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[Press Release] Labor group says Aquino’s policies deepen not combat poverty -CTUHR

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Labor group says Aquino’s policies deepen not combat poverty

“Aquino’s policies like privatization of public utilities do not fight poverty but deepen it.”

This was labor and human rights group, Center for Trade Union and Human Rights reaction to a recent statement issued by Pres. Aquino saying that in line with Pope Francis’ calls, the government is already doing its job to combat poverty through the conditional cash transfer program.

The group said that Aquino seemed to have missed if not ignored Pope Francis’ message about striking inequalities, poverty and corruption which the Pontiff consistently emphasized during his 4-day visit to the Philippines.

“His Holiness did not speak of the past, but the present government when He said that ‘we need to transform social structures that perpetuate poverty.’ Yet, instead of recognizing this, Aquino took pride in combating poverty through the CCT program that is seeing an increase in budget even if it failed to make a dent in reducing the number of poor,” Daisy Arago, CTUHR executive director said

The group then slammed the Aquino government’s privatization of public utilities and services as highlighted by the water rate hike and MRT-LRT fare hikes just as everyone was preparing for the Papal visit.

“The government gives alms to the poor through CCT but cut their means to survive independently. Aquino’s privatization policies and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program not only violate the people’s right to basic services and utilities, they dispossess them and buried them deeper into poverty. The recent fare hikes in MRT and LRT for instance, take the income of millions of working poor who depend on it for cheap transportation and millions more families will be forced to limit their water use as rate increases,” Arago explained.

LRT and MRT fares increased by 50 to 87 percent which means 400 to 900-peso addition to the monthly expenses of each worker who use the train to go to and from work. Similarly, water bills will increase monthly household expenses with the recent approval of Maynilad’s rate hike proposal.

The group said that while the working poor are made to bear these fare and rate hikes, big companies are left unscathed and are guaranteed more profits.

According to Bayan Muna, the MRT earned P2.2 billion in ticket sales and only spent P1.8 billion in operation expenses last year. LRT earned 2.5 billion but only spent 1.03 billion for operation expenses. The government is also reported to have allocated over P11 billion pesos for the maintenance, rehabilitation and subsidies of the train lines this 2015 that will mostly go to private operators.

The fare increase for MRT and LRT, according to the government, is not for railway system’s repair and rehabilitation but will go to private companies who operate the train lines as part of their guaranteed returns.

Moreover, private companies that distribute water in the Metro have seen increased profits. According to Ibon Foundation, Maynilad grew by 48 percent yearly 2007 to 2012 and Manila Water, by more than 15 percent in the same period.

“Throughout his term, Aquino has been pushing for policies that benefit only the rich by passing the burden to the poor majority. Perhaps, the challenge to fight poverty as posed by Pope Francis is not for the government to hear, but a call to the Filipino people to speak out, to reclaim our collective rights to basic services that are being taken away by big companies and a government that treat the poor not just unfairly, but a variable in the game of power and money,” Arago said.

For reference: Daisy Arago, Executive Director, Center for Trade Union and Human Rights, +63 916 248 4876 or +632 411 0256, pie.ctuhr@gmail.com

Press Release

[Statement] To be resilient is to fight back -BMP

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

To be resilient is to fight back

A year ago today, Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan forcefully reminded us that our people can take no shelter from the storm for as long as we have a government for the elites rather than a government for our people; that we are at the mercy of the forces of nature for as long as our society remains organized to pursue profits rather than to care for each other.

We watched in horror as the Aquino government took its sweet time to attend to those who were left dying, cold, and starving in the aftermath of the super-typhoon.

We saw with our own disbelieving eyes how the state effectively abandoned our people to fend for themselves; how our officials utterly failed to mobilize the resources that we had empowered them to mobilize for these kinds of situations; how they refused to order privately-owned ships, buses, and other businesses to provide immediate relief to the desperate; how they would rather let people die of hunger than violate sacrosanct property rights.

Since then, the nightmare has refused to end: Over the past year, we saw how the government effectively prioritized the interests of large corporations, who have effectively been given free rein over the reconstruction process, over the needs of calamity victims. We saw how, instead of taking charge of providing direct services to our people, the government has instead chosen to turn relief and reconstruction into a profit-making or a tongpats-making opportunity, thereby allowing businesses and politicians to make money out of this terrible tragedy.

More horrifying than the super-typhoon itself has been the response of our own government to the super-typhoon; our people suffered not just from the disaster but from our disastrous government.
This criminal neglect, this apparent lack of compassion, could not just be attributed to some congenital ineptitude, to an innate cold-heartedness, or to some other personality trait of those who run our government. It reflects, rather, the class basis of our society: For under an inherently exploitative system such as ours — a system that forces people to prioritize profits over human welfare and needs, the bourgeois and other dominant classes who run our government could only see our people primarily as slaves who run the factories or who plow the fields, and who therefore keep the profits and the taxes coming — rather than as fellow human beings.

That we be better prepared, that we streamline the relief distribution processes and systems, that we increase the budget for disasters, and most, importantly, that we hold accountable and punish all those who were remiss in their duties, including President Aquino: all these would go a long way in lessening people’s suffering and building people’s resilience in the face of continuing disasters.

But only by overturning existing class relations, only by reorganizing our society so that we put people’s welfare over profits, only by establishing a government of, by, and for the people rather than a government of, by, and for elites — in short, only by fighting back and struggling against our ruling classes can we count on our government and on each other in the face of the most terrifying of storms.

