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“We are alarmed by this invasion of our privacy and safety. This constitutes illegal surveillance and harassment, violating our rights. We are not engaged in any illegal activities; we are simply volunteering to address educational gaps in our communities."
Based on a series of videos posted by Karapatan Southern Tagalog, alleged military intelligence agents interrogated the caretaker of the lodging occupied by the team on February 26. There were also reports of unidentified men on a motorcycle following the humanitarian team as they entered and left Pola. Meanwhile, in Bulalacao, suspected intelligence agents were seen taking pictures of the team without their consent. When confronted, they quickly fled.
“In its name alone, we know the reason for the intensified militarization there. ‘Mina de oro,’ we know that it is derived from the characteristics of the island: a large reserve of minerals in the country,” said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan. The province is known for mineral resources such as gold, iron, copper, nickel, chromite, and marble.
Not long after the first reported aerial strafing in the province of Oriental Mindoro, another case was reported on March 1 by a human rights group, endangering farmers and Mangyan-Hanunuo indigenous peoples.
"I will carry on Betchay's legacy by continuing the fight she started,” Nanay Enda vowed, her voice shaking with both sorrow and resolve, recounting the events of the infamous Bloody Sunday Massacre.
The group said that the government’s counter-insurgency operations are falsely portrayed as successes through the detention of activists and community leaders.
"We might need semi-dam dikes to hold the river's water capacity, while the Bato Lake needs desiltation. But our urgent need is to block the side of the river with collapsed dike," Mayor Domingo Escoto Jr. said.
Human rights lawyer Antonio La Viña said that the missing activists were well-known in the neighborhood. “They knew it was him. The identification is positive that it was Felix.”
Apart from the abduction of Salaveria, CCTV footage obtained by Karapatan also showed another Toyota van with plate number NDR5274 on August 23 at 10:00 p.m. entering Brgy. San Lorenzo, Tabaco City where Jazmines was abducted.
The Bloody Sunday massacre refers to the series of police and military operations in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, and Rizal provinces on March 7, 2021 that left nine activists killed and seven more arrested. Defend ST said that despite the DOJ's investigation under Administrative Order 35, cases filed against the perpetrators "were either junked or dismissed."
On September 10, it will be the fifth month of William’s disappearance. He was last seen in Barangay Butong, Quezon, Bukidnon. Eyewitnesses said that elements of the 48th Infantry Battalion forcibly arrested Lariosa.
Dasig, who was reportedly freed from the Lucena City District Jail (LCDJ) on August 22, has not been seen or heard from since her supposed release, leaving her family, legal team, and human rights advocates concerned for her safety.
“These threats are not just about Paolo Tarra,” Defend Cavite stated. “They reflect a broader strategy to silence dissent and stifle any voices that challenge the status quo. This is a tactic of fear and repression that targets anyone who dares to stand up for human rights and social justice.”
Four youth human rights defenders filed civil and criminal complaints against former 59th Infantry Battalion commander Lt. Col. Ernesto Teneza Jr., 16 military officers, and five other witnesses before the Office of the Ombudsman on July 19.
In the situation report of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), a total of 3,633 families or 12,814 persons were affected in 14 barangays in Dipaculao and Maria Aurora, Aurora.
On May 3, Tarra’s parents were again approached by people claiming to be from NTF-ELCAC, including a so-called“supervisor. They showed photos of Tarra participating in various activities and insisted on personally speaking to Tarra out of fear that he might “go to the mountains.” They said that on their next visit, they would like to speak to his parents again with forms and documents for them to sign.
"These bombings, which have been described by locals as overkill, are not only a gross violation of human rights but also a reckless display of force."
by DOMINIC GUTOMAN Bulatlat.com MANILA – Two Pangasinan-based environmental defenders and organizers were violently mauled and dragged into an SUV at about 8 p.m. on March 24 in Barangay Polo, San Carlos, Pangasinan, according to human rights group...
Tomorrow, May 9, all eyes are on Cotabato City as the indicator of the Bangsamoro vote. The past week has been marred with election-related controversies, with hundreds of teachers protesting over the conduct of preparations for the polls.
The first president from Mindanao failed to alleviate the poverty and to resolve the decades-long conflicts in the island.
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