By DEE AYROSO
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#WIKAHUWEBES: Pugay kamay, na!
The post #WIKAHUWEBES: Pugay kamay, na! appeared first on Manila Today.
Groups gear for United People’s SONA
By ALYSSA MAE CLARIN
Bulatlat.com
MANILA — “Sobra na! Tama na!” (Enough!)
Church people, human rights groups, workers unions, and organizations from all political spectrum banded together to announce the launch of the United People’s SONA, the people’s counterpoint to the presidential State of the Nation Address (SONA) happening this June 22.
Organizations such as Movement Against Tyranny (MAT), Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Kalipunan ng mga Kilusang Masa, In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement (i-DEFEND), Laban ng Masa, and several other coalitions have come together in defense of the country’s sovereignty, democracy, and people’s well-being.
The unity of these groups, a first in many years, shows the extent of dissatisfaction with the Duterte administration’s performance for the past three years.
Real issues
This Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte will be conducting his fourth state of the nation address with the promise of a hopeful and happy SONA.
United People’s SONA, on the other hand, believes that such SONA is impossible after a year full of disinformation, cover-ups, and attacks against the Filipino people’s rights and welfare.
“The president is expected to boast about his so-called accomplishments,” said Benedictine nun Mary John Mananzan. “But there are stark realities we face as a nation (that he fails to address).”
The United People’s SONA would be addressing people’s issues, including the issue of sovereignty which is the central theme of the broad alliance.
Malacañang’s scandalous surrender of the West Philippine Sea by refusing to assert the Philippines’ rights over the Exclusive Economic Zone has angered many groups.
“We are not only defending the sovereignty of our seas. We are also fighting for our democracy and our rights as a citizen of the country,” BAYAN Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. said in a press conference, July 16.
Former Chief of Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno urged the general public to join Monday’s protest.
“We must remind the President that he is not above God, the people, and the Constitution,” Sereno said.
“When the President’s term expires, and it will have to, how do we pick up the pieces of our nation?” Sereno asked, adding that the movement is the physical representation of everything the Filipino people are fighting for.
“So for those who are afraid to step up, this is your time,” she added.
The groups are expecting thousands of people to join the main program along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City. Similar programs would be happening in other parts of the country as well as in other countries.
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Baste Duterte to skip SONA for the Council session
Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte said he will not attend his father’s 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) this Monday.
Organisasyon
Huwag po kayong mag-alala. Hindi po ito usapin ng pera. May mga utang po kasi akong artikulo, pahayag, interbyu, lektyur, seminar-workshop at kung ano-ano pa sa mga susunod na araw, buwan at linggo. Bagama’t maraming oras na kakainin ang mga ito, gusto kong isiping may oras naman para magpahinga.
Muli, huwag po kayong mag-alala. Hindi po ito sanaysay ng pagrereklamo. Wala akong panahon para sa ganyang diskurso. Isipin na lang nating ito ay paglalahad ng isang paksang totoo: Matagal na akong nagdesisyong magkaroon ng maraming organisasyon.
Ikaw, ano ang pipiliin mo? Indibidwalisado o organisado? Panahon nang magdesisyon ang mga tao.
Alam nating lahat na may indibidwal na pagkilos at may organisadong pagkilos. Bagama’t nasa ating lahat ang huling desisyon, iba pa rin ang bentahe ng pagkakaroon ng grupo kumpara sa sariling larga. Una, maraming ideyang makukuha kung higit pa sa isa ang gumagawa. Ikalawa, mas maraming maniniwala kung organisasyon ang maglalahad ng isang panawagan. Ikatlo, pinakamaraming mapapakilos ang isang organisasyong may malawak na sumusuporta, kabilang ka.
Opo, mahalaga rin naman ang ilang indibidwal na personaheng handang maging mukha at boses ng isang ipinaglalaban. Pero bale-wala ang kanilang personal na inisyatiba kung wala namang susuporta, at dito nagiging susing salik (key factor) ang isang makinarya.
Ano kaya ang nangyari kay Andres Bonifacio kung siya lang ang nagpunit ng sedula sa Pugadlawin? May pagkilos pa kaya laban sa mga Kastila kung wala ang Katipunan? Gayundin ang kaso sa kasalukuyang panahon. Ang mga pagkilos na nagpatalsik sa mga tiwaling Pangulo ng Pilipinas noong 1986 at 2001 ay dahil sa iba’t ibang organisasyong nanindigan laban sa diktadura, korupsyon at iba pang maiiinit na isyu.
Hindi natin minamaliit ang indibidwal na kontribusyon pero may limitasyon kasi ito. Bagama’t mahalagang naglalaan ng mukha at boses sa isang ipinaglalaban ang ordinaryong mamamayan tulad natin, hindi masyadong nakikita ang malawakang suporta dahil sa kawalan ng makinarya. Opo, paminsan-minsa’y may indibidwal na nangingibabaw at nagkakaroon ng impluwensya pero ito ay kakaunti at hindi pangmatagalan.
Huwag sana nating sukatin ang anumang “suporta” sa indibidwal sa dami ng “likes,” “shares” at komento sa isang social media platform tulad ng Facebook. Ang socmed metrics na libo-libo, pati na ang “followers” na milyon-milyon, ay hindi indikasyon ng realidad sa lipunan. Puwede mo pa ngang sabihing simpleng numero lang ang mga ito na nagpapalaki ng indibidwal na ego!
Organisasyon pa rin ang susi sa matagalang kampanya at tuloy-tuloy na pagkilos. Hindi tuloy nakakagulat na sa panahon ang globalisasyon, ang pilit na isinusulong ng mga nasa kapangyarihan ay ang indibidwalismo. Mas ipinapakita ang positibong katangian ng pagkakaroon diumano ng sariling identidad, sariling desisyon at sariling pagtatakda ng kasaysayan. Kumbaga sa wikang Ingles, “Only you can make a difference.” Kