HONG KONG/PHILIPPINES: Poverty reflects a failure of the government not the person
by Danilo Reyes
(Note: this article was first published in the October 12, 2014 issue of the Sunday Examiner)
Poverty reflects a failure of the government not the person.
Seven years ago, my first cousin, 22-year –old Maricel Mahinay, died from an illness aggravated by severe malnutrition. She was three months pregnant. Her death came two years after her first child had also died from a malnutrition related illness.
Maricel, whom we called Cecil, and I lost contact in the 1990s when I moved to another city. I was working while studying at a university. I did not hear from her for many years.
My memory of her dates back to our child hood days in our sleepy and laidback hometown.
In September 2005, my mum, now a retired public school teacher, told me that Maricel’s 11-month-old son, John Paul, had died from an illness aggravated by severe malnutrition.
I was an intern at Asian Human Rights Commission at that time and was beginning to comprehend how abject poverty affects not only human societies, but ourselves – and here was my own cousin’s child dying from want of basic necessities.
When I learned about the death of Maricel’s son, I had mixed emotions. I did not know she had got married or that she had a child.
She was the daughter of my mum’s older brother who was a tricycle driver. Maricel was so poor that she had to borrow money to pay hospital bills before she could take her son’s body home and then pay for a small plot of land to bury him.
After I published the story of my cousin’s death and her circumstances, I learned that the former mayor, who is currently a lawmaker in the province of South Cotabato, Mindanao, dispatched one of his staff to locate her.
I used to interview this mayor when I worked as a journalist there. I knew that he would intervene, not because his administration had been so neglectful, but because her case tarnished the city’s image.
Reluctantly, social workers from our local government went to her house and gave her some relief goods and a health card.
When the social workers spoke to Maricel, they told her she should have approached them first. She should not have complained and exposed the death of her child in public.
These social workers might have achieved their goal, as when Maricel was dying two years after her son’s death, she did not complain.
In evaluating Maricel’s case, they concluded they could not classify her as a public services for indigent beneficiary, or the poorest of the poor, because in the Philippines, if you have a relative working in the government or overseas, your family and relatives are not considered indigent.
So for them, Maricel could not be indigent. At the time, maricel could not be indigent. At the same time, my mum was as a public school teacher and they came to know I was in Hongkong – doing an internship on a meagre allowance.
In the Philippines, the government method of assessment in identifying an indigent, who is poor and who is not or who is deserving of public services and who is not is based on the philosophy that it is the family and their relatives, and not the government that has the primary responsibility of support.
The consequence of this thinking means that any Filipino in the Philippines who has a family or relatives overseas, Hong Kong or elsewhere, cannot be considered indigent, or deserving of government assistance.
Thus, relatives of overseas Filipinos back home cannot be classified as indigent or poor.
In his column for the Sunday Examiner titled, the struggle to put food on tables, on September 14, Father Shay Cullen Notes, “More people than ever go hungry”,
He says hunger and starvation hits children the hardest. The story of my cousin, Maricel, and her son John Paul, are among those countless untold stories.
Father Cullen rightly points out that those who suffer from hunger end up severely malnourished and die quickly from hunger-related diseases.
John Paul died too young and too early because his parents had no money to buy food, let alone medicine. Like him, many other starving children go to bed every night crying for want of a meal.
The vast section of Philippine society is poor; consequently, the threshold for testing who is poor has become oddly high. But this method has only created a wrong perception that is detached from reality – that government employees and their relatives; as well as overseas workers and their relatives are not poor.
Needless to say, many of the government and overseas workers are themselves poor.
Reflecting on my cousin’s experience leads me to understand that it is highly destructive when people are made to feel that to suffer from poverty, hunger and starvation is the person’s own fault.
We should be condemning what causes this suffering, not those who suffer. To suffer abject poverty is neither a person’s own fault nor a choice.
It is a failure in the system of social government structure which takes away equal opportunity.
# # #
About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation that monitors human rights in Asia, documents violations and advocates for justice and institutional reform to ensure the protection and promotion of these rights. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.
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The greatest hunger is for justice
By Fr. Shay Cullen
Food, glorious food, our lives are dominated by the desire and need to eat and the agricultural industry provides food for the billions of people on the planet. However, some people eat too much food, over 1.5 billion and others have too little food, about 925 million people are malnourished and go hungry.
The people with too much food, most of it bad for the health, are dying from the surplus as they get heart failure, diabetes, cancers and many other conditions. Those with too little are dying too from the lack of nourishing food. It’s truly a matter of social justice on a local and then global scale and needs the just and fair distribution of the world’s resources and food above all.
Jesus of Nazareth, a prodigy of wisdom, advised his disciples to share whatever food they had (a few loaves and fishes) with the hungry people who had come out into the desert to hear him preach. The miracle was that the unselfish sharing of their little food inspired all the people who had food to share it with those who had none and there was enough for all.
Unselfish sharing is the way to bring greater balance into the world and the rich with compassion for the poor will have the spiritual insight and knowledge as to what is a good and right way to live and will have the spiritual will power and strength to control themselves and their appetite, greed and selfish urges. People are transformed when they forget themselves and get involved in helping change the world and help others. The real change in the world comes one person at a time, and it can then grow when others are inspired to do their share. Changing attitudes in a community by changing our way of life is teaching by example.
There is more than enough food in the world for everybody to eat well but the distribution is uneven due to corrupt governance, unfair laws and because the rich and well-fed have manipulated many a nation’s laws to benefit themselves and their luxuriant lifestyles. The poor have little chance for education, good job and food security. They don’t have a chance to provide for themselves.
Roger, a poor boy, asked me to help him get a job as a janitor in a fast food restaurant. He would be paid a minimum wage and allowed to have one meal a day. He just had to mop the floor and clean the toilets for eight hours. But to get the job, the company demanded a bunch of documents. He had to have a high school diploma, a health certificate, an x-ray, a birth certificate, 2 police clearance certificates, a letter of recommendation, a mayor’s work permit and money for a uniform.
For every document there is a fee to be paid, so the very poor, they are excluded and can’t even get a job that needs little training as a janitor, a good and noble profession, where would we be without them.
However, hundreds of thousands of youth are unemployed because of these ridiculous and expensive requirements. When he got the job, he was fired after six months so as not to have him qualify as a regular employee and get additional health benefits. That’s why hundreds of thousands go jobless and hungry.
If there is greater equality then absolute poverty will be eliminated and if there was less waste of food there would be a lowering of food prices and more people could be better fed. In the United States alone there is 40 million tons of food thrown away daily. In the UK, 15 million tons are wasted every day.
There are statistics showing that up to 30% of vegetables and fruit delivered to the UK supermarkets are rejected because they don’t reach the pristine shape and looks demanded by the managers.
In the Philippines, the left-over food from the plates of the restaurant customers are collected by the very poor and boiled and eaten. It keeps them alive. For another estimated 20 million Filipinos, a cup of cooked rice and a piece dried fish and a scrap of vegetable is all they can afford.
Even the ability of the people to feed themselves by growing their own food is being hampered by the control of the vegetable soya and corn seeds worldwide by companies making genetically modified organisms (GMO). Others have terminator seeds. These are sold with the help of corrupt Department of Agriculture personnel to farmers instead of traditional natural seeds.
The seeds are dependent on fertilizers made by the same company (Shell for example). They don’t produce seeds that will not grow again and the farmers have to go back and buy more seeds every year. Self reliance is taken away. That’s why many rural communities are in debt and poverty and some send their children to work in the cities. Many of them are trafficked into the sex trade.
