“I was served a warrant of arrest this afternoon by a guy who introduced himself as an LBC courier. He was wearing the uniform/t-shirt and had an ID. Is this the usual procedure now?” By RAYMUND B. VILLANUEVA Kodao Productions MANILA– A Philippine National Police (PNP) operative presented himself to be a delivery boy in…
Despite gaining broad opposition, Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay said President Duterte still signed it into law as “his time is running short and opposition to his fascist rule is growing stronger by the day that he now desperately needs the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 to conduct his all-out crackdown on dissent.”
Who have been declared “communist-terrorists” by state security forces and the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict? Practically all sectoral organizations advocating for reforms and genuine change. They did not spread terror or cause panic among the public but called on the government to act on legitimate demands of ordinary citizens.
Farmers, indigenous peoples and teachers have been tagged as terrorists and subjected to various forms of attack since Duterte assumed office. The Anti-Terror Bill, if enacted into law, would only escalate what they describe as “state terror” and would target ordinary citizens for merely exercising their constitutional rights.
“He is a jolly person, always on the go. He was full of energy and loves to mingle with everyone.”
“The humane treatment of persons under detention and their release from prison in the midst of a raging pandemic are in consonance with international laws, among them the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which the Philippines is a state party.”
“It has happened in Cebu and in General Santos City — it won’t be long before arresting critics for online posts becomes a national policy that could throw us back to the dark days of Marcosian martial rule.”
“Where was this ‘human compassion’ when the homeless and the urban poor were subjected to warrantless arrests, inhumane detention in dog cages, or being made to sit under the sun as punishment for simply being outside their homes for the need to earn living or for simply having no home at all?”
“…[w]e urgently remind States that any emergency responses to the coronavirus must be proportionate, necessary and non-discriminatory.” By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL Bulatlat.com MANILA – United Nations experts reminded States currently imposing measures to contain the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to respect human rights at all times. They emphasized that such measures should…
“Don’t we have the right to seek protection for ourselves? And perjury? We are God-fearing. We are not liars. They are the ones who lie.”
Her arrest “demonstrates the tendency of the Duterte government to weaponize the law in aid of its self-declared war waged against terrorism at the detriment of the lives and well-being of innocent people working in legal organizations in order to help the basic sectors of our society fight for and defend their basic, fundamental rights…