On the night of July 2, a day after she gave birth, Reina Mae ‘Ina” Nasino was brought back to the Manila City Jail (MCJ) with her newborn baby. Nasino gave birth to a baby girl at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila on July 1. Lawyers and kin were not informed that […]
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“It ain’t over yet. We will not cease to exhaust any and all legitimate steps and platforms to challenge this draconian law. This without doubt is the most unpopular and perilous piece of legislation that could ever be pushed by a government that is fixated with the potion of power. In time, we will look back to this day of infamy and say the unbridled and terrorizing power of the government will always bend and retreat eventually when the people push back hard enough.”
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STATEMENT
Just when we thought things could not get worse, Pesident Rodrigo Duterte signed today the “Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020,” a law that many legal pundits, human rights advocates, and no less than the United Nations Human Rights Council itself – gravely warned about. With the stroke of a pen, Duterte has unleashed a greater reign of terror that can engulf the nation speedily in the coming days.
For months, the public has raised the alarm over the severe repercussions of the overly vague definition of “terrorism” in this new law – from planning, proposing, inciting, and even supposedly serving as mere accessory or tangentially being connected to supposed terrorist activities. It essentially provides blanket authority to state forces to target virtually anyone and everyone. UN experts have jointly stated that this new piece of legislation could further escalate the already grim situation of human rights in the country.
Under this patently unconstitutional law, critical reporting of issues can and will surely be tagged as terrorist acts. The very irony lies in its name – it is not against terrorism, but rather, aids and abets in the commission of state terror. It is anti-human rights, anti-press freedom, anti-free expression, and anti-civil liberties. Passing such law betrays the desperation of those in power.
The new Anti-Terrorism Law will surely embolden state forces to commit worse acts of fascism and human rights violations. Hiding under this thin veneer of legality, those who have already been accelerating attacks against vocal critics, purveyors of truth, and even advocates of basic civil rights, will surely up the ante and use brute force to finally achieve the silence of dissent they have long wanted.
The passage of the Anti-Terrorism Law comes at a time when the surging pandemic has fully exposed the administration as a paranoid, inept, and selfish band of people who would stop at nothing to remain in power. The new law will serve as a cornerstone of that apparent self-preservation plan.
Yet we will not be cowered and forced into silence. We will continue reporting, truth-telling, and dissenting.
We call on the ranks of our colleagues in the media and the Filipino public to unite against this law. We will not stand down. We will fight back!
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Rodrigo Duterte didn’t even wait for the bill to lapse into law anymore: he knows 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.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Health advocates have asked the Supreme Court to direct concerned government officials to conduct proactive and efficient mass testing amid the steady increase of COVID-19 cases in the country.
In a 74-page plea, health advocates sought for the issuance of a writ of mandamus, a court order that compels government official to “properly fulfill their official duties or correct an abuse of discretion.”
One of the petitioners, former Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, said, “We add our voices to this petition because our calls for free mass testing have so far been unheeded by the government.”
Petitioners invoked the Supreme Court’s power to recognize primordial and self-executiionary right in order to chart an agreeable new normal.
Read: Bill seeking to implement mass testing filed
“They are asserting their right to the highest attainable standard of health in the hope of seeking protection not only for their lives, but also for their cherished freedoms,” the petitioners said.
Free and efficient mass testing
Respondents, mostly officers of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging and Infectious Diseases, are asked to conduct mass testing in a proactive and efficient matter. Mass testing, according to the petitioners, should be made free and accessible to all suspect cases, contacts of probable and confirmed cases, frontline healthworkers, and high-risk and vulnerable communities.
This, health advocates said, will abolish the prioritization scheme that is currently being implemented by the Department of Health.
Read: Mass testing for health workers urged anew amid spike in COVID-19 positive cases
The plea also calls for the ramping up of contact tracing and rapid containment, and the improving of laboratory testing capacity.
Read: Metro Manila-centric COVID-19 testing centers present gaps in mass testing, says community doc
“The omission of proactive and efficient mass testing amid the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that a systematic and normalized violation of the right to health engenders the impairment of other human rights and liberties, such as the rights to travel, livelihood, work, education, and access to justice,” the petition read.
Inaccurate data?
The high court is also urged to direct concerned government agencies to provide accurate, timely, and complete information on the country’s COVID-19 sitation.
Petitioners found it worrisome that incomplete, inaccurate, and confusing data serve as basis for the government’s policies in curbing the dreaded spread of virus.
Read: Without mass testing, PH not flattening the curve – scientist
“These irregulartieis lessen the confidence of the public in the ability of the DOH (and government in general) to deal with the pandemic with transparency and integrity,” the petition read, adding that the “quality of the results depends on the quality of the data provided.”
As of this writing, the health department has daily reports on so-called “fresh cases” and “late cases,” which petitioners found to be perplexing.
“The Philippines is the only country that reports its confirmed cases this way. The grouping serves no purpose other than downplay the increase in number of cases,” the petitioners said.
As of June 30, 2020, the https://covid19stats.ph/ reported that there are 9,382 samples in the backlog and a testing capacity of over 14,000 a day for the past seven days.
Militarized response
Taguiwalo lamented that the Philippine government has been heavily relying on a militarist response.
“It enforced punitive measures to compel the population to abide by protocols. Often this resulted in abuses, unnecessary restrictions and undue curtailment of civil liberties,” she said.
Read: ‘Militarist’ COVID-19 response ‘may lead to bigger crisis,’ groups warn
Taguiwalo was joined by fellow health advocates, progressive leaders, and those affected by the pandemic in the filing of the motion before the Supreme Court. They were assisted by the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers – National Capital Region.
Respondents, on the other hand, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Cabinet secretary Karlo Norgrales, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, and Chief Implementer of the National Action Plan Against COVID19 Carlito Galvez Jr.
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Iba’t iba ang tingin ng mga mamamayan kapag may paggunita at pagdiriwang na isinasagawa sa isang petsa sa kalendaryo. Depende sa naging karanasan at kasaysayan ng lipunan, maaaring pagdiriwang o pagluluksa ang pananaw ukol sa isang natatanging araw na ginugunita.
Ang Hulyo kwatro ang isa sa mga petsang natatangi na iba’t iba ang paglalapat ng paggunita. Ang pinakamalawakang pagdiriwang sa petsang ito ang paggunita sa Hulyo 4, 1776 kung kailan nagkaroon ng proklamasyon ng kalayaan ang Amerika mula sa mga Ingles. Sa mga historyador, ito ang isa sa unang karanasan sa pagbubuo ng isang nasyon mula sa isang kolonya. Ang unang labingtatlong estado ang bumuo ng Estados Unidos mula sa mga dating kolonya ng Inglatera buhat sa kilusang nagsimula sa paggiit ng kalayaan sa pagkakaroon ng kinatawan kapalit ng pagbabayad ng buwis. No taxation without representation ang unang sigaw ng kilusang nagbigay daan sa pagtiwalag at pagbubuo ng isang malayang bayan.
Sa naratibo ng kasaysayan ng Amerika, ang Hulyo kwatro ang simula ng pagbubuo ng bayan, ang pagkamit ng kalayaan, at ang pagsisimula ng tinatawag na pagpapalawak sa kanluran o westward expansion na magbubunga ng pagkabuo ng Estados Unidos na may 50 estado sa kasalukuyan. Isang kontinental na kapangyarihan ang itinakda bilang kapalaran ng bayan na magpalawak, ayon sa tinatawag na manifest destiny ng Amerika.
Subalit kaninong pananaw ba ang ganitong naratibo? Kung sa isang katutubong Amerikano (native American, o dating kilala bilang American Indian), hindi ba pagkawala ng kanilang bayan ang nagsimula sa Hulyo kwatro? Sa Afrikanong pinagbili bilang alipin para magtrabaho sa mga plantasyon sa timog ng Estados Unidos, hindi ba indikasyon ng pagkaalipin, ng pagkawala at hindi pagkakamit, ng kalayaan ang Hulyo kwatro? Anong itinakdang kapalaran ang maiisip ng mga Mehikanong nawalan ng kanilang lupain sa pakikidigma sa Amerika? Paanong maisasama sa naratibo ng kalayaan ng estado ang integrasyon ng mga dating malayang teritoryo ng Hawaii at Alaska na naging bahagi ng isang malaking estado ng Estados Unidos sa harap ng pagkawala ng katutubong kultura at wika?