What’s needed from most is a people’s power, peaceful, non-violent movement to protest and challenge the ruling elites and educate the people to elect honest representatives renowned for integrity with the best interests of the people at heart. Now that’s a real challenge. [shaycullen@preda.org; http://www.preda.org]
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#ScrapPork Network still hears loud “Oink!” from 2014 Budget
The 2014 General Appropriations Act still contains discretionary and lump sum funds of lawmakers and P83.24 billion in unprogrammed funds, according to the watchdog group, #ScrapPork Network (SPN).
As it stands, the National Budget is a “shameless and unconscionable violation of the Supreme Court ruling declaring the Pork Barrel System unconstitutional,” said #ScrapPork Network spokesperson Peachy Tan.
She also said the government failed to seize the opportunity to create a display of genuine “tuwid na daan” by not turning the rehabilitation of disaster-stricken areas as models for transparency and responsive budgeting. Tan hit Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s “special provision” earmarking P200 million to support local government units, half of which is allocated for the City Government of Manila governed by his father, Mayor Joseph Estrada.
“He is one of the principal suspects on the Napoles plunder case wherein he is accused of pocketing P200 million from ghost projects with Napoles NGOs, and now, he is violating the Constitution with a liposuction of his pork, only to be transferred to his dad,” Tan said.
She added that the new budget is proof that piecemeal reforms in governance will only come under perennial attack from traditional politicians “who will throw scraps at the public while they find creative means of diverting the people’s funds.”
Tan reiterated the need for the Filipino to be vigilant, instead of jubilant, in the midst of the reported “pork-less” budget and the declared unconstitutionality of the Pork Barrel System. “Clearly, unprogrammed funds still exist and lawmakers like Jinggoy can still allocate funds appropriated to them on their own discretion,” Tan cautioned.
Major disasters like Typhoon Yolanda, she added, could be the “opening of the floodgates” for more “discretionary spending.”
“Our government has collected nearly P600 million from international donations for rehabilitation and relief of Yolanda-stricken areas and a big chunk of the pledged amount has not been received yet. Reports say tons of relief goods are still undelivered by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and other government agencies while temporary shelters, in the form of bunker houses, are structurally weak and overpriced,” Tan explained.
“Yet, our government plans to spend, with full discretion, P80 billion from taxpayers money for rehabilitation. Our question is: Is this budget transparent and responsive? Have affected communities even been consulted?” she asked. #ScrapPork Network calls on the Filipino people to intensify further the battle for accountability, transparency, and democratic budgeting for 2014 might be the “Year of the Mutant Pig.”
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Informal workers associations in Leyte are asking the government to engage with people’s organizations in the planning and implementation of the Yolanda rehabilitation in the face of allegations of overpriced and substandard bunkhouses.
“Aside from the opinions of experts, the participation of the people themselves is vital in the success of the Yolanda rehab plan. Yolanda survivors should not just be passive recipients of aid but active stakeholders in the reconstruction process. We demand transparency and people’s participation,” asserted Judy Torres, chair of the Tacloban City tricycle federation and coordinator of Partido ng Manggagawa in Region 8.
Last December 30, Torres’ group held a motorcade around Tacloban of a hundred tricycles which were garbed in tarp posters with the message “Make jobs a priority in Yolanda rehab.” The motorcade signalled the launch of the campaign for decent employment, social protection and people’s participation as pillars of Yolanda rehabilitation plan. A representative of the International Labor Organization (ILO) observed and documented the campaign launch.
Torres averred that “People’s organizations can also serve as watchdogs against graft and corruption in the rehab process. Even more than the problem of temporary shelter, the input of the people is crucial in the issue of permanent housing. We insist on in-city relocation and climate-resilient socialized housing program for informal settlers.”
Some of the controversial bunkhouses are being built near Torres’ home and he does not believe they can cost almost a million each. He also attests to the fact that the contractors are not locals and even the laborers came from Mindanao.
He added that “Every cent of the USD 8.17 billion Reconstruction Assistance of Yolanda must be spent to meet the immediate and long-term needs of survivors. We also ask that locals be employed as workers with decent jobs as a guideline.”
The Tacloban tricycle federation together with drivers associations in Hilongos and Baybay, Leyte have issued a manifesto calling for decent employment to be a priority in the rehab plan. The demand echoes an ILO report that stated that more need to be done to provide decent work in the Yolanda affected areas that includes ensuring minimum wages, sound occupational safety, skills development and social protection.
“Decent jobs are a necessity since it is a guarantee to a person’s long-term security and a life of dignity” Torres argued.
Press Release
January 10, 2014
Partido ng Manggagawa
Contact Judy Torres @ 09262389963; 09482495848
Partido ng Manggagawa Coordinator for Region 8
Chairperson, Tacloban Federation of MCH Drivers and Operators (TAFEMDO)
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The labor groups Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA), Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) and Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) picketed the South Korean embassy in January 10, 2013 in McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio in protest at labor repression in Korea and Cambodia.
The picket-protest was in coordination with a general strike in South Korea. The groups also presented a letter of concern addressed to the Korean ambassador Hyuk Lee.
“The peril to labor rights and conditions in any country is a disadvantage to workers everywhere in this globalized world,” asserted Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and PM vice chair.
In a joint statement, the groups declared their outrage that a South Korean firm, Yakjin Cambodia Inc., called for the intervention of the armed forces of Cambodia that ended in the killing of four garment workers and the wounding of 23 others last January 2 and 3.
The Philippine workers also expressed their solidarity with the Korean workers fight against rail privatization and for labor rights. Even as the strike of the railway workers ended last December 31, the South Korean government has continued to pursue criminal charges against leaders of the Korean Railway Workers Union (KRWU) and civil damages against the union in the amount of over 7.7 billion won. The Philippine groups are also concerned about the threat of dismissal and disciplinary action against some 490 KRWU members.
Together with the police raid on the office of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) last December 22, Rivera averred that “These events constitute a clear and present danger to workers rights in the Republic of Korea.”
In their letter to the Korean ambassador, the groups insisted on the demand for the:
withdrawal of criminal charges against KRWU leaders;
withdrawal of damage suit against KRWU;
stop to the dismissals and disciplinary actions against KRWU members;
end to labor repression in the Republic of Korea; and
end to rail privatization.
Rivera ended that “We serve notice to the Korean embassy that Philippine workers will be monitoring the developments in South Korea and will be ready to undertake solidarity actions in the Philippines in coordination with our brothers and sisters in Korea.”
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On the Cambodian Government crackdown on workers protest
The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights vehemently condemns the naked violence the Cambodian Government has employed on protesting garments workers last January 3 in Phnom Penh leaving five workers dead, 20 injured and many others reported to be missing to this day.
We also condemn the consequent crackdown on workers protests as the Cambodian Government deployed military in the streets to quell and prevent legitimate people’s protests. All these measures gravely violate human rights and workers rights enshrined in ILO Convention 87 to which the Cambodian Government is a signatory.
Same with the majority of the working people across underdeveloped nations, Cambodian garments workers experience massive and deep exploitation. While Cambodia is among the major exporters of highly-expensive brands of clothes (Gap, H&M, Inditex, Adidas, Puma, Walmart, C&A and others), workers are paid below subsistent rates. The monthly minimum wage of USD80 in Cambodia is in fact only 28 percent of the computed monthly living wage which is USD283.
