Isang araw ay umulan nang hindi gaanong kalakasan. Iyong eksakto lang. Kumbaga’y hindi nakakairita sa pandinig ng tao. Ni hindi ito nakakabagabag. Para itong salidummay na humehele sa mga gutom sa layang malay at katawan ng mga aripuen. Mga aripuennahindi singlaya ng mga pipit, panal, sitsitok, at martines na lumipad at dumagit sa dibdib ng alangaang. Mga aripuenna hindi singlaya ng tubig na ipadama ang kanyang bagsik at lumanay sa pamamagitan ng pagdaloy at pagsalpok sa mga matatalim at dambuhalang bato sa kandungan ng Ilog Magat.
Tama. Hindi nga isang malayang nilalang ang mga aripuen. Mula sa pagputok ng mga silahis sa likod ng Sierra Madre hanggang sa paglubog nito sa likod ng Caraballo ay bihag sila. Paano ba naman kasi’y naturingan silang mga animal.
All Souls’ Day and the Petition for Disqualification of BBM
Yesterday, All Souls’ Day, which was declared by President Rodrigo Duterte as a Special Working Public Holiday, a group of petitioners from the ranks of political detainees, human rights, and medical organizations that opposed the Marcos dictatorship filed a petition to disqualify Ferdinand Marcos Jr. from running as president in the May 2022 elections.
The Petition to Cancel or Deny Due Course the Certificate of Candidacy of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. under Section 78 concerning Section 74, Article IX of the Omnibus Election Code was filed with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), the country’s supreme poll body.
Fr. Christian “Toots” Buenafe, O.Carm. was one of the petitioners and said that Marcos’ Certificate of Candidacy (CoC) is full of false material representations claiming he was eligible to be a candidate for the upcoming national polls when in fact he is not. They claim that BBM is a convicted criminal, ergo, cannot be a candidate. For the record, Marcos was convicted by the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City in a July 27, 1995 Decision for his multiple failures to file income tax returns. Apparently, BBM did not pay his taxes for 4 years so it could be classified as tinted with moral turpitude.
In Defense of Madness and Mayhem: A Review of Reconstructing Dutertismo
This paper is a brief review of Mark Pablo’s article published by ADRiNSTITUTE for Strategic and International Studies in 2017 in a period wherein we could say that ‘Dutertismo’ was at the peak of its power.
The question or the research problem of the author is not to ask what Dutertismo means, as if we already know what this thing or tendency is, but to offer a rereading or a reconstruction of this phenomenon.
As per the author, his research objectives are as follows: 1) Map the political, economic, and social terrain, contextualizing Duterte’s rise to power; 2) Critique the charge that ‘Dutertismo’ is purely a theatrical phenomenon, and 3) Suggest a reinterpretation of ‘Dutertismo’ as a movement aimed at altering the post-Edsa configurations of power and at laying a blueprint for a new order and narrative for the future Philippine states.
Pablo began his exposition by highlighting Professor Quimpo’s analysis of the class division in the Philippines and intertwined it with Professor McCoy’s contention that Philippine post-Edsa politics is nothing more than the collision between the state and politico-economic dynasties.
A Review and Commentaries on The Early Duterte Presidency in the Philippines by Professor Mark R. Thompson
This article of Professor Thompson published in 2016 by Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs aims to give a critical analysis of what the Duterte administration will be like. I could say that he is indeed a visionary and early on he clearly saw accurately how brutal and hideous the said regime would be.
Rodrigo R. Duterte has “stuck to his guns” in carrying out his campaign pledge to launch a violent anti-drug campaign. He fulfilled his promise of making the sharks at the Manila Bay fat due to the vicious, relentless, organized, simultaneous and nefarious brutal “War on Drugs” in a national scale. This is the upgraded version of the Davao model or template of mass murder.
Duterte’s electoral victory is an irony, by virtue of the fact that “six years of political stability and high growth under the relatively liberal and supposedly reformist administration of President Benigno “Noynoy” S. Aquino, III.”
sa mga health workers kami’y sadyang nakikiisa sa isyu nila, sampu ng aking mga kasama upang itaguyod ang mga kapakanan nila at kami’y sasama sa kanilang kilos-protesta
ipakita ang matagal na nilang mga hinaing na ibigay na ang benepisyo nila, gayundin ang hazard pay nila, allowance para sa pagkain tirahan, transportasyon, special risk allowance din
Sino ang mga Bayani at mga Bangag, Bulag at Talipandas ng Bayang ito?
