Anti-Terror Bill to Worsen Plight of Workers, Labor Rights Group Says The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights joins the various organizations and individuals in strongly opposing the Anti-Terrorism Bill (ATB) of 2020 and the efforts of the Duterte government and his cohorts in Congress to railroad this anti-democratic bill amid the COVID-19 pandemic…
Geneva and Manila, 02 June 2020 – The members of the Women and Torture Working Group, a joint regional initiative of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the Philippines Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), express concern over the disproportionate impact Covid-19 is having on women. The social, political, and economic sectors, in which women…
AMRSP on the Anti Terrorism bill and the re-opening of churches “We wait for peace to no avail; for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.” (Jer. 8:15) We, the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines, are deeply concerned by troubling developments in our midst even as the pandemic continues to wreak…
FROM LOCKDOWN TO CRACKDOWN: Focus on the Global South Statement on the Anti-Terror Bill in the Philippines Focus on the Global South joins other progressive groups and movements in strongly opposing the imminent passage of a new anti-terrorism bill in the Philippines. That the proposed law was railroaded in both Houses of Congress—with Duterte himself…
Care for Each Other, Resist Together: #JunkTerrorBillNow We, the Filipino Youth, express our dismay and disapproval over the swift passage of the Terror Bill in the legislature on the night of June 3. The Terror Bill betrays our Freedom to Speak and the Right to be Heard. It is an insult to the historical struggle…
Free the Piston 6, allow jeepney drivers to resume their livelihood While public discussion on Anti-Terrorism Bill is raging, six (6) jeepney drivers and members of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON) were arrested and detained on June 2 at Caloocan City Jail when 30 of them, wearing face masks and observing…
[Joint Statement] We Reject the Terror Bill Why do our government officials always think law and order, peace and security can be realized only at the expense of our rights? We, journalists, media organizations, civil society groups, academics, and other concerned individuals unequivocally reject the anti-terror bill that the House of Representatives railroaded through the…
Philippines: Proposed Anti-Terrorism Law will solidify abuse of State power (Bangkok, 2 June 2020) – The railroading of the Anti-Terrorism Bill in the Philippines will further erode human rights in the country, rights groups said today. The Asian Forum of Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and its member organisations Balaod Mindanaw, Dakila, Karapatan, LILAK (Purple…
TDC reaction on teachers’ June 1 tasks and opening of SY 2020-2021 Like what we have said in the past, as long as the safety of school personnel and learners is ensured, our teachers will gladly comply. They are patiently doing different tasks- virtual and physical even during the Community Quarantine period and they are…
Joint statement Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) and Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) on the International Week of the Disappeared, 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic cannot obliterate enforced disappearance. On the contrary, it may even exacerbate the perpetration of this global scourge. As we kick off the International Week of the Disappeared (IWD)…
On the August 24 ‘new normal’ school opening: address the gaps and fulfill basic requisites first DEPED is poised on opening this school year on August 24 amidst confusion and disarray on the ground. Parents are opting not to send their children to school pending vaccine and assurance of safety against the contagion. Teachers and…
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE URBAN POOR: A CALL TO ACTION An Open Letter to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Its Member Agencies The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a myriad of crises among the urban poor in the Philippines. With rising COVID-19 cases in major urban…
HRW reaction to the violation of quarantine rules by Metro Manila police chief: Metro Manila’s police chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas should be disciplined for his flagrant violation of the Philippines’ strict quarantine and lockdown regulations. His superiors should not allow Sinas to play this double standard game, where he celebrates his birthday with friends…
TDC Reaction on Senate Education Committee Inquiry on COVID-19 Impact “The inquiry proposed by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian is an appropriate step. We need to know the impact of COVID-19 to education sector so we could properly analyze and take the necessary response. In formulating policies to cope with the ‘new normal’ we have to consider…
NTC order vs. ABS CBN endangers welfare of public battling COVID19 crisis- iDEFEND In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement (iDEFEND) expresses alarm at the cease and desist order by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) against ABS-CBN despite the media organization’s application for the renewal of its franchise, which has been filed months earlier…
Fight COVID-19 and the Virus of Abuse Defend the People’s Right to Know Statement of the Right to Know, Right Now! Coalition 06 May 2020 Press freedom and freedom of information are bedrock freedoms — paramount enablers of our people’s rights to health, livelihood, education, and life itself. The shutdown of ABS-CBN is clear evidence…
NAGKAISA appreciates the DOLE’s efforts to provide aid to more than a million workers. We, however, note that DOLE still failed to reach its target of 1.6 million workers. Sadly, this target is way too low compared to at least 25 million workers affected by the pandemic, as estimated by the Ateneo Center for Economic…
Statement on ABS-CBN shutdown NASSA/CARITAS PH May 6, 2020 On May 5, 2020, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has issued a cease-and-desist order against broadcast media giant, ABS-CBN, due to the expiration of its congressional franchise citing Republic Act 3846 or the Radio Control Law. Since 2016, ABS-CBN worked for a franchise renewal, and bills…
Statement of the EcoWaste Coalition on the Shut Down of ABS-CBN 6 May 2020 The EcoWaste Coalition, a non-profit environmental health organization, condemns the action by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) ordering the media outfit ABS-CBN to cease broadcast while the entire nation is engrossed on addressing the myriad of health and socio-economic problems brought…
Statement of ABS-CBN on the cease and desist order issued by the NTC Millions of Filipinos will lose their source of news and entertainment when ABS-CBN is ordered to go off-air on TV and radio tonight (5 May 2020) when people need crucial and timely information as the nation deals with the COVID-19 pandemic. This…