This is not a pipe dream. The massive, spontaneous, and inspiring outpouring of solidarity that people from all walks of life extended to the victims of Haiyan and of our government after the typhoon proves one thing: that despite the inhumane conditions that many are forced to live in under capitalism, many of us are still capable of human compassion, and it is this compassion that fuels our resilience and drives our struggle for a better world.

PRESS STATEMENT
November 8, 2014
Bukuran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP)
for details, contact:
BMP president Leody de Guzman 09205200672

Visit BMP @www.workerspartyphilippines.com

Statement

[From the web] Faces of labor repression in Aquino’s four years -ctuhr.org

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Faces of labor repression in Aquino’s four years

In stark contrast to government claims that there are no problems with workers’ rights, trade union repression and rights violations against workers and unionists, alongside deepening poverty of working population, characterize the labor scene under BS Aquino’s four years in office.

Blatant union suppression prevails under the Aquino government. From June 2010 to June 2014, the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights documented at least 36 cases of union busting covering nearly 10,000 workers. When only 230,000 workers of less than 2 million unionized workforce are covered by collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), violations and non-implementation of these agreements are still happening with at least 40 cases documented in the same period.

Killings of trade unionists and urban poor leaders have not stopped with 17 cases and 18 victims of extrajudicial killings. Over 200 individuals were charged with false criminal charges due to political acts (or beliefs) or labor disputes. And another 25 cases of threat, harassment, intimidation against workers and unionists were documented from June 2010 to December 2013.

Read this article in CTUHR website.

Last May 03, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz denied the findings of the International Trade UnionConfederation (ITUC) 2014 Global Rights Index Report which cited the Philippines as among the worst countries in the world of work for workers. Trade union centers like Kilusang Mayo Uno however affirmed ITUC’s findings said that the attacks made by the government, especially that of Aquino’s, on workers’ rights to form unions, collectively bargain and hold strikes have indeed made the Philippines one of the worst countries for workers.

CTUHR Executive Director Daisy Arago also refuted DOLE’s statement saying it is “a big lie” “Maybe she is referring to another country. Or perhaps she considers the public including the world’s biggest trade union center unthinking when she said that the [ITUC] report does not necessarily concern workers rights.” Arago added.

Blatantly violating lawful rights of workers

Accounts of union suppression disprove Baldoz’s assertion that there is “industry advocacy for workers rights.” On the contrary, capitalists were as ever bold in transgressing lawful rights of workers.

[Press Release] Aquino’s industrial peace entrenches injustice to labor—CTUHR

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Aquino’s industrial peace entrenches injustice to labor—CTUHR

Center for Trade Union and Human Rights said that contrary to the Aquino government’s industrial peace policy have only entrenched injustice to workers and hostility to unions and actions because of the government’s preference to maintain a good business climate rather than uphold workers rights and interests.

Citing A Special Report on industrial peace and tripartite mechanisms to be released June this year, the group said that the Aquino government’s promotion, legalization, and institutionalization of compulsory arbitration and mediation mechanisms has advanced a myopic, even convoluted, concept of labor justice where “settlement” of labor-management conflict has resulted in workers having to settle with what is offered to them by the management sometimes even by the Department of Labor and Employment rather than hurdle a protracted legal battle or resort to strikes and protest.

In the last three years, strikes and lockout notices have dramatically declined from 240 in 2011 to 149 in 2013. Of these cases, an average of 78.7 percent is settled each year which the government views as an achievement in facilitating labor justice towards promoting industrial peace but whether this reflects a betterment of workers condition in the workplace is questionable at the very least, according to the group. “Rather, it may only prove that the government effectively uses its new mechanisms to tame workers’ collective action,” Arman Hernando, CTUHR coordinator for documentation said.

The group reported that in their documentation, settlements in cases of illegal dismissal due to sudden closures or union-management conflict is often reduced to money and economic settlement wherein workers are offered money or livelihood programs to keep them from holding strikes in pursuit of their right to tenure.

“The government presents these settlements, this legalized modus to keep workers from striking or protesting as a win-win solution, but in reality, the workers are always at a loss because the companies often are not held fully accountable for their violations. And while workers may receive some money, they lose their jobs and their unions,” Hernando explained.

“And when these mechanisms do not work to pacify workers actions, the Labor Secretary uses the power to assume jurisdiction to stop the strike again to the benefit of capitalists,” Hernando added.

Further, the group monitored at least 21 cases of strikes and picket protests of workers in 2012 and 2013 in contrast to the government’s record of only six strikes from 2011 to 2013. “The government is downplaying workers struggle to project that industrial peace has been attained to attract more investors. But again, low strike incidence does not at all indicate that workers no longer have concerns that merit staging a strike or protest because violations of union rights and labor standards persist.” Hernando added.

The group cited government statistics of increased labor standard violations among enterprises in the last three years from 30 percent to 42.3 percent. The group also documented 594 victims of trade union and human rights violations in 2013 alone.

The group also underscored that impunity reigned in the four years of the Aquino administration as there is still no justice for the trade unionists killed under the previous administration and killings of trade unionists continued with at least 9 victims since Aquino took office in July 2010. “Even the High Level Monitoring Body constituted by the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council after the ILO recommendations in 2010 to investigate on these killings have only made recommendations to “close” cases or “keep investigating,” Hernando said.

Until the government reverses its framework of industrial peace that mainly protects business interest over workers rights, then there can be justice in such policy, the group said. The group also vowed to join the Labor Day protest tomorrow to press the government to stop trade union repression and human rights violations, call for justice for victims of past violations and to support workers demands for better wages and secure jobs.

RELEASE
30 April 2014

Press Release

[Press Release] “Kalbaryo ng Maralita” held, brands Aquino’s Housing Program Rated: PG or Rated: Pure Gimmickry -KPML

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

“Kalbaryo ng Maralita” held, brands Aquino’s Housing Program
Rated: PG or Rated: Pure Gimmickry

Waterways and relocation site communities held a “Kalbaryo ng Maralita” from Sto. Domingo Church to Mendiola Bridge. The groups called Aquino’s housing program as Rated: PG or Rated Pure Gimmickry, claiming that the government may have “saved” the poor from a danger zone, only to condemn them to a death zone. Photo by KPML

HUNDREDS of informal settlers from various waterways communities affected by the on-going government relocation program held a “Kalbaryo ng Maralita” in various churches in Quezon City and Manila before proceeding to the foot of Mendiola Bridge to dramatize their plight under what they claimed was the government’s “rabid anti-poor policies”.

The urban poor communities depicted the Crucifixion and Death of Christ (the 11th and 12th leg of the Christian Station of the Cross) in an untraditional fashion which was, punctuated with fiery speeches and cultural presentations. The first station of their Kalbaryo was held at the Sto. Domingo Church along Quezon Avenue.

Members of Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralitang taga-Lungsod (KPML) were joined by contingents from relocation sites, as far as Towerville, and Sitio Gaya-Gaya in San Jose del Monte City and Sito Batya in Bocaue, Bulacan. The relocatees belonged to KPML affiliate, the Samahan ng Mamamayan-Zone One Tondo Organization (SM-ZOTO), which has been assisting relocated and urban poor communities since the darkest hours of Martial Law.

In their Kalbaryo, the informal settlers decried the Aquino government’s relocation program and called it, “Rated: PG or Rated: Pure Gimmickry”.

“Noynoy Aquino, Jejomar Binay and other housing officials are trying their hardest to make it look like a housing program, when in fact it is a far-cry from decent modern living standards, even for the poor. The government has been blaming us for the flooding of the Metro to justify the demolition of our homes but its true agenda is simply to bulldoze us to far-flung areas for us to rot to death. Aquino may have “saved” us from a danger zone, only to condemn us to a death zone,” said Orly Gallano, chairperson of KPML-NCR and Rizal.
.
Gallano argued that even if the government provides respectably decent houses, the beneficiaries will only be forced to abandon the units for the lack of jobs and livelihood opportunities for them to pay the P350-P500 amortization fee. “The alarming rise of reports of abandoned units, teenage pregnancy, sex-for-food and petty theft in relocation sites in Bulacan, Rizal and Laguna are glaring enough to conclude that the decongestion and relocation program has failed miserably”.

“The government socio-economic planners are not alleviating us from dire poverty but are simply wasting taxpayers’ money and only filling the pockets of profit-hungry real estate developers and corrupt housing officials. The crux of the matter is that the relocation program is not a state-sponsored social service but a lucrative business, managed by syndicates in government. What can be more shameful and exploitative than profiting off the poor,” Gallano pointed out.

The KPML believes that the government is guilty of having no heart for the poor for it unjustly and forcibly uproots the informal settlers from their communities, work and school, only to be dumped to areas without basic necessities and infrastructure such as schools, markets, day care centers, potable water, a steady supply of electricity and drainage pipes.

The most damaging, they say, is the lack of jobs or opportunities to eke a living. In order to do so, the relocatees will need to be commute daily or weekly to the jobs they left miles away, be separated from their families and in worst cases, commit crimes against property.

For Reverend Father Enrico Martin Adoviso, parish priest of Most Holy Trinity Parish in Sampaloc, Manila where the groups held the 3rd leg of their Kalbaryo, “Not unless the government comprehensively addresses the roots of poverty and social injustice, the gap of the country’s elite and marginalized is bound to multiply tenfold in a matter of years, and so will be the housing crisis in the country”.

The mild-mannered priest also appealed to the middle class to not bash the informal settlers for they are but also “victims of collusion of capitalist vultures and the corrupt public official eager to earn a quick buck”.

The KPML and SM-ZOTO also took a swipe at the other programs and policies of the Aquino government which according to them, “were crafted for them to remain poor”. These included the infusion of all seventy-two public hospitals in the public-private partnership scheme of the government.

Also mentioned was labor policy of contractualization, which allows employers to circumvent labor laws to avoid wage increases and additional benefits but more worrisome, servility to employers’ abuse just to make a living.

Both urban poor organizations pledged to join their industrial working class brothers in the streets on the first of May, the International Labor Day to push for economic and social justice.

Press and Photo Release
15 April 2014

For interviews please contact: Orly Gallano-0999-9550246
Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralitang taga-Lungsod-NCR and Rizal
Chairperson

Press Release

[Press Release] Citing massive job cuts, workers want sin tax law repealed -BMP

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Citing massive job cuts, workers want sin tax law repealed

Crippled by the reduction of work days since the beginning of the New Year, furious workers of a major tobacco company based in Marikina City trooped to the gates of the Batasan Pambansa and urged legislators to immediately file a bill that will repeal Republic Act No. 10351 or the Sin Tax Reform Law of 2012. Repealing the law they claim will correct the “institutional injustice” inflicted by the Aquino government against their ranks.

Only at its second year of implementation, the latest tax scheme has raked the government an additional P41.1 billion in fresh revenues. Total revenues excise tax collections between January-November 2013 reached P91.6 billion, higher by 6.7 percent against the full year target of 2013 which is P85.86 billion as reported by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Contrary to the claims made by legislators led by Senator Franklin Drilon and chief sin tax promoter, Secretary Cesar Purisima of the Department of Finance that the increased excise tax collections will not lead to job losses, employees of Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC) led by their labor union president Rodelito Atienza and supporters assailed the Sin tax law and its authors.

“The legislators lied through their teeth during the deliberations of the tax measure. Workers’ families are now saddled with budgetary constrains because the sin tax law deprived us of a decent and productive employment for the next five months because of their lies,” Atienza said.

“We challenge the 210 congressmen and 10 senators to explain to us, why are we demonstrating in Batasan when we should have been productive in our work stations right now? Bring with them their graphs and charts, their economic advisers from prestigious schools here and abroad and prove to us that job losses are avoidable under a burdensome Sin tax law,” barked Atienza.

Atienza called the tax measure fundamentally unjust law for its pass-on character and has already placed their jobs in grave peril as their company recently implemented a five month deduction of work days due to its declining yet still significant market share.

The union says that the PMFTC management greeted the New Year with a plant shutdown for three straight days and has forced its employees to use their sick and vacation leaves from the 6th of January up to the 10th of February and work day deductions from thereon till the last day of May.

“All we did was toil as hard as possible and yet we are helplessly forced into predicament not of our choice. The government is satisfied with its taxes and the corporations have their profits, but why are the ones to suffer, he added.

When the industry was booming, we were the first to benefit and now because of the sin tax law, our families are the first to tighten our belts. The only “lamb” in this scenario are the workers who diligently worked day-in and day-out to “feed” the government its taxes and the companies’ its profits,” Atienza protested.

For its part, the Bukluran ng Mangagawang Pilipino (BMP) slammed the Aquino administration for being indifferent and unmoved to the workers’ plight and pompously pats each others’ on back for a “job well done” at the workers’ expense.

“The Aquino government and the alcohol and tobacco companies can be perceived as monkeys scratching one another, as Aquino and his finance officials bask in tax revenues and industrialists maximizing the government’s cheap labor policy, both have successfully squeezed more profits from the value created by cigarette workers in only a single year of imposition, explained BMP leader Gie Relova.

“Such indifference, public disservice and the merciless implementation of anti-people policies are the perfect ingredients that shall bolster Noynoy Aquino’s inevitable detachment from the workers and other impoverished sectors, he added.

The militant labor group called on workers and their families in the various companies in the sin industry to organize themselves and build a powerful movement that shall effectively convince legislators to repeal the dreaded Sin tax Law.

Press Release
14 January 2014
Contact person:
Gie Relova
0915-2862555

Press Release

[Statement] TDC on Government’s Christmas present to its teachers and employees

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

“Both in time of tragedy and the season of Christmas, the government provided insufficient assistance to its teachers and employees. The Department of Education (DepEd) gave out lipsticks and make-up kits to the devastated teachers of Leyte– instead of much needed goods, temporary shelter and financial assistance. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved a P5, 000.00 bonus for state workers, 50% short of the P10, 000.00 allotment during the time of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Worst, Aquino government will implement the mass lay-off policy in DepEd and other agencies crafted during ex-PGMA’s time. This is the government’s Christmas present to its teachers and employees.”

-TDC Chair Benjo Basas
0920-5740241

Group hits looming lay-offs in education department (bulatlat.com)
DepEd lays off casual and contractual workers (newsinfo.inquirer.net)
Lawmaker says 10,000 DepEd employees jobless after ruling (businessmirror.com.ph)
DepEd: No mass lay-off under rationalization program (rappler.com)
[People] Recovery begins with teachers. By Benjo Basas (hronlineph.com)

Statement

[Press Release] CTUHR reports rampant violations of union rights under Aquino

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

CTUHR reports rampant violations of union rights under Aquino

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights reported of rampant union rights violations within the first half of Aquino’s presidency. The group cited 132 documented cases of violations to workers right to freely organize that victimized over 20,000 workers and other forms of human rights violations.

Violations of workers’ freedom to organize (also referred to as freedom of association or FOA) documented by CTUHR include non-recognition of unions, union busting, harassment of unionists inside the workplace, intervention on trade union affairs, anti-union discrimination and prohibition of the right to strike.

Forty-two (42) other cases of violations of collective bargaining agreements (CBA) and other CBA issues affecting over 11,000 workers were documented within the last three years since Aquino took office.

“The government boasts of achieving industrial peace and almost zero-strike incidence but this is not at all indicative of better conditions for unions and workers. The numerous cases of union rights violations and CBA issues is clear proof that conditions for union organizing has not improved at all,” Arman Hernando, CTUHR coordinator for documentation said.

Aside from these, CTUHR also documented over 84 cases of civil and political rights violations against workers and unionists which include cases of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, harassment, physical assault and filing of false criminal charges.

Alarmingly low union rate

The group described the number of unionized workers as “alarmingly low” covering less than 10% of wage and salary workers. Recent data on CBAs from the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) also revealed that in 2011, only 326 CBAs are registered nationwide covering only 66,485 workers.