Sa kanyang paskil sa Facebook noong Agosto 25 ay sinabi ni G. Jose ang mga sumusunod:
“In these perilous times we need heroes. Those young NPA rebels killed by this country’s Armed Forces—whatever their personal achievements, however their courage, are not Filipino heroes. They fought to destroy this Republic in their protracted war. Was Ninoy Aquino a hero? He had murky connections that provoke this question. His massive funeral—never in our history has such event occurred. Is this enough to anoint him? Our thousands of workers who left this country that cannot sustain them—how truly heroic are they? Our frontline health workers—fatigued, sometimes underpaid—many have died—how do we recognize their heroism? In my novel Po-on, the fictional Mabini declares—“the heroes are the foot soldiers, the peasants who produce our food.” Now, look at the mirror and ask yourself, “Have I toiled, suffered and sacrificed something precious for Filipinas? You may not know it, friend, but our unhappy country needs you.”
tingni ang tarpolin nila’t kaytinding panawagan na talagang ikaw mismo’y mapapaisip naman krisis daw sa pagkain, trabaho at kabuhayan ay marapat daw lutasin para sa mamamayan
ipaglaban din ang karapatan sa makatao at abot kayang pabahay, panawagang totoo pahayag nilang ito’y tumitimo sa puso ko na di sila dapat maapi sa panahong ito
Historical Distortionism is the Destruction of the Nation’s Foundation
This is a response with Lito B. Zulueta’s Aguinaldo in a fairer light. I do have some serious reservations, not only to the tenor of his questionable narration but also firmly dispute the veracity and truthfulness of the very core of his views.
Mr Zulueta stated that:
Independence Day is less than a month away, so it is auspicious that the man who declared it on June 12, 1898, often vilified for having allegedly assassinated Andres Bonifacio and “Heneral Luna,” if not independence itself, is getting a fair shake from a Philippine historian with no mean international reputation.
Comment:
He talked about Independence Day, the question there is that, had he read the whole document of the said proclamation? According to that auspicious document:
And having as witness to the rectitude of our intentions the Supreme Judge of the Universe, and under the protection of our Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, The United States of America, we do hereby proclaim and declare solemnly in the name by authority of the people of these Philippine Islands,
Nearly a decade ago, the Star Malaysia published my article on Mother’s day. As I’ve stated then:
My personal life is a bit complicated, coming as I do from two different social classes. My father is a bit well to do, by virtue of him coming from the bourgeois class, while my mother came from the proletarian class. I deem myself a mixed product of heaven and hell, so to speak! Though, I love my father, I love my mother more. Why? Because she taught me all the laws of life and the mysteries of existence from a very young age.
I believe that what she transmitted and bequeathed to me is far more superior and undeniably more substantive tan all things money can buy.
Material things come and go, but virtue, responsibility, character and wisdom can never be bought, and no one can ever take these away from you.
Juan Ponce Enrile was Rodrigo Duterte’s special guest in the latter’s regular public address on May 17, 2021 and they spent a one hour and 10-minute of scratching each other’s back, flattering each other like toddlers.
President Duterte, who vowed to eradicate corruption until the end of his term, designated as his honorable guest last Wednesday former Marcos architect Enrile who is still facing one plunder and 15 graft charges because of the reported misuse of his priority development assistance fund (PDAF). Allegedly, Enrile endorsed the phony NGO owned by Janet Lim Napoles in exchange for bribes. Enrile’s chief of staff, Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes, is still incarcerated at Camp Bagong Diwa for her alleged role in said scam. According to reports your old man Johnny and Gigi are lovers. Just this January, Reyes filed a motion for her temporary release citing that the corona virus might spread inside the prison facility. The Sandigangbayan instantly denied her bid.
makabagbag-damdamin ang tinugon ni Miss India ah, talaga namang ako’y napahanga talaga ipinaliwanag ang karapatang magprotesta at kalayaang magpahayag ay mahahalaga
The World Must Come Together to Stand with Palestinian People: In Defense of Humanity
I am writing this letter not merely as a Filipino but as a citizen of the world. I believe that the time now has come that the world must come together to stand with the Palestinian people in their perennial fight for their honor, their identity, their homes, and their right to self-determination. In a word, their right to exist.