Sa Pilipinas, marami ring kahulugan ang Hulyo kwatro. Hulyo 4, 1901 iprinoklama ni William Howard Taft na opisyal nang nagsimula ang Gobyernong Sibil ng Amerika sa Pilipinas bilang simula ng pormal nilang pananakop matapos ang okupasyong militar. Indikasyon ito na tinitingnan ng nabuong kolonyal na estado na ang lahat ng mga paglaban sa kolonyal na kapangyarihan ng Amerika bilang simpleng kilusan ng mga tulisan at bandido at walang anumang lehitimong katangian.
Ibig sabihin, simula sa petsang ito, hindi na ituturing ng estado na bayani ang mga gaya nina Macario Sakay, Artemio Ricarte, Luciano San Miguel, Felipe Salvador at Dionisio Magbuelas kahit na dati na silang mga Katipunero at nagpapatuloy lamang sila ng paglaban sa mga Amerikano bilang pagpapatuloy ng pakikipaglaban sa dayuhang pananakop.
Ibig ding sabihin din, makakaharap ng mga taong lumalaban sa Amerika ang bibitayan, ang pagkakulong sa Bilibid, o ang pagpapatapon sa malayong lugar bilang mga itinuturing na irreconcables ayon sa naratibo ng Hulyo kwatro. Ito ang nangyari sa pagbitay kina Sakay at Salvador; ng pagpapatapon sa Guam kina Ricarte, Mabini at Tandang Sora; at ang kamatayan sa engkwentrong militar kina San Miguel.
Matapos ang digmaan laban sa mga Hapones sa Pilipinas, magkakaroon na naman ng bagong kahulugan ang Hulyo kwatro. Ayon sa probisyon ng batas Tydings McDuffie, ibinigay ng Estados Unidos ang kalayaan ng Pilipinas noong Hulyo 4, 1946 matapos ang sampung taong transisyon sa panahon ng Commonwealth na nagsimula noong 1935. Kahit na nawasak nang husto ang sambayanan bunga ng digmaan at tila naibalik sa dating kalagayan ng kawalan ng kakanyahang magsarili (na siyang nagpawalang bisa sa lohika ng ‘paghahanda’ sa Commonwealth), ang proklamasyon ng ‘kalayaan’ tuloy ang nagsilbing hudyat upang magpatuloy ang kalagayan ng pagiging palaasa ng bayan sa ayuda ng iba.
Magiging kontrobersyal ang mga kasunduang papasukin ng Pilipinas sa Estados Unidos matapos ang digmaan. Sa halip na kalayaan ang nakamit, ang ilang mga kasunduan ang ‘nagtali’ sa dalawang bayan kahit na maibigay na ang kalayaan. Ilan sa mga halimbawa nito ang mga sumusunod:
1. Treaty of General Relations – nilagdaan noong Hulyo 4, 1946 at kumikilala sa kalayaan ng Pilipinas. Katangi-tangi ang kasunduang ito dahil sa pagkilala na lahat ng obligasyon at pagkakautang sa panahong kolonyal ay isasabalikat na ng mga Amerikano samantalang lahat ng mga karapatan ng mga Amerikano sa pagmamay-ari sa mga ari-arian sa Pilipinas na nakuha sa panahon ng pananakop ay kikilalanin.
2. Mutual Defense Treaty, nilagdaan noong Agosto 30, 1951 at naglalayong magbigay ng proteksyon sa kapwa bayan kung sakaling atakehin ito ng kaaway. Sinasabing titingnan na ang pakikidigma sa isa ay mangangahulugan ng pakikidigma din sa isa pang bayan, ayon sa konstitusyonal na probisyon ng mga bayan sa pakikidigma. Nangangahulugan ito na dahil ang Kongreso ng Amerika lamang ang maaaring magdeklara ng Digmaan, kailangan pa ng pagpayag ng Kongreso ng Amerika kung kasangkot sila sa digmaan sakaling may sumalakay sa Pilipinas.
3. Military Bases Agreement, nilagdaan noong Marso 14, 1947 at sa orihinal na kasunduan ay nagbibigay ng teritoryo ng Pilipinas para gamitin ng Amerika bilang base militar sa loob ng 99 na taon. Noong 1966, binawasan ang taon ng pagtigil ng base militar sa 25 taon kaya ito nagwakas noong 1991. Sinasabing ang pananatili ng base militar ng isang banyagang pwersa sa isang bayan ang isang malaking indikasyon ng kawalan ng kalayaan sa bansa dahil walang kontrol ang pamahalaan sa nagaganap na operasyon sa loob ng mga base, kahit na sinabi noong 1979 na may ‘soberenya’ ang Pilipinas sa mga baseng ito.
4. Military Assistance Agreement nilagdaan noong Marso 1947 na naglalayong magbigay ng pagpapayo, pagsasanay at ayudang militar ang Amerika sa Pilipinas. Kaugnay nito ang pagtatatag ng Joint United States Military Advisory Group (Jusmag) na nagbibigay ng payo sa opisyal ng sandatahang lakas ng Pilipinas. Kasama rin dito ang pagbibigay ng pagsasanay sa ilang mga nakatapos ng Philippine Military Academy upang magsanay sa mga paaralang pangmilitar ng Amerika. Ang kasunduang ito ang sinasabing nagtiyak na ang patakarang pangseguridad ng Pilipinas ay dapat umayon sa oryentasyon at kaausan sa Amerika.
Sa halip na kalayaan, itinali ng mga kasunduan ang Pilipinas sa kalagayan ng pagiging palaasa at laging nakasandig sa Amerika. Sa larangan ng kabuhayan, sa kamay pa rin ng mga Amerikano ang kontrol sa kabuhayan at ekonomiya. Sa usapin naman ng depensa at militar, itinatayang nabansot ang kakanyahan ng kapuluang magpaunlad ng sariling kakanyahang pangdepensa dahil sa pagpapatuloy ng pagkakataling pangseguridad ng Pilipinas sa Amerika. Bukod dito, ang ilang suliraning panlipunan na iaanak ng mga base militar ang magiging tinik sa ugnayan ng dalawang bayan. Ang suliranin ng prostitusyon, kriminalidad, adiksyon sa droga, at pagkakaroon ng mga grupong gangster ang ilan sa mga naging kalagayang kinakaharap ng mga pamayanan sa gilid ng mga base militar. Sa estratehikal na labanan sa panahon ng Cold War, hindi nakapagpaunlad ng isang malayang patakarang panlabas ang Pilipinas sanhi ng mga ‘nakataling’ kasunduan nito.
Ang higit na seryosong bunga nito ang pagkakaroon ng kolonyal na mentalidad ng pagiging palaasa sa Amerika; ng pagtingin na higit na maganda ang lahat ng imported at banyaga at mahina ang lahat ng lokal at katutubo; at ang bulag na pagdakila sa Amerika at pagkilalang mahinang klase ang Pilipinas. Mahirap maigpawan ang ganitong pananaw na pinatitibay pa ng sistema ng kolonyal na edukasyon at paglawak ng popular na kulturang Hollywood. Kaugnay ang lahat ng mga ito sa mga kaayusang naisakatuparan matapos ang Hulyo kwatro na kabalintunaang nagbigay ng kalayaan sa Pilipinas.
Tunay ngang iba iba ang kahulugan ng mga petsa sa kasaysayan. Ang pagdiriwang ng kalayaan sa ilan ay nagiging pagkilala ng kaalipinan sa iba. Ang paggunita ng kaganapan ng nasyonalismo sa iba ang siya namang nagiging pagkilala sa ekspansyonismo ng ibang bayan.
