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Duterte a deranged president, ignorant of women’s role in society – female NPA fighter

February 16, 2018, 5:04 am
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“He is a deranged president who is ignorant of women’s role in the society, further proving his incompetence in office,” said Ka (Comrade) Kathryn, a female red fighter of the Melito Glor Command – New People’s Army Southern Tagalog (MGC – NPA ST) in a statement released on February 16.

Ka Kathryn of the Melito Glor Command of the New People’s Army in Southern Tagalog Region

MGC – NPA ST also expressed concern that more women in the countryside will be victims of sexual violence and abuses by the mercenary Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and other paramilitary groups in the conduct of their military operations.

On February 7, President Rodrigo Duterte hosting more than 200 former rebels at the Malacañang Palace remarked to shoot female NPA guerillas in the vagina upon their capture.

“Shoot her in the vagina, Tell the soldiers. There’s a new order coming from mayor. We won’t kill you. We will just shoot your vagina, so that… If there is no vagina, it would be useless,” said Duterte upon being told that the female NPA fighters ‘fight like amazons.’

The latest of Duterte’s remarks criticized to be vulgar, sexist, misogynist and also encouraged violence against women was revealed days later than when Duterte made the comment. Women all over the country and around the world were quick to react negatively to Duterte’s statement.

The comment was also slammed for inciting to commit war crimes and international humanitarian law and human rights violations.

In non-international armed conflicts, Article 3 common to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol II provide that persons deprived of liberty for reasons related to the conflict must also be treated humanely in all circumstances. In particular, they are protected against murder, torture, as well as cruel, humiliating or degrading treatment.

For the sick and those wounded in combat, The Common Article 3 of the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions of 1949 states that “…the wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for (…) they shall be treated humanely and cared for by the Party to the conflict in whose power they may be, without any adverse distinction founded on sex, race, nationality, religion, political opinions or any other similar criteria.” The parties to the Conventions also have to search for and collect the wounded and sick and to ensure them protection and care (article 15).

The Philippines has been party to the conventions in 1951 and 1952, as well as the Additional Protocols I, II and III in 2012, 1986 and 2006 respectively.

Duterte has made numerous rape jokes in the past, including the infamous “mayor ang dapat mauna” (mayor should be first) during the presidential race. He also told soldiers that he would take the fall if they rape women in Marawi in the midst of government’s military operations against ISIS-affiliated militants in the historic Islamic city.  In his visit to New Delhi, Duterte said he would offer 42 virgins to tourists visiting the Philippines.

On February 13, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told Duterte’s critics “not to take the President literally but take him seriously.”

Netizens, journalists and church people found the statement “paradoxical” and were quick to react over social media as fake news or false information coming from government officials or offices have been in the limelight of late, following Senate hearings on fake news.

“Men and women alike should stand together to fight the atrocities of the US-Duterte regime and forward their struggle to overthrow and end the fascist and tyrannical US-Duterte regime,” said Ka Diego Padilla, MGC – NPA ST spokesperson.

The post Duterte a deranged president, ignorant of women’s role in society – female NPA fighter appeared first on Manila Today.

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Duterte sustains backlash over “shoot her in the vagina” comment

February 16, 2018, 6:09 am
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On February 7, President Rodrigo Duterte hosting more than 200 former rebels at the Malacañang Palace remarked to shoot female New People’s Army (NPA) fighters in the vagina upon their capture.

“Shoot her in the vagina. Tell the soldiers. There’s a new order coming from mayor. We won’t kill you. We will just shoot your vagina, so that… If there is no vagina, it would be useless,” said Duterte upon being told that the female NPA fighters hold guns and fight like an Amazon warrior.

Duterte made the headlines in international media once more.

 

 

 

 

 

Negative reactions were generated from all over the country and the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duterte was also compared to Trump and the ironies of his statements were also pointed out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On February 13, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told Duterte’s critics “not to take the President literally but take him seriously.” He earned himself his own volley of displeasure.

 

The post Duterte sustains backlash over “shoot her in the vagina” comment appeared first on Manila Today.

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IN PHOTOS: Chinese New Year in Manila

February 17, 2018, 6:35 am
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The Chinese New Year celebration in Binondo, Manila, is a festival of sight, sound, and smell. People from all walks of life gathered in the streets to usher in the Year of the Dog. Here are some photos from our young contributors.

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The Chinatown arch welcomes families, friends, tourists, and photo enthusiasts to the bustling district in the heart of Manila. Photo by Jovie Geslani.

28217658_1690827727606874_826661274_oUpon entering, visitors are immediately greeted by dancing Chinese Dragons. Photo by Michelle Prestosa.
2-ja-1Everyone always had their phones and cameras ready to document the festive mood. Photo by Joshua Acpal.

3-ja-2Streets in and around Binondo were packed with people. Photo by Joshua Acpal.

4-ja-7Photo by Joshua Acpal.
5-jg-5Photo by Jovie Geslani.
6-jg-4A young boy stands out among his older counterparts. Photo by Jovie Geslani.
7-ja-3Photo by Joshua Acpal.

15-1-lv-2Photo by Lanz Varon.
8-ja-6Photo by Joshua Acpal.9-jg-3Young boys parade their makeshift dragon costumes made from apple cartons. Photo by Jovie Geslani.
9-1-lv-5Who says the festivities were only for humans? It is the Year of the Dog, after all. Photo by Lanz Varon.
10-np-4A dancer in a flamboyant number hands a small Chinese envelope to the photographer. Photo by Nell Prepose.
11-rc-3Young boys, taking a break from an afternoon of dance and merrymaking, take their break and willingly smile for the camera. Photo by Raiza Camama.

27-mp-4Photo by Michelle Pedrano.
12-jg-1Cartoon character dog balloons are among the bestsellers. Photo by Jovie Geslani.
13-np-2Photo by Nell Prepose.14-np-1What’s a Chinese New Year celebration without Chinese lanterns? Photo by Nell Prepose.
15-mp-3Of course, the Chinese Dragon completes the festivities. Photo by Michelle Pedrano.
16-ja-5So do food and lucky charms. Photo by Joshua Acpal.
17-jg-2Photo by Jovie Geslani.
18-lv-1Photo by Lanz Varon.
18-1Photo by Raiza Camama.

24-lv-4Photo by Lanz Varon.
25-rc-4Photo by Raiza Camama.
26-lv-6Photo by Lanz Varon.
21-rc-1Photo by Raiza Camama.
19-mp-1Let’s not forget the hardworking people who have made our Chinese New Year celebration possible. Photo by Michelle Pedrano.
20-mp-2Photo by Michelle Pedrano.
22-ja-4Photo by Joshua Acpal.
23-lv-3Photo by Lanz Varon.
29-mp-5Photo by Michelle Pedrano.

The post IN PHOTOS: Chinese New Year in Manila appeared first on Manila Today.

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IN PHOTOS: Protest against jeepney phaseout

February 19, 2018, 6:27 am
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Photos by Kate Rica Simple

Transport groups composed of jeepney drivers and operators staged a protest today from Welcome Rotonda to Mendiola in Manila to express their indignation over the PUV modernization program.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr), with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Land Transporation Office (LTO) initiated the PUV modernization program in June last year. Jeepneys that were more than 15 years old are to be taken off the roads and be replaced by electronic jeeps.

San Mateo added, “Kaya natin tinawag na ‘pekeng modernization’ dahil ito ay negosyo. Magreresulta ito sa kawalan ng hanapbuhay ng mga jeepney driver at maliliit na operator.”

[We call it ‘fake modernization’ because this is a business. This will result in loss of livelihood for jeepney drivers and small operators.]

PISTON and the No To Jeepney Phase Out Coalition (NTJPOC) urged the government to scrap the jeepney phaseout and come up with another modernization with consultations from the public sector, including drivers, operators, and the riding public. The groups also amplifies their call for a genuine national transport system over a modernization program that, according to them, are schemes for corporations to monopolize the transport industry.

The post IN PHOTOS: Protest against jeepney phaseout appeared first on Manila Today.

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Eastern Visayas farmers denounce government importation of 250,000 metric tons of rice

February 20, 2018, 10:26 pm
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Farmers from Eastern Visayas today aired their dismay over the Duterte government and the National Food Authority’s (NFA) move to import 250,000 metric tons of rice from Thailand, Laos and Vietnam in order to resolve the shortage of NFA rice stock in government warehouses and domestic markets.

In a statement distributed to the media, the Samahan han Gudti nga Parag-uma han Sinirangan Bisayas (SAGUPA-SB) and the Northern Samar Small Farmers Association (NSSFA) considered the importation as an “intentional assault against hardworking peasants” especially that the harvest season is fast approaching and the selling price will drop if they are to compete with imported rice.

The farmers groups also said that the 250,000 metric tons that will be imported is already on top of the 350,000 metric tons as part of the Maximum Accessible Volume already set for distribution which “will make locally produced rice uncompetitive in the long run”.

Instead of importing rice, SAGUPA-SB and NSSFA urged the Duterte administration to directly provide agricultural aide to small farmers in order to boost rice production and increase the selling price of locally harvested rice.

“It is ironic for the NFA to favour the profit margins of commercial traders over the welfare of consumers who bare the brunt of soaring rice prices when it is its official mandate to make rice at the cheapest possible cost available to the market,” said Bayan Eastern Visayas secretary-general Joshua Sagdullas.

Gina Rosco, member of NSSFA and a farmer from Las Navas in Northern Samar added that the “government has repeatedly denied us of agricultural aid, which has jeopardized local productivity in our rice fields, leaving us to sell what little yield we have”.

“Now, the NFA announces a national rice shortage as a pretext for the artificial increase in commercial rice costs. How much longer do we have to be robbed of our food and livelihood?” she asked.

Las Navas is considered one of Eastern Visayas’ top-performing rice granaries recently devastated by tropical storm Urduja.

State of famine and calamity

Meanwhile, local peasants of Eastern Visayas belied the government’s claim that the remaining rice stock would prioritize calamity-hit areas because instead of freely distributing the rice, the NFA has auctioned it off to commercial traders who sell it to local markets at a much higher cost.

The farmers groups see the Palace’s move as a way to “to appease rice farmers who will be burdened with the sudden influx in foreign rice.”

SAGUPA-SB and NSSFA also cited that Eastern Visayas is approaching a “state of famine” with rice production “at an all time-low” after having gone through four successive tropical storms in the last two months.

Considered as one of the country’s top rice granaries, the region is experiencing a 5-year 90-percent slump in rice production since 2013.

Of the six provinces in Eastern Visayas, Northern Samar is the poorest, with a poverty incidence of 61.6 percent. This means that six out of every 10 people in the province are poor.

Northern Samar is the fourth poorest province in the country, next to Lanao del Sur (74.3 percent), Sulu (65.7 percent), and Sarangani (61.7 percent).

“Stand with Samar” campaign commenced

The peasant groups announced that several farmers from six provinces of Eastern Visayas have already started a ‘Lakbayan’ going to Metro Manila as a way of challenging President Duterte to address the plight of disaster-hit farmers in their region and to end intensifying militarization against their ranks.

According to Sagdullas, the activity dubbed as “Stand with Samar” aims to raise public awareness about the plight of farmers in the province who have not yet recovered from the devastating effects of successive typhoons that struck Eastern Visayas such as Yolanda, Glenda, Ruby, Seniang, Nona, and the recent Urduja and Vinta.

Peasant leaders of the NSSFA will be in Manila from February 22 to March 8 to appeal to national government agencies, hold dialogues, and conduct protest actions.

According to KMP regional chapter SAGUPA-Sinirangan Bisayas leader Jun Berino, farmers received very minimal aid from the government but in most cases, they have not received any support at all.