It’s been a week now that the state of Israel is bombing Gaza indiscriminately. The bombings are sophisticated and on a massive scale without due consideration to the civilian population. They are doing it to a besieged nation without an army, navy, and air force. There is no shadow of a doubt that this criminal act is an act of ethnic cleansing, indeed, a genocide.
The world must now stand as one to condemn the state of Israel for Nakba, for their continuing brutal colonialization, to call for an end to their occupation of the land that they did not own, to end their state-sponsored and policy of aggression.
Isang mainit na pagbati. Marahil hanggang ngayon ay binabagabag ka ng iyong loob at labis na nalulumbay gawa ng insidenteng naganap nitong nakaraang pagtatayo mo ng community pantry upang isabay sa pagdiriwang ng iyong kaarawan.
Ayoko nang ulitin pa ang detalye ng nakalulungkot na nangyari, sapagkat batid na naman ito ng lahat at nakadalawang beses ka nang humingi ng patawad at ng patuloy na pang-unawa. Hindi mo alam, ngunit, labis-labis mo akong pinahanga sa iyong pagpapakumbaba at pag-ako sa responsibilidad, kahit pa nga, sa aking tingin ay wala ka namang sagutin ukol doon.
Ipinakita din ng iyong akto kung paano ka wastong pinalaki ng iyong mga magulang. Napakatatag at lalim ng konsepto mo, kapatid ng responsibilidad, tungkulin at pananagutan. Mga katangian, nakalulungkot na hindi mo makita ni madama sa mga walang silbi at walang kuwentang kinatawan daw at trapo ng ating bansa.
The Philippines’ COVID-19 Response: Securitising the Pandemic and Disciplining the Pasaway by Karl Hapal
It was the third week of April 2020, five weeks since Metro Manila and other provinces were put under “enhanced community quarantine” (ECQ). Under ECQ, school and university classes were suspended, mass gatherings were prohibited, government offices were run with a skeletal workforce, businesses were closed except for those providing essential goods and services, mass transportation was restricted, and people were ordered to observe social distancing measures and to stay at home. At that time, the Philippines had 6,456 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) confirmed cases, 426 deaths, and 612 recoveries. Quarantine rules specified that only one person was authorized to go out and buy essential goods for the rest of their family. As the designated “authorized person outside of residence” (APOR), I was given a “quarantine pass,” a document issued by the barangay. With my quarantine pass securely kept in my bag, I went out to buy food and medicine in a nearby market. Without any public transportation, I walked for nearly thirty minutes to get to the market. The street leading to the market was relatively empty. Apart from people who were, like me, walking towards the market, very few vehicles plied the road. Occasionally, an ambulance would pass by as well as illegal motorcycle taxis. As I neared the market, I saw slow-moving vehicles occupying the street. It was as if I had gone back to the “old normal.” Soon I saw police vehicles. I also saw several buses where people were being loaded. I thought the buses were there to transport frontline workers. I was later told that the buses were there to transport people apprehended for violating quarantine guidelines. My brief encounter with the government’s campaign to apprehend violators of quarantine guidelines is hardly an aberration. Elsewhere in the greater Metro Manila area, the joint forces of the police and the military cracked down on erring individuals.
Whether in times of pandemic or not, held elsewhere or right here in Occidental Mindoro, the “Run, Sara, Run” motorcade is a nasty manifestation and display of usual theatrics in pushing forward a phenomenon called political dynasty which is part and parcel of the dreaded traditional politics.
Traditional politics and political dynasty are the two deadliest pandemic in our country’s socio-political history. Traditional politics and political dynasty are cradles of weathervane politicians and butterflies, the bootlickers and their hardcore flatterers disguised as “concerned netizens”, the local politicians who hope to catch manna before 2022 from public gods upstairs and coagulate with them both in financial and organizational terms.
Pulling the Trigger: Serving Translucent Information Amidst Threats by: Kristian Rivera
Photo Credits: From PopularResistance.org.