We are deeply appalled with how the Cambodian Government is virtually leaving the Cambodian workers to die in abject poverty by maintaining inhumane wage levels. But we are enraged to see how the Cambodian state inflicts death on its people who are merely struggling to live with dignity.
The Cambodian workers strike which simply aims to improve living conditions by demanding to increase wages by 100 percent (from USD80 to USD160) is just and legitimate.
Thus, we stand with the Cambodian workers in their fight for significantly better wages. We are also one with them in fighting against state repression and demanding justice for their fallen comrades.
We call on the Cambodian Government to live up to its human rights commitments: put an end on the crackdown and lift the ban against protests and strikes. We demand justice for the victims of state violence in the January 3 protest. Finally, we call on the Cambodian Government to stand for the workers’ interest and heed their demands to monthly minimum wage to USD160.
We urge labor groups and people’s organizations from the all over the world to unite with the Cambodian workers in this universal fight for living wages, justice and freedom.
Justice for the Cambodian Workers!
Stop Trade Union Repression!
For reference: Daisy Arago, CTUHR Executive Director, 0916-248-4876; 411-0256; ctuhr.pilipinas@gmail.com
STATEMENT
10 Jan 2014
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Nanumbalik na naman ang masamang bisyo ng mga bandido sa Zamboanga Peninsula. Nitong bago mag-Pasko, Disyembre 18 ay isang guro ang dinukot ng mga armadong lalaki sa Zambaonga City.
Ang kaawa-awang guro ay si Ms Cathy Mae Casipong, 23 taong gulang at guro sa Sibugtoc Elementary School sa nasabing lungsod. Nag-Pasko na’t nag-Bagong Taon si Teacher Cathy na malayo sa kanyang pamilya. Bumalik na ang klase noong Lunes ay naroon pa rin siya kamay ng mga kindnaper.
Hindi bago ang balitang ito. Hindi si Teacher Cathy ang unang biktima ng kidnapping sa Zambonaga Peninsula at sa Mindanao.
Enero 23, 2009 nang dukutin din ng mga bandido ang mga gurong sina Freires Quizon, Janette de los Reyes, at Rafael Mayonado, habang nakasakay sa bangka malapit sa Siacol Island sa Zamboanga City. Sila ay nakatalaga bilang mga guro sa Landang Gua Elementary School. Mayo 27 na nang taong ding yaon nang sila ay mapalaya.
Agad itong nasundan noong Marso 13, 2009 sa kalapit na lalawigan ng Zambonaga Sibugay kung saan ang mga guro sa Bangkaw-bangkaw Elementary School na sina Noemi Mandi, Jocelyn Inion at Jocelyn Enriquez ay dinukot rin ng mga bandido. Nakalaya ang mga pobreng guro Setyembre 23, 2009 na o mahigit anim na buwan.
Masasabing mapalad pa ang anim na gurong nabanggit, sapagkat noong Oktubre 19, 2009 din, ay kinidnap naman si Gabriel Canizares, principal ng Kanague Elementary School sa Sulu. Isa siyang Kristiyanong nakatalaga sa komunidad ng mga Muslim. Hindi naging mapalad ang kinalabasan ng kanyang istorya sapagkat noong Nobyembre 9, 2009, ang kanyang bangkay na pinugutan ng ulo ay natagpuan sa Jolo. Ito’y matapos umanong mabigong magbayad ng ransom ang kanyang pmailya. Isang napakalupit na kamatayan para sa isang taong walang ginawa kundi ang maglingkod ng tapat sa mga kabataang Bangsamoro at matiyak na sila ay matuto at mabigyan ng edukasyon.
Ang mga pagdukot na ito sa mga guro hindi lamang sa Zamboanga, Sulu at Basilan nagaganap. Maging sa ibang bahagi ng Mindanao ay may mga ganitong kaso. Katulad noong Disyembre, 2009, kung saan ay umaabot sa 75 katao ang dinukot ng armadong mga kasapi ng Ondo Perez Group mula sa isang paaralan sa Prosperidad, Agusan Del Sur. Noong Pebrero 2011 ay naulit iton sa parehong lalawigan kung saan, 16 katao naman ang dinukot. Marami sa mga biktima sa dalawang insidenteng ito ay mga batang mag-aaral at ang kanilang mga guro.
Isa lamang ito sa mga peligrong hinaharap ng mga guro sa araw-araw na buhay. Maliban diyan ay may palagiang panganib rin na hinaharap ang mga guro sa mga liblib na lugar, lalo na yaong mga nasa lugar ng labanan ng mga puwersa ng rebelde at pamahalaan. Hidid man kasali sa aktuwal na giyera ay lagi nang naiipit sa digmaan ang ating mga guro. Laging may nakaambang panganib sa kanilang kaligtasan at buhay.
Sapat na dahilan ito upang bigyan ng hazard pay ang ating mga guro na nasa ganitong sitwasyon. Ito naman ay naayon na rin sa batas at ginagarantiyahan ng Magna Carta for Public School Teachers na naisabatas noon pang 1966.
Upang mabigyan ng proteksiyon ang mga bata at ang edukasyon, dapat munang matiyak na protektado ang mga guro. #
Reference: Benjo Basas, National Chairperson 0920-5740241/ 3853437
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Policymakers to blame why poor people turn to saints for jobs, healthcare
Policymakers are to blame why throngs of poor and sick people opt to seek deliverance from the Black Nazarene at Luneta and Quiapo Church rather than flock to hospitals for regular medical treatment, the labor group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) said in a statement.
The group said that besides the yearly observance of this centuries-old tradition, the devotees’ main concerns for keeping the faith revolve around their plea to relieve them from serious illness and lift them out of poverty.
“Policymakers should look at this phenomenon in a more political rather than in purely religious sense. It’s failure of polices and governance. When poor people are afraid of hospitals because of high cost, their traditional option is to look for divine and non-discriminating sponsors in the likes of the Black Nazarene and other saints,” said PM.
The group pointed out that while faith and deliverance is a personal devotion to the Creator, quality healthcare, employment and other aspects of good life are the State’s social and moral obligation to its people.
Along this line PM chided lawmakers for making noise about their constituents having problems in availing the ‘pork’ they have realigned to different agencies.
Earlier Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga complained against the lack of guidelines from government agencies on how former pork beneficiaries can have access to the services they previously enjoy.
“The problem is that lawmakers merely realigned their PDAF to line agencies without putting in place a universal system in delivering social services, creating in effect administrative gridlocks because politicized and discretionary parts of the budget remain,” said PM.
The group had pushed for the creation of a universal social protection fund in place of the pork barrel system during the height of the anti-pork barrel campaign last year, adding that the terms ‘pork scholars’ and ‘medical assistance’ should have been replaced now by ‘state scholars’ and ‘universal healthcare’.
PM explained further that the United Nations (UN) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) have been pushing for ‘universalisation’ in place of the ‘targeting system’ in the provision of social services because it is administratively less costly, inclusive, and more empowering when they become legal entitlements based on people’s needs and not the ability to pay.
The group warned lawmakers not to exploit the frustrations of the masses to smuggle in a plan to reconstitute their PDAF.
PRESS RELEASE
Partido ng Manggagawa
09 January 2014
Contact Wilson Fortaleza @ 09178233956
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As classes open today after more than two weeks of holiday break, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) enumerated some problems that they predict will continuously haunt public school teachers and the education sector for the coming year.