“It’s like the national government has neglected and forgotten us. We exist. Northern Samar is a province of the Philippines and our people are the poorest. Years of rehabilitation efforts are not felt by poor farmers,” Berino said.

The farmers are launching the Stand with Samar campaign to demand the government the following:

  1. Provide immediate financial relief to all families with damaged crops.
  2. Craft and implement a pro-people agricultural rehabilitation program.
  3. Junk the anti-people Typhoon Recovery Plan. Scrap the existing Nona Rehabilitation Plan that is anti-people and pro-big businesses and craft a new program that is anchored on pro-people objectives and policies. Create such plan in consultation, coordination, and partnership with the farmers.
  4. End militarization.

“The farmers of Northern Samar stand united in demanding from the government what is due to them: assistance and most importantly, respect for their basic human rights. The situation in Samar provinces require tangible and decisive actions from the government. Likewise, public support and solidarity is also needed,” KMP chairperson, Danilo Ramos stated.

 

The post Eastern Visayas farmers denounce government importation of 250,000 metric tons of rice appeared first on Manila Today.

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Massacre sa Lake Sebu: Salaysay ng isang ama

February 21, 2018, 1:15 am
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Si Tony Diamante ay nag-aani ng mais nang nakarinig siya ng magkakasunod na putok ng baril. Kumaripas siya ng takbo pabalik sa bahay niya upang sabihan ang kanyang mga anak na huwag lumabas.

Lalong lumakas ang putukan. Hinahawakan ni Mang Tony nang mahigpit ang kanyang mga anak nang naalala niyang nasa labas pala ng bahay si Toto, 22, pangalawa sa pito niyang anak.

Noong Disyembre 3, 2017 nang tanghali, walong myembro ng tribung T’boli at Dulangan-Manobo ang pinatay ng militar sa Sitio Datal Bonlangon, Brgy. Ned, Lake Sebu sa South Cotabato. Kinilala ang mga biktima na sina Victor Danyan, Jr., Artemio Dangyan, Pato Celarbo, Samuel Angkoy, Boot Lagase, Mateng Bangalore, at Datu Victor Danyan. Pangwalo si Toto sa pinatay.

Pangunahing target ng mga pumatay sa kanila si Datu Victor Danyan, ang matapang na lider ng kanilang komunidad na simula pa dati ay nangunguna sa pagdepensa ng kanilang lupang ninuno laban sa panghihimasok ng plantasyon ng kumpanyang David M. Consunji Corp. (DMCI).

Hindi umalis ang 27th at 33rd Infantry Battalion ng AFP pagkatapos nilang patayin ang walong katutubo. Pumalibot sila sa komunidad at naghasik ng takot sa mga naninirahan sa Sitio Datal Bonlangon hanggang sa napilitan silang magbakwit.

Umalis sila mula sa komunidad ng alas-4 nang hapon at nakarating sa Sitio Panamin ng alas-12 na nang madaling araw. Nasasapawan ang yapak ng kanilang mga paa ng malalakas na putok ng baril. Wala silang dalang gamit sa bahay. Wala silang nabitbit na mga damit o pagkain.

Sa mahabang byahe nila, namatay ang isang bata. Hindi na nabigyan ng pagkakataon ang kanilang mga magulang na makasama siya sa kanyang unang kaarawan.

Habang nakabakwit sa Sitio Panamin, may dumating na mga pulis at inaresto si Mang Tony at isa pang kasamahan nang walang warrant of arrest. Sabi lang ng pulis, may pag-uusapan raw sila, importante. Dahil sa takot, sumama sina Mang Tony kahit hindi nila alam kung saan sila dadalhin. Iyon pala ay sa istasyon ng pulis sila dinala, kung saan naghihintay ang kanilang warrant of arrest. Isang linggo at sampung libong piso ang kapalit ng paglaya nina Mang Tony sa kulungan.

“Dahil sa martial law, namatay ang anak ko na wala namang kasalanan at dinakip din ako na walang kasalanan. Kaya ayaw ko ng martial law,” sabi ni Mang Tony.

Hinanakit niya ang pagpapalawig ng martial law ng buong taon sa bisa ng kahilingan ni Pangulong Duterte sa Kongreso. “Binoto ko si Duterte kasi akala ko makakatulong siya aming mga mahihirap. Pero kung alam ko lang na ganito, hindi na lang sana.”

Panawagan niya na magkaroon ng hustisya para sa kanyang anak at sa pito pang pinatay sa Lake Sebu Massacre. Panawagan niya na ibalik na sa kanila ang kanilang lupang ninuno.

Sa kasalukuyan, mayroong 14 na pamilyang bakwit na nasa Sitio Tulali at 19 pamilyang nakabakwit sa Marbel.

tatay-tony

Si Mang Tony Diamante

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Eastern Visayas farmers in Manila to demand a halt to looming ‘ricelessness’, hunger, and militarization

February 22, 2018, 9:56 am
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After more than 24 hours of traveling by land, around 50 farmer-delegates to the ‘Caravan for Rights and Justice: Stand with Samar’ arrived in Metro Manila today for a series of engagements with government agencies and protests in key areas of in the region.

The contingents of the ‘lakbayan’ are calamity-stricken farmers affected by succeeding typhoons, infestation of agricultural crops, and intense militarization in Eastern Visayas.

The group will be handing to President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang Palace a petition signed by thousands of farmers in Eastern Visayas demanding the President to act on the dismal pacing of the rehabilitation efforts on agriculture in the region and several other agriculture-related demands.

The delegates carried scarecrows embodying the farmers’ resistance against the National Food Authority and Duterte’s rice importation scheme, as if to scare off all anti-people and anti-peasant policies of the current administration.

According to Samahan han Gudti nga Parag-uma – Sinirangan Bisayas (SAGUPA), the government’s agri-neoliberal policies aim at deregulating the agriculture industry and opening it up to the private sector as “crow-like attempts to feed on what little the peasantry has after years of the government neglect.”

“These crows in the government are like pests that take advantage of our ailing crops and livelihood. Now they abandon our sector by importing 250,000 metric tons of rice from neighboring Southeast Asian countries which is sure to render locally produced rice uncompetitive and far too expensive,” said SAGUPA secretary general Jun Berino.

Hunger persists due to infestation and government neglect

Based on data from Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), the bacterial leaf blight (BLB) brown hoppers have been pestering and destroying rice lands in Samar province since 2016. As of last year, the infestation has incurred more than P140-million worth of damaged rice crops.

“When the blight pests attack the rice fields, the leaves of rice plants turn brown and the rice kernels turn to powder. All that is left from the rice plant are husks or ipa. We have not been harvesting rice since last year. This is the reason why we are hungry,” Berino added.

Berino also said that farmers will file a petition at the Presidential Action Center enumerating the official list of agriculture-related demands on behalf of the agriculture sector in EV.

Included among the demands are immediate rice subsidy for Visayas farmers approaching a state of famine after rice production entered into a five-year slump since 2013, alongside the provision of other agricultural inputs and the implementation of free irrigation in the region.

Intensified militarization

The peasant group also cited human rights abuses from Northern Samar due to military encampment in Barangay San Miguel, Las Navas town. The military also recently withheld food aid in Barangay Isidro in the same town.

“We would not miss the opportunity to shake the Armed Forces of the Philippines to condemn the humanitarian crisis being instigated by the 8th Infantry Division deployed in our region,” Berino said.

The peasant group will stay until March 8 to hold lobbying, dialogues, and actions at national government agencies.

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Photos by Kate Simple and Erika Cruz

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KMU organizer ‘abducted’ by police, later found detained in Camp Crame

February 22, 2018, 8:31 pm
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On the first day of 32nd EDSA 1 People Power uprising commemoration, Marklen Maojo B. Maga, a staff of labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) tasked to organize workers’ unions in the port area, in factory belts in Valenzuela and in Central Luzon, was abducted in San Mateo, Rizal. It was only in the evening that his family and lawyers were able to confirm that he is being held at the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) compound in Camp Crame.

In KMU’s narrative of the arrest, Maga was abducted by plainclothes men who identified themselves as elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) at around 8:40am on February 22 in a basketball court near their house. This happened after Maga brought his son to school.

In the police spot report on Maga’s arrest, joint personnel of PNP-CIDG Manila NCR, PNP-Internal Security Operations Division, PNP-Intelligence Group, and Intelligence Service, Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) served the warrant of arrest for murder issued by Hon. Cesar P. Bordalba, 10th Judicial Region, Cabadbaran City, Agusan Del Sur. The report also mentioned that a .45 caliber gun, one piece magazine with seven live ammos were recovered from his possession inside his backpack. The report did not say when, where and who was murdered.

Maga’s arrest followed the arrest and detention of his father-in-law National Democratic Front of the Philippines peace consultant and labor rights advocate Rafael Baylosis on Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City last January 31. Baylosis was reported arrested without an outstanding warrant, charged with illegal possession of firearms in the police spot report that would be amended to include a grenade during the inquest.

The Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC) demanded the immediate release and dismissal of trumped up charges against Marlen Maojo Maga, or Maoj. In their statement, they relayed that ‘Maoj is the eldest son of a politically detained labor organizer in Caloocan at the height of Marcos’ dictatorship. Earlier in his life, Maoj has witnessed state perpetrated violence against workers and urban poor communities and his family are among the human rights victims which also pushed him to defend his and others’ rights.’

KMU decried the “fascist Duterte regime’s intensifying crackdown against unionists and labor rights advocates opposing his anti-worker and anti-people policies.”

The labor center said 22 unionists and labor leaders were killed since Duterte sat in the presidency.

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Killing, illegal arrest, militarization, harassment of fact finding mission recorded as nation remembers EDSA People Power

February 22, 2018, 10:26 pm
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As the 32nd anniversary of the EDSA People Power was expected to be commemorated with prayers and protests, more human rights violations were reported. On February 22, international rights organization Amnesty International likened President Rodrigo Duterte to other world leaders ushering “a new era of human rights regression”.

The historic People Power uprising on February 22 to 25, 1986 served the last blow to the 14-year dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.

Farmer killed in Negros

An urgent alert from Karapatan Negros announced the death of Ronald Manlanat, 30, a member of a local chapter of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) in Hacienda Joefred, Barangay Luna, Sagay City, Negros Occidental. At 5am on February 22, 2018,  Manlanat was brutally shot in the head and killed by unknown assailant(s) in a farm he worked in the said hacienda. He was shot at the back of his head by an M16 rifle and his face was beyond recognition.

The killing of Manlanat is the latest incident of killings of farmers in Negros. Manlanat is a member of NFSW local chapter where he is actively involved in organizing and giving assistance to sugar workers in the surrounding areas. The issues of underpayment of wages, labor repressions, poverty and labor rights violations is a perennial problems of laborers and farmers in the haciendas in the area.

Hacienda Joefred is formerly owned by Mirasol family and the Certificate of Land Ownership Award were recently given to the agrarian reform beneficiaries through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

Manlanat was recorded as the 21st victim of extrajudicial killing in Negros under Duterte.

Manlanat was brutally shot in the head and killed by unknown assailant in a farm he is working in Hacienda Joefred in Sagay, Negros Occidental. Photo by National Federation of Sugar Workers/Karapatan Negros.
Manlanat was brutally shot in the head and killed by unknown assailant in a farm he is working in Hacienda Joefred in Sagay, Negros Occidental. Photo by National Federation of Sugar Workers/Karapatan Negros.

KMU organizer arrested

Marklen Maojo B. Maga, a staff of labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) tasked to organize workers’ unions in the port area, in factory belts in Valenzuela (among them are Kentex workers), and in Central Luzon was reported abducted in San Mateo, Rizal.

The police spot report said the joint forces of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines served Maga a warrant of arrest for murder at a basketball court in Ampid, San Mateo, Rizal.