Journalists around the world are facing new threats as they document the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 2,166,440 people globally, stated by World Health Organization (WHO). The COVID-19 pandemic is pulling the strings and cracking up the whip reality, a surprise stress test to every democratic state. Major democratic principles are under pressure, and governments’ respect for press freedom which is one of the pillars of free societies, is continuously eroding.
ABS-CBN was shut down and the loyalty of hundreds of journalists were provoked in such ways for delivering fiery information that only served the truth behind this modern- day societal issues. The right to information and privacy were dejected.
Mohammad Mossed, a reporter in Iran who criticized the government’s response to the pandemic, has been barred from practicing journalism and suspended from Social Media. Chen Quiche, a freelance journalist who was covering the outbreak in Wuhan, China, has not been seen since early February, when he told family members he was planning to report on a temporary hospital as a field reporter.
Social media platforms have assumed the role of news distribution sources. Due to this fact, the media have largely rejected the affiliated gatekeeper role of fact-checking to the content they allow on different pages and sites. This renunciation has led to the rise of fake news, disinformation and propaganda. We cannot see the entire effect of these unless we know how to comprehensively read and understand unfiltered news even in a different lens.
Moreover, this will result in echo-chamber of deception. We have the internet as our daily resource of information, and it is much easier to access data and information via google or the drastic Facebook pages that are emerging. Many leaders are manipulating and threatening the news and pressuring local media to obscure reality and divert attention.
This form of unethical information to the public consensus is satire. As the health of the entire nation comes under increasing threat, the concern for accurate and clear reporting is more essential than ever, it becomes a burden, the fact that we only want to serve as the voice and to only speak for the truth could lead to a one-shot destination that could probably end one’s misery. When disaster strikes — and the COVID-19 outbreak gripped the world right now, it certainly qualifies — domestic and local media outlets are vital to combating problems, including the spread of a disease that could decimate entire populations.
Today is about all of us and all the things closest to us: our health and safety as Filipino citizens, our children and parents, our ability to move and speak freely without the fear and dilemma. Our liberty to write and be critical without restraint.
This is what it looks like when a crisis of leadership makes its way into our health and our homes, when lack of prudence induces panic, when diligence and the assurance of refuge is in need. When a lot of people won’t either trust and listen to the government because of inequality, overpower and suppression. Under any circumstances of the government’s incompetence, I am more than willing to engage in political retribution, counter blow, and an eye to eye against the administration, even though it would be a prime mover.
As a youth, I want to uphold democracy as much as I could, as our democracy today is under aggression. As we pay tribute to the bravery and sacrifices made to build this nation, it is important that we remember the full cost of liberty.
My message for the youth is to listen to dangerous words, be calm when the unthinkable tries to shock you, be a patriot, be courageous and speak when you can. Today, ask yourself about how many freedoms we have and how many we are in danger of losing. Every day, the sphere of politicism is trying to chip away at our basic rights and civil liberties.
The Philippines should not create another battle for us to transcend. Suppression days were over. We already shed blood and tears over the primitive times. Today, none of us doesn’t want to lose our valor, so choose to evolve, to speak, and to break through for a prominent eternity, for our country, the Philippines.
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Ang mga nararapat na gawin ng gobyerno Hinggil sa Suliranin ng Pandemya at Kalusugan
Tanong:
Sapat na ba na matugunan ng pamahalaan ang pangangailangan sa vaccine para sa ”recovery” natin mula sa pandemya?
Tugon:
Hindi! Kailangang muling irehistro ang mapait, kasuklam-suklam at kasumpa-sumpang katotohanan na ang rehimeng ito ang isa sa primordial na dahilan kung bakit nakapasok ang bee-rus na ito sa atin (hindi tayo nagdeklara ng Travel Ban sa mga pasahero galing ng Tsina) at ang pagiging tuta ni Mang Kanor sa China (ang kauna-unahang namatay ditto ng corona virus ay isang Chinese na galing mismo ng Wuhan na siyang epicentre ng global na pandemya noon) ang hindi mapapasubaliang salik na lalong nagpalubha at nagpalala ng pandemya dini sa atin!