Kidnapped teacher in Zamboanga. The vicious kidnapping cycle in the South strikes again before Christmas. A young female teacher from Sibugtoc Elementary School in Zamboanga City was snatched by several armed men on December 18. The poor teacher and other colleagues were on their way to report for an event in the city proper, clearly, in line of official duty.. Kidnapping of teachers in Zamboanga Peninsula Region has been rampant in the past years, yet the government always failed to provide security or hazard pay for teachers in this and other conflict areas.
Delayed Comelec payment. The Comelec last week announced that the DBM approved their request to provide additional P300.00 honorarium for teachers who served in the board of election tellers (BET) during Barangay elections in October 28 (and November 28 in Bohol and Zamboanga City), a good sign. However, believe it or not, many teachers in some areas including the cities of Quezon, Makati and Olongapo and the devastated town of Palo in Leyte have not received their P500.00 transportation allowance until now.
Taxes on bonuses and salaries. Teachers from the provinces complained that their productivity enhancement incentive (PEI) were deducted of tax, just as the productivity based-bonus (PBB) which the allocation for 2012 only given last August 2013. Teachers were surprised that in some localities, taxes were imposed ranging from 10 to 30% of their bonus, which according to the BIR is guaranteed by the law. Another issue with the BIR is the sudden change of tax code of some teachers, specifically in Malabon City that become a heavy burden to them. In some schools for example, those that are normally being charged of tax amounting to P3, 000.00 to P4, 000.00 paid up to more than P10, 000.00 last November and December 2013. The taxman (taxwoman, actually) vowed to collect every peso entitled to the government, however, nobody is keeping an eye on where these taxes go. The year 2013 was a witness to robbery of taxpayers’ money in great scales.
No increase in salary. The government’s budget for this year has not reflected the increase in salaries for its employees. That means, the salary would maintain its 2012 status until next year and it is not even sure if the government would provide a pay increase for FY 2015. Thus, materials for the third year of implementation of K-12 will be shouldered again by teachers from their meager salaries. It is interesting to note that the DepEd does not provide for text books for the use of students and teachers in accordance with the new curriculum, instead poor mentors are expected to download e-copy of resource materials for printing and reproduction.
Situation of teachers in Yolanda-affected areas. And perhaps the greatest challenge will still be confronted by the teachers in Yolanda-hit areas. No classrooms, no electricity, no chairs and blackboards, not even chalk and erasers were spared by the monster typhoon. Teachers in the area, like all other residents will have to start from zero. Until now, they are seeking the help of the government, but while employees of other agencies have already received cash and assistance for house rebuilding, public school teachers rely on their own. Yet they are in the forefront of rehabilitation and they provide strength for the whole community especially children. The only help teachers, especially in Leyte received from the DepEd are lipsticks, make-up kits, free haircut and minimal relief packages. And worth mentioning are the loan packages from GSIS, Pag-Ibig and Provident Fund, while they said what they really need is a cash grant, if not, a tax break or moratorium of all mandated deductions in their salaries that will surely benefit them and would reduce the impact of the deluge in their families.
Note:
The TDC on Saturday has launched the Project PAG-ARAM, An initiative to raise school supplies for children and materials for teachers in Yolanda-affected areas.
Pag-aram is a Waray term which means ‘learning’ or ‘to learn’ and the project’s main objective is to provide the school needs of students and teachers in typhoon Yolanda-affected areas of Eastern Visayas, Northern Cebu, Northern Panay and Northern Palawan. The project, which will be done in close coordination with the field offices of the DepEd, aims to collect as many donations as possible from schools, students, teachers, parents, individuals and organizations.
Materials such as pens, notebooks, school bags, shoes, crayons for kids and chalk, eraser, manila paper, cartolina, markers, record book, lesson plan book and improvised blackboard for teachers collected during the first week of January will be distributed in Leyte on January 15. However, the secretariat will accept donations up to May 30, 2014.
Reference: Benjo Basas, National Chairperson 0920-5740241/ 3853437
PRESS STATEMENT
January 6, 2014
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Group calls for transparency, people’s participation in Yolanda rehab plan
Amidst reports and allegations of overpriced and substandard temporary shelters for Yolanda survivors, the Region 8 chapter of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) called for transparency and people’s participation in the implementation of the rehabilitation and reconstruction plan.
“We are victims of disasters not once but twice. First of climate change-spawned supertyphoon Yolanda and now of the greed-induced calamity of corruption,” said Judy Torres, PM regional coordinator and chair of the Tacloban City federation of tricycle drivers and operators associations.
Torres has seen the controversial bunkhouses since some are being built near his home and he does not believe they can cost almost a million each. He also attests to the fact that the contractors are not locals and even the laborers came from Mindanao.
He added that “Every cent of the USD 8.17 billion Reconstruction Assistance of Yolanda must be spent to meet the immediate and long-term needs of survivors. The participation of people’s organizations should be institutionalized in the plan and they can serve as watchdogs against graft and corruption.”
Torres called on the Philippine government, international aid groups and donor countries to dialogue with grassroots labor and people’s organizations. He also asked that locals be employed as workers with decent jobs as a guideline.
Led by Torres, the tricycle drivers of Tacloban are spearheading a campaign demanding decent jobs, social protection and people’s participation as bedrocks of the Yolanda rehabilitation plan. To signal the launch of the campaign, last December 30 a motorcade of a hundred tricycles garbed in posters with the message “Make jobs a priority in Yolanda rehab,” went around Tacloban and were warmly received by typhoon survivors. A representative of the International Labor Organization observed and documented the campaign launch.
In a manifesto of the tricycle and trisikad drivers in Tacloban, Hilongos and Baybay, the groups explained that prior to the onslaught of Yolanda, they already were living poor, miserable lives since transporting people through motorized and non-motorized vehicles for hire was their only source of income. The groups’ priority demand is decent jobs because it is a guarantee to a person’s long-term security and a life of dignity.
Torres declared that that since current extreme weather systems are the awful outcome of climate change caused by unrestrained economic activities of industrial countries thus more than the humanitarian aspect, developed countries have the historical, moral, and social responsibility to come to the aid of Yolanda survivors.
Press Release
January 6, 2014
Partido ng Manggagawa
Contact Judy Torres @ 09262389963; 09482495848
Partido ng Manggagawa Coordinator for Region 8
Chairperson, Tacloban Federation of MCH Drivers and Operators (TAFEMDO)
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Searching for abused children and Yolanda orphans
By Fr. Shay Cullen Mobile No: Sun +639228768621, Globe +63 917 627 4910
Immediately after the typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the strongest typhoon ever to hit land on 8 November this year, I wrote an article titled “The Lost Orphans of Yolanda” on 12 November in the knowledge that the children without parents are the most vulnerable to abuse, abduction, malnutrition and human trafficking. Hungry children go wandering off in search of food their parents cannot provide and you see them at city street corners begging and asking strangers for money.
That article on the orphans was based on the initial report that as many as ten thousand people had been killed by the storm surge and high winds and flying debris. The confirmed death toll has reached 6,500 dead and more bodies are uncovered as the debris is gradually removed. It was expected that there would be many homeless, hungry and orphaned children. They tend to be overlooked in the chaos that follows a great storm or disaster.
