Convicted tax evader Bongbong Marcos disqualified from running as president claims petition filed with COMELEC
On November 2 2021 a Petition to Cancel or Deny Due Course the Certificate of Candidacy of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. under Section 78 in relation to Section 74, Article IX of the Omnibus Election Code was filed with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). The Petitioners represent a cross-section of political detainees, human rights and medical organizations that opposed the Marcos dictatorship.
The Petition points out that Marcos’ Certificate of Candidacy contains multiple false material representations. Specifically, Marcos falsified his Certificate of Candidacy when he claimed that he was eligible to be a candidate for President of the Philippines in the 2022 national elections when in fact he is disqualified from doing so.
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.
More than five (5) years!!! after typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) ravaged part of central Philippines in November 2013, the 1,500 farmer and fisherfolk families of Sicogon Island, in Carles Iloilo, are threatened to lose their right to land, food, housing, and water. The families lost everything due to the typhoon and since that time they are struggling against two powerful Philippine corporations converting their island into a world-class, high-end tourist resort and trying to evict the residents from their island. The residents are organized in the Federation of Sicogon Island Farmers and Fisherfolks Association (FESIFFA).
Support the families in their right to live on the land they and their ancestors have been lived and worked on for over a century.
Add your name to their petition on: AVAAZ petition to support them in their struggle.
Please SIGN and SHARE their call as widely as possible with your friends, family and networks, and ask them also to spread the word about their call: secure.avaaz.org
Stop Ayala’s #monstertourism on Sicogon Island!
———–
READ their story here:
When Typhoon Yolanda struck the Philippines in 2013, Sicogon Island was among the most severely devastated areas. The government assigned Ayala Land – one of the most powerful real estate developers in the country – to lead the reconstruction and rehabilitation of our island.
But instead of helping us, Ayala formed a joint venture with Sicogon Development Corporation (SIDECO) to realize SIDECO’s longstanding plan to convert the entire island into a high-end resort. SIDECO is a private company that holds a title for 809 hectares land of the 1,163-hectare island of Sicogon.
In fact, the corporate-led disaster response disrupted our livelihoods and forced us to give up our hard-won land rights. Ayala and SIDECOleft us hungry for two weeks and their armed security guards prevented us from rebuilding their houses.
They took advantage of our vulnerability by pressuring us to accept either of two options: to take a small one-time payment of 150,000 Pesos (about 2,850 USD) and leave the island immediately or to take 10,000 Pesos (about 190 USD) and relocate on the mainland.
Under duress, many families took either of the two options. The 784 families, who refused and are members of FESIFFA, opted to stay but had to endure sustained harassments and intimidation by Ayala and SIDECO’s armed guards and corporate agents. We barely survived through the support of relatives and a few engaged humanitarian organizations.
Despite the dreadfulness of our situation, we fervently hoped that the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) will redistribute the struggle-won 334.6 hectares of land placed under the national agrarian reform with us rightful beneficiaries. The redistribution never transpired as the previous administration lacked the political will to implement the reform amidst corporate giant Ayala Land’s tourism plans.
In 2014, we were pressured to sign an agreement with Ayala and SIDECO. The agreement promised us 70 hectares residential area and conventional farmland, livelihood support, and funds for housing and land development. In exchange, we renounced our land rights to the said 334.6 hectares.
Ayala and SIDECO breached the agreement and hastily embarked on converting the island into a tourism resort. Today, a port, an airport, and two hotel facilities are already operating. They also diverted the mountain spring, which served as our major source of household and drinking water for more than a hundred years. Now, we are facing a severe water crisis.
Recently, we were able to get the DAR to issue an order that temporarily halts further tourism development on the island. But this is not enough. Our human rights to land, food, and water will continually be violated if the conversion of the whole island into a high-end tourism project will not be permanently stopped.
Now, Ayala and SIDECO have started to file eviction cases against some of us and prevent – again – our supporters from entering the island.
We urge the President of the Republic of the Philippines to take immediate actions to secure our land tenure and access to fishing grounds and to resolve the human rights violations against us.
“We, therefore, call on all people in the world, tourists and investors to support us in securing our human right to land, food, water, and housing. Add your name and be one with us in our struggle.”
Stop Ayala’s #monstertourism on Sicogon Island!