Bukod sa kawalang malasakit at pagtingin sa kapakanan ng mga mamamayan, ipinakita din ni Mang Kanor ang kawalan niyang kaalaman at sampu ng mga inkompetente, impertinente at mga tungaw na miyembro ng gabinete na pawang mga walang kasanayan at walang kaalaman sa pagharap at pagtugon sa problema!
Ang problema ay pangkalusugan, ngunit na sa halip na mga ekpersto, siyentipiko, akademiko at mga alagad ng medisina ang manguna sa IATF — ay tinadtad ito ng mga militar!
Sa halip na nakabatay sa agham at siyeniya ang programa, ang ginawa ng rehimen ay militariayon na para ba gang matatakot ang virus sa sandamakmak na mga militar at pulis na nagsilipana sa mga kalsada. Hindi pa nakuntento at naglagay pa ng mga tangke.
Nagdeklara nang Lockdown (na pinakamahaba na yata sa buong mundo) na ang idinulot ay labis-labis na hirap, pagdurusa at kagutuman ng mga tao. Bukod sa magulo, sabog ay lubhang naging mabagal ang pamamahangi ng ayuda na hanggang ngayon ay marami pa ang hindi nakakatanggap at marami din ang hindi kailanman nakakuha ni anumang tulong.
Samantalang pinalulusot ang mga big-time na lumalabag sa mga health protocols ay siya namang lupit at higpit nito sa mga karaiwang mga tao.
Kaya naman sa aking tingin kahit pa matugunan ng pamahalaang ito (na pinagdududahan ko) ang bakuna para sa mga tao ay hindi pa din iyon sapat sa lahat ng mga inhustisya at kawalanghiyaang sinapit ng mga tao sa napakasamang rehimen na ito.
Hinggil sa usapin ng bakuna, kinakailangan na ang gagamitin ay tunay na dumaan sa siyentikong pagsusuri at pag-aaral at hindi kung ano-anong bakuna lamang. Gayundin, walang karapatan ang gobyerno na ito na ipilit sa mga mamamayan ang bakuna na kanilang napupusuan o bakuna ng kanilang minamanok na imperyo kahit pa kuwestiyunable ang naging proseso at kaduda-duda ang diumano’y epikisidad o pagiging epektibo nito.
Kailangan ding idagdag na bukod sa bakuna, kailangang isaayos ng gobyerno ang usaping pang-ekonomiko at higit sa lahat ay ang usapin at karapatang-pangkalusugan ng mga mamamayan. Halimbawa, kailanman ay hindi natin dapat na kalimutan ang ninakaw na P 15Bilyong piso na pondo sa PhilHealth. Sapagkat kakailanganin natin ang nawawalang pondo na yaon sa implementasyon ng Universal Health Care Law o UHC.
Tanong:
Ano ang dapat pang mga ayusin sa sistema ng kalusugan, pamamahala, at panagutang kapalpakan ng pamahalaan sa naging CoViD response nito?
Tugon:
Habulin, singilin at pagbayarin ang mga magnanakaw at mandarambong sa PhilHealth.
Kanselahin muna ang pagtataas ng kontribusyon ng mga miyembro sa PhilHealth.
Bayaran ng gobyerno ang utang nito sa Red Cross, upang ang nasabing institusyon ay patuloy at tuloy-tuloy na magawa ang tungkulin nito na makatulong sa mga mamamayan.
Ang mga pork barrel ay dapat na ilipat para sa implementasyon ng UHC.
Itaas ang sahod ng mga medical frontliners
Dapat na gawing polisiya ng gobyerno ang pamimigay ng libreng face mask at face shield sa mga mamamayan — lalo na sa mga bulnerableng sektor ng ating lipunan at mga naghihikahos.
Kailangang magkaroon at ipaglaban ng mga Mamamayan ang Karapatan at Katarungan sa Usapin ng Kalusugan…
Panghuli, kinakailangang magkaroon ang gobyerno ng maayos na implementayon ng pamamahagi ng bakuha. Huwag nating kalimutan ang naging magulo at napakabagal nitong ginawa sa pamamahagi ng ayuda at tulong-pinansyal sa mga tao.