Maga has just brought his son to school when he was arrested. His whereabouts were unknown for hours. It was only in the evening that his family and lawyers were able to confirm that he is being held at the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group compound in Camp Crame.

Maga’s arrest followed the arrest and detention of his father-in-law National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant and labor rights advocate Rafael Baylosis in Quezon City last January 31.

The Children’s Rehabilitation Center demanded Maga’s immediate release and dismissal of trumped-up charges against him. They said that Maga is the eldest son of a politically detained labor organizer in Caloocan at the height of Marcos’ dictatorship.

Political persecution

NDFP peace consultant Rafael Baylosis was reported arrested without warrant on January 31, charged with illegal possession of firearms in the police spot report that would be amended to include a grenade during the inquest on February 1.

Baylosis and his companion were arraigned today, after a Quezon City court denied their lawyer’s motion to suppress fake and manufactured evidence.

The 69-year old Baylosis was transferred to Quezon City Jail, near Kamuning police station (Quezon City Police Department Police Station-10), from Camp Crame Custodial on February 21. His lawyer noted the jail has a congestion rate of 1000+%, being fit only for 200 but now held 3,000.

Peace consultant Rafael Baylosis and his companion Roque Guillermo Jr were arraigned today by a Quezon City court, after denial of Pilc Phils motion to suppress fake and manufactured evidence. Photo from Atty. Kristina Conti's Facebook account.
Peace consultant Rafael Baylosis and his companion Roque Guillermo Jr were arraigned today by a Quezon City court, after denial of Pilc Phils motion to suppress fake and manufactured evidence. Photo from Atty. Kristina Conti’s Facebook account.

Fact finding mission harassed

In the morning of February 21, around 14 delegates of a team of a an international fact finding mission was detained for more than an hour in a military checkpoint in Brgy. Palian, Tupi, South Cotabato. The delegates, including five foreign human rights observers, were on their way to General Santos City. All participants were ordered to show their identification cards.

According to initial reports received by Karapatan, the IDs issued by the Bureau of Immigration for two foreign church workers of the United Methodist Church were confiscated by police. The two were escorted to Bureau of Immigration Region 12 field office in General Santos City reportedly for “verification.” Police personnel who accosted the mission delegates did not present any written document to specify reasons for their actions. According to Tudla Productions, who was part of the mission when the incident happened, the five delegates were interrogated for two hours before they were released.

The international fact finding mission was organized by International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines and the Mindanaoans for Civil Liberties. It was conducted to investigate the reports on human rights violations in Mindanao, with the implementation of martial law and counterinsurgency program Oplan Kapayapaan.

Fact finding mission held for an hour or so at checkpoint. Photo by Tudla Productions. screen-shot-2018-02-23-at-1-11-35-pm
Fact finding mission held for an hour or so at checkpoint. Photo by Tudla Productions.
Foreign church and human rights workers presented their passports and Bureau of Immigration (BI) IDs but were still brought to the BI office in General Santos. Photo by Tudla Productions. screen-shot-2018-02-23-at-1-11-14-pm
Foreign church and human rights workers presented their passports and Bureau of Immigration (BI) IDs but were still brought to the BI office in General Santos. Photo by Tudla Productions.
After two hours at the BI office, foreign delegates of the international fact finding mission were released. Photo by Tudla Productions. 0221-ffm-01
After two hours at the BI office, foreign delegates of the international fact finding mission were released. Photo by Tudla Productions.

 

Lumads flee their homes

Barug Katungod also reported this morning that at least 187 Lumad residents and members of Pig-akuman Lumad Organization, a chapter of Kalumbay, today fled their homes at Purok 11, Sitio Bulak, Brgy. Lower Olave, Buenavista, Agusan del Sur. Among those who are currently evacuating are 83 children, two pregnant women, six elderly and four sickly individuals. Soldiers of the 23rd Infantry Battalion-Philippine Army led by Julito Caban conducted a military operation and encamped in the community.

Protests continue

Nationwide mass protests were set on February 23 and 24 in commemoration of EDSA People Power.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, in a statement released on February 16, said “This year’s protests are imbued with a great sense of urgency as the Duterte regime pushes for Charter change, extends Martial Law and wages all-out war against the people.”

“It is ironic that on the same month the nation is set to commemorate the downfall of the dictator Marcos, President Duterte saw it fit to label himself as a dictator. It is ironic that as the nation remembers the evils of dictatorship, Duterte’s congressional allies are pushing for term extension ala-Marcos,” said Bayan in their statement.

Student activists spearheaded today the ‘National Day of Walkout’, using the social media tag #WalkoutPH. Members of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman community converged at the AS Steps of Palma Hall before noon for a symbolic shutdown of the campus. Jeepney drivers from all UP routes, vendors and professors also joined the protest. Students from other UP units also held a protest at their campuses, such as in UP Manila and UP Baguio.

UP Manila students protest in front of the university's Oblation statue, found along Taft Avenue. Photo by Agatha Rabino.
UP Manila students protest in front of the university’s Oblation statue, found along Taft Avenue. Photo by Agatha Rabino.

The protest from Diliman would proceed to UST at 2pm for songs and prayers and march to Mendiola at 5pm.

The February 24 protest led by Movement Against Tyranny would assemble at EDSA corner Main Avenue at 2pm, march to EDSA Shrine at 3pm and hold a program at the People Power monument at 4pm.

The post Killing, illegal arrest, militarization, harassment of fact finding mission recorded as nation remembers EDSA People Power appeared first on Manila Today.

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The other ‘Big One’: Youth Quake shakes Metro Manila as students walk out of classrooms

February 23, 2018, 3:00 am
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The 7.2-magnitude ‘Big One’ hasn’t happened yet, but Metro Manila trembled with thousands of footsteps and cries.

“Ngayong araw, yayanigin natin ang sistemang matagal nang nang-aapi at nagsasamantala sa ating bayan. Yayanigin natin ang dayuhang interes sa ating sariling bayan. Yayanigin natin ang pamamayani at paghahari-harian ng mga panginoong maylupa sa ating bayan. Yayanigin natin ang korap at pasista ng ating pamahalaan. Yayanigin natin ang sistema na nagbubunga ng mga tuta, pasista, at diktador na katulad ni Marcos at Duterte,” said Kabataan Partylist representative Sarah Elago.

[Today, we will shake the system that for so long has oppressed and exploited our country. We will shake foreign interests in our land. We will shake the tyranny and enforced rule of landed elites in our country. We wil shake the corrupt officials and the fascists in government. We will shake the system that allows lapdogs, fascists, and dictators like Marcos and Duterte to rule.]

Students from universities and colleges across Metro Manila gathered in front of the Far Eastern University gates today to protest the Duterte government’s “rising tyranny and looming dictatorship”.

Led by Youth Act Now Against Tyranny, ‘Youth Quake’ gathered thousands of people in Morayta and Mendiola Bridge to register their collective dissent against the Duterte government’s various anti-people policies.

Pat Cierva from the University of the Philippines Manila cited the irony of the Duterte government’s policies. “Bilang mga estudyante ng UP Manila, karamihan sa amin ay nagsasanay upang magsalba ng mga buhay. Sobrang nakakabastos itong si President Duterte at kanyang rehimen dahil sa kanyang kawalan ng respeto sa buhay ng mga mamamayan,” she said.

[As students of UP Manila, most of us are training to save people’s lives. It angers us to see how brazen Duterte’s regime is because of its lack of respect for the lives of the people.]

UP Manila students protest in front of the university's Oblation statue, found along Taft Avenue. Photo by Agatha Rabino.
UP Manila students protested in front of the university’s Oblation statue, found along Taft Avenue. Photo by Agatha Rabino.

Cierva further noted that if the drug war did not kill one with a bullet to the chest, various policies like the tax reform law would “slowly kill the people”.

Students, peasants, and workers protested against the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law. Photo by Kate Simple.
Students, peasants, and workers protested against the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law. Photo by Kate Simple.

In the University of the Philippines Diliman, several colleges suspended classes altogether to allow students to walk out of their rooms and join the protest.

Students held a snake rally at the College of Arts and Social Sciences in UP Diliman before heading to Manila. Photo by Shane David.
Students held a snake rally at the College of Arts and Social Sciences in UP Diliman before heading to Manila. Photo by Shane David.

Despite having been barred by security guards from exiting the gates, Far Eastern University students managed to join the mobilization.

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Youth protesters enjoined FEU students to walk out. Photo by Kate Simple.
Youth protesters enjoined FEU students to walk out. Photo by Kate Simple.

Students protested against unreasonable school fees despite the government’s policy of free tuition in colleges and universities. Students from the K+12 program slammed exorbitant graduation fees and the labor export policy which justifies Filipino skilled labor abroad.

Members of student publications and communication students were also there to assert press freedom amid the government’s iron hand on journalists and media workers.

“Ang mga manunulat ay organisador. Ang mga manunulat ay aktibista dahil hindi nila hahayaang ang magsulat ng kasaysayan ay mga mamamatay-tao, mga sinungaling, at mga magnanakaw,” said University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication Student Council chairperson Mikko Ringia.

[Writers are organizers. Writers are activists because they will not allow butchers, liars, and thieves to be the ones to write history.]

Not only did we see a solid unity of college and senior high school students in the protest — who together recognize the potential of the youth to actively engage and take part in shaping society — we also witnessed how the students linked their struggles to the struggles of the basic sectors.

“Alam natin na malaki ang potensyal ng mga kabataan. Ngunit alam din natin na lahat ng panlipunang pagbabago ay mapagtatagumpayan ng mamamayang Pilipino kapag mahigpit silang makiisa sa malawak na hanay ng mamamayan,” said a senior high school student from the University of Santo Tomas who together with others attended the protest, despite having received warnings from school administrators that they would be expelled if they walked out.

[We know that the youth have in them potential. But we also know that societal change can only be won by the Filipino people if the students link themselves with the broad masses.]

Present in the protest were jeepney drivers fighting for the scrapping of the PUV modernization program wherein old jeepneys will be replaced by new unaffordable units; farmers from Eastern Visayas demanding agricultural support for typhoon-stricken provinces and an end to militarization; and workers struggling for regularization and just wages.

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Various sectors also joined the youth-led protest in Morayta, Manila. Photos by Shane David, Kate Simple, Vanni Urbiztondo, and Patricia de Luna.
Various sectors also joined the youth-led protest in Morayta, Manila. Photos by Shane David, Kate Simple, Vanni Urbiztondo, and Patricia de Luna.

As they marched to the gates of Malacañang, the protesters marked today as the first day of a series of student walk-outs towards “overthrowing the tyrannical Duterte presidency”.

An effigy of President Duterte as the "King of Fake News" for "failing to fulfill his promises to the people". Photo by Kate Simple.
An effigy of President Duterte as the “King of Fake News” for “failing to fulfill his promises to the people”. Photo by Kate Simple.

For the applauding protesters, Bluei Fausto of the University of Santo Tomas couldn’t have said it better: “Pinipilit niya tayong patahimikin. Sa tingin ni Duterte ay mapapatahimik niya tayo, pero nagkakamali siya, dahil siya ang mapapatahimik. Duterte, ikaw ang mapapatahimik, dahil sa oras na magsasalita ang masa, wala ka nang masasabi.”

[He (Duterte) tries to silence us. If Duterte thinks he can silence us, then he is wrong. He will be the one to be silenced. Duterte, once the masses speak up, you will no longer be able to say a thing.]

And did Malacañang tremble in silence. Only the shouts of the people and the crackle of the president’s burning image could be heard.