It was published in several newspapers and online and flew around the world via the internet and seemingly had its desired effect to alert the agencies, government and non-government agencies helping children in the disaster area of Yolanda to be on the lookout for homeless and abandoned orphaned children. Preda Foundation cares for almost 90 children in residential care and fifty in after care and did not have the resources for an immediate relief response until donations began arriving. Then we immediately set off to the disaster areas to assess the damage and the needs of children and learn how best we could help.
The article seemed to ignite a flurry of concern and press releases and stories about the dangers these vulnerable children faced. This may have had a preventive educational impact, I hope so. According to the DSWD Regional Director Bonoan, no orphaned children have been found, and none came into her Manila based evacuation centers. Preda social workers worked there and did not find any orphans there either. However, there are three posters appealing for information about missing children, one as young as 3 years old. Likewise in the Cebu evacuation center which we also visited, none were found according to the officer in charge. In Tacloban, reportedly there were none either, other than one family of five taken by the Council for Inter-county Adoption to an orphanage in Quezon City.
However, with 6500 people dead, it’s highly unusual that no children have been found homeless and orphaned. Perhaps relatives have taken them into their care already as informal fostering and undocumented adoption is customary. Perhaps, the fact that local government is so overwhelmed with so many other problems, they cannot cope or even know if there are orphaned children being sheltered by other families. The greatest concern is the vulnerability of boys and girls to local pimps and recruiters and foreign paedophiles disguised as government officials or charity workers.
Kandy is a 15 year-old victim of human trafficking from Samar. Before the typhoon, her parents fled the poverty and brought her and her sister, 20 years old, to Metro Manila but left them with an auntie and returned to Samar. Her sister Karina was lured to Limay, Bataan, a port, and she was ensnared in a videoke sex bar. The recruiter trafficker then texted Kandy inviting her to come and work in a bakery, she was given advance money and then to pay it off, she was forced to work in another sex videoke bar at Pexsite. Intimidated and scared, she went and was offered as a live-partner to a Korean. She ran away from this sex-slavery but because of debts, she had to go back to another videoke bar. A concerned citizen texted Preda’s hot line and within two days, Preda social workers and legal officer rescued her. She is finding a new life of dignity now at Preda home for trafficked girls. The Preda legal officer filed the criminal charges. The trafficker was arrested and is facing arraignment in Balanga, Bataan, Regional Trial Court.
Many people may know of abducted or recruited children or see trafficking or abuse happening but are afraid to report it or have no one to trust to whom they can safely and anonymously report it and get immediate action. What Preda Foundation does best is immediate response and through its highly trained personnel, it can do undercover surveillance and research on the one hand, and give public community training to develop awareness and trust in communities and empower women and children to report human trafficking and abuse of any kind through texting to the hotline mobile number +63 917 532 4453. The one utility back on in most disaster hit areas is the mobile phone systems.
Besides giving relief foods and seeds to farmers, we need to give this public education and empowerment training seminars to parents and youth on the dangers of falling for the offers of traffickers and spread the message through radio, seminars and puppet shows and distribute information cards with the contact information and hotline number.
This way, the people knowing about trafficked children or adults can report it without fear of retaliation or threats. It’s important to involve the local officials and train and hire local youth to take on the preventive educators’ job and continue the empowerment and information project. The feedback to the Preda coordinator of any trafficking or child abuse will be met with an immediate response. The hotline number for reporting trafficking or child abuse of any kind is +63 917 532 4453. We can make this a better world for children at risk.
Donations: Preda Foundation, Metrobank, Rizal Ave., Olongapo Bank Account 144-2-14403962-3, Swift code MBTCPHMM
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The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said they appreciate the P300.00 additional honorarium for teachers who served during the 2013 barangay elections held on October 28 and special elections on November 28 held in Bohol Province and Zamboanga City. The announcement came from the budget department yesterday as its response to the Comelec’s appeal for increase in teachers’ pay.
“This is an admission that the Comelec gave us less than what we deserved. However, we would be more thankful if they provided a truly just pay commensurate to our tasks.” Said Benjo Basas, the group’s national chairperson.
The TDC prior to the elections protested what they call “a legalized exploitation” of teachers thru the compulsory election duties that they said exposes them to “all sorts of dangers- health risks, harassment, legal charges and physical attack.”
“Yet at the end of all these sufferings,” Basas continued “teachers will only get a very minimal compensation- not even enough for transportation, paracetamol, food and energy drink to keep us awake, often, the honorarium comes very late, as late as a month or more.”
Basas cited the October 28 elections in which the group received reports of non-payment of the P2, 000.00 honorarium as late as one month after the polls. Meanwhile the payment for those who served as canvassers (amount varies depending on the number of clustered precinct) as well as the P500.00 transportation allowance have not been paid in such areas as Palo, Leyte and Olongapo City, respectively, that is two months after the elections.
Basas also criticized the government for paying “huge amount of honoraria and bonuses to those who practically just sit in their respective offices, including the bosses of government corporations and financial institutions” and giving away people’s money to the “discretionary funds of incompetent and corrupt officials” while providing very little to the lowly rank and file employees.
The group long before the elections asked the government to pay those who sit as board of election tellers (BET) more. “The amount of honorarium should have been doubled, it should not be less than P4, 000.00, same as our total per diem during automated elections, because barangay elections use manual system which is more physically exhausting.” Basas added.
Basas, again reiterated his group’s call for the abolition of the mandated poll duties of teachers.
“These are the reasons why we push for the optional election duties. We cannot refuse the assignment to sit as election workers, even if this task may expose us to harm, even death. We cannot negotiate with the Comelec on the amount they want us to be paid. We can never demand for a lawyer to defend us when we are in trouble. The mandated poll duty of public school teachers is a legal excused for the government to perpetuate exploitation.” Basas ended. #
Reference: Benjo Basas, National Chairperson 0920-5740241/ 3853437
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2013 had been very challenging and even dreadful for many Filipinos, like to the fishermen in Zambales who were caught in the middle of the conflict of the Philippines against the Republic of China, the passengers and the victims of the Don Mariano Skyway incident, the another Sulpicio line mishap in August, and of course for the victims and survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda.
This is also the year when the country discovered just how crazy and unacceptable the corrupt practices of the many legislators and politicians as highlighted by the “Pork Barrel” issue. Of all the seemingly unimaginable and overwhelming trials of the year, finding triumphs could have been very hard if we are not who we are, Filipinos.
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Bakit ang isyu sa Calumpit bridge ay isyu ng karapatan ng mga riders at karapatang pantao?
By Lyndon Pangan
Una , ang kawalan ng kongkretong aksyon ng pamahalaan (partikular ang local na pamahalaan) sa daing ng mga riders na masolusyonan ang mahirap na kalagayan nila sa paglalakbay ay labag sa karapatan.
(Obligasyon ng gubyerno to “Respect, Protect, and Fulfill the Human Rights of the people)
Ang halos 150 pesos na bayad sa mapanganib na Bangka sa pagtawid sa ilog ay masakit sa bulsa ng mga manggagawang mananakay na sumasahod ng P336.00 kada araw (source: National Wages and Productivity Commission –Minimum Wage in Region 3) Halos kalahati ang nababawas na sa kanyang arawang sahod.
Ang alternate route na may layong humigit kumulang sa 24 kilometers ay dagdag gastos din sa gasolina at pagod sa araw araw na biyahe.
Halos isang taong (o higit pa yata) ganito ang kalagayan ng mga kapatid nating riders sa Bulacan at Pampanga habang ginagawa ang nasabing tulay sa bayan ng Calumpit. Hindi ko lubos maisip kung bakit natitiis ng pamahalaan na magdanas ang mga mananakay ng ganitong kalunus lunos na sitwasyon.