Gayundin, ibig kong muling idiin na walang karapatan ang gobyerno na ipilit sa mga tao ang isang bakuna na hindi naman pinagkakatiwalaan ng mga mamamayan. Kinakailangan din sa aking tingin na magkaroon ng malawak at Pambansang Konsultasyon ukol sa bagay na ito at Komprehensibong dissimenayon at edukayon para a Taong-Bayan ukol sa bagay na ito!
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On the impertinent and idiotic contention of so-called Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo with regard to the ICC Complaint
This refers to the outrageous and out of this world pronouncements of Mr. Panelo (see, “Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo on the ICC Complaint”, PTV, January 3, 2021) with regard to the initial action of the ICC who said recently through its Prosecutor that they found reasonable ground to believe that crime against humanity was committed under the satanic regime of Mang Kanor aka Mr. Fentanyl y sino-farm tongpats bee-rus.
Mr. Panelo stated that “a year ago, Atty. Jude Sabio formally withdrew his communication filed before the International Criminal Court against the President.”
Comment: The withdrawal of the communication of that freak has nothing to do whatsoever on the standing of the complaint before the ICC. For the record, that person is not the only individual who filed a complaint before that international body.
Further, the PTV report alleged that:
The said withdrawal, as we previously articulated, exposed the truth that the accusations against PRRD before the tribunal is part of the “vilification campaign” orchestrated by Trillanes in collusion with the opposition and other personalities identified by Atty. Sabio. Hence it is crystal clear that the case before the ICC is politically motivated, there being no factual and legal bases.
Comment: Trillanes, the opposition and Mr. Sabio has nothing to do with this so-called “vilification campaign”. For the record, it is the families of the victims of Extra Judicial Killings (EJK) with the help, support and assistance of various Human Rights defenders and organizations who lodged the complaint before the ICC. The fact that the Prosecutor proceeded with the initial part of the proceeding simply means that it relied its initial findings based on the strength of the evidences presented by the complainants and not on the withdrawal of that freak.
As against Mr. Panelo’ charge that the case before the ICC is politically motivated, this is not only fallacious and ridiculous but undeniably fantastic. The fact that the Office of the Prosecutor released its findings unmistakably means that it is based both on facts and the applicable relevant international laws.
Another idiotic and impertinent claim of Mr. Panelo is as follows: In the light of the recent publication of the ICC prosecutor of a Report that shows her misplaced determination to proceed with the case, the ICC should realize by now that it is being used as a platform to bring down the Duterte presidency.
Comment: How on earth could the ICC prosecutor be misplaced in her determination to proceed with the case when she published her Report for all the world to bear witness to her findings?
Will the ICC allowed itself to be used as a platform to bring down the Duterte presidency?
Assuming for the sake of the most stupid “argument” that that is “true”, what the hell will the Office of the Prosecutor will gain if and when the demonic regime of Mang Kanor aka Mr. Fentanyl y sino-farm tongpats bee-rus fall down? Next, Mr. clown, opps, I mean Mr. Panelo invoked jurisdiction. Here’s the exact text of that rubbish news report:
Last year, we called on the ICC not to be swayed by the false information it received against PRRD, and pointed out the very provisions of the Rome Statute that negate its taking jurisdiction over the case, the Philippines not being a member state thereof. Neither is there a crime that the ICC Prosecutor may ascertain that falls under the jurisdiction of the international tribunal.
Comment: Point one, on the alleged false information being received by the ICC. The whole world knows that Mr. Panelo is utterly stupid, but I doubt if there is a reasonable person in the planet who will believe that the Prosecutor of the ICC is that stupid that she will not verify first the veracity, sufficiency and truthfulness of all the information that she is being given.
Point two, it does not mean that because the Philippines is no longer a member state to the Rome Statute, immediately the ICC has lost jurisdiction.
For the benefit of Mr. Panelo and all idiots like him, the Philippines is a member of the ICC since 2011 and it was only in 2019 that they bolted out of that international convention to evade criminal responsibility. Only the most idiotic of all idiots will fail to see this. Nonetheless, what those bloody bastard freaks did is highly illegal, or at least highly questionable.