“This miniscule percentage of unionized and CBA-covered workers in addition to the persistence of union rights violations shows how terrible labor rights situation in the country is today. While the Aquino government is hell-bent in selling out the country to investors on one hand, it miserably fails to protect the rights of the majority who create the nation’s wealth on the other hand.”

“The right to form unions and collectively bargain is the very important to workers for it is the only means by which workers can empower themselves and claim their rights even at the factory level,” Hernando averred.

The group added that continued attacks by capitalists and state agents on workers who struggle to form organizations and unions contribute to this ever decreasing rate of unionized workers. Government policies that allow contractual labor also undermine workers right to organize.

“The Aquino government must be reminded that a truly developed society can only be achieved if its people are enjoying their rights. Economic growth or so-called ‘inclusive growth’ is meaningless and hollow if majority of the people are not empowered to claim their rights and do not feel the fruits of development,” Hernando added.

For Reference: Arman Hernando, CTUHR Coordinator for Documentation. 4110256; 0916.2484876

RELEASE
30 July 2013

Press Release

[Statement] Filipino women resist renewed US military presence in Philippine territory -KAISA KA

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Human Rights Online Philippines One comment

Filipino women resist renewed US military presence in Philippine territory

Enough is enough!

KAISA KA, a grassroots-based organization advancing women’s rights and empowerment and social change takes this day, the 102nd International Women’s Day as a fitting occasion to denounce the continuing US military presence in the Philippines.

The increasing rotational troop deployment and US Navy vessels that dock and sail within Philippine territory, in connection with the rebalancing of US forces, not only attract attacks from US’ enemies and undermine national sovereignty but also compromise and endanger the lives, limbs and dignity of Filipino women and children.

The 50,000 abandoned Amerasians, some of whom are joining women’s march today, and the deformed bodies of victims of US military toxic wastes are clear reminders of the gravity of the problem brought about by the more than 90 years of US military basing and presence – especially to the Filipino women and children.
It is appalling that the Aquino government has agreed to allow the US military to use Subic and Clark again. And it is saddening that when the announcement was made last year, some local officials in the areas concerned were just too happy for the business opportunities that the building of a marine base will bring.

These government officials know very well that these business opportunities are merely support services, most of which are related to prostitution. But they always try to drown the point that renewed military presence has enlivened prostitution and trafficking; will expose Filipinas to more military violence, HIV-AIDS infection, dangerous drugs use and addiction; and harmful wastes that can adversely affect reproductive health. These officials have also been blind to the problems of the neglected Amerasians.

We demand from the Aquino government to seriously reconsider its decision to open Philippine territory for the US’ plan to deploy the bulk of its troops and vessels in the Asia Pacific. The military aid that the Philippines gets, the assistance during disasters and the so-called training that the AFP gets from the “permanently visiting” forces cannot compensate for the negative impact of increased militarism in our country. In the first place, Philippine sovereignty and patrimony are not for sale!

We strongly remind the Aquino presidency to abide by the principles and policies of the Philippine Constitution regarding foreign military bases, troops and nuclear power. We admonish the Aquino government to give more weight to the safety, health, peace of mind and dignity of our women.

The Filipino women will ever assert their right to march as active agents and shapers of their own future and of Philippine society.

KAISA KA
Pagkakaisa ng Kababaihan para sa Kalayaan
#22-A Libertad Street, Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City 1501, Philippines
Telefax: (02) 7173262 Email: kaisa_ka98@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.kaisaka.org / http://www.kaisakakalayaan.org

Press Statement
March 8, 2013

Statement

[In the news] On Human Rights Day, rights groups slam Aquino government for violations – Bulatlat

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

On Human Rights Day, rights groups slam Aquino government for violations – Bulatlat.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com
December 13, 2012

MANILA – “We have likewise set on fire whatever is left of the chances for positive change we gave Pres. Noynoy Aquino in the past two years. He did not only squander the opportunity for change but has also pushed our patience to the limit, with all the rights violations his regime has committed against the people,” Marie Hilao-Enriquez, chairperson of Karapatan, said.

This was the statement of the Karapatan chairperson as they set fire on the effigy of President Benigno Aquino III.

The seven-foot two-faced effigy, according to Karapatan, “symbolizes the twin evils of large-scale mining and intensified military operations in peasant and indigenous peoples’ communities.”

Under Aquino, there are now 129 victims of extrajudicial killings, where 69 were farmers and 25 indigenous peoples. Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan, said most victims in Mindanao are anti-mining activists and Lumad leaders who “defend their land and the environment against the intrusion of big foreign mining corporations.”

Read full article @ bulatlat.com

In the News

[Statement] Equality of all Human Rights. Stop impunity of right to food violations! – Ratify the Optional Protocol to ICESCR!

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Equality of all Human Rights. Stop impunity of right to food violations! – Ratify the Optional Protocol to ICESCR!

Quezon City – 10 December 2012 On Human Rights Day four years ago, 10 December 2008, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (OP-ICESCR). On September 24, 2009, the OP was opened for signing by the Member States – among them the Philippines.

Since 2009, the Philippine NGO-PO Network for ESC Rights of which FIAN Philippines is a member, has been urging the government to ratify the OP. The ratification of the OP was also among the recommendations to the Philippine government during the past Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council. The Philippines, however, has merely “noted” the recommendation. Thus, it failed to show serious commitment to respect, protect and fulfil the economic, social and cultural right of all Filipinos.