*The author is a professor and former chair of the Department of History, Ateneo de Manila University; former commissioner of the National Historical Commission; convenor of Tanggol Kasaysayan; member of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers. He finished his AB History, MA in History and PhD in Philippine Studies at University of the Philippines Diliman.
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The local organization was able to confirm that a certain Harold Diaz had links to NTF-ELCAC when another suspected agent of the task-force went to the SIKKAD K3 office to invite him to the Barangay San Jose Annex building. A few minutes later, no less than 20 soldiers from the Army’s 2nd Infrantry Division in full battle gear and armed with rifles arrived at the office, forcibly made their way towards Diaz and whisked him away.
By JUSTIN UMALI
Bulatlat.com
SANTA ROSA, Laguna – Residents of 1K2, Kasiglahan village, Rodriguez, Rizal, held a suspected intelligence agent working for the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), July 2.
According to a report from human rights group Defend Southern Tagalog, residents of Kasiglahan Village caught Harold Diaz taking unsolicited photographs of two members of the local urban poor rights organization San Isidro, Kasiglahan Kapatiran at Damayan para sa Kabuhayan, Katarungan, at Kapayapaan (SIKKAD K3).
The two SIKKAD K3 members, Noralyn Teanila and Filipina Villareal, noticed that they were being photographed by Diaz and accosted him, bringing him to the SIKKAD K3 office for questioning. Teanila and Villareal are vendors selling produce in their neighborhood.
SIKKAD K3 justified the citizens’ arrest in response to the increased police and military presence in the area, which the group states has resulted in “malicious red-tagging and harassment.”
According to the group, they were able to confirm that Diaz had links to NTF-ELCAC when another suspected agent of the task-force went to the SIKKAD K3 office to invite him to the Barangay San Jose Annex building. A few minutes later, no less than 20 soldiers from the Army’s 2nd Infrantry Division in full battle gear and armed with rifles arrived at the office, forcibly made their way towards Diaz and whisked him away.
“SIKKAD K3 strongly condemns such abominable aggressions and violations against the people in their community and will not be silenced by the continuous harassment and surveillance of the PNP Rodriquez and the Philippine Army,” said Annafe Cainglet, president of SIKKAD K3.
Human rights watchdog Karapatan Southern Tagalog also attested to the ongoing harassment brought about by the military presence in the area.
That same day, a team from Karapatan-ST engaged barangay officials of San Jose in a dialogue to report incidents of red-tagging, surveillance, and harassment experienced by residents.
An investigation by Karapatan ST revealed that residents of Kasiglahan Village have suffered militarization since October of last year. Residents reported that since March, suspected intelligence agents from the military, police and NTF-ELCAC have been found in the area. It was around this time that meetings by NTF-ELCAC intensified.
The group also reported that the pandemic-induced lockdown resulted in a rise in military operations in the area.
Residents, and particularly members of SIKKAD K3, were also repeatedly asked to go to various meetings to “clear their names.” The attempts ranged from text messages sent by Nica Endaya, communications officer for NTF-ELCAC, requests for specific people to go to their office in San Mateo, and visits by soldiers and officers to residents’ houses.
State forces also engaged in disinformation campaigns meant to “vilify progressive organizations”, particularly SIKKAD K3, through text messages, leafleting, and house-to-house conversations, according to the report.
SIKKAD K3 has long championed hosing rights of the urban poor in Rodriguez. The group has been repeatedly linked with the Communist Party of the Philippines, which Cainglet has described as a “desperate attempt to blur the lines between fighting for democratic rights and armed revolution.”
Caingle herself is no stranger to harassment. Since November 2019, elements of the Army’s 2nd ID have repeatedly tried to intimidate her by visiting her house, or claiming that she and other SIKKAD K3 members need to “clear their names.”
Defend Southern Tagalog hopes that the citizen’s arrest inspire people to “stand up and inspire people to further resist fascism under Duterte administration.” They are seeking justice and accountability for the incident that occurred.
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In a recently published communication to the Philippine government, nine United Nations (UN) Special Procedures expressed their “extremely serious concern” on allegations of violations against human rights defenders in the Philippines.