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Students, peasants, and workers protested against the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law. Photo by Kate Simple. untitled-32
Students, peasants, and workers protested against the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law. Photo by Kate Simple.
Students, peasants, and workers protested against the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law. Photo by Kate Simple.
Various sectors also joined the youth-led protest in Morayta, Manila. Photos by Shane David, Kate Simple, Vanni Urbiztondo, and Patricia de Luna. untitled-31
Various sectors also joined the youth-led protest in Morayta, Manila. Photos by Shane David, Kate Simple, Vanni Urbiztondo, and Patricia de Luna.
Various sectors also joined the youth-led protest in Morayta, Manila. Photos by Shane David, Kate Simple, Vanni Urbiztondo, and Patricia de Luna.
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Youth protesters enjoined FEU students to walk out. Photo by Kate Simple. untitled-21
Youth protesters enjoined FEU students to walk out. Photo by Kate Simple.
Youth protesters enjoined FEU students to walk out. Photo by Kate Simple.
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An effigy of President Duterte as the "King of Fake News" for "failing to fulfill his promises to the people". Photo by Kate Simple.
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Students held a snake rally at the College of Arts and Social Sciences in UP Diliman before heading to Manila. Photo by Shane David. untitled-12
Students held a snake rally at the College of Arts and Social Sciences in UP Diliman before heading to Manila. Photo by Shane David.
Students held a snake rally at the College of Arts and Social Sciences in UP Diliman before heading to Manila. Photo by Shane David.
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Photos by Shane David, Agatha Rabino, Kate Simple, Rica Silva, Vanni Urbiztondo, and Patricia de Luna

The post The other ‘Big One’: Youth Quake shakes Metro Manila as students walk out of classrooms appeared first on Manila Today.

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Bakit ka sumama sa #WalkoutPH?

February 25, 2018, 2:05 am
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Ang pagkamulat daw ng tao ay wala sa edad, kasarian, paniniwala, at edukasyon. Bagkus ito’y nasa pakikilahok niya sa reyalidad ng lipunang ginagawalan niya.

Kaiba sa karaniwan sa murang mga edad inakap ng mga kabataang ito ang reyalidad ng kanilang ginagawalan kung saan talamak ang kahirapan, patayan, inhustisya at pasakit. Binuksan nila ang kanilang puso, isip, at mga mata para sa pakikibaka para sa panlipunang pagbabago. Iginuguhit nila ang kanilang mga pangalan sa kasaysayan ng bansa para sa paghuhulma sa bagong kinabuksan. Tunay ngang kapag nayanig na ang alab ng mga kabataan ay sunod-sunod na dadaluyong ang mga sigaw at panawagan sa mga kalye, sa mga pabrika, sa opisina, at sa kabundukan.

Bakit ba sumama ang libu-libong kabataan sa #WalkoutPH noong Pebrero 24?

Iba’t ibang mga mukha, iba’t ibang mga paaralang pinaggalingan ngunit isa ang paninindigan—paninindigang baguhin ang lipunan ng walang takot na dala-dala bagkus mga nagpupuyos na mga puso para sa kapwa, para sa iba, para sa bayan.

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“Itong mga pagrarali na ito at mobilisayon, isa na ito sa mga pagkakataon na makapagdesisyon tayo kung nasa tamang panig tayo ng kasaysayan. Kasi balang araw tatanungin ng mga anak natin at mga anak nila na, “Itay, inay, n’ung panahon ni Duterte— n’ung panahon na pinapatay ang napakaraming mahihirap, n’ung pinapaslang ang mga magsasaka, n’ung pinahirapan ang mahihirap sa pamamagitan ng mga patakaran—anong ginawa niyo?” May maisasagot ka sa kanila — “Anak, isa ako sa mga sumali sa mobilisasyon na iyon. Tinutulan ko ang mga patakaran ni Duterte.” – Gwendelyn Samonte, University of the Philippines Manila

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Lagi kasing tingin ng ibang tao sa mga estudyante ng Benilde na hindi sila politikal, mga anak ng burgesyang walang pakialam. Pero ngayon gusto naming ipaalam sa lahat ng tao na hindi ganu’n ang lahat ng mga estudyante ng Benilde, dahil ang mga Benildyano ay may boses rin. Hindi kami papayag na manahimik lang ang mga kabataan doon. Alam ko rin na alam din ng mga kasama ko na may mga karahasang nagaganap sa mundo natin ngayon, lalo na sa ilalim ni Duterte. Sa mga kapwa ko kabataan, darating at darating din ‘yung panahon na kailangan nating makibaka. Pinapatagal lang natin ang pagkakamit ng masaganang lipunan kung hindi pa tayo kikilos ngayon. Mas maganda kung ngayon pa lang naiintindihan na natin, kung ngayon pa lang mulat na tayo sa problema ng Pilipinas at nakikibaka tayo para sa pagbabago. – CJ Villa, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde

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Hindi maganda na hindi tayo kumikilos, kasi para na ring hindi ka pumapayag sa pagbabago. Ang problema d’un, maraming naabuso sa ganitong sistema at ikaw, nagsasaya ka lang. Napakamakasarili kung nakaupo ka lang sa bahay mo, habang ‘yung iba pinapatay. – Liam, Mapua University

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Mulat kami sa katotohanan. Nakikita namin ‘yung ginagawa ni President Duterte na mali. Ngayon, patuloy naming ipaglalaban ‘yung mga karapatan namin bilang mga estudyante. Alam kasi namin ‘yung mga mali sa sistema. Alam din namin ‘yung mga ideolohiya namin, na kaya naming ipaglaban ‘yun, kahit bumagsak pa kami sa kahit anong subjects namin para lang maka-walk out kami. – Deza, Maine, at Bryan, Far Eastern University

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Hindi lang ito laban ng ilang mga kabataan. Laban ito ng lahat kabataan at higit sa lahat laban ito ng masa. Kaya dapat tayo ay nakikiisa sa ibang mga sektor kasi lahat tayo ay iisa lang ang problema natin—’yung pamahalaan na ipinagkakait sa atin ‘yung kalayaan at ‘yung karapatan natin bilang mamamayan ng Pilipinas. Sana makita nila na malakas ang boses ng kabataan pagdating sa mga ganitong bagay, na meron tayong magagawa para makapagbigay ng pagbabago sa Pilipinas. – Rabin Bote, University of Santo Tomas

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Kami ay nakilahok sa walkout ngayon kasi kaming mga Pulang Mandirigma ng UE ay lumalaban para sa karapatan nating mga kabataan, hindi lamang sa labas kundi sa loob din ng aming unibersidad. Sa aming unibersidad, dinadagdagan ng 5 percent ang aming matrikula ng administrasyon. Gusto naming marinig ng aming unibersidad na kaming mga estudyante ng UE ay lumalaban para hindi ito matutuloy.

Dapat tayo’y lumaban para sa ating karapatan dahil naniniwala ako na kung ano ang ginagawa natin sa panahong ito ay may malaking epekto sa kinabukasan natin. – Aldrin Samojo, University of the East

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‘Wag tayong matakot na makilahok sa mga ganitong protesta na nagpapakita ng kalakasan natin na tumutunggali sa isang estadong mapanupil at pasista—‘yung kakayanan mo, ‘yung kalakasan natin sa batayang masa na dapat pinagsisilbihan natin.  Kaya din naman andun din ‘yung tungkulin natin na pumunta sa kanila, organisahin sila, makilahok sa kanila, at turuan silang lumaban. At ito ‘yung ginagawa natin ngayon. – Jamme Robles, University of the Philippines Diliman

Mga panayam at larawan nina Marhiel Sofia Garrote and Zaira Camama; featured image ni Agatha Rabino

The post Bakit ka sumama sa #WalkoutPH? appeared first on Manila Today.

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#EDSA32: Groups, martial law veterans say “never again” to the return of dictatorship

February 25, 2018, 2:45 am
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In time for the 32nd year of the EDSA People Power 1, members of Movement Against Tyranny – Metro Manila, Bayan Metro Manila, Rise Up for Life and for Rights – Metro Manila, People Surge and Stop The Killings Network held a wreath-laying and candle lighting ceremony at the historic Don Chino Roces Bridge in Mendiola, Manila today.

According to the groups, Mendiola was the site of countless anti-Marcos protests. From the First Quarter Storm of 1970 to the storming of the Palace in 1986, Mendiola came to symbolize the people’s quest for the return of democracy.

The groups dramatized the storming of millions of people to the Presidential Palace on February 25, 1986 that toppled down the dictatorship of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.o

They also placed flowers and photos of martial law activists and martyrs at the barricades in Mendiola as tribute to the real heroes of the EDSA People Power.

“The barbed wires of Mendiola and the steel barriers protecting the Malacanang Palace reflect the continuing great divide in the nation. 32 years after EDSA, our situation remains the same: poverty and inequality persist, democracy is under attack, and our rights are violated with impunity,” said Mong Palatino, chairperson of Bayan Metro Manila and convenor of Movement Against Tyranny Metro Manila.

Palatino added, “We honor the heroes of People Power, the brave Filipinos who defied the dictatorship and fought for the restoration of our civil liberties and democracy. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten. Their memories will be kept alive by those they inspired to continue the noble fight for real freedom and just peace.”

In the activities today in Mendiola, protesters also slammed the present administration of President Duterte over his “worsening dictatorial and tyrannical rule.”

The groups denounced the various “anti-people” policies of Duterte including his drug war, Charter change, martial law in Mindanao, curtailment of press freedom, crackdown on activists, killings of farmers and government critics, TRAIN Law among many others.

Palatino said, “Our martial law activists and martyrs defeated tyranny by building the people’s resistance and empowering the grassroots. We will defeat another rising tyrant by reliving the lessons of People Power. The best tribute to the unsung heroes of EDSA is to fight the return of another dictator.”

“Never again. Not in our lifetime will we allow another despot to curtail our rights and destroy the future of our country,” Palatino ended.

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People have the power: EDSA 32 years on

February 24, 2018, 7:35 pm
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Some called it a revolution, but it was hardly ever one.

After the fall of dictator Ferdinand Marcos on February 25, 1986, the Philippines’ so-called restored democracy meant no land for farmers, low wages for contract workers, land grabbing and militarization for indigenous peoples.

Nothing much has changed since then except the names and faces of those in power. Prices of food and utilities continue to soar, as do the number of those killed in the drug war and martial law atrocities in Mindanao.

If the Philippines had won its revolution in 1986, then why do the people continue to fight tyranny?

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20180224-img_20180224_153019The EDSA Shrine, a testament to the people’s unity in toppling a dictator 32 years ago, is once again witness to the people’s struggle against a rising tyrannical leader. Photos by Erika Cruz

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Protesters gather at the EDSA Shrine and prepare to march to the People Power Monument, not minding the afternoon heat. Photo by Erika Cruz

20180224-img_8499Reminiscent of a past that saw church people on the forefront of People Power, priests, pastors, nuns, lay ministers, and seminarians led the march to the People Power Monument. Photo by Joshua Acpal
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Church workers illustrate the difference between the 1987 Constitution—nicknamed the ‘Freedom Constitution’—and the proposed Constitution under Duterte’s Charter change. Photo by Joshua Acpal

The 1987 Constitution crafted under Corazon Aquino’s presidency was one of the first acts of the president to supposedly guarantee the democratic rights of the people. Even then, fundamentals rights such as the right to own land only remained on paper. Less than a year after People Power, 13 peasants were gunned down at the gates of Malacañang. Thousands of farmers marched to Mendiola on January 22, 1987 to demand Cory’s campaign promise of land reform. Their demands were met with bullets instead.

During his campaign, President Rodrigo Duterte rallied supporters to push for a federal form of government. Legislative measures are now underway to change the fundamental law of the land.

Neri Colmenares of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) call Duterte’s Charter change “the worst” among the proposed changes in the Constitution that Duterte’s predecessors put forward. The president’s version of cha-cha would give him absolute powers, practically making him a dictator.

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Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) leads the march to the People Power Monument. BAYAN played a significant role in mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people that led to the Marcos presidency’s downfall. Photo by Joshua Acpal 

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Photo by Patricia de Luna

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Danilo dela Fuente was one of the 70,000 who were tortured during Marcos’ martial law. He was subjected to electrocution, water cure, long hours of interrogation and psychological torture, and incarceration under harsh conditions. Photo by Erika Cruz

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Today, there are over 400 political prisoners in the country. Sixty of them were arrestd under the Duterte administration. BAYAN Metro Manila campaign officer Ferdinand Castillo was arrested in February last year. Photo by Erika Cruz

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People from all sectors pour in at the People Power Monument. Photo by Rica Silva. 

The Marcos regime inspired many to write and sing about freedom and democracy, among which is the iconic ‘Bayan Ko’. Shortly after Aquino came in power, a band formed in 1979 called The Jerks wrote a song about how the people suffered under a false democracy ruled still by elite families and a meddling United States government.

Buwan ng Pebrero

Buwan ng pagbabago

Anong klaseng pagbabago?

Ano sa palagay mo?

The first lines of ‘Sayaw sa Bubog’ mirror Nick’s opinion of the People Power movements. “Edsa 1 at 2, parang nawala yata. Veteran kasi ako. Dapat ituloy ang laban,” he says.

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Nick, 56, is a psychologist and a member of Karapatan and LODI (Let’s Organize for Democracy and Integrity). By Lanz Varon and Marilou Morales

Like Nick’s family, Carla’s relatives are martial law veterans. She continues the fight against tyranny as she struggles for the emancipation of the LGBT. “Cha-cha is a tool to manipulate people,” she argues.

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Carla, 17, is a student of Bulacan State University. By Lanz Varon and Marilou Morales.

Luis was already working in the docks when Marcos declared martial law in 1972. He now works as a crane operator at Harbour Centre Port Terminal, a privately owned establishment in Manila. Last year, Harbour Centre contractual workers won a Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) case versus their employers, but many of them still work on a contractual basis.

20180224-luis-3Luis, 56, attends the protest with his co-workers who are also members of Samahang Manggagawa sa Harbour Centre. 

Baby Senobio journeyed with her fellow farmers to Metro Manila all the way from Northern Samar. Since supertyphoon Yolanda ravaged Eastern Visayas in 2013, a huge chunk of the population, mostly small farmers, have not yet fully recovered amid delayed government rehabilitation efforts. “Nagkakampo ang mga sundalo sa aming barangay. Alam natin na ito ay paglabag sa karapatang pantao. Sa halip na bigyan kami ng tulong at pagkain dahil naghihirap kami sa sunod-sunod na bagyo, ngayon mas lalong mahirap ang kalagayan namin. Ang aming kailangan ay tulong at totoong rehabilitasyon, hindi militarisasyon,” she says.

20180224-baby-senobio-4Baby Senobio is a member of Northern Samar Small Farmers Association (NSSFA). By Lanz Varon and Marilou Morales 

Doray brought her three grandchildren to the protest action. “Ayaw kong hawakan ng isang diktador ang Pilipinas,” she asserts.

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Doray lived through Marcos’ martial law and doesn’t want her grandchildren to grow up in a country ruled by another tyrannical leader. By Lanz Varon and Marilou Morales

John Peter shares Doray’s sentiment: “Para sa kabataan ang labang ito.”

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John Peter, 18, with his cousin Froilan. By Lanz Varon and Marilou Morales

The People Power Monument’s symbol of struggle and freedom was brought to life with speeches and performances by martial law veterans, youth activists, progressive leaders, artists, and relatives of political prisoners. It was a gathering of peace and struggle, of hope and resistance.

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For farmers, the only cha-cha they want is the dance originating from Cuba but is widely popular in the Philippines. Photo by Patricia de Luna

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A farmer from Eastern Visayas carries a scarecrow to “scare off the crows in government who try to steal the freedom away from the people”. Photo by Patricia de Luna.

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Members of Sama-samang Artista para sa Kilusang Agraryo (SAKA) “overthrows” Duterte by catapulting an image of him printed on a volleyball. Photo by Estelle Gwee

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A young Lumad girl inspects her bead necklace. She and her mother are seeking sanctuary in a Manila church after her mother received death threats from the military for allegedly being a member of the New People’s Army in Bukidnon. Photo by Kate Simple

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Around a hundred killings of indigenous peoples have been documented from July 2016 to the present. Under the Duterte government, 33 Lumad have been killed by members of the military or paramilitary groups. Photo by Joshua Acpal

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A farmer from Northern Samar calls to end militarization in their communities. The government’s ‘counter-insurgency’ program Oplan Kapayapaan seeks to crush New People’s Army guerrillas in the countryside, but largely targets civilians through encampment and aerial bombings. Photo by Kate Simple

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Cultural group Sinagbayan calls to end Duterte’s anti-people policies on intricately detailed placards. Photo by Rica Silva

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Farmers from Eastern Visayas address the crowd and the media. The farmers’ lakbayan in Metro Manila will be until March 8th. They are currently staying at the MCCCD-United Church of Christ in the Philippines in Manila. Photo by Estelle Gwee

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Photo by Patricia de Luna

The Filipino people may have won the battle against Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. But, as the saying goes, the war isn’t over yet. Six Philippine presidents have since come to power, bearing slogans and policies that promised change. But, like “Bagong Lipunan”, a new society that is ruled by the broad masses is yet to be seen and felt.

The thousands who attended the anniversary protest of the Edsa People Power Revolt may have carried different calls, but their stories when weaved together form a single struggle: the struggle for genuine democracy and freedom from foreign intervention. Their shared struggle targets a common enemy: those few in power who forget that it’s the people who have the true power.

In the coming days and months, as the system allows leaders like Duterte to rule iron-handed over the people, those few will be reminded again and again that the revolution isn’t over. The people, as the poem by Dylan Thomas says, will “rage, rage against the dying of the light”.

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Photo by Erika Cruz

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Bilang buhay

February 26, 2018, 4:14 am
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Binigkas ng manunulat noong Pebrero 25 sa Mendiola sa pag-alala sa mga martir at bayani na lumaban sa Batas Militar ni Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.

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Vaginas in the time of Duterte

February 26, 2018, 8:42 pm
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I almost threw my phone when I saw a screencap of Duterte’s directive to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to shoot women rebels in the vagina to render them “useless”. The curses went out of my mouth and head as fast as a Gloc-9 song. That very moment made me imagine that a gun would already be up any woman’s vagina, at the mercy of a mercenary, clad in camouflage, holding the trigger.

The statement was made in line with the intensified military operations ordered by Duterte against the belligerent New People’s Army and their supporters under the guise of combating terrorism in the country. These military operations are reflected in beleaguering Martial Law in Mindanao and in far flung areas nationwide that has targeted, afflicted and killed the indigenous peoples, farmers, workers, youth, church people, teachers, human rights defenders and the many unnamed who do not belong to Duterte’s circle of friends, the oligarchs.

After continuous reports that members of the New People’s Army were surrendering by the horde, flown to Malacañang, offered with a China trip and that he would offer a P20,000 reward for each Lumad who could kill an NPA combatant, comes this extremely vile invitation for a free pass inhumane assault on women.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in his speech during the establishment of the Tienda Para sa mga Bayani at Camp General Adriano Hernandez in Iloilo on February 22, 2018, defended his 'shoot her in the vagina' comment since receiving backlash for it. (Photo by SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in his speech during the establishment of the Tienda Para sa mga Bayani at Camp General Adriano Hernandez in Iloilo on February 22, 2018, defended his ‘shoot her in the vagina’ comment since receiving backlash for it. (Photo by SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

Not the first time

In his directive, we could say that hindi si presidente/mayor ang nauna.

Long before Duterte gave marching orders to shoot women in the vagina, there were Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan. Karen and She were the two students from the University of the Philippines Diliman who were abducted in 2006 in Hagonoy, Bulacan by “The Butcher” Major General Jovito Palparan during the bloody counter-insurgency program Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and 2 of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regime.

According to Raymond Manalo, the farmer who was also abducted by Palparan’s men and court witness against The Butcher, Karen and She were hung upside down naked, tortured and sexually molested. He personally saw how they were hung upside down naked while pieces of wood were inserted to their vaginas. Cadapan even told Manalo that he was raped.

Manalo’s escape and testimony was the affirmation of Palparan’s unimaginable and gross human rights violations under Arroyo’s helm who now struts like a president again in Duterte’s august chamber. Karen and She were students who served as community organizers and researchers on the feudal plight of farmers in Hagonoy when they were abducted. We are counting days before the court releases their decision to either convict Palparan or set him free. Until now, Karen and She are nowhere to be found.

And then there was Liliosa Hilao, the first victim of the many cases of extrajudicial killings under the dictator Marcos, Duterte’s idol. Liliosa Hilao, a young campus journalist in the prime of her life who wrote against the Marcos dictatorship, was tortured, raped and killed within 24 hours of her arrest. Her brain and intestines were taken out, her mouth became an ashtray, a hole was found in her throat, gun marks were seen on her legs. She was butchered. Her lifeless body was cut open from her head down to her vagina like an animal carcass. She was 23. Today we find the Marcoses being restored to power, a poll recount and a dictator bosom buddy from the presidency and favored by no less than Duterte himself.

To take us further back in history, let’s look at our lolas. The comfort women were the generation of Filipinas who suffered under the imperialist Japanese occupation as sex slaves. Women were rounded up in their communities, seized by the Japanese while in their houses, sleeping, doing chores or fetching wood.

Such is the story of Maria Rosa Henson who was only 14 when she became a comfort woman. She recounted how 12 soldiers would rape her, let her rest for a while, only to be raped again by 12 more soldiers. They’d be confined in any garrison and raped by 12 to 30 Japanese soldiers a day notwithstanding if they are bleeding from the previous sexual assaults or feeling any kind of pain. Rape is already an unimaginable assault for women. Imagine that being done by 12 to 30 men a night to one woman. Henson joined the Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon (HUKBALAHAP), a guerilla group established mostly by peasants that defeated the Japanese imperial army. Her story inspired other Filipino comfort women to share their story and break their silence several decades later.

Almost eight decades later, these women who are slowly dying are left with no apology from the Japanese government. The Philippine government didn’t even indemnify them or seek justice for the atrocities they underwent. Some parts of the society even denied their existence and agreed with the Japanese argument that they were prostitutes. A statue symbolizing a comfort woman was built in Manila to honor the sacrifices of our lolas. Yet even this statue, this rare physical recognition of their sacrifice, wants to be eradicated by the Duterte regime because it “tarnishes” the relation of Japan and the Philippines.

Lola Rosa at home, March 1996. Maria Rosa Luna Henson. ("Grandma Rosa") (1927-1997) was the first Filipina who made public her story as a comfort woman (military sex slave) for the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War.

Lola Rosa at home, March 1996. Maria Rosa Luna Henson. (“Grandma Rosa”) (1927-1997) was the first Filipina who made public her story as a comfort woman (military sex slave) for the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War.

Assault on women workers

Sexual assault is not the sole form of violence against women and children. Assault can be seen and felt in various forms that this macho-fascist society has established as a social construct.

Today, we find our Filipina inside freezers. Joanna Demafelis, an overseas Filipino worker in Kuwait, was found dead inside a freezer and was there for more than a year. She was said to be killed by her Lebanese and Syrian employers thru strangulation or torture. She fled the country in 2014 to work as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) to support her family that she left behind in Iloilo.

From a freezer in the middle east to a cold jail in Indonesia, we find Mary Jane Veloso. The mother of two was imprisoned in 2010 after being framed by her recruiter to carry illegal drugs in her baggage. Prior to her work in Indonesia, she used to work in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for six months but left her job there because her employer attempted to rape her. Had it not been for the continuous calls of the Filipinos and sympathizers all over the world to save her—a victim of human trafficking—from death row, she would already be dead according to Indonesian laws.

Demafelis and Veloso are one of the thousands of Filipinas who left and continue to leave the country to seek better pastures for their families. Due to the lack of opportunity here in the country, low wages and incessant increase of prices of commodities and services, many of our women fall victim to forced migration for the sake of survival.

But what is the situation of our women workers here in the Philippines?

For two decades, women workers of Slord Development Corporation in Navotas City produced export quality canned sardines in the Philippine market, endorsed by no less than the Queen of Media Kris Aquino. The prime endorsement and international recognition raises something fishy behind the corporation’s success. No, there are no manpower agencies in this company. Only that workers are divided in three categories: regular, extra regular and extra. A different form of contractualization likened to the size of a fast food order.

Regular workers comprise the lowest number among the workforce and earn the minimum or above minimum wage. Extra regular workers currently earn P370 a day while extra workers only earn P280 a day. The said categorization is based on the prioritization of those who will be given work each day. The workers’ job depends upon the availability of the fish to be processed. No fish, no work. Extra workers line up each morning at the company gate to vie their chance to work every day. They do the same work as regular and extra regular workers but they are the least priority in the distribution of workload. According to them, the plight of the workers is worse in other canned sardine making companies in Navotas.

Workers of Bleustar Corporation in Muntinlupa, the maker of Advan shoes and boots, suffered from the running away of their company when they fought for union recognition and pushed for their collective bargaining agreement. Women workers cap off their day at work lining up towards their employer who grope and kiss them one by one before they get out of the factory gate.

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Triumph International, one of the leading international women’s underwear maker, ran away from its workers in 2009 and reasoned that the company went bankrupt. They sometimes make Victoria’s Secret underwear. Though they earn above the minimum wage, the number and quality of products they make everyday is several hundred percent larger than the price of the product they make. Imagine the disparity of the price of a Triumph or Victoria’s Secret underwear to the wage of a worker who makes several pieces of those products everyday. Thru the persistent investigation of the workers, they found out that the company was planning to transfer their operations to Laguna where wages are lower than the Metro Manila rate.

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Advan, Triumph and Victoria’s Secret are products being sold in the country’s leading department store – SM. In 2001, the management of SM department store didn’t want to renew the five-year collective bargaining agreement deal with the women workers’ union. Deeming the management’s action as a greedy attempt to rake in more profit, the workers staged what was then unthinkable – a series of women’s strike spanning across several branches such as SM Cubao, SM North (formerly SM West), SM Carriedo (now called SM Clearance Outlet), SM Makati and SM Harrison since 1990 up to the early 2000s.

In a rare showcase of stating women’s situation in a pageant, Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters herself said that, “In some places women get 75% of what men earn for doing the same job, working the same hours. And I do not believe that this is right. I think we should have equal work for equal pay for women all over the world.”

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Making ends meet in the slums

Apart from women workers who are underpaid, unsafe and harassed, women in the informal sector are suffering a great ordeal in their line of work. Unable to have a minimum wage job earning opportunity, women in slum areas and depressed communities bank on the source of livelihood fit to their knowledge and ability to get food everyday – garlic peeling and garbage scavenging.

The garlic peeling industry is a famous source of living in communities located along the shores of Manila City. Garlic peeling is a strenuous task and risks the health of its peelers. One has to soak the garlic bulbs for a while before the manual peeling process begins. In Baseco Compound, each woman is paid P5 for every kilo of garlic they peel. In Happyland, Tondo, each woman is paid P4 for every kilo of garlic they peel. Each garlic peeler is given 14 kilos of garlic to peel which means women in Baseco earn P70-P80 a day while those in Happyland only earn P60 a day.

When garlic is not available and not enough, women would shift to “pamumulasi” or garbage scavenging across Metro Manila until dawn with their children or grandchildren and take home a few hundred pesos and “pagpag” (combination of all the food found in the garbage). In Tondo, women even scour the dangerous streets of men for passengers as pedicab or tri-wheel drivers.

Guinea pigs

All of the stated are happening to women in the formal and informal workers sector while a state-caused neglect and greed is throbbing in the veins of almost a million Filipino children – Dengvaxia. 830,000 Filipino children fell victim to the Dengvaxia fiasco, a vaccine sold to the country thru neoliberal ways and means for political grandstanding and corruption.

Parents from the above said communities have shared their nightmare due to the Dengvaxia disaster. All of them were out of words to express their anger and agony on how the government treated their children and grandchildren like guinea pigs to a vaccine administered without considering and putting the welfare of the children in front.

Candy, a mother from Baseco, rushed her daughter who was administered with Dengvaxia to the community health center because she was having a high fever. She didn’t make it to the health center’s cut off and they were refused to be given medical attention. She asked while crying why were they denied of medical attention. Was it because they were poor?

Even Duterte himself said that the parents who are complaining on the Dengvaxia controversy are “maarte”.

Some mothers have given up watching the news to avoid hearing weeping mothers whose children died and blamed Dengvaxia for their deaths. The state has capitalized the poor women’s plight who cannot afford to buy thousands of Pesos worth of vaccines for their children. Access to healthcare in the Philippines has always been far from the reach of the poor. Many Filipinos die of diseases that are treatable but eventually die because people are afraid of doctors, not because they fear injections, but because they don’t have money for hospitalization.

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Killing fields

Parents from several areas in the country are fuming over the Dengvaxia vaccine administered in schools that has caused torture and death to children. Torture and death is not a new experience for the young Lumads of Mindanao. Parents and children are experiencing the brunt of Martial Law in their determination to defend their Lumad schools and ancestral lands.

Military attacks against the Lumads have intensified in a time when a leader from Mindanao rose to power. Denied of the right to education, health and government support, the Lumads of Mindanao took their fate on their own hands and decided to establish what the government failed to do for centuries – build their own schools.

In the remote mountains of Mindanao, the Lumads were able to establish more than 200 schools whose curriculum empowers the indigenous peoples in their struggle for their ancestral lands and rights. These schools became the target of arrests, military attacks, strafing, bombing and Martial Law with the Duterte regime’s premise that the Lumad schools are run by the belligerent group NPA. The Lumad have been forced to evacuate at the very sight of a drone hovering around their communities in fear of another military attack. It takes them six hours to several days before they evacuate to a secure place. Recently, the military denied passage of food support to the Lumads who fled their lands due to the rabid militarization of their communities in the CARAGA region. The military tried to torture them with hunger.

Despair in a bleak system

While the Lumad children and schools are being attacked by the state, the Filipina youths are subjecting themselves to prosti-tuition despite the Duterte regime’s bogus free tuition policy. I had the chance to visit Iloilo recently and was quite surprised that the city almost had the same traffic problem as Metro Manila’s. A colleague said that a professor once asked several taxi drivers why traffic is really bad in the city. To which the drivers replied that many of their passengers whom they pick up during rush hour are “kolehiyalas” (female college students) who are with older and noticeably well-off men.

I would not forget to mention the suicides of female students who were unable to pay their school fees or requirements despite being Iskolars ng Bayan – Kristel Tejada, Rosanna Sanfuego, Nilna Habibun, Marianette Amper.

Presyong Divisoria

Like women forced to sell their bodies, the Duterte regime has sold our sovereignty to imperialist powers.

Foreign monopoly capitalists continue to bank on the export-oriented and import-dependent mode of economy the Philippines while enjoying low cost of raw materials, low wages in the global value chain and a market for overproduction. Destructive mining corporations and plantations continue to ravage our lands, mountains and waters.

China has aggressively claimed our islands in the West Philippine Sea and Benham Rise. Instead of condemning China’s bullying, Malacañang told us that we should be thankful to China for the establishments that they have built in the said disputed islands. Never mind the islands we lose as long we have investments in the country said his supporters. Even the idea of investments is fake news because these investments are nothing but hot money or stocks that China can pull out any time.

Never mind China when we have the United States who has laid waste over our “independence” for more than a century now. All of Duterte’s brusque demeanor towards the US is now taken off the table as he took his place as the lapdog of US imperialism. US bases continue their operations in the country, joint military exercises are still being held, the biggest investments still come from the US, neoliberal policies (i.e. deregulation, liberalization, privatization) are still enforced and will be taken to a whole new level upon the approval of Charter Change where 100% foreign ownership will be gifted to monopoly capitalists. Presyong Divisoria, no?

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‘Vanessa’, a 22-year-old student, came out in 2009 to expose her alleged rape by a US Marine inside a Makati City hotel. She did not press charges for fear that the Visiting Forces Agreement-protected US soldier perpetrator would only go free, as in the Subic rape case of ‘Nicole.’ In 2014, transgender woman was strangled to death by a US soldier, serving as part of the VFA, in Olongapo. (Photo by Bulatlat)

Vaginas at gunpoint

Our vaginas are held at gunpoint by the US-Duterte regime and the system. We are beyond livid but not surprised with Duterte’s remark. It doesn’t come as a surprise because US President Donald Trump himself has led it with his Pussygate by saying, “Grab ‘em by the pussy.”

What we need to realize is that, based on the ordeals above, even class struggle is applicable in vaginas. Exploitation among women doesn’t only happen when they are physically hurt, sexually abused or catcalled. Women are exploited according to their rank in society (peasants, workers, middle class). The lower their rank, the more severe their exploitation.

Those in the bottom of the society are burdened to deal with life as a peasant (under usury, land grabbing, low wages as farmworkers) and as a woman at the same time who needs to tend to each landlords’ needs (like service in the hacienda as a server or a sex toy), to be betrothed to another man she doesn’t like only to be a payment for the family’s debt, to not have a voice in the family and participate in the discussion of political and familial decisions, to always be at the service of her husband. Each class has a certain situation of exploitation but it all boils down for women to be obedient and follow the authorities that holds her throat – her exploiter, the state, the macho-fascist and patriarchal society.

These women don’t have anything or are being deprived in life which is why they chose to fight be it in the parliament, the streets or in the mountains. To lose everything makes them fight for everything. Class struggle requires smashing chains in order to break free.

This we owe to our women who participated in the ultimate form of struggle for women’s liberation—Liliosa Hilao, Lorena Barros, Christine Puche, Tanya Domingo, Erika Salang, Recca Monte, Jo Lapira—and all the beautiful women who have found their place in the armed struggle. The almost half a century civil war in the countryside that Duterte curses when he can, and can only muster a “shoot her in the vagina” bravado when told that women rebels fight like Amazons.

Duterte wants to render women irrelevant. What he fails to realize is that women are already partaking in a greater cause—a revolution that will give birth to a new society.

Banner from UP Center for Women's Resources program for women martyrs

Banner from UP Center for Women’s Resources program for women martyrs

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Salaysay ng walang kasalanan

February 27, 2018, 4:52 pm
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Sa isinagawang conference ukol sa Martial Law sa Mindanao sa National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), nagpahayag ng kanyang kwento si Janry Mensis, 22 taong gulang at isang magsasaka sa kanilang lugar na isa sa mga na-torture habang pinaiiral ang martial law sa Mindanao.

Sa salaysay ni Janry, nagkayayaan sila ng kanyang mga kaibigan para bumili lang ng balot nang harangin sila ng 4 na lalaki at hinahanapan sila ng mga ito ng ID. Dahil wala silang dala-dalang ID nung mga oras na yun, agad silang isinama ng mga ito sa pulis station.

“Nakita namin may kinausap sya sa phone… yun pala yun yung warden ng pulis sa mobil tapos sinakay kami, sinampal pa ko sa mukha nung pulis”

Habang sila ay nasa police station, tinanong daw sila ng mga ito kung ano ang kanilang ninakaw dahil ay nagnakaw daw sila. Itinanggi naman nila ang paratang sa kanila. Matapos silang kausapin ng mga ito ay dinala sila sa kampo kung saan nakita nila ang mga sundalong dumakip sa kanila.

“Aminin na ninyo na NPA kayo.”

Sabi ko, “Hindi kami NPA sir, ordinaryo lang kaming magsasaka.”

Matapos nito ay dito na sila sinimulang pinahirapan ng mga sundalo.

“Tama na sir, masakit na ‘ho ang katawan namin. ‘Di na namin kaya”

Iyan ang kanilang naging paki-usap sa mga sundalo sa tuwing binubugbog sila ng mga ito, ngunit nabigo sila sa kanilang hiling.

“December 6, dinala kami sa bundok. Sumakay kami ng kanilang sasakyan… Binihisan ako ng pang sundalo. Sabi, magbihis ka kasi malamig dun sa pupuntahan natin, sabi ng sundalo. Nagbihis ako. Mga tatlong oras [bago] kami nakarating kami dun.”

Hindi sila agad pinababa ng sasakyan. Naiwan sila sa sasakyan nang bumaba ang kanilang mga kasama habang sila ay naiwan kasama ang apat na sundalong magbabantay sa kanila. Sinabihan pa siya ng sundalo na magmadali dahil nahihintay at nakaabang ang kanyang pamilya na hindi niya naman pinaniwalaan.

“Tinali nila ako ng malaking lubid sa leeg. Tapos ‘di lang tali sa leeg dito din sa bibig ko. Nalagasan na ko ng ngipin kasi yung tali nila maiksi yung nakalagay sa bibig ko. Akala nila nung tinali yung leeg ko, akala nila patay na kami. Sabi ng sundalo patay na kami, sabi itapon mo na.”

Dito ay itinapon siya sa hukay ng mga sundalo. Binuhusan pa sila di umano ng mga ito ng isang container na krudo at paulit-ulit na sinubukan na sindihan sila. Nang masigurong nagliliyab na sila ay iniwan na sila ng mga ito. Nang makaalis na ang mga sundalo sa pag-aakalang wala na sila, agad nyang tinanong ang kanyang kaibigan kung buhay pa ito kasabay ng pagpapauna niya na tumakbo na papalayo. Kahit hindi sigurado sa kanilang pupuntahan, patuloy lang sila para makatakas. Hindi na inalintana ni Janry ang sakit nang magtamo siya ng third degree burn. Nang makalayo sila matapos ang halos isang araw na pagtakbo ay nakita nya ang kapitbahay sa bundok at dito nya nalaman na hinahanap na pala sila ng kanilang pamilya.

“Sabi ko hinuli kami ng sundalo, buti na lang nakatakas kami sa kanila. ‘Pag sinabi sayo na pag nakita mo ‘to (Janry at Jerry) sabihin mo na lang na wala kang nakita sinabihan ko siya kasi baka malaman nila na buhay pa kami.”

Kung susumahin ay siyam na araw na nawalay si Janry at ang kaibigan niyang si Jerry sa kanilang pamilya. Mula rito ay nais niyang magkaroon ng kasagutan kung bakit ganito ang kanilang nararanasan.

0228-janry-02-copyKasama ni Janry ang ilan pang mga naging biktima umano ng umiiral na Martial Law sa lungsod at ilang nakaranas ng dahas o pekeng mga kaso gaya ni Jerimiah Heneral na isang magsasaka sa Caraga region. Siya diumano ay sinampahan ng gawa-gawang kaso sa dalawang probinsya ng Agusan del Sur ng kasong multiple attempted murder at dalawang multiple frustrated murder dahil nakita daw siya ng mga militar nakipagbarilan sa mga ito sa kabundukan sa Bayugan City. Habang sa lungsod ng Quinsarao naman ay kinasuhan siya ng multiple frustrated murder at murder dahil nakita at nakilala daw siya ng mga ito nang nakipagbarilan siya sa mga ito.

Madami rin ang mga Lumad na nakaranas ng paghihirap dahil sa pinaiiral na Martial Law. Daan-dan sa kanila ay napipilitang magbakwit sa ibang probinsya para iwasan ang mga operasyong militar sa kanilang lugar at pagkampo ng mga militar sa mga pasilidad na pansibilyan gaya ng paaralan, bahay, at iba pa. Nais nilang humingi ng tulong sa nakararaming kababayan dahil sa patuloy na pag-agaw sa kanilang lupang ninuno. Mayroon din diumanong mga Lumad ang nais bayaran ng gobyerno ng maliit na halaga kapalit ng mga lupang kanilang pag-aari para gamitin sa negosyo.

Patuloy naman ang panawagan ng mga nakararanas ng Martial Law ang suportang kanilang hinihingi mula sa mga taong may malasakit sa kanila. Nais din nilang itigil na ang karahasan, harassment at pananakot sa kanilang mga pamilya at kamag-anak.

The post Salaysay ng walang kasalanan appeared first on Manila Today.

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Eastern Visayas farmers protest DND over Tokhang-style crackdown ops vs gov’t critics

February 28, 2018, 8:46 pm
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We are activists with legitimate causes. We are not drug peddlers as no one deserves to be killed under Tokhang.

This has been the statement of the members of the Northern Samar Small Farmers Association (NSSFA) as they protested at the gate of the Department of National Defense (DND) general headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City today to denounce the “Tokhang-style counter-insurgency and crackdown operations being executed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the entire Eastern Visayas region.”

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Photo by Erika Cruz and Kathy Yamzon

During the protest, Gina Rosco, 59, NSSFA leader, decried the spate of harassment and rights violations committed by elements of the AFP in her province in the guise of anti-narcotics operations.

Rosco exposed that the AFP’s 20th Infantry Battalion is now using the controversial anti-drug campaign of the Philippine National Police (PNP) that has left at least 7,000 dead in police and vigilante operations as human rights groups claim to commence its crackdown against legal activists.

“Contrary to the strong and tough image President Duterte flaunts, the present government must actually be so weak that the people who only use their principles, convictions and unity would be retaliated by his government with summary killings. He is a coward!” Rosco said.

Rosco recalled her experience when elements of the 20th Infantry Battalion along with their ‘intelligence assets’ went to her home in Las Navas town, started convincing her to present herself to the military as an NPA surrenderee so she can claim cash rewards.

Unswayed with the huge sum of money offered by the military, Rosco refused to do what the military instructed her to do, and that was when a flurry of death threats were used by the soldiers against Rosco. “I can still vividly recall when they said that if I will be consistent in refusing to do as they say, I will be next on their hitlist, as Tokhang will be their new tool against us farmers,” claimed Rosco.

Fake surrenderees and militarization in peasant communities slammed

Protesters also burned a 5-foot effigy of President Duterte depicted as “Boy Ratrat,” a large armed rat. The group decried that the AFP is hell-bent in forcing ordinary and civilian farmers to surrender as members of the New People’s Army (NPA) for the military’s “money-making scheme.”

Rosco exposed that a sum of P140,000 is being claimed by the AFP as bounty for every “fake surrenderees” they present.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said that farmers in peasant communities in the countryside are the primary targets of the AFP “surrender campaign.” “This ‘surrender campaign’ going on nationwide is part of the government’s Oplan Kapayapaan.

This is a massive campaign to threaten, harass and intimidate farmers, local peasant leaders and barrio folks into falsely admitting that they are members or former members of the NPa,” said Antonio Flores, KMP secretary general.

Flores cited that according to their local members in barrios and municipalities, the most common tactic used by state-agents is “to threaten farmers and community residents to surrender or die or be arrested.”

The KMP leader added that farmers who are red-tagged by the AFP as NPA or NPA supporters often end up as victims of extra-judicial killings or threatened with illegal arrest and detention.

Earlier, President Duterte made remarks that he wanted more NPA surrenderees. In the past weeks, the AFP has presented so-called Lumad NPA surrenderees from Mindanao.

“More fake surrenderees would mean more human rights violations against farmers,” Flores said.

KMP said that in Eastern Visayas alone, this surrender drive had been going on in Samar since last year and is a major component of the AFP’s militarization campaign.

According to the group, in Gamay, Northern Samar, farmers are being asked to present their identification cards whenever they are seen by AFP soldiers in their farms and rice fields. Soldiers told farmers that they should always present their ID cards to prove that they are not NPAs. This “ID system” also exists in other parts of the region.

In Las Navas town also in Northern Samar, farmers and local village officials are being invited to the municipal hall to sign documents attesting that they are surrendering to the rule of law. Residents of Basey, Samar were framed and presented by the military as fake surrenderees. Civilians are also threatened by the AFP that they are included in the list of “NPAs and supporters”.

In September 2017, the 87th IB based in Calbiga, Samar convened the barrio captains and told them to convince constituents who actively support the NPA to surrender before Duterte declares martial law nationwide.

Eastern Visayas on fire

On top of the issue of fake surrenderees in their province, NSSFA stressed out that “2017 was the year fire rained down from the skies of Matuguinao, Samar as planes from the Philippine Air Force conducted aerial bombing operations in Barangay Mahayag.”

The assault caused massive evacuations from upland communities similar to that of the 14 barangays from Calbiga, Samar who evacuated by the thousands April last year due to military encampment in their houses.

A food blockade was meanwhile separately authorized and enforced by the AFP in Burauen, Leyte and in the villages of San Miguel and San Isidro in Las Navas, Northern Samar last year. The blockade, as what the AFP declared to the communities is predicated by the presence of the communist rebels in the area. The farmers meanwhile, believe otherwise.

“There is money on top of our heads. The soldiers need to meet a certain number of surrenderees so they can claim the money for it. That is why they wanted us unarmed farmers to present ourselves as surrenderees en masse so they can rake in money, while trampling on our dignity and basic rights,” said Rosco.

Reports from local human rights watchdog Katungod – Sinirangan Bisayas also reveal of minors being used by the military for their publicity stunts.

The case of Jimboy Obiado for example shows how the military tagged him as a member of the NPA on the sole and flimsy basis of carrying rice from their home to barangay Tubang, Las Navas last year.

Aside from Obiado, three more civilians in their region, identified as Bernadette Lutao of Bobon, Northern Samar; Ronnel Baldonado from Matuguinao, Samar and Jason Montalla from Albuera, Leyte were killed in separate incidents since 2017. They were all red-tagged by the military.

Farmers who are affected by agricultural infestation in Samar provinces relocate to upland farms and hinterlands to seek other sources of livelihood but intense militarization prevents them from doing so.

Formation of new AFP battalions opposed

Eastern Visayas farmers are also protesting the creation of a new army battalion in Eastern Visayas or the 93rd Infantry Battalion called ‘Bantay Kapayapaan.’ The new battalion will be based at Camp Eugenio Daza in Fatima village, Hinabangan, Samar.

Amid growing tension in the local scene, the 8th ID will have 4 more battalions assigned to Eastern Visayas on top of the 7 already deployed in the region, according to Bayan Eastern Visayas.

The formation of new battalions will be made after President Rodrigo Duterte tagged the NPA as a terrorist organization thus prompting the deployment of Marawi-based army units to Region 8, commonly referred to as an “enduring fortress of the communist movement in the Philippines”.

In a statement, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Eastern Visayas (Bayan-EV) considers the move a bold declaration of war against an impoverished people considering that the military as repeatedly committed crimes against the people of Eastern Visayas amid peaceful methods like dialogues and petitions being employed by civilian groups to have them pulled out.

“We do not need another army battalion to harass, threaten, and intimidate civilians in Eastern Visayas. Farmers are actually demanding the immediate pull-out of seven other army battalions — 20th, 43rd, 14th, 87th, 52nd, 19th and 78th Infantry Battalions under the 8th Infantry Division operating in Eastern Visayas,” said Jun Berino of Sinirangan Gudti Han Ngan Parag-uma – Sinirangang Bisaya (SAGUPA-SB) who stressed that Martial-law like conditions in Region 8 should be known by the public.