Further information:
> Aljazeera Article “Typhoons and Tycoons: Disaster capitalism in the Philippines”
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Burying Ferdinand E. Marcos alongside our nation’s heroes who fought for our freedom is an affront to the thousands of lives tortured and murdered during his reign. A hero does not take away freedom, he campaigns for it and fights for its survival for the sake of others. Laying him to rest at the Heroes’ Cemetery is a disdainful act that will send a message to the future of our nation – our children – that the world we live in rewards forceful and violent hands. Several other reasons why Ferdinand E. Marcos should not be buried in the Philippine’s Heroes’ Cemetery: 1. According to you, Presumptive President Duterte: “The issue on the burial of President Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani has long created divisions among our people,” – This is not what’s causing the division. It will in fact further sever the opportunity for unity since this is an injustice to the victims of Martial Law and the families they left behind. It is a known historical fact that Ferdinand E. Marcos proclaimed Martial Law in 1972 which stayed in effect until 1981. Under Martial Law 70,000 people were imprisoned, 34,000 were tortured, and 3,240 were killed.
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Impartial and fair verdict for human rights defender Cocoy Tulawie! Ensure his safety and security!
Temogen “Cocoy” Tulawie is a human rights defender from the Sulu region in Mindanao, the Philippines. He is the founder of the local human rights group Bawgbug and member of several civil society organizations where he was responsible for campaigns for the democratization of local politics, transparency in government and the preservation of civil rights of people living in Sulu. His campaigns uncovered numerous human rights abuses and violations on the part of the local government, among them mass rapes of women and girls committed by the sons of prominent politicians and their paramilitary protection forces and the unconstitutional declaration of a state of emergency by the provincial governor Abdulsakar Tan.
After a bomb attack against provincial governor Tan in May 2009, Tulawie was accused of being the mastermind behind it, even though evidence was lacking. In 2012 he was arrested and detained in Davao City. The trial started in October 2013 and is supposed to come to an end in late 2014.
The prosecution of Tulawie is an attempt to silence his protest against severe human rights violations. Judicial bodies and criminal prosecution authorities, especially in the rural areas of the Philippines are often highly dependent on local power brokers and can be systematically abused by the latter for personal interests.
Tulawie has been imprisoned for three and a half years now with his trial awaiting verdict on July 17, 2015. We, the International Peace Observers Network (IPON), a German independent, non-governmental organization, have accompanied and monitored the criminal case of Cocoy Tulawie since January 2013. We consider him a Prisoner of Conscience. While the trial has been conducted within reasonable time and in a fair manner, we are nevertheless worried about a conviction and further harassments due to Tulawie’s continuing activism.
According to Article 12 (1) of the 1999 United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders), human rights defenders, like Temogen “Cocoy” Tulawie have the right “individually and in association with others, to participate in peaceful activities against violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms”. Even though the Philippines have acknowledged this declaration, human rights defenders and other political activists often face legal and physical harassment due to their work.
The criminalization of human rights defenders does not only violate basic rights of individuals, but also undermines the rule of law and hinders the development of an active civil society in the Philippines. “Individuals, groups, institutions and non-governmental organizations have an important role to play and a responsibility in safeguarding democracy, promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms and contributing to the promotion and advancement of democratic societies, institutions and processes” (Article 18 (2), UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders).
Successfully petitioning the relevant state authorities to ensure a fair and impartial verdict and the safety of Cocoy Tulawie not only protects Tulawie’s rights, but also contributes to improving the situation of human rights defenders in the Philippines in general.
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The Issue
For more than a decade, the Philippines Congress has delayed taking action on the enactment of a comprehensive anti-discrimination bill. Now, a broad coalition of Filipino activists is urging Congress to take action and Stop the Discrimination!
Congress is currently considering numerous draft bills aimed at stopping discriminatory policies and practices in schools, places of employment, commercial establishments, hospitals and health care facilities, the civil service, police and military.
What YOU Can Do
Join IGLHRC and the multi-sectoral coalition of marginalized groups in the Philippines in our campaign “Stop The Discrimination”, urging the Philippines Congress to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) people, indigenous peoples, persons with disability, persons living with HIV, religious minorities, young people and old people from discrimination and exclusion.
