By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
“Thank you for opening your home to us. Thank you for laughing with us. Thank you for sharing your stories. Thank you for showing us what it means when we say that a ‘true revolutionary is guided by feelings of love.” – LFS San Francisco
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA — Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo urged a local court in Quezon City to dismiss the civil suit filed against her and several of her military officials for human rights violations committed against church workers. In June 2011, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) sued Arroyo for…
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – An 18-year old youth activist was nabbed allegedly by soldiers in Lopez, Quezon and tortured into admitting he is a member of the New People’s Army (NPA), according to human rights group Karapatan-Southern Tagalog. Franklin Barrera, district coordinator of Kabataan partylist, was taken by armed men at around…
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
“I want to believe that there is hope.” – Mrs. Edita Burgos, mother of missing activist Jonas
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – Human rights groups called for the immediate dismantling of paramilitary forces after a high-ranking military official announced that the government would do so by 2016. In a report by online news site Interaskyon.com, Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, commanding general of the Philippine Army, said he sees the dismantling…
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com MANILA — Grassroots human rights and peasant organizations in Southern Tagalog are poised to launch an all-out campaign to expose the increasing number of human rights violations in the region, specifically Quezon province in the Bondoc Peninsula. The groups said the Benigno Aquino III government has given its full-blessing…
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
“If the government really wants real peace and is for human rights, as they continue to announce, it must release all political prisoners and stop political persecution against its perceived enemies.” – Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Karapatan
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“They [members of the international community] know that the Philippine government has not lived up to its commitment to completely eliminate extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture.” – Fr. Jonash Joyohoy of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) and co-head of delegation of the Philippine UPR Watch
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
“It is expected that the Aquino regime will hail the Corona conviction as the ‘crowning glory’ of its so-called daang matuwid (righteous path) crusade. We take exception to this for the simple reason that outside the impeachment, the Aquino government has not done much in terms of political and economic reforms, respect for human rights and the cause of justice.” – Bayan
Sidebar: Progressive solons sign waiver, challenges Aquino, gov’t officials to ‘walk the talk’ on corruption
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
“Some are very afraid to leave their houses and go to their farms. Residents sleep under their beds. Many community leaders were forced to leave because of the soldiers of the 28th and 67th IB who harass household members and subject them to interrogation.”
By MARYA SALAMAT
“Organizing into a union is one of the rights of employees including those in the media and entertainment.” – Michael Rogas, union president of RMN