The Optional Protocol comes into force after ratification by ten (10) State Parties. By date, eight (8) State Parties have ratified the OP. The ratification is crucial as the OP gives full recognition to the indivisibility, interdependence and equal importance of all human rights. It is crucial in providing recognition and relief to victims of violations of human rights such as the right to health, education, food, housing, work and/or social security. Victims, who are unable to seek relief for their claims within their own country, may bring their complaints before the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. International redress will be possible on the prerequisite that the victims have already gone through all domestic redress mechanisms, but without receiving adequate relief.

The OP should not be considered as a means to discredit other countries, but as an instrument that assists countries to enhance their compliance with their obligations under the ICESCR. The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) pointed out that a ratification of the OP could lead to enactment of relevant legislation or amendment of existing laws to address hunger and poverty in the Philippines more effectively. Especially rural and urban poor experience violations against their ESC rights such as the right to adequate food through forcible evictions, lack of access to land, violent land lord resistance, and lack of employment and tenure security.

If it ratifies the OP, the Aquino government will demonstrate its willingness to comply with international human rights standards and recognize that the human dignity of all Filipinos must be protected through clear policies and programs on the ground.

In celebration of the 64th Human Rights Day, FIAN Philippines urges the Aquino government to make ratification of the OP a core priority and to implement policies that ensure access to justice for victims of human rights violations. We also call upon the government to provide the greatest protection possible for victims of rights violations by accepting the inquiry and inter-state procedures under the Optional Protocol and rejecting impunity. By ratifying the OP, the Philippine government will send a signal to other countries that we can no longer be indifferent to the marginalization and neglect of those living in poverty and hunger.

Statement

[Statement] Message to PNoy: honor your parents’ struggle vs. Martial Law through stopping all human rights violations -Visayas Clergy Discernment group

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

VISAYAS CLERGY DISCERNMENT GROUP

Message to PNoy: honor your parents’ struggle vs. Martial Law through stopping all human rights violations

September 21, 2012

On the 41st commemoration of the declaration of Martial Law, the bishops and priests of the Visayas Clergy Discernment Group (VCDG) call on President Benigno Aquino III to meaningfully honor his parents’ struggle against Martial Law, through stopping human rights violations such as militarization, demolition and eviction of urban and rural poor communities, summary killing of media people and environmentalists, and other forms of human rights abuses.

Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI said, “Those with greater political, technical, or economic power may not use that power to violate the rights of others who are less fortunate. Peace is based on respect for the rights of all” (Pope Benedict XVI, in his Message for World Day of Peace, 1 January 2007).

Despite its insistence on “daang matuwid”, human rights violations and the impunity of perpetrators continue to characterize the Aquino government.

Two years into his presidency, 99 extra-judicial killings have been recorded, 11 enforced disappearances, 60 frustrated extra-judicial killings, 222 illegal arrests without detention, 216 illegal arrests with detention, 185 illegal search and seizure, and 7,008 forced eviction/demolition.

The Aquino government also committed 29,465 acts of forced evacuation, 19,325 threat/harassment/intimidation, 6,721 indiscriminate firing, 45 forced/fake surrender, 296 use of civilians in police and/or military operations as guides and/or shield, 14,620 use of schools, medical, religious and other public places for military purposes, 2,099 restriction or violent dispersal of mass actions, public assemblies and gatherings, among others (Karapatan Quarterly Monitor, 2012).

In Cebu, violent demolition and eviction of urban poor communities have continued; and more than 30,000 households in Metro Cebu are facing demolition. There are also farmers’ leaders who have asked helped from Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma as they are being harassed for asserting genuine agrarian reform. Fisherfolks in Cordova, Cebu and other areas in the province are being displaced from their livelihood due to reclamation projects for ports, golf courses, and others.

We recall the Church’s social teachings on integral development. In any program for development or progress, the government must make sure that everyone affected by it, especially those who don’t have the means to have their voices heard or who can’t defend themselves, is given the chance to be listened to or consulted. The government should ensure that its decisions are not biased in favor of those who have more in life, at the expense of those who have less. Each one’s rights should not be violated in the name of progress.

Yet amidst increasing human rights violations, we are dismayed with the continuing impunity of perpetrators. Impunity or exemption from punishment of perpetrators has become so common that it has become just another matter of routine. Impunity denies the victims their right to justice and redress.

For example, General Jovito Palparan, who is facing two charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention for allegedly masterminding the 2006 abduction of University of the Philippines students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan, continues to elude the law. The late Sec. Jesse Robredo in his talk in the Cebu Discernment of Public Servants last July 20, 2012, even said that Palparan can’t be arrested because “may kasabwat sa kapangyarihan.”

Many other government military officials and personnel accused of perpetrating human rights violation continue to enjoy impunity under the current dispensation.

We ask the Aquino Government to denounce Martial Law through doing all it can to stop impunity and stop all human rights violations.

We also challenge ourselves, and everyone concerned. To attain lasting peace, all of us must promote human rights and justice. We are one with Pope Benedict XVI who said, “Peace for all is the fruit of justice for all, and no one can shirk this essential task of promoting justice” (Message for World Day of Peace 2012, Pope Benedict XVI).