Sign our petition! Urge the Philippines House of Representatives and Senate to Stop The Discrimination by passing a Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Law!
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Take action for women workers’ rights and an end to gender-based violence at work!
Gender-based violence in the workplace is a pernicious and global labor and human rights violation that particularly impacts women, their well-being, and their participation in the economy and society.
Whether occurring at the actual place of work or on the way to and from work, it can take on multiple forms, including:
Physical abuse, including assault, battery, attempted murder and murder
Sexual violence including rape and sexual assault
Verbal abuse and threats of violence
Bullying
Psychological abuse and intimidation
Sexual harassment
Threats of violence
Economic and financial abuse
Stalking
Worldwide, 35% of women have experienced violence, and 40 to 50% of women experience unwanted sexual advances, physical contact or other forms of sexual harassment at work.1
This global problem demands a global response. Trade unions are calling for a new international Convention on gender-based violence at the workplace, and are using their voice at the International Labour Organization’s Governing Body (ILO GB) to put the topic on the agenda of the International Labour Conference (ILC). The ILC is where international labour standards get negotiated and agreed upon by employers, governments and workers. A proposal is currently pending before the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) to develop an international standard to guide governments and businesses on developing strong laws and policies to prevent and remedy the problem. Developing an international standard will promote global equality and foster safer workplaces.
You can take action now to support women workers’ rights and stand against gender-based violence at work, by urging Coca-Cola, Disney and Procter & Gamble — leaders in the United States Council for International Business — to support the call at the ILO Governing Board in November 2014 to put a standard-setting conversation on gender-based violence in the world of work on the agenda of the International Labour Conference.
Add your voice here.
Thank you,
Judy Gearhart
Executive Director
International Labor Rights Forum
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Pinepetisyon si Benigno Aquino III Sign and Ratify the International Convention on Enforced Disappearance
By AFAD
Enforced disappearance is a crime involving secret abduction and/or imprisonment that violates a number of a person’s basic rights such as the the right to security and dignity, right to fair trial, right not to be tortured, right to truth, right to family life, and when the disappeared is killed, the right to identification and proper burial or cremation. It is a tool often used by tyrannical governments to stifle dissent and terrorize communities.
The International Convention on Enforced Disappearance (Convention) recognizes the right of any person not to be subjected to enforced disappearance. Its a non-derogable right which means that no circumstances may be invoked as a justification to carry out enforced disappearances. its is the first instrument to recognize this right.
The Convention is a product of decades of struggle of families of the disappeared around the world to have a normative human rights instrument that crystallizes the right not to disappear and seeks to guarantee non-repetition by establishing accountability on the government. A Philippines under the Convention is a Philippines committed to human rights, justice and truth.
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Sign petition to urge our government to vote for the resolution on the establishment of a treaty on Business and Human Rights at the Human Rights Council, voting on the resolution will be on June 26 or 27. Sign petition now!
It is the obligation of the Government to protect human rights of its people. The binding treaty will compel Governments to protect us against corporate impunity and greed.
AMB REBONG: Support the reso on the establishment of a treaty on Business & #HumanRights @ HRC
HRonlinePH.com signed this petition to safeguard Snowden and defend democracy everywhere. Please sign the petition too.
The world’s greatest whistleblower is stuck in the Russian winter, facing solitary confinement, ridicule, and life in prison if US agents grab him. But this week, we could help get him to safety.
Edward Snowden exposed the mind-boggling and illegal level of surveillance the US government is conducting on, well, all of us. His welcome in Russia runs out soon, and he’s got nowhere to go. But Brazilian President Dilma is angry at US surveillance and experts say she might brave massive US pressure to consider asylum for Snowden!
This is about much more than one man. If Snowden’s act of truth-telling leads to crippling punishment, it sends the wrong signal to abusive governments and whistleblowers everywhere. If 1 million of us take action now, we can send President Dilma the largest citizen-supported asylum bid in history — sign to safeguard Snowden and defend democracy everywhere.
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It’s horrific! A Maldives court just sentenced a 15-year-old rape survivor to 100 whip lashings. By threatening Maldives politicians’ precious tourist income we can save this child and stop public floggings. Let’s act fast to build a one million strong call this week, then place ads to get the President to protect, not persecute, rape victims:
It’s hard to believe, but a 15-year-old rape survivor in the Maldives has been sentenced to be whipped 100 times in public! Let’s put an end to this lunacy by hitting the government where it hurts: the tourism industry.