The NSSFA and the SAGUPA-SB aired their demand for the immediate pull-out of military from peasant communities. The Stand With Samar Caravan For Justice is now on its second week of activities here in the National Capital Region to seek remedy to the farmers’ woes.

These have been the reasons why Eastern Visayas farmers march all the way from home.

Rosco said, “We condemn the state-perpetrated killings and harassment cases ranging from unsuspecting farmers to entire barangays ever since President Duterte declared his all-out support to the AFP whatever they may do even if it would entail rights abuses.”

“Our families and neighborhoods will be marching from the mountains of Northern Samar, the shores of Biliran and the plains of Leyte to unmask the pro-poor mask of Duterte, that in the hinterlands, we all know that his government has been the top terrorist and human rights violator, and everyone should know that,” Rosco said.

The post Eastern Visayas farmers protest DND over Tokhang-style crackdown ops vs gov’t critics appeared first on Manila Today.

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AdU students stage silent ‘Black Wednesday’ protest against impending 6% tuition and miscellaneous fee increase

March 1, 2018, 6:36 am
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Students from Adamson University (AdU) launched a silent picket protest in front of the facade of the University on Wednesday, February 28, 2018, to protest against the impending 6% tuition and miscellaneous fee increase for the incoming school year 2018-2019.

The mobilization was done as a response to the recent approval of the position paper of the AdU administration proposing the increase in a consultation launched on Wednesday, February 21, 2018.

Informed, not consulted

In an interview with Manila Today, Chairman for Grievances and Concerns Kristine Vernadette Barcelona of the Adamson University Student Government (AUSG) recalled what had transpired prior to the consultation meeting set by the Office of the President of the University.

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picture2picture3picture4Sound bites released from the consultation meeting last February 21, 2018. The representatives in the meeting were met with criticisms from the AdU Community. Photos courtesy of AdU Chronicle.

“’Nung February 2 may binigay na notice, pero ang nakalagay lang ay consultation. However, yung nangyari [sa actual consultation] is in-inform lang kami. Kumbaga ‘yung stand ng students ay wala na ring bearing; pero confirmed pa rin po [na may increase].”

(“They gave us a notice last February 2, but what it only entails is consultation. However, what happened [on the actual consultation] was we were merely informed. As if the stand of the students bear no meaning; [the increase] is still confirmed.”)

Janella Beverly Hodreal, another council member from the AUSG, reflected that they thought they would be asked about their thoughts about the proposal and the rationale behind. However on the actual meeting, they were only informed about the proceeds of the fee increase—with the administration providing a partial breakdown of where the fund will go.

“Prior sa notice, ang nakalagay ay invitation letter. Wala ‘yung supporting documents na naka-attach. So parang another thinking po na baka i-discuss doon. Kaya hindi na rin po kami nagtanong. Kaya po kami nagulat on the actual consultation itself.”

(“Prior to the notice, what was only presented was an invitation letter. There are no supporting documents attached. So we thought that the matter would be discussed there, which is why we didn’t raise an inquiry. We were also shocked on the actual consultation itself.”)

According to the AUSG, the proposed tuition fee increase will merit an additional Php 80.00 per unit, with partial breakdowns on the funds received geared for increases in the allotment for insurance fee, a working fund for the new 9-storey building for the College of Engineering, as well as raises in the salary for the employees and faculty members of the University. The fund generated from the increase will also proceed to a new equipment required by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that detects earthquakes, as recommended by the Commision on Higher Education (CHED), in order for the University to meet its requirements to maintain its Autonomous status.

News about the increase brought about strong condemnation from the students and parents from the Adamson community.

Bigger protests against TOSFI to come

Joshua Bustamante, a member from Anakbayan – Adamson University (AB-AdU), expressed his utmost dissent against the impending increase.

“Dahil sa pagtaas ng tuition fee ng 6% na hindi naman dumaan sa tamang proseso tulad ng pagkonsulta sa hanay ng Adamsonians, hindi ‘yun nangyari. Biglang hinain na lang tapos approval ng CHED na lang ang kulang. Tapos noong nakaraang araw, nagkaroon sila ng meeting kasama ng Student Government pero parang moro-moro na lang din ‘yon kasi may desisyon na, approval na lang ng CHED (ang hinihintay).”

(“The 6% tuition fee increase did not go through the right process or consultation within the Adamsonians. It was just laid out, with only CHED’s approval missing. The other day, the administration had a meeting with the Student Government but it was only a farce because there’s already a decision.)
breakdownBreakdown of the tuition fee calculation with the 6% tuition fee increase. Infographics released courtesy of AdU Chronicle.

Bustamante expounded the burden that the increase will bring, as students from the Adamson community are mostly hailing from middle-class families.

“Alam naman nating ‘yung Adamson is school for the poor. Given na gan’un, alam naman natin na ang mga nag-aaral dito ay hindi gan’un kayaman. So ‘yung mga estudyante rito, kinakayod na ng magulang (ang tuition nila). Tapos mabigat na nga ang burden nila, lalo pang dadagdagan ng 6% increase na ‘yan.”

(“We are aware that Adamson is a school for the poor. Given that context, we are also aware that the students who are studying here are not that affluent. The parents struggle to provide the tuition of the students. They already have a heavy burden, and this 6% increase will only exacerbate that.”)

Bustamante was part of the group that organized the silent protest. Prior to the protest on Wednesday, online campaigns calling out for a Black Wednesday shirt protest and black ribbon tying was spearheaded by the group, coinciding with the AUSG’s call for a same shirt protest on the same day. AUSG’s efforts to address the issue focused on launching a petition-signing initiative, freedom walls, and a scheduled dialogue with the administration sometime in March.

On the other hand, Bustamante and his group resolves that there would be bigger mobilizations to come in line with the mounting of a bigger campaign against the tuition fee increase as well as the scrapping of the No Permit No Exam (NPNE) policy of the University. The NPNE policy entails a requirement for the students of the University to produce an approved promissory note before taking exams, which caused students to not take the exam at all, given its bureaucratic process.

“Ang campaign na ito ay (ginawa) to open the eyes of the Adamsonians para ma-agitate at ihanda ang Adamson para sa pinaghahandaan naming mas malaking laban sa tuition fee increase at sa pagbuwag ng No Permit No Exam policy.”

(“This campaign is done to open the eyes of the Adamsonians in order to agitate them and in order to prepare Adamson for the launching of a bigger campaign against tuition fee increase and removal of the No Permit No Exam policy.”)

Meanwhile, Sharo Banzuela Jr., the deputy secretary-general of the National Union of Students of the Philippines – Metro Manila (NUSP – MM), expressed the support and commitment of the Union to elevate the initiative of the AdU students.

In a statement, Banzuela manifested that the recent move of the administration is a direct attack to the students of the University, elucidating that it only heightens the rampant commercialization prevalent among private Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs). Banzuela also blasted CHED’s noncomittal actions regarding the influx of increase orchestrated by HEIs.

“While we continue to struggle against the policies perpetrated by private school administrators, we cannot leave out CHED’s lack of commitment when it comes to these policies, especially with the issue on tuition and other school fees. CHED and these institutions’ teamwork in carrying out the inhumane policies at the expense of the students is a glaring manifestation of exacerbating commercialization of education and its subsequent motive to paint education as a privilege instead of a right that should be attained by the people,” Banzuela said.

“The youth must continue to be vigilant and wage a greater campaign against these initiatives which further draws them away from their right. We must continue to struggle against this type of education and fight for one that is free, accessible, liberating, and emancipatory. Only then shall the youth enjoy education for what it really is: a fundamental right received at no cost,” he added.

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The post AdU students stage silent ‘Black Wednesday’ protest against impending 6% tuition and miscellaneous fee increase appeared first on Manila Today.

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Hanggang kamatayang paglaban

March 1, 2018, 7:10 am
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Sa isang press conference na idinaos sa National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) hinggil sa isinagawang International Solidarity Mission sa Mindanao nitong nakaraang linggo, nagpahayag ang ilan sa mga delegado ng kanilang mga mapapait na karanasan sa ilalim ng administrasyong Duterte at ng militarisasyon.

Isa sa mga nagsalaysay ng mapait na karanasan niya ay si Jong Monzon, secretary-general ng PASAKA Confederation of Lumad Organizations at Save Our Schools Network.

Ayon sa kanya, noong 2016 pa nagsimula ang kalupitan na kanilang nararanasan sa ilalim ng pamumuno ni Pang. Duterte.

“Napakalala po nitong administrasyong Duterte kasi every two days inaatake ang aming paaralan. Mula noong 2016 hanggang kasalukuyan, may 53 schools na ang pinasara at ipapasara ng administrasyong Duterte”, ani Monzon.

Ayon pa kay Monzon, umaabot na rin sa 200 pataas ang bilang ng kaso ng paglabag sa karapatang pantao at walong biktima ng extra-judicial killings sa paaralan ng mga Lumad. Samantala, ang mga guro naman ay kasalukuyan ding sinasampahan ng mga gawa-gawang kaso at nagsasagawa rin ng manhunt sa mga guro at mga lider ng samahan.

“Kung makikita mo sa aming mga community kasi palagi silang sinusundan, tulad ni teacher Jolita na hinuli at nilagyan ng kung anu-ano at ikinulong”, pahayag niya.

teacher-jolitaSi Teacher Jolita. Larawan mula sa Save Our Schools Facebook page.

Dagdag pa ni Monzon, umaabot na ng halos 11,000 pataas ang bilang ng mga nagbabakwit at ngayon ay inaasahan na tataas pa ang bilang nito kung hindi pagbibigyan ng pangulo ang hinaing ng mga katutubong lumad.

“Excuse me po, hindi namin kultura ang pumatay ng aming mga kapwa Pilipino at lalong-lalo na ng mga kapatid naming mga lumad”, sagot ni Monzon sa pahayag ni Duterte na pagbibigay ng PHp20,000 sa mga Lumad para patayin ang mga NPA.

Mararamdaman sa bawat salita na lumalabas sa kanyang bibig ang labis na pagkapoot at hinagpis na dinaramdam ng bawat isang Lumad na dumanas ng pagmamalupit sa kamay ng mga militar at ng rehimeng Duterte.

“Yung patuloy ninyong pag-atake sa aming community, yung mukha ng pagto-torture dito sa aming mga kapatid na nandyan sa Mindanao, kung pwede lang magmura, puta no. Kasi pinatay! Pinatay niya ang sarili niyang mga kadugo,” galit na sabi ni Monzon.

Isang malaking panghihinayang sa pagsuporta nila noong tumatakbo pa lamang sa pagkapangulo si Duterte ngunit sa ngayo’y ang pangulo pa mismo ang nagiging dahilan ng paghihirap nila. Ang pagkakapatay sa higit na tatlumpung mga Lumad ay isa nang halimbawa ng mga pangako na napako sa administrasyong ito.

Dagdag pa ni Monzon, “sa lahat ng nakaupo under Duterte regime, kaming mga Lumad na nasa Mindanao gusto naming sabihin sa inyo na kung patuloy kayong magpapakatuta nitong administrasyong ito, wala pong pupuntahan ang ating bayan.”

“Sa mga taong may puso pa na handang tumulong sa amin para sa karapatan naming mabuhay sa aming lupang ninuno, titindig po kami. Kung ano man po ang mangyari sa amin dahil nagsasalita kami, ako dito against the administration, handa aming mamatay para sa aming lupang ninuno,” sabi ni Monzon.

 

The post Hanggang kamatayang paglaban appeared first on Manila Today.

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Shoot the Vagina

March 1, 2018, 5:13 pm
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