Sa panahon ni Recto hanggang ngayon, makabuluhan pa ring tingnan kung paano natin igigiit ang ating kalayaan, at kung paano natin makakamit ang tamang paggalang at pantay na pagtingin sa atin ng ibang bayan.
Under the Duterte administration, 66 farmers and activists have already been gunned down.
How could he muster the courage to continue speaking the truth against the mighty China when the betrayal came from the country’s highest seat of power?
Cristina Palabay,secretary general of Karapatan, said, “We have not been given the chance to be heard.”
The petitioners called on legislators to “consider the greater good while upholding the right of media/art organizations to decide the path it should take as part of its constitutional right to freedom of speech, of expression and of the press.”
“Political prisoners are a symbol of unpeace and injustice. They must be freed.”
NUPL President Edre Olalia pointed out that Duterte himself publicly threatened human rights defenders and all supposed communist fronts.
“While we have to contend with this reality, it is so hard to accept. While we comprehend the rotten system from which these illegal arrests are being made, the imprisonment of these good people, inncocent of any crime they are being accused of is just beyond logic and reason.”
“We reiterate that activism and the full exercise of our civil and political rights is not a crime. While we continue with our everyday human rights work, we are also resolute in our commitment to see this through.”
“Issues such as China deals, drug war, war against the revolutionary movement, corruption etc. will not go away and these will be the considerations of administration candidates, except for those who are rabid supporters or are unthinking.”