ACT Chairperson Vladimer Quetua said the complaint filed “is clearly another attempt to stir trouble and divert attention away from Vice President Sara Duterte’s misuse of public funds, whether in the Office of the Vice President or Department of Education.”
“There is no difference (between Marcos Jr. and Duterte). If not slapped with trumped up charges, people are being killed to silence them,” Defend Southern Tagalog spokesperson Charm Maranan said during the program at the Liwasang Bonifacio.
Progressive groups demand accountability for over half a billion pesos in questionable expenditures, citing violation of laws, false reports, and obstruction of investigations.
“This is not just a fight for the two of us but for all environmental and human rights defenders in the Philippines.”
“Justice is holding Duterte and his accomplices accountable. They are responsible for thousands of extrajudicial killings.”
“Development projects should be planned and implemented in the context of the country’s urgent needs and solutions to current dilemmas, and with thorough consideration of its long-term effects on the environment.”
“Ignoring this reality would be counterproductive and will only prolong the entire process and open it to manipulation by the Duterte camp, besides prolonging the agony of the families of victims who have long been seeking justice for their loved ones,” Cristina Palabay said in a statement.
“The imperialist powers of the United States force our country to remain semi-colonial and semi-feudal, with Marcos Jr. acting as a willing puppet. Foreign companies, in collusion with big-business oligarchs, plunder our natural resources, receiving a green light from the government through the enactment of neoliberal policies.”
Kalikasan People’s Network demands full reparations for the Philippines, citing historical emissions and government failures in the wake of deadly storms.
“Frenchie has finally had an opportunity to take the stand to defend herself. It has taken the government nearly half a decade to prepare a case against Frenchie and during this long period, this young woman has been left to languish in detention. That itself raises serious questions about the fairness of the process.”
The group said that Duterte is not only responsible for the thousands of drug-related killings but also for the summary execution of 422 political activists and the frustrated extrajudicial killing of 544 others.