Questions: Can the President get out of that international agreement without the concurrence of the Senate? Corollary to that, can a President unsign an international convention signed for the Republic by his predecessor? I wonder why up to now the so-called fucking Supreme Court of this godforsaken land has yet to rule on the petition before it specifically on that question? What the fuck are they waiting for? Are they waiting for the Second Coming? Does it mean that because we are no longer a member today, the ICC has already lost its jurisdiction?
I do not think so!
How about those people that they mercilessly killed and murdered in cold blood by the thousands from 2016 up to 2019?
Not content with their absurdity, the outlandish news report ends by saying that:
We reiterate therefore our advice to the ICC not to waste its time entertaining a case outside of its jurisdiction that only validates the claim of former member-states that the reason for leaving the ICC was because it has become a politicised court that infringes on the sovereignties of its member-countries.
Comment: The ICC has become a politicised court that infringes on the sovereignties of its member-countries?
How about the Philippine state that infringes, traduces, violates and viciously trampled the rights of its citizens?
The significance of the ICC’s act of proceeding with the case
The initial action of the ICC has given all the victims of injustice and state abuses a sense of purpose and hope. It reminds us once again that crime does not pay and that no matter how powerful some government creatures are and no matter what legal gymnastics they may utilize, end of the day, they will be held accountable and responsible for their gross violation of human rights, disrespect to the dignity and sanctity of the human person and their crimes against humanity.
The fight and struggle for justice may be long, hard and arduous but there is hope and eventually we shall all see the light at the end of the tunnel.
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I Unwittingly Applied as a Philippine-based Troll for a US Far Right Website
On October 2, 2020, I read the online article, The billion-dollar business of social media trolling in the Philippines, and what it means for public relations globally by Alex Malouf, published on Influence on July 27, 2019. It reminded me of how I almost became part of that burgeoning industry the previous year:
Last week of April 2019, in search of a bigger monthly income, I answered a job ad on Facebook for a content writer. Soon, I visited the office of the business process outsourcing (BPO) company in Quezon City, Philippines.
That first day of application, one of the tests was to write an article based on another published in a so-called health news website: NaturalNews.com. I was appalled by the articles I read on that site. One claimed that US states under Democrat governors are being run like Venezuela. Another article questioned the validity of global warming. I sensed the extreme-right ideology in its contents right away. And upon checking when I got home, I learned this website is banned on social media sites Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
I hoped that that website was used only as an example for the writing test. Unfortunately, my hope was dashed, as I later received a call and an email from the human resources officer asking me to review further the contents of that website for the remaining tests, as—tada!—we were its prospective content writers. And, passing those tests was the penultimate stage before we get interviewed by the client representative.
With the realization, I decided to stop my job application—even though the human resources officer sounded amenable to granting me the salary I asked for during an earlier phone interview. I refuse to raise my children with money from that website of irresponsible, bigoted journalism.
The HR officer told me that a number of applicants did back out after realizing what the website was all about, and tried to persuade me to continue my application. It made me feel proud to know my compatriots are principled. Still, I’m sorry for any Filipino writer who ended up taking that job, and who may be currently writing for that website of US extreme right propaganda.
Karlo Sevilla of Quezon City, Philippines is the author of the full-length poetry collection, “Metro Manila Mammal” (Soma Publishing, 2018), and the chapbook, “You” (Origami Poems Project, 2017). Recognized among The Best of Kitaab 2018 and twice nominated for the Best of the Net, his poems appear in various publications worldwide, including Philippines Graphic, Matter, Collective Unrest, I am not a silent poet, Unlikely Stories Mark V, Social Justice Poetry, Poetry24, Radius, Razorhouse Magazine, The Wayward Sword, Tuck Magazine, Rat’s Ass Review, The Ramingo’s Porch, and others. He was also a former journalist for the Philippine Online Chronicles and was the winner of the HR Right-Up category in Human Rights Online Philippines’ 8th (2018) HR Pinduteros Choice Awards.
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#HumanRights #Environment Quinta, Rolly, Ulysses and OceanaGold by Judy A. Pasimio
Judy Pasimio. File photo source: allvoices.com
In Brgy. Didipio, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, the Tuwali women are experiencing the harsh impacts of successive typhoons that hit the island of Luzon within the span of a couple of weeks. First, there was typhoon Rolly (international name: Goni), which hit the country on October 25, 2020, which was followed a week after by Super Typhoon Quinta (international name: Molave). Several days after, came typhoon Ulysses (international name: Vamco). This has been extraordinarily harsh for the local communities, especially in the midst of a pandemic.