The girl says she was raped by her stepfather and others for years and her stepfather is accused of murdering the baby she bore. Now the court says she must be flogged for “sex outside marriage”! President Waheed of the Maldives is already feeling global pressure on this, but we can force him to save this girl and change the law to spare other victims this cruel fate. This is how we can win the War on Women – by standing up every time an outrage like this happens.
Tourism is the big earner for the Maldives elite, including government ministers. Let’s build a million-strong petition to President Waheed this week, then threaten the islands’ reputation through hard-hitting ads in travel magazines and online until he steps in to save her and abolish this outrageous law. Sign and forward this email now to get us to a million:
The Maldives is a paradise for tourists. But for women there, it can be hell. Under harsh interpretations of sharia law, women and children are routinely punished with flogging and house arrest if found guilty of extramarital sex or adultery. It’s nearly always the women who get punished, not the perpetrators. A staggering one in three women between ages 15 and 49 have suffered physical or sexual abuse — yet zero rapists were convicted in the past three years.
Winning this battle can help women everywhere, as the Maldives government is right now running for a top UN human rights position – on a platform of women’s rights! Global outrage has already forced President Waheed to appeal the sentence in the 15-year-old’s case. But that’s not enough. Extremists inside the country will force him to abandon further reforms if international attention fades. Let’s tell the Maldives that it stands to lose its reputation as a romantic tourist hot spot unless it changes its attitudes to and laws about women.
If enough of us raise our voices, we can get President Waheed and his MPs to face down the extremists. The president is already on the back foot over this shameful, tragic story – let’s seize this moment to prevent more horrifying injustices against girls and women. Sign the petition, then send this email widely:
Avaaz members have fought many battles in the global war on women. In Afghanistan, we helped protect a young woman who bravely spoke out about her horrific rape; in Honduras, we fought alongside local women against a law that would jail women using the morning-after pill. Let’s now protect the women of the Maldives.
With hope and determination,
Jeremy, Mary, Nick, Alex, Ricken, Laura, Michelle and the whole Avaaz team
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This International Women’s Day, join us in calling on Chiquita banana supplier Tres Hermanas to bargain with SITRAINBA, the legally-recognized union on its three banana plantations in Honduras.
Since 2009, workers at Tres Hermanas have raised concerns over a pattern of labor rights violations, including failure to pay the minimum wage, unpaid overtime, and the illegal firing of workers attempting to exercise their right to organize. In order to protect their rights, workers on Tres Hermanas’ plantations formed the union SITRAINBA, which was officially recognized by the Honduran Ministry of Labor on August 15, 2012.
But instead of recognizing and bargaining with SITRAINBA as required by Honduras’ labor law, Tres Hermanas’ management has launched a campaign of anti-union harassment, including firing four women who were prominent union supporters. These egregious violations of the workers’ internationally recognized right to organize are all the more shocking since the plantations are Rainforest Alliance certified.
Take a stand against union busting by sending a letter to Tres Hermanas demanding that the management bargain with SITRAINBA and reinstate the fired union members.
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SAVE THE LIFE OF DONDON LANUZA, OFW on Deathrow, KSA
Few days ago someone invited me to support a group named “HELP SAVE A LIFE, SAVE DONDON LANUZA FROM DEATHROW!”. A group that hopes to help Dondon Lanuza’s case in Saudi Arabia. I felt terribly sad when I learned about the story of our fellow Filipino in Saudi Arabia, and how his sympathizers use the virtual world to gather every possible help they could get to help him get out of jail. And I couldn’t help myself but to empathize for Dondon as well. As I was reading his stories and watching some of his supporters videos asking our government to do something about Dondon’s case, I felt the urge to help in my own little way. That is why I’m writing this article about Dondon Lanuza’s Case in Saudi Arabia.
Dondon Lanuza has been convicted for Murder in August 2000 and was sentenced to death by beheading on June 10, 2002 for killing a Saudi Arabian national. He already suffered more than 12 long years in Damman Reformatory Jail and is now waiting for the final verdict of the eldest son of the said Arabian National, who will turn 18 years old 2 years from now. If Dondon Lanuza will fail to come up with the agreed amount, that might probably pursue the implementing of the beheading.