Ikalawa, opo ang konstruksyon ng tulay ay para sa karapatan ng mas nakararami ito ay “Right to Development” Ngunit ayon sa United Nations human rights principle, ang karapatan ay dapat INTERRELATED AT INTERDEPENDENT, ito rin ay dapat NON-DISCRIMINATORY. Tama lang na ayusin ang mga tulay sapagkat ito ay daan para sa kaunlaran, ngunit ang mali ay habang inaayos ito, may isang bahagi ng populasyon na nakakaranas ng kagipitan. Ito ay nagiging sagka sa karapatan ng mga riders na makapaglakbay ng maayos, at tulad nga ng nabanggit sa itaas, obligasyon ng gubyerno na siguruhin na hindi nalalabag ang karapatan na ito.
Ang panawagan at solusyon: Umaksyon ang pamahalaan upang maibsan ang kahirapang nararamdaman ng mga riders, pinatunayan na natin na delikado at hindi mainam ang kasalukuyang alternatiba. Lumikha ng paraan para magkaroon ng solusyon o alternatiba na abot-kaya, ligtas at aksesible para sa lahat. Nang sa gayon ay walang nalalabag na karapatan.
TANDAAN PO NATIN NA KAPAG SINISINGIL ANG GUBYERNO SA PAGLABAG SA KARAPATAN NG MGA TAO, ITINUTURING NA PAGLABAG SA KARAPATAN ANG KAWALAN NITO NG AKSYON SAPAGKAT HINAHAYAAN NITO ANG ANG ISANG SITWASYON NA KUNG SAAN ANG MGA KARAPATAN NATIN AY NALALABAG (NON-COMPLIANCE).
Sa Ika-30 ng Disyembre ako po bilang isang indibidwal na mananakay ng motorsiklo ay lalahok sa panawagan ng Bulacan Motorcycle Riders Federation (BMRF), ARANGKADA Riders Alliance at iba pang grupo na magsasagawa ng isang symbolic ride sa Bulacan. Maari po tayong magkita-kita (mga manggagaling ng NCR)sa Total Valenzuela Branch (Tapat ng SM) ganap na 11 ng umaga. Tutulak tayo patungo sa CALTEX-BSU sa Malolos (1pm call time dun). Upang sumama sa makasaysayang lakbay para sa KARAPATAN.
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Habang nasa biyahe patungong Balangiga, Eastern Samar noong Disyembre 21, 2103, isang panawagan ang aking napansin. Alam kong bumisita ka din Mr. President sana nakita mo ito. Malinaw ang mensahe Mr. President don’t stop the relief operation until it’s over.-Larry Pascua
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Filipino Youtube Singers Unite for Typhoon Relief (“The Prayer” for the Philippines)
GREEN MANGO
Published on Youtube, December 17, 2013
Donate to Red Cross: http://bit.ly/18NZZBy A deeply touching collaboration of some of the best and most unique Philippine voices on YouTube (feat. viral stars such as Zendee ‘random girl’ & Aldrich Talonding).
This very special charity video could not have happened were it not for the internet as more than a dozen Filipino YT singers combined voices for a cause.
Conceptualized, arranged and edited by Derek Wanner (GRNMNGO)
GRNMNGO – the viral company http://www.grnmngo.com
In the weeks since the historic super typhoon Haiyan caused such carnage in the Philippines, we have been working tirelessly to assemble together some of the most gifted Filipino singers that can be found online for a very special viral video collaboration.
Read full article @ http://youtu.be/Nrlr0ci4DTs
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With the theme, “Sa kulang-kulang na pamamahala, TAO ang kawawa. Dapat Tao Muna,” the right of the people to government’s response in tragedies, climate change and all human rights was the focus of the campaign by human rights groups and activists in the Philippines that commemorated the Human Rights Week for more than one week.
Here are 10 of the events that I was aware of that groups and individuals conducted in contribution of the 65th year commemoration of the UDHR and/or in the promotion of human rights.
Four years have passed since 58 people were murdered in the deadliest attacked made against media called the “Ampatuan Massacre” on a hilltop in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao. Four years, and still justice remains illusive at nagiging pahabaan ng pisi ata ang laban.
“Four years after the Ampatuan massacre, it is all too clear that the only way we will ever find justice and the freedom to fully enjoy our rights is to lay claim to them, to seize them and, once we have them, to nurture them and jealously guard them against all those who would keep them from us.”-NUJP
Also worldwide, the International Day to End Impunity (IDEI) is commemorated annually on November 23 by advocates for free expression. IFEX (the global network defending and promoting free expression) declared the day as the International Day to End Impunity in 2011. It is a day dedicated to a call to action to demand justice for those who have been targeted for exercising their right to freedom of expression, and to shed light on the issue of impunity.
They chose November 23 because it marks the day of the Ampatuan Massacre.
Media groups and people’s organizations held protest action in Mendiola on the night of November 23 and called on PNoy to make good of his campaign promise that the case would be resolved before the end of his term, and that the government would grant financial assistance to the families of the victims.
Photo extracted from Rappler/LeAnne Jazul
“The media group slammed Coloma for making the claim “considering that nothing has yet been accomplished in terms of hastening the pace of the massacre trial and the fresh killings of members of the media in the first 3 years of the Aquino administration.”
According to Alan Ace-Aclan, spokesperson for the group, “with injustice still rife and the murder of journalists and other critics of the government is still being reported on the fourth year of the massacre and 3 years after President Aquino was elected, it is crystal clear that the culture of impunity is still very much alive.”
Take Back the Tech Philippines is a collaborative campaign to reclaim information and communication technologies (ICT) to end violence against women (VAW) in the Philippines, and around the world..
NOVEMBER 30 – BONIFACIO @150
Photo extracted from Yuen Abana FB
Some 5,000 strong contingent of the broad labor coalition NAGKAISA marched to Mendiola to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of the plebeian hero Andres Bonifacio.
Under the theme “Kalayaan Mula sa Pulitikong Kawatan, Delubyong Kahirapan, Trahedyang mula sa Kalikasan,” they called on PNoy to urgently address corruption, poverty and climate crisis.
The group also demanded that Gat Andes Bonifacio be declared as the first president of the Philippine republic.
NOVEMBER 30 –BAYANIHAN REPUBLIC
Photo extracted from DAKILA FB page
Cyclists, artists and volunteers gathered together as one on November 30, 2013 as they take part in Bayanihan Republic, a fundraising festival for continued relief operations, psychosocial support, and on-ground initiatives to rebuild communities in areas affected by Typhoon Yolanda.
Bayanihan Republic is an initiative of Dakila in partnership with Jam 88.3, with the support of The Asia Foundation and the Fully Abled Nation and in cooperation with the Quezon City Memorial Circle.
DECEMBER 2- 3RD HR PINDUTEROS CHOICE AWARDS NIGHT
Photo by Rommel Yamzon
For the third time since 2011, Human Rights Online Philippines or HRonlinePH.com gave recognition to human rights defenders’ efforts to promote, assert and defend human rights by maximizing online platforms. The event celebrated the assertion for freedom of expression and opinion online and offline with the theme “Internet Freedom… our rights, our choice, our voice.”
Winners are
POSTS
AUTHOR
CATHEGORY
Project Byline: Rights All- You-Can campaign
UPCJ
HR Campaign
PR: Teachers ask DEPED to expedite the release of bonus
TDC
HR Network’s Post
[Appeal] An Open Letter to Pond’s and All Whitening Products
Renee Juliene M. Karunungan
HR Pindutero’s Post
WE ARE NATURE rodgalicha.com
Rodney Galicha
HR Blogsite
philippinehumanrights.org
PAHRA
HR Website
Love is…Freedom from Violence!
World March of Women – Pilipinas
HR Event
Rated PG at PETA Arts Zone: “Love Does Not Hurt” campaign launch
Dakila and PETA Arts Zone
HR Photo
March 8, 2013 International Women’s Day
World March of Women – Pilipinas
HR Video
Dissidente!
Jose Mario De Vega
HR Off the shelf/Resources
Hey Coke! RESPECT workers’ rights! FB page
APL
HR featured site
MD4HR.net
MAG
HR featured site
DECEMBER 6 –CSO NATIONAL CONSULTATION ON AICHR TOR
Photo by TFDP
Civil Society National Consultation on the review of the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Terms of Reference (ToR) was held on December 6, 2013. at Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City.
The AICHR was established in 2009 and since then CSOs in the region have been trying to engage and advocate for its independence from States and assert relevant space for Civil Society participation for its effective performance as a Regional Human Rights Mechanism. The AICHR’s continuous denial of CSOs participation may be rooted in the limited mandate that is provided in its ToR, which has vague explanation on the role of CSOs in the work of the AICHR.
The ToR, as stated in it, is set for review in 2014 which will be five years after its entry into force. This may be seen as an opportunity for CSOs to propose and assert improvements for strengthening AICHR as a regional human rights body.
Organized by FORUM-ASIA, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) and Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), the consultation was attended by Regional and national Civil Society organizations working on different human rights issues and themes.
DECEMBER 7 –POLITICAL PRISONERS DAY
Photo by TFDP
Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) and Balay Rehabilitation Center together with the Medical Action Group (MAG) and other groups held the annual political prisoners’ day on December 7, 2013 in the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.
DECEMBER 10 -LIGHTUP4 YOLANDA VICTIMS, LIGHTUP4 RIGHTS
In commemoration of the December 10 International Human Rights Day of 2013, human rights groups held nationwide solidarity candle lighting in several parts of the country, for victims of typhoon Yolanda and other natural disasters and victims of human rights violations.
“We devote today’s commemoration of International Human Rights Day for all those who suffered and continue to suffer the result of climate change and environmental destruction caused by greed, development aggression and government neglect,” said Emmanuel Amistad, Executive Director of the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP).
Photo by TFDP Mindanao
While the group extended their heartfelt solidarity to all victims, they also called on government leaders to prioritize the needs of the victims and refrain from politicking.
“We Light UP for Yolanda Victims, we Light Up for Human Rights, dahil higit sa lahat ay dapat unahin ng pamahalaan ang kapakanan ng mga taong nasalanta kaysa pagpapabida. Dapat matauhan na ang mga kurap na pulitiko at tigilan na ang pamumulsa ng pondo ng bayan at ilaan sa dapat nitong puntahan. Dahil dapat Tao muna! Hindi tubo at kita, dahil dapat tao muna hindi pamumulitika at pabida,” Amistad added.
“Although our fellow Filipinos in disaster stricken areas, especially in Leyte needs all the help, relief and support we can provide, it will not be enough to solve the problems. Other future disasters will come and if the government will not be serious and sincere in performing its duty to protect its people instead of profit and corruption, all these will just be repeated,” Amistad said.
Photo by TFDP Visayas
In Visayas, members of TFDP and its allies from the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) held their “Light UP 4 Yolanda Victims, Light UP 4 Rights,” at the University of the Philippines Cebu. “We light candles in solidarity for all victims of climate disaster, mining and other profit driven development projects that does not benefit the people, instead harm them and lead to violations of their human rights.”
In Mindanao, human rights defenders, TFDP, PMCJ and Freedom from Debt Coalition together with other social and climate activists led the candle lighting activities in Centennial Park, San Pedro Street, Davao City. Candle lighting activities at Bukidnon, Surigao Del Sur and Iligan were also held simultaneously.
According to the group they are also dedicated the solidarity candle lighting for victims of Zamboanga siege, Bohol and Cebu Earthquake, and other natural and manmade disasters that devastated our peoples and communities. Saying, “We hope we can help inspire them to stand up and we are with them in struggling to regain what has been damaged and lost from them.”
Photo by TFDP
Youth and students in several universities also gave their solidarity LightUP activity. Students from De La Salle College of Saint Benilde participated in the Quezon City Memorial Circle LightUP activity. Members of Youth for Rights (Y4R) and Teatro Kahimanawari of Marikina Polytechnic University held their candle lighting in front of Marikina City Hall Freedom Park. Others participated in the online solidarity in the social networking site Facebook.
In Quezon City, more than 300 members of the Philipppine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), Amnesty International – Philippines and Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), held the LightUP for Yolanda Victims, LightUP4 Rights activity at the fountain area in Quezon City Memorial Circle.
The group lamented that “Sa kulang-kulang na pamamahala, Tao ang kawawa.” The group also reminded PNoy of his obligation to issue a National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP) in compliance with the recommendation of the Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
DECEMBER 14 -1ST PHBS HEALTH BLOGGERS MEET AND LAUNCHING OF HEALTHACTIVIST.PH
Photo by HealthActivist.ph
The Philippine Health Bloggers Society (PHBS) in cooperation with HealthActivist.ph and @IYCPilipinas held the 1st PHBS Health Bloggers Meet on December 14, 2013 in Quezon City. The event was graced by guest speakers like Ana Santos, Grace Nicolas, and Alvin Dakis (IYC PH Chair).
“Advocacies are not something you will just talk about, you need to walk the talk. Go Offline to become credible and to show your real passion.” – Grace Bondad Nicolas
“To change the way we view sex, we have to change the way we talk about it”- Ana P. Santos
DECEMBER 15 -PADYAKARAPATAN
Photo grabbed from AIph FB
More than a thousand participated in the Amnesty International Philippines’ Bike for Rights PadyaKarapatan 2013. They cycled through 7 cities of Metro Manila. The event aimed to remind the Aquino administration and the 16th Congress of their obligation to enact and implement legislation necessary for protecting human rights of Filipino citizens.
“Before the 2010 and 2013 elections, Amnesty International presented its Philippine Human Rights Agenda to the candidates and promises were subsequently made. As the year ends, we ask 10 questions – ‘Sampung Tanong ng Bayan sa Pamahalaang Aquino at Kongreso’ – to remind the Aquino government and the 16th Congress about important human rights agenda which they need to act upon immediately starting 2014,” explained Dr. Aurora A. Parong, Director of Amnesty International Philippines.
MANILA – United Nations Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon called on donor nations Sunday to ramp up aid to typhoon-battered Philippines as it grapples with a funding shortfall on the long road to recovery.
“We must not allow this to be another forgotten crisis,” Ban told reporters a day after touring the storm-ravaged city of Tacloban.
He said the UN had only achieved 30 percent of the $791 million in aid it had appealed for to boost relief and rehabilitation efforts in areas devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan last month.
Human Rights Online Philippines does not hold copyright over these materials. Author/s and original source/s of information are retained including the URL contained within the tagline and byline of the articles, news information, photos etc.
