide vowed to show…
As school break starts, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) again call on the DepEd leadership to consider junking the results-based performance management system (RPMS) and revert to the simplified performance appraisal system for teachers (PAST) which has been in use for several decades until the introduction of RPMS in 2012. “We are supposed to be…
Youth digital activists fight fake news and disinformation Quezon City, Philippines — Forty youth leaders, advocates, and students vowed to fight fake news and disinformation in the election season as digibaks or digital tibaks. As digital warriors for human rights and democracy, youth leaders from all over Luzon trained for three days under the DIGIBAK:…
Labor Rights NGO, CTUHR Writes an Open Letter to Lola Flora (Ms. Susan Roces) About the Situation of Makers of Champion Detergent The Labor rights NGO, Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) appealed to Ms. Susan Roces, through an open letter, to support the workers of Peerless Producers Manufacturing Corporation (PEPMACO). This is…
Duterte administration weighed on environmental issues A coalition of environmental advocacy organizations launched today its “Green Scorecard” for the 2019 elections, aimed at raising awareness of the voting public on the proposed environmental policies of senatorial candidates. “Green Thumb Coalition’s Green Scorecard aims to bring forth environmental issues at the center stage of the electoral…
Indigenous Women offered song, prayer to protest Kaliwa Dam Project March 8, 2019/Quezon City – “Ang lupa ay ginawa hindi para lunurin sa tubig.” “Land has been created not to be drowned in water”. This is a line in the song sang in Dumagat, translated in Filipino, by the Indigenous Women in front of the…
Rights Group launch #SampuSigurado for polls Quezon City, Philippines—Human rights group PAHRA (Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates) launched on Thursday what it said were “ten sure wins” in the upcoming May2019 elections. The slate is carried by the campaign called “KARAPAT-DAPAT: KARAPATAN DAPAT”, which focuses on ten agendas for human rights advocacy which they…
Teachers Remind DepEd: Annual Medical Check-up for Teacher Should be Free In time for teachers’ accomplishment of the required annual medical clearance the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) again asserted that the expenses for such should be provided by the government. “We appeal to the good secretary to immediately issue an order to halt the on-going…
Rice Tariffication Law, to Impoverish More Farmers and Increase Migration and Exploitation “When a new law is passed and government promises that it will improve our lives, the people, especially the poor, get scared and angry. It is the same feeling when President Duterte signed the Rice Tariffication Law last February 15 because the same…
New weekly newspaper out in Laguna, vows ‘good journalism’ SANTA ROSA CITY, Philippines – A newspaper covering Laguna will be launched on Wednesday, January 30, in this city, promising Lagunenses “in-depth news and compelling stories.” The newsweekly, called Laguna Now, will circulate in the six cities and several towns of this bustling province just south…
Small fishers call for pro-people rehabilitation of Manila bay The Duterte administration’s rehabilitation of Manila Bay is set to begin on 27 January but a group of municipal fishers around the bay are decrying the lack of community involvement in the P47 billion clean up, and are demanding a more pro-people rehabilitation plan. “The government’s…
Teachers willing to sit in a meeting with President Duterte “Teachers have long been victims of loan sharks and the immediate and most effective solution is to augment our salaries.” Said Benjo Basas, national chairperson of the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC). Basas’ statement is in reaction to earlier pronouncement from President Duterte that he will…
PNP, DepEd must divulge objective behind profiling of teachers, Comelec probe sought A labor leader expressed grave alarm following the recent disclosure of a memorandum issued by the national directorate for intelligence of the national police for its regional counterparts to conduct a profiling on the members of the teachers’ group Alliance of Concerned Teachers.…
Artists convene to pledge support for human rights As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a milestone document in the history of human rights drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Filipino arts and culture community gathers on…
Women’s Groups Collectively Call for Justice and a Stop to Violence Two days before the world marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (VAW), over five hundred (500) women protested this morning, at Welcome Rotonda in the boundary of Quezon City and Manila. Women leaders belonging to the World March of…
On the first month of Sta. Cruz 5’s illegal arrest and detention, Labor rights NGO hits Duterte over surging cases of trump-up charges vs activists, human rights defenders Labor rights organization Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) calls for their immediate release and the junking of trumped-up charges filed against Sta Cruz 5:…
Debt watchdog warns against signing Kaliwa Dam loan The Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) warned the Duterte administration not to push through with plans to sign the bilateral loan agreement to fund the controversial Kaliwa Dam project during the coming visit of Chinese president Xi Jinping. ‘It is fairly obvious that proponents of the Kaliwa…
Philippines: Independently Probe Police ‘Hitmen’ Top Official Admits Law Enforcement Role in Killings (Manila, November 6, 2018) – The Philippine government should create an independent commission to investigate the role of police officers in the killings of drug suspects, Human Rights Watch said today. A top law enforcement official recently admitted that police officers working…
Teachers sought implementation of 52-year old Magna Carta The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said that the implementation of Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (RA 4670), a law which was enacted 52 years ago will solve many of the teachers’ present woes and would amount to more than P3, 000.00 promise of anniversary bonus for…