I believe our government has ears to listen. I am addressing our President Benigno S. Aquino III in behalf of Dondon Lanuza’s friends and family and those people who supports him to please, please do something on Dondon’s case. I’m begging you Mr. President, there is a man out there on the brink of his death in a foreign land and a son to his parents and a friend to his friends, appealing for your help that his killing of the Arab National was an act of self-defense. Let us not turn a blind eye on this case Mr. President. I have high hopes on you. The clock is ticking and he is racing against time.
I am working in a foreign land and I understand how difficult it is to live in a country with different cultures. How much more if you languish more than a decade there in prison? This guy is in dire straits and he needs our government’s help. To those people who is now reading this article, please spread the link and support Dondon’s Official Facebook Pages, Groups and Website.
Let’s not argue on who is to be blamed here people and I’m not here to discuss my disgust in our government’s international policy either. Let’s just do something to help Dondon Lanuza. It is our responsibility as a fellow Filipino. Let’s help save the life of Dondon Lanuza, OFW on Deathrow since August 2000.
To Dondon Lanuza, and his family please be strong and never give up the fight against life’s blows.
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Demand Inclusion of LGBT Rights in the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration!!
Target: ASEAN Heads of States
Sponsored by: ASEAN LGBT Caucus and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional organization established in 1967 comprised of countries in the South East Asia region. In 2009, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was formed to promote and protect the human rights of people in the region and was tasked to formulate the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD), which aimed to standardize all human rights of all people in the Southeast region of Asia.
As it is, LGBTIQ persons in this region are subjected to systematic discrimination and violence endorsed by the state. We are concerned that the lack of protection and recognition of LGBTIQ persons in the AHRD will further exacerbate (or deteriorate) the rights of LGBTIQ people in their respective countries.
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The Philippine Internet Freedom Alliance (PIFA) – a broad alliance of organizations and netizens – has filed before the Supreme Court on Monday (October 8, 2012), just a few minutes before the end of office hours, the fifteenth petition against the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, Republic Act 10175.
Petitioners asked the high court to issue a “Status Quo Ante Order and/or writ of preliminary injunction” to make government “observe the status quo prevailing before the enactment and effectivity of the Cybercrime Prevention Act.”
PIFA claims that its members have “legal standing to sue” because of the “chilling effect” that impacted on their online activities beginning October 3 – when RA 10175 took effect – subjecting netizens to “unwarranted electronic surveillance” by the Philippine government 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Section 12 of RA 10175 provides for “real-time collection of traffic data” which, the petition explains, “refers to [the collection of] ‘any computer data other than the content of the communication, including, but not limited to, the communication’s origin, destination, route, time, date, size, duration, or type of underlying service.’ …[which] includes information on the identity of the person sending or receiving computer data.”
“Petitioners have legal standing to file this petition as individual and juridical persons who are lawyers, Internet users, taxpayers, subscribers of Philippine telecommunications companies, bloggers, writers, artists, citizen journalists, traditional media persons with an online (Internet) presence, and concerned citizens,” the 61-page petition reads.
PIFA scores the Cybercrime Prevention Act as “an undue abridgment of the freedom of speech, expression, and of the press” which “authorizes government to conduct an unreasonable search and seizure,” and decries that it “violates the right to privacy of communication and correspondence.”
PIFA warns that “the implementation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act will clog the dockets of our courts arising from a deluge of frivolous lawsuits,” zeroing on Section 6 which raises the penalty for “all crimes” in other penal statutes as long as committed with the use of information and communication technologies.
PIFA said RA 10175 is “contrary to the guarantees of equal protection under the law” and “acts an ex post facto law” while also violating public international law. The petition also pointed out that the United Nations Human Rights Council has recently recognized just last July that the “freedom of expression on the Internet” is a “basic human right.”
The petition explains that even if Congress does amend the law, such corrective legislation would still “not render the issues moot, because [the violations] are capable of repetition, yet evading review.”
The petition also points out that the Cybercrime Prevention Act contradicts the Constitutional mandate for a “balanced flow of information under a policy respecting freedom of speech and of the press.”
The petitioners are personalities known offline as well as online, such as Bayan Muna party-list Representative Teddy Casiño.
