Nagbigay-pahayag si Joanna Concepcion, tagapangulo ng Migrante International kaugnay sa naging pinal na desisyon ng Korte Suprema na payagang makapagbigay testimonya si Mary Jane Veloso sa pamamagitan ng written desposition.
The post Pahayag ng Migrante International kaugnay sa kaso ni Mary Jane Veloso appeared first on Kodao Productions.
Malalim ang kahulugan ng mga salitang binitawan ng mga artistang nakibahagi sa pagbigkas ng “The Great Dictator” na talumpati ni Charlie Chaplin at pag-awit ng “Do You Hear The People Sing?” na parehong isinalin sa Filipino lalo sa panahon ngayon. Ipinakita ng mga artista na hindi lamang sila artistang pampelikula at telebisyon, maituturing silang artista […]
The post Ang Sining Bilang Protesta: Dahil Hindi Natutulog Ang Artista ng Bayan appeared first on Manila Today.
Activists and rights defenders went around the city on Monday to remove posters that tagged them as “human rights violators” and “berdugo” (butchers), which they deemed is a threat to silence their advocacy with the Anti-Terror Act in effect.
We strongly condemn the killing of Zara Alvarez, human rights activist, peasant organizer and ecumenical church worker. The full force of the Anti-Terror Law are now effecting despotic cleansing on human rights defenders and peace advocates.
The state forces under Duterte’s command assassinated ‘Ka Zara’ in cold blood last night in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines in the evening of August 17, 2020.
Her work focused on the promotion of human rights and grassroots organizing of peasants and sugar workers. “Natatakot ako para sa sarili ko at sa anak ko. Pero hindi ako pwedeng huminto o magtago dahil hindi naman pwedeng huminto ang paghahanap ng hustisya,” these were her words when interviewed last year regarding the many threats of her life; so brave a woman, taking by word and example the pursuit of justice of the many victims of human rights violations and state-sponsored killings.
Zara’s unwavering dedication to the people’s struggle moved many to participate in protest actions, lately in the call for the ouster of the U.S.-Duterte regime. As an active church worker, she was able to unite church voices among the Roman Catholic and IFI dioceses in Negros island on social justice and peace concerns; worked actively with the Church-Workers’ Solidarity.
Lately, she organized relief response and distributed food aid to the peasants and sugarcane workers affected by the COVID pandemic in Cadiz City; facing both harassment and threats even while responding to the crisis.
Zara lived and committed to “serve the people”, offering her life for others to attain justice and liberation.
Justice for Zara Alvarez! Stop the senseless killings of human rights defenders and activists!
Justice for all the victims of State Terrorism!
Promotion of Church People’s Response – Europe
The post PCPR-Europe Statement on the Killing of Zara Alvarez appeared first on Migrante Europe.
Amid the pandemic, Zara Alvarez has been coordinating and conducting relief operations as part of a community health program. This despite repeated threats to her life and safety.
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – The Philippine human rights movement is grieving over the killing of yet another activist in Bacolod City – on the same day they gave a hero’s burial for slain peace consultant Randall Echanis.
The 39-year-old human rights defender, Zara Alvarez, was gunned down last night, Aug. 17, leaving his family and colleagues in the human rights movement in “deep grief and indignation.”
Read: Activist gunned down in Bacolod
Alvarez was a former campaign and education director and paralegal in Negros, said Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general.
Amid the pandemic, she has been coordinating and conducting relief operations as part of a community health program. This despite repeated threats to her life and safety.
“Our grief is beyond words. How can one accept the loss of a colleague, friend, staunch health and human rights defender, mother, and daughter? One who was unceasingly kind, understanding, passionate, and selfless,” said the Council for Health and Development (CHD) in a statement.
Alvarez was a member of the CHD’s board of trustees. She was also the Advocacy Officer of Negros Island Health Integrated Program (NIHIP) for Community Development for many years.
“From the fields and communities of Negros to human rights conferences around the world, Zara truly believed that the right to health was a right worth defending,” the group added.
Alvarez was a former political prisoner and was released through bail in 2014. Still, she continued with her work as human rights defender and community health worker.
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL)-Panay chapter honored Alvarez whom they have worked with on numerous cases involving summary killings, illegal arrests, and other human rights violations perpetrated by the police, the military, and para-military forces across Negros Island.