These typhoons came at harvest time for the Tuwali. When typhoon Rolly hit, they were already preparing for their produce to be sold in nearby towns. Selling their produce – banana, ginger and other vegetables – is their main source of income. While they were able to harvest, with Rolly, then Quinta and now, Ulysses, bringing these to the markets has become the biggest problem.
The main road to get in and out of Barangay Didipio cuts through the main tailings pond of OceanaGold Philippines, Inc. (OGPI), an Australian mining company, whose mining permit of 25 years expired last year. No rehabilitation work has yet been initiated. So when heavy rains came, as they did in October 25 with typhoon Rolly, the tailings ponds overflowed and flooded the main road. This posed danger to the Tuwali communities, not only because it was flooded, but flooded with water containing potentially toxic particles. The run-off toxic waters go to the streams, rice fields, and vegetable gardens. These toxic waters are feared to contaminate their water sources. The mere presence, in fact, of the tailings pond threatens people in the downstream village of Barangay Alimit. With the overflow and the successive typhoons, the danger is imminent for the villages, the downstream farmers, and their main source of food and livelihood.
Other paths to come in and out of. Didipio has been closed to the people, as these were enclosed in gates and fences erected by OGPI. One of the many commitments of OGPI, still unfulfilled after 25 years, is the construction of a bridge across the Surong River, as an alternative way for the local people. Without this bridge, the only way now for the people to get out of the village is to go through the gates of OGPI. According to Myrna Duyan, a Tuwali woman farmer, and leader of the indigenous women’s community organization Bileg Dagiti Babbae, they have to request from the personnel of OGPI to be allowed to pass through their gates, to bring their produce to the town markets. But they have to fall in line and wait for available mining staff to escort them through the grounds. This means losing time for them to sell their goods.
To date, with Typhoon Ulysses hitting their province, flooding continues, landslides have been reported, and trees have fallen, causing electricity wires to be tripped over. They still have no electricity in their village.
“Sa bawat pag-ulan, sa bawat bagyo, lalong pinalala ang impacts ng OGPI mining sa amin dito sa Didipio, at sa mga katabing barangay. Dapat talaga, tuluyan nang mapa-alis ang OceanaGold. At dapat siguraduhin ang rehabilitasyon nito para makabangon naman kami, nang ligtas at payapa,” said Myrna Duyan.
“Each rain fall, each typhoon that comes, the impacts of OGPI mining to us in Brgy. Didipio, and also the adjacent barangays, are made worse. OceanaGold must really be made to leave. But it has to be made sure that OGPI does rehabilitation, so we can recover, safely, and peacefully.”
For more than a year now, OceanaGold’s application for renewal of their permit to operate for another 25 years in Didipio is still pending with the Office of the President. Myrna, along with other Tuwali women and men, have put up a barricade to prevent the entry of mining trucks into the area. In March this year, their barricade was violently demolished by 100 policemen, who accompanied three oil tankers, as they forced their way in. Myrna, along with 13 other indigenous women, have cases filed against them, with charges of breaking quarantine protocols.
Still traumatized from the violence they experienced from the policemen, Myrna now worries about their livelihood, their food source, and the safety of their village. At least three more typhoons are expected to come to the country. And OceanaGold, even without permit, seems to be not moving out anytime soon.
Myrna, and the rest of BILEG, however, are not going anywhere as well. They remain in the frontline of their struggle against OceanaGold which continues to wreak havoc in their lives, worse than any super typhoons that came their way.
Judy A. Pasimio is the coordinator of LILAK (Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights) jpap / judy104@lilak.net
Attached photos, with permission to be used, with credits
Myrna Duyan – taken by Shar Balagtas
3 Photos of flood and flowing water taken by Myrna Duyan / taken at 11:00 am , 11.12.2020/ people are from brgy. Didipio, members of the Didipio Earth Savers Movement Association (DESAMA)
Judy A. Pasimio Coordinator LILAK (Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights) signal / whats app +639175268341
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