Blogger-petitioner Noemi Lardizabal-Dado delivered this statement for her group, Blog Watch Citizen Media: “We believe RA 10175 only increases the lavish power of Philippine libel laws, and that the United Nations Human Rights Council is correct in calling Philippine libel law ‘excessive.’ We join with groups opposed to the Cybercrime Law to amend or repeal the law. We welcome engagement with government so that we can craft a better law which protects women and children and which strives for equal protection for everyone.”
Freelance Writers’ Guild of the Philippines (FWGP) founder Ime Morales said, “As an organization, FWGP believes that RA 10175 is unconstitutional and was pushed to serve certain business interests; and we will continue to fight for our rights as writers and netizens of this country.”
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Farmers, fisherfolks file petition for Envi Protection Order against mining in MacArthur Leyte
Said ‘water is life, and must be saved at all costs’
MacArthur, Leyte—Farmers and fisher folks in Leyte went to court and filed an application for Temporary Environmental Protection Order (EPO) to stop mining operation of Nicua Corporation inprime agricultural lands of Villa Imelda and adjacent barangays in MacArthur Leyte.
The plaintiffs led by Jesus Cabias, president of Unahin Lagi Natin ang Diyos – Bito Lake Fisherfolks Association (UNLAD-BLFA) and supported by Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC), assert their right to a healthy and safe environment against the destructive effects of mining in their farmlands and lake.
“Water is life and must be saved as all costs. Allowing mining to continue here will affect not only our primary source of water and livelihood but also the future generations,” said Cabias.
Two weeks ago, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) reported that contamination from oil and grease from the mining operations is one of the causes of the massive fish kill in Lake Bito.
Fr. Edu Gariguez, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines – National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (CBCP-NASSA) added, “Together with the Archdiocese of Palo and Alyansa Tigil Mina, we visited this area and found that the impacts of mining there are terrible and devastating. We call on the national offices to act on this, at the same time we hope that the Regional Trial Court can immediately hear our petition and issue a temporary environmental protection order to stop Nicua mining corporation from operating in the area.”
Cabias added, “Our problem is that the mining operation is encroaching in prime agricultural lands—we are talking about irrigated lands that were not even legally converted for otherPurposes. Their activities threaten our food security, right to clean water, and livelihood.”
The 30-page petition has been filed this morning at the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 10 in Abuyog, Leyte but is yet to be given a case number by the RTC Judge next week.
Meanwhile, ELAC Lawyer Atty. Ronnan Reposadas is positive that an EPO will be issued against the mining company and that should be implemented immediately. He said, “We have a clear case here—the mining company is situated and directly affecting the agricultural lands and waters, and is a threat to the Bito watershed—and therefore impedes the right to a healthy environment of the communities.”
Environmental Protection Order or Temporary Environmental Protection Order (EPO/TEPO) are injunction orders under the new Environmental Rules of Court that directs or enjoins “any person or government agency to perform or desist from performing an act in order to protect, preserve or rehabilitate the environment.” This gives immediate relief on environmental issues.
“We do not understand why this company was even allowed to mine here—they are converting prime agricultural lands into mine sites that will render the lands useless afterwards,” concluded Garganera.
Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) is an alliance of mining-affected communities and their support groups of NGOs/POs and other civil society organizations who are opposing the aggressive promotion of large-scale mining in the Philippines. The organization is currently pushing for a moratorium on mining, revocation of Executive Order 270-A, repeal of the Mining Act of 1995 and the passage of the Philippine Mineral Resources Act a.k.a. Alternative Minerals Management Bill.
For more information:
Fr. Edu Gariguez, CBCP-NASSA – (0922) 834-8248 edugariguez@gmail.com
Jesus Cabias, (UNLAD-BLFA) – (0912) 433-7768
Atty. Ronnan Christian Reposar, ELAC – rcmr80@yahoo.com
Jaybee Garganera, Alyansa Tigil Mina – nc@alyansatigilmina.net
Press Release
June 25, 2012
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Over a million people have called on world leaders to end fossil fuel subsidies at the Rio Earth Summit, but our leaders have so far failed to deliver. Now, the only chance to save the talks from disaster rests with Brazil’s Dilma — sign this urgent petition calling on her to emerge a planet hero and end the polluter payouts!
