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“I was so elated that I could barely sleep. I’m thinking that ‘this is it!’ Our long wait for justice is finally coming to light.”
“...[t]here is a reasonable basis to believe that the crime against humanity of murder has been committed on the territory of the Philippines between 1 July 2016 and 16 March 2019 in the context of the Government of Philippines ‘war on drugs’ campaign.”
“What kind of government jails a family for 16 years and ignores all appeals for their freedom although the elderly Alegre couple are eligible for pardon and humanitarian release especially at this time of pandemic?”
Gomez’s arrest is a “serious attack to the Church, grave insult to the Christian faith and sacrilegious assault against our God.”
Zenaida Soriano, Amihan national chairperson, denounced the freeze order saying that it was arbitrary and they were not given a chance to answer the allegations against them.
Vicente Ladlad's wife, Fides said that his accounts are not from the money laundering or terrorism financing but resulted from Republic Act No. 10368 or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013.
"This award also comes at a crucial time, against the backdrop of a rapidly deteriorating human rights crisis and alarming democratic backsliding in the Philippines, and this award is a recognition of the tremendous challenges we currently face amid worsening attacks on human rights defenders, police brutality, militarization, and the narrowing of civic and democratic spaces in the country."
Contrary to the news reports that there are only three casualties, investigation by the group revealed that there were actually four. The fourth turned out to be Cometa, who, according to the witnesses, was wounded.
“The soldiers forcibly grabbed MJ who was crying and resisting all the while. His foster parents were held at gunpoint while they were wrestling with the soldiers to get the child back. The soldiers forced the boy into the SUV, and the foster parents were almost run over by the SUV as it sped away with the boy."
State agents have killed and arrested several JASIG-protected peace process participants, especially after formal NDFP-GRP peace negotiations were cancelled by GRP President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017.
“It is absurd that the Mandaluyong court saw the inconsistencies and defects of the narratives and evidence provided by the police in arresting Esparago and Salem; but the same set of facts were ignored by QC and Manila courts.”
“They told me we wouldn’t be released unless we admit to being rebels.” -- Lumad teacher
“The victims live in constant fear for their lives, liberty and security. Adding insult to injury, even their families suffer the same. They deliberately singled out as the public is conditioned that they must have done something wrong to justify an extrajudicial punishment."
Will it be enough to straighten out its vagueness and overbreadth, as argued by petitioners? Or should the high court’s magistrates strike it down due to vagueness and overbreadth that can bring more harm than the evils it promises to destroy?
“When does it become wrong to protect our lands? When does it become wrong to go to school, to learn and to dream of becoming a graduate?”
Ironically, cases against red-tagged individuals are being dismissed by government courts for lack of probable cause or because of insufficient evidence. Motions to quash search warrants were also granted by the courts, declaring whatever so-called evidence the police have acquired during the search as inadmissible.
“Simply put, the AFP and Philippine National Police (PNP) had no solid, intelligent basis before launching massive operations in a rural sitio in Nasugbu, Batangas in April 2020."
In their 26-page complaint, Canlas's children Jennelle and Joseph narrated how their father was denied immediate access to emergency medical care despite their repeated pleas.
“An urgent and decisive action from the Supreme Court is a matter of life and death for activists and human rights defenders especially now when we are being increasingly targeted in the government’s counterinsurgency and counterterror campaign for our work and causes."
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