Malikhain talaga tayong mga pinoy, akalain mo ‘yun ang daming video sa youtube na nalikha at ginamit upang ipaalam sa mundo ang mga nangyari, at siyempre makangalap ng tulong para sa mga biktima.
Ilan sa mga video na aking tinutukoy ay hinaluan ng musika na ang iba ay orihinal at ang ilan naman ay remake. Ang mga talentadong pinoy para sa mga biktima ng bagyong Yolanda ay bumirit at umere, ikaw napanuod mo na ba?
“The Prayer” by The Loboc Children’s Choir & Various Artists Official Music Video (Typhoon Yolanda)
Published on Youtube, Dec 12, 2013. By UniversalRecPH
“#ThePrayerForPH
[Download The Prayer at http://www.spinnr.ph. All proceeds will go to the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation to help rebuild the lives of those in the Visayas.]
OPM ARTISTS RECORD “THE PRAYER” FOR YOLANDA VICTIMS
On October 15, 2013, an earthquake with the energy equivalent to “32 Hiroshima bombs” devastated the Visayas, and parts of Mindanao and southern Luzon.
Two days later, the Loboc Children’s Choir sang, “The Prayer,” with the rubble of the hundred year old Loboc Church as their backdrop.
Their performance moved so many people here and abroad. Then, tragedy struck again.
On November 8, Typhoon Yolanda, the most powerful tropical cyclone of the year hit East Samar, Samar and Leyte.
Thousands died. Millions were left hungry, desperate, and homeless.
Relief efforts from the Philippines and the rest of the world are currently helping the victims survive and find temporary homes.
But the bigger challenge is how to help all these people get back to their normal lives.
This is where we took inspiration from the Loboc Children’s Choir’s performance.”
Join the #ProjectPagbangon Music Video Making Contest!
On the occasion of this year’s Human Rights Day, the Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI) is launching a MUSIC VIDEO-MAKING COMPETITION on the theme “RELIEF AND REHABILITATION ARE HUMAN RIGHTS”.
The friendly competition is fairly simple: Using the anthem, create a MUSIC VIDEO that portrays how you and your friends, family or organization demonstrate your solidarity with victims and survivors of calamities, with the theme of the contest in mind of course.
STEP ONE: Watch the Original Singers Edition music video of Sandugo.
STEP TWO: Send an email of intent to join using the subject “#ProjectPagbangon Contest” to pmpsecretariat@yahoo.com. Please include name of contact person, cellphone number, and short profile of your group. We will reply with a download link of the high resolution wav audio file of the song and further instructions.
STEP THREE: With the wav file, make a music video using your own video footages and/or photographs, animations and other open-source materials.
STEP FOUR: Upload your music video on Youtube, and send us a link to your music video by replying to the email with which we sent you the link of the wav file.
Considerations for judging include: Substance (40%), Creativity (40%), Number of views of your entry in Youtube (10%) and Number of likes in Facebook (10%). Top three entries win recognition tokens and P10,000 each; Deadline for submission of entries is February 10, 2014. Winners will be determined on Araw ng Kagitingan 2014.
Entry to the competition is free, and each of the first 10 to join gets a complimentary music album and book worth at least P1,000.
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We are the World for Philippines (We Are The World 25 – Michael Jackson COVER by Filipino Artists)
Published on Youtube, Nov 22, 2013 By Chamberlain P. Guevarra
“In light of the calamity of typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda that left our fellowmen in Southern Visayas helpless.Artists of different ages,genres and backgrounds gather together for one common goal. To make this video as an encouragement to people to open their hearts, lend a helping hand and to thank the nations that offered aid to our country. WE ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL.To our fellow Filipinos, STAY STRONG! United we stand! BANGON VISAYAS! WALANG IWANAN!
Artists:
Antonette Maria Bajamunde,Noreen Isabel Quinamot,Kyle Lemuel Juliano,Tiffany Mae Valdegamo,Enrico Ricardo Nolan,Wilholm Ho,Joel Aba
Jeva Villamil,Lee Abapo,Charyn Ong,Hanna Nicole Tesado,Michael Kent Jugador, Vinz Villarosa,Dezirhyl Genn Ramirez,Rakhim Salatan Tahir,Giancarlo Benguechea and Reymark Seblero of The Robbee Talents Club
Earl Neil Kho and Andy Canlas of Midnasty
Onna rhea Quizo, Ian Gue, Kyra Aguilar, Hanz Vallehermoza, Earnest Hope Tinambacan, Dave Trasmonte, Von Cathlene Panot,Carla Mongado,Arnold Munez. aka Bassunni,Carla Mongado and Jerry Catarata”
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“SOS Philippines” – The song after the storm! [TYPHOON HAIYAN / YOLANDA]
Published on Youtube, Nov 15, 2013. By Armand TJ
According to the post, “There’s a global campaign to make this song become a movement for unity, not just for the Philippines, but for the whole world. To support this movement, we need to get this SOS out there as much as we can. Every share/repost/tweet/blog/tag will help make a difference and add fuel to the fire. Thank you for all those who are one with us, and one with the message to the world!
To send further donations to benefit the devastated areas, you may download the song from any of the links below. All downloads will support a fundraiser that helps the people rise up again in the long term.”
Sabi pa niya, “The Filipino spirit is force of nature.”
“Please share this song and video on all social medias. You should hear these children’s voices! They’re from different parts of Panay island and Palawan, also hit by the storm. Please help us encourage more help/aid from the rest world, and to deliver a message of hope and solidarity to the Philippines and humanity. The Filipino spirit is a force of nature, struggling to rise up. With all your help, we can survive this crisis. This song connects us all as one humanity, from our island, to the rest of the Visayas, the Philippines – and the rest of the world! Please ask all your friends to share. One Love! Thanks for those who contributed to delivering this SOS.”
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AHON is a rehabilitation initiative to rebuild the lives and livelihoods of fishing communities ravaged by the world’s strongest recorded typhoon, Super Typhoon Haiyan.
The calamity hit one-third or 21 of the 72 provinces in the country, bringing devastation beyond description. Thousands lost their lives, and hundreds of thousands more were left homeless. The most affected sector are the subsistence fishing communities who lost loved ones, homes and means of livelihood — their fishing boats.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is taking this initiative to build a start-up platform for everyone (including individuals, donors, NGOs, and private sector) to collaborate in addressing the immediate needs of affected fishers to get back to work feeding their families and the rest of the country. The Bureau envisions to work with other groups which have likewise initiated similar efforts, such as the “Adopt a Small Island Initiative,” “Yellow Boat of Hope,” and others.
BFAR would like to scale up the building and giving of boats to affected fisherfolk. To jumpstart the “Ahon Initiative,” BFAR has earmarked P50M, a large part of which will be used to build the initial 3000 fishing boats. The Bureau hopes to gather contributions from individuals, donors, civil society and private sector to build an additional 7,000 units in the next 3 months. The contributions may be in kind (boat-building materials) or cash to buy materials and pay for labor costs.
How you can help…
1. Cash contributions for boat materials and labor
2. Contribution of boat-building materials
3. Boat construction
4. Selection of beneficiaries
5. Installation of Shallow-Water Payaos
6. Monitoring and Reporting
Office of the Director
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
Telefax No. (02) 454-5863 http://www.bfar.da.gov.ph
Human Rights Online Philippines does not hold copyright over these materials. Author/s and original source/s of information are retained including the URL contained within the tagline and byline of the articles, news information, photos etc.
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