Over a million people have called on world leaders to end fossil fuel subsidies at the Rio Earth Summit — a no-brainer policy that could take one trillion tax dollars from Big Oil and reinvest it in green energy. But they’ve failed to deliver — even with the backing of the EU, the US and most G20 countries! The talks end in 48 hours. Now is our chance to save them and the planet’s future.
Brazil’s President Dilma is hosting the summit and has the power to reopen discussions and demand a timeline for ending polluter payouts, but she is considering walking away with the weak language presented by a team of bureaucrats. We can stop her in her tracks.
Dilma has 2 days to emerge as a global climate hero. Sign this urgent petition now and forward to everyone — at 500,000 signers, Avaaz will deliver it straight to Dilma’s hands and run an urgent, hard-hitting ad in the Financial Times:
In the last 2 weeks, we’ve already made huge strides towards an end to fossil fuel subsidies. Together, we’ve:
Unfurled giant trillion dollar bills with our friends 350 on beaches in Rio and in Los Cabos that garnered the attention of major media across the globe and delivered a 1 million strong call to end harmful polluter subsidies.
Delivered a petition with over 750,000 signers directly to UK Prime Minister Cameron and the Mexican chair of the G20 summit.
Massively impacted the vote in a UN poll — making fossil fuel subsidies the top priority for the Earth Summit. We won with over 66% of the vote!
Flooded the Mexican and New Zealand environment ministers with messages calling on them to push for an end to polluter payouts.
And our team on the ground in Rio and Los Cabos has tirelessly lobbied politicians — attending dozens of meetings with high level officials from key countries.
The stage is set and Dilma has the perfect solution to turn the talks around: a clear and timely end to fossil fuel subsidies. We only have 48 hours for this final push to action — click below to sign:
The movement to end fossil fuel subsidies is at a tipping point. Over 1 million of us signed petitions calling for action, from Rio and Delhi to London and Sydney. As we enter the 11th hour of the Rio Earth Summit, let’s continue to push until we win!
With hope,
Iain, Antonia, Jamie, Emma, Ricken, Diego, Pedro and the rest of the Avaaz team
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While government employees across the country received some good news ahead of tomorrow’s Labor Day, workers in Cebu and the rest of Central Visayas will have to wait longer for any salary increase to be approved by their wage board.
President Benigno Aquino III has announced that government workers will get their pay raise one month ahead of its planned release this July.
He said this was his “surprise gift” to government workers tomorrow.
“It’s a substantial number of zeroes,” Mr. Aquino said of the pay hike for government workers.
In contrast, the Regional Tripartite and Productivity Board in Central Visayas (RTWPB-7) has yet to decide on a wage petition filed last month.
The Alliance of Progressive Labor in Cebu (APL) filed a P90 across-the-board wage increase petition last March, citing rising fuel prices and fare rates as their basis.
The petition was opposed by Cebu’s business community.
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Labor group files P90wage hike business says it’s untimely
Cebu Daily News
March 22, 2012
WITH a minimum fare rate of P8 approved by the government last Tuesday, a labor group filed a petition for a wage increase for Central Visayas workers yesterday afternoon.
The Associated Labor Unions-Trade UnionCongress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) in Central Visayas filed a P90 across-the-board daily wage increase before the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB 7) at 4 p.m yesterday.
They said the petition was in response to the rising fare rates and increases in the prices of basic and prime commodities caused by the global fuel price increases.
But Cebu Business Club president Gordon Alan “Dondi” Joseph said the petition was untimely and focus should be on job creation.
“You now, wage increases will not solve the problems of the economy or the increasing cost of living. The government has to focus on creating jobs, creating more employment for more Filipinos,” Joseph said.
Ferdinand Jumapao, OIC Area vice-president of ALU-TUCP Central Visayas, said the filing of the petition was planned even before the 50 centavo fare increase took effect.
Jumapao said the petition is in response to the erosion of the purchasing power of the worker’s current P305 daily minimum wage.
Signature drive urging House lawmakers to vote on RH bill
Dear Friends,
PNGOC just launched a campaign urging House lawmakers to vote on the RH bill. We are seeking your time by signing the online petition and sharing it also to your partners.
Human Rights Online Philippines 