As Christ lives,

BISHOP GERARDO ALMINAZA, D.D. (SGD.)
Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro/
Head Convenor of the Visayas Clergy Discernment Group (VCDG)
Tel. No. (033) 3291625

VISAYAS CLERGY DISCERNMENT GROUP
E-Mail Address: visayasclergydiscernment@yahoo.com

Statement

[Press Release] Human rights group intensified calls for justice; highlights calls for livelihood and employment -Women WISE3

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Human rights group intensified calls for justice; highlights calls for livelihood and employment

On its 4th anniversary, the Women Workers in Struggle for Employment, Empowerment and Emancipation or Women WISE3 intensified calls for justice following Malacanang’s claim of improving human rights situation.

In reaction to a Malacanang statement in Aug 30 saying that there are no cases of enforced disappearances under the Aquino government, Dylin Lauron, Women WISE3 coordinator said, “The Aquino government should stop denying that human rights violations like enforced disappearances continue to happen. Truth be told, the number of violations in the first two years Aquino are way more than the first two years of its predecessor.”

Various human rights group have documented more than 70 cases of extra-judicial killings beginning July 2010 while there are 11 cases enforced disappearances according to Karapatan. Various labor rights violations, as documented by the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights, have victimized at least 10,000 workers in the last two years.

“Just like how it hides the real poverty situation by changing the [poverty] threshold, the Aquino government wants the people to believe that the human rights condition in the country is improving by sheer denial of facts. This is very alarming. What action can we expect from a government that denies the real situation?” Lauron pointed out.

Lauron also challenged Malacanang to expedite the resolution of human rights violations committed by the Arroyo government. “If Aquino is serious about making the past administration accountable to the people, he must also prosecute Arroyo for her grave human rights records.”

Lauron added that Aquino’s counterinsurgency program, Oplan Bayanihan, must be stopped to end the spate of human rights violations.

Meanwhile, Women WISE3 also highlighted calls for livelihood and employment for families of victims of human rights violations especially whose breadwinners were killed, disappeared, or displaced from their work, amid natural disasters and floods.

“Most families of victims of human rights and labor rights violations are left impoverished because oftentimes, they lose the family breadwinner or worker-victims find it more difficult to land on regular jobs. Their economic condition is aggravated by the natural disasters and floods which we experience more often nowadays due to global warming.”

“To wholly address these concerns, livelihood programs and better employment opportunities must also be extended to families of victims of human rights violations,” Lauron explained.

For reference: Dylin Lauron, Women WISE3 Coordinator, 0922.565.8886

PRESS RELEASE
02 September 2012

Press Release

[Press Release] Demolitions under PNoy grossly violates right to life, adequate housing of the poor – CTUHR

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Demolitions under PNoy grossly violates right to life, adequate housing of the poor – CTUHR

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights criticized the Aquino government for “grossly violating the poor’s right to life and right to adequate housing” as a result of violent demolition of homes of urban poor communities to favor “so-called development projects.”

In reaction to the death of Arnel Tolentino in a demolition last April 23 in Bgy. Silverio, Paranaque City, Arman Hernando, CTUHR documentation coordinator said, “demolition of urban poor communities purportedly to implement so-called development projects by the Aquino administration and local government units have resulted to gross violations of the poor’s right to life and adequate housing.”

“In our documentation and monitoring, Tolentino is already the fifth urban poor resident killed as a result of violent demolition or ongoing dispute over urban poor communities since Aquino took office in 2010. At the same time, more than 12, 000 of families have been affected and displaced to give way to ‘development’ projects which more often than not favor private interests.”

In 2011, four urban poor residents were killed in three separate incidents related to the demolition of urban poor communities. On July 23, Soliman Gomez and Rommel Fortade were killed in a violent demolition of homes in Pangarap Village in Caloocan City. Antonio Homo, a resident of Kadiwa Navotas City and Simeon Bayogbog of San Isidro Rodriguez, Rizal were also killed in March and October last year at the height of dispute over the planned demolitions of their respective communities.

The demolition in Bgy. Silverio resulting in the death of Tolentino, injury and arrest of many other residents was executed by the local government of Paranaque together with the Philippine National Police (PNP). According to reports, at around 8-9am on April 23, tension between the police and the residents who are barricading their homes to stop the demolition increased when the police reportedly started throwing teargas towards the human barricade of the residents. The residents retaliated by throwing stones at the policemen. A few moments later, gunshots were heard and Tolentino was later found drenched in blood and unconscious while some other residents found themselves also injured by gunshots. Thirty-three (33) residents were also arrested and later charged with various criminal charges.

“We mourn with the family of Arnel and we are one with them in their fight for justice. No development or government project can ever justify loss of lives and violation of rights. We call on President Aquino to conduct a speedy, thorough and impartial investigation of the incident. Police investigating their own ranks might result to whitewash and coverup. Police and government officials accountable for the violent turnout of the demolition should be penalized and brought to justice,” Hernando added.

“We also reiterate our call on the Aquino government to uphold the poor’s right to adequate housing and stop all demolitions of communities until a comprehensive housing policy that will truly bring development to the lives of the urban poor is put in place,” Hernando added

RELEASE
26 April 2012
For reference: Arman Hernando, CTUHR Documentation Coordinator, +63922.821.6283

Press Release

[Press Release] Akbayan on the Paranaque Demolition -AKBAYAN

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Akbayan on the Paranaque Demolition

Akbayan Party condemns the violent dispersal at Silverio compound, Paranaque which reportedly resulted in one dead and scores of protesters, media people and police personnel hurt. We call on all parties involved to exercise restraint to prevent the further escalation of violence in the area and to pave the way for a peaceful and amicable resolution of the issue.