She was also among those who arduously documented and exposed the rampant rights violations of Oplan Sauron campaign in 2018 and the killing spree in 2019.
“From Canlaon to Manjuyod, Sta. Catalina, Sagay, Escalante, Kabankalan, and Bacolod – wherever farmers, peasant leaders, and rights advocates were imprisoned or killed – Zara was there to help the victims and their families get through the hardships brought by state-sponsored terror,” the group said in a statement.
“Her presence was a constant force in the struggle for justice – a beacon of light in a place that, for the past two years, has been shrouded by impunity,” they added.
Terror list as hit list?
Like slain peace consultants Echanis and Felix Randy Malayao, Alvarez was among the 600 individuals tagged as “terrorists” in the proscription case filed in Manila Regional Trial Court in 2018.
Alvarez and many others were stricken off the list in 2019. However, those in the list were still threatened or vilified by alleged state forces.
Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said it appears that the DOJ list has become a “hit list of sorts,” as they either end up arrested on trumped-up charges or worse, assassinated.
“Why is the government frightened of activists?” said Alliance of Concerned Teachers secretary general Raymond Basilio.
Alvarez was also ACT’s coordinator in Bacolod City. Basilio said Alvares was only being a good citizen who wanted to serve the Filipino people.
“She is with the teachers of Bacolod and the whole of Negros in the fight for a living wage, a humane state of teaching, for peace,” Basilio said.
‘Just like Arroyo’s time’
Meanwhile, National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers president, Edre Olalia said the recent killing of Alvarez “brings back ugly memories of extrajudicial killings during Arroyo’s time.”
Under then President Gloria Macapag Arroyo, several activists were killed or disappeared.
Read: A Look Back at Arroyo’s Many Sins and Why She Should Pay
“No one is safe at home or in the streets, regardless of the time of day. And this will continue until the people close ranks and fight back,” said Olalia.
Olalia said it is obvious that the intent behind Alvarez’s killing is to sow terror.
“But make no mistake about it, those who want real change for the people and remove what ails our society will never step aside or back out but will be more inspired and determined. This too will pass. And there will be justice sometime, some way. And we will stand by our clients whatever it takes,” he said.
‘Justice for Zara’
Alvarez’s friends and colleagues vowed to get justice for her death.
Human rights lawyer Maria Sol Taule said she was emotional upon learning the killing of what she described as a “tireless and brave” human rights worker.
“Thank you very much, you may rest now. We will not stop to demand justice for you, for Ka Randy and many others who were killed by the State. Don’t worry, we will continue,” said Taule on her social media post.
Kabataan Partylist also condemned the killing of Alvarez who also became part of the group in the past years.
“This murderous rampage against human rights’ defenders and peacebuilders must stop. The merciless killings, human rights violations, and the worsening climate of impunity under the Duterte administration must end,” the group said.
“Condemn vigorously the extrajudicial killing of Zara Alvarez ,” Senior Adviser of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Negotiating Panel, Luis Jalandoni said in his Twitter account adding that Alvarez is well loved by those she served in Negros.
The post Friends, colleagues demand justice for ‘tireless and brave’ activist, Zara Alvarez appeared first on Bulatlat.
Several international solidarity organizations in Europe paid their last respects to former peace consultant Randall Echanis and added their voices of condemnation to his brutal murder in an online “parangal” (tribute) and protest rally held last Sunday, August 16.
“I would like to join in condemning the barbaric murder of comrade Randy Echanis and to offer my condolences to his family, comrades and friends. The murder of Ka Randy extends the blood trail drawn in recent months by the massacre of leaders and representatives of the mass movement in Philippines. The blood of Ka Randy and other martyrs/victims fall on the criminal Duterte regime and the imperialists of which it is a servant to,” Italian activist Alesso Arena of the Fronte Populare in Italy and International League of People´s Struggle (ILPS) said in the online tribute.
Arena met Echanis at the peace talks meetings held in Rome where he came to hear him speak about his work on genuine agrarian reform issues and mass work in the Philippines.
Norway´s Red Party and representative of the Filipino Resource Center in Oslo, Arnljøt Ask also expressed outrage at the murder of Echanis and blamed the act solely on the Philippine government. “I can see that the fascist Duterte regime gave priority to murder this man instead of taking him to prison like Marcos and other presidents. This consistent, honest and persuading, social activist, peasant leader and peace advocate gathered support in broad circles. A killer like Duterte could not put up with that, he therefore opted to silence him.”
He also said that the dastardly act against Echanis has eroded the international community´s trust in President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Duterte´s time is vanishing. His credibility to be part of addressing political solutions over the big conflict in the Philippines has crumbled. He has to be defeated by the Filipino people and their organizations as well as the international solidarity movement all over, “ he added. Ask revealed he only met Echanis once at a peace talk meeting in Oslo but he said he emembered his “friendly” and “determined” face.
Norway serves as the third party facilitator to the peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP and the National Democratic Front (NDF) and most of the meetings were held in Oslo.
Dutch youth activist Tom de Koning of the Revolutionaire Enheid in the Netherlands also sent his
condolences to Echanis´comrades and family in the Philippines and paid tribute to his contribution to the people´s struggle.
“With comrade Ka Randy in our hearts and minds, we will remember his genuine commitment to the
Filipino people, the revolution and his special contribution to the struggle for genuine agrarian reform.
We will remember Ka Randy like so many other comrades who had been in prison several times and he was never afraid to make the sacrifices in order to defend the people,s democratic revolution,” Koning told fellow activists and peace advocates in the online protest.
At some point in his tribute, Koning was fighting back tears and his voice quivered with emotions.
From Luxembourg, Julie Smit of the People´s Coalition for Food Security exhorted solidarity organizations and comrades in Europe to support the Filipino people in their struggle for peace and justice in the Philippines.
“We need to turn outrage, this grief we have, into action. It is all we can do to continue the work of Ka Randy, to continue to fight, to support the filipino people and to fight for justice so that we can arrive at the rainbow´s end,” Smits said in the online tribute.
“These people who have given their lives, they earn our deepest respect. I think it is our responsibility who are living to continue doing what we can to expose, the violent repression that is pretty escalating now under the Duterte administration,” she added.
Smits worked for 20 years in the Philippines for a Luxembourg NGO working on peasant issues and joined the solidarity movement for the Philippines after her stint in the country.
NDFP chief political consulant Jose Maria Sison and interim head of the NDF Negotiating Panel Julie De Lima also sent a video message in the online tribute condemning Echanis killing and vowing to obtain justice for his death.
Besides messages of condolences and support from the international solidarity organizations from various countries in Europe, the online protest was also joined by several Filipino organizations and peace advocates including messages from Zaria Galiano of International Migrant Alliance (IMA), trade unions and human rights activist from the UK, Rommel Abellar, Filipino scholar in Universite Catholique Louvain, Phoebe Zoe Maria Sanchez, Seyra Rico of AnakBayan Europe, Migrante Europe, Ugnayang ng mga Pilipino sa Belgium (UPB), and the Filipino Resource Center (FRC) in Norway.
The online parangal also featured videos of the late peace advocate´s life and struggle with the Filipino peasant organizations and his role in the peace advocacy in Europe as consultant on social and economic reforms to the National Democratic Front´s Negotiating Panel in the peace talks. His favorite song, “Moon River” as revealed by his wife, Linda Lacaba was also played in the tribute with tears shed in his memory by those who were at the event.
The participants also lit candles in the memory of Echanis and a two-minute of silence was observed.#
The post International solidarity organizations in Europe condemn murder of peace advocate Randall Echanis, vow to continue his work for justice and peace in the Philippines appeared first on Migrante Europe.
Zara Alvarez is the 13th human rights worker from Karapatan killed under the Duterte administration, human rights watchdog Karapatan said, as the group slammed “what is beginning to look like a killing spree of human rights defenders, peace advocates, and vocal critics in an attempt to sow terror and cower us into silence, especially now with the Anti-Terrorism Act in place.”
The Department of Health (DOH) Beat COVID-19 Philippine Situationer with data as of August 16 recorded 83 new COVID-19 cases in a day among health workers, bringing the total to 6,089. The DOH also tagged 549 recoveries in the second batch of ‘mass recovery’ applied on August 16, bringing the total recoveries to 5,615. The Health agency reported […]
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