Gov’t urged to respect right to protest vs. Pax Silica
"People's rights do not become suspended whenever the President is courting foreign investors.”
"People's rights do not become suspended whenever the President is courting foreign investors.”
Filipino activists marked the 125th anniversary of the Filipino-American War with a protest against the expansion of US military bases and the US role in genocide in Palestine, Feb. 4.
"The Philippine government will become a laughing stock in the international community if it does not heed SR Khan's findings."
“The whole concept of freedom of expression is to be able to say what you want even if it offends the other side. The government should encourage a greater culture of tolerance.” -- Special Rapporteur on Free Expression and Opinion Irene Khan
Despite the deteriorating conditions, political prisoner Gerardo Dela Peña remains hopeful that he will still be reunited with his elderly wife Pilar and their family in Camarines Norte.
“What we do is amplify the voices of the Filipino people. We are defending the truth and the rights yet we are the one being oppressed of these rights."
“There is still no justice up until today. There is still no genuine land reform. Landlessness remains a fundamental problem for our Filipino farmers and no program addresses these problems."
“Prosecutor Arnold Magpantay dismissed that we were abducted by the military, that we were taken to safehouses, and was subjected to psychological torture to force us to ride the story coined by the agents of the NTF-ELCAC."
"We maintain that the two rallies are not expressions of the genuine calls and struggles of the Filipino masses"
Amid the growing rift, a lawmaker asserted that Filipinos are bearing the brunt of the ongoing political play.
“Frenchie used to lead the Eastern Vista, where is it now? They used to report the prices of basic commodities of Samar and how it affects the people. No one does that now. It is a big disservice to the poor in the region.”
"We are only int’l visitors so far allowed by #Philippines govt to visit them! Arrested in Feb 2020, trial still dragging on. How long must they wait to be free?!" - UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan
“This is a landmark ruling, though short of an actual ceasefire order, that places the burden on Israel and the entire world, to ensure that genocide is not committed."
“We are aghast when the DOJ said that it has sufficient mechanisms to address red-tagging. What are they talking about? Either these are nowhere to be found, or if these mechanisms indeed exist, are rendered useless for victims of rights violations."
“Our gravest concern now is the new policies which attack freedom of expression: specifically the Anti-Terror Law and Executive Order 70 which created the NTF-ELCAC. This emboldened state actors, such as the police and military to commit abuses on a scale last seen during the first Marcos administration.”