We call on Philippine National Police Director Nicanor Bartolome to suspend and make accountable the policemen caught on television beating up, slapping and hitting an already handcuffed protester. The PNP must exercise maximum tolerance and uphold human rights at all times. There is no excuse for police brutality. The PNP must always display professionalism even in the most difficult situations.

We also call on the legitimate leaders of the protest to police their own ranks and appeal to their members to exercise self-restraint.

Likewise, we call on the Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Loretta Ann Rosales to conduct an immediate and impartial investigation on the matter with the end view of rendering justice to all aggrieved, whether they are from the ranks of the informal settlers or the PNP.

Lastly, we reiterate our call to President Aquino to deliver on his promise of signing an executive order calling for a national moratorium on forced demolitions and to create a national framework for in-city, on-site relocation. The incident should serve as a reminder and wakeup call on the Aquino government to consider that demolitions such as what happened in Paranaque will escalate into violence unless a proper and humane program of relocation and housing is crafted to address the needs of the informal settlers. ###

Source: www.akbayan.org.ph

Parañaque demolition clash kills 1, hurts dozens (newsinfo.inquirer.net)
Anakbayan condemns PNP, SM Group of Companies for cold-blooded murder as cops kill one in Paranaque demolition (bulatlat.com)
‘We condemn the Aquino government’s use of violence against the residents of Silverio Compound’ – KMU (bulatlat.com)
Philippine demolition clash kills 1, hurts dozens (dailystar.com.lb)
Sucat road closed due to violent demolition (newsinfo.inquirer.net)
Kadamay calls on urban poor nationwide to protest vs brutal demolition in Silverio Compound (bulatlat.com)
PNP has three spokesmen (newsinfo.inquirer.net)
PNP sacks entire CIDT in Batangas over extortion (newsinfo.inquirer.net)

Press Release

[In the news] Women’s Peace Table, launched in Mindanao – mindanaoexaminer.com

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Women’s Peace Table, launched in Mindanao

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 12, 2011) – The Mindanao Commission on Women has launched the Women’s Peace Table that will connect the formal peace negotiations between the Aquino government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to the women not only in the southern Philippines, but the rest of the country.

Peace negotiations are to resume in January next year in Malaysia which is brokering the talks. Both Manila and the MILF recently announced the addition of two respected Muslim women in the talks – Yasmin Lao for the government and lawyer Raissa Jajurie for the MILF panel.

“We rejoice in this positive direction the two parties are taking. Women have suffered too long and too much. But more than that, we know that women have the capacity and the commitment to be a significant actor to bring about a sustained and just peace in Mindanao,” Irene Santiago, of the Mindanao Commission on Women, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

Read full article @ mindanaoexaminer.com

In the News

[Press Release] Aquino Must Swiftly Bring Justice to Victims and Families of Maguindanao Massacre

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Human Rights Online Philippines 2 comments

The Visayas Clergy Discernment Group (VCDG) is alarmed that while the Supreme Court swiftly handed out decisions that would allow former President Gloria Arroyo to travel out of the country and the Pasay Regional Trial Court quickly issued a warrant of arrest to her, the victims and relatives of the Maguindanao Massacre are still searching for justice.

Two years ago, on November 23, 2009, armed men killed in the most barbaric and ruthless way, 58 people in a convoy of supporters of now Governor Esmael Mangudadatu who were on their way to file Mangudadatu’s certificate of candidacy. Those killed included 33 journalists who would cover the occasion.

The Maguindanao Massacre is the most brutal and unparalleled event of its kind in recent history. Allegedly perpetrated by the most trusted political allies of former President Arroyo in Mindanao, it was also the worst case of media killing in the world.

Church’s doctrines have recognized media’s role in providing information at the service of the common good (cf. Cathechism of the Catholic Church, #2494). In the same breath, the Roman Catholic Church’s Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II) in 1991 also condemns patronage politics and political dynasties which lopsidedly concentrated power on a few established families (cf. PCP II, #24).

Moreover, PCP II exhorts politicians to lead in renewing politics, to defend and promote justice, and to “put teeth to good legislation” by strictly enforcing a correct system of rewards and punishment (cf. PCP II, #350-352).

Today, however, two years since the mass murders, while more than 100 people led by former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan, Sr. are on trial for the massacre, no one has been indicted yet. This means that the victims and their loved ones have not found justice that is due them.

President Aquino recently said that “the guilty should be made accountable” because doing otherwise means allowing anyone “to abuse our people.” We are then calling on the Aquino Government, the Department of Justice and other government instrumentalities to speed up prosecution of those who are responsible for the Maguindanao Massacre.

While former President Arroyo and her partners must be tried for alleged electoral cheating, efforts of the Aquino government to give justice to victims and relatives of the Maguindanao Massacre should not result to a compromise and, worse, exoneration of those responsible, for the sake of pinning down Arroyo.

President Aquino must be true to his recent declaration that, “We are all working for a new Philippines… where whoever does wrong… is punished, a country where justice rules.” Meanwhile, he also said that he expects the massacre trial to go beyond his term. To be true to his reform agenda, the Aquino government must urgently deliver justice to the victims of the massacre.

For reference:
Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, D.D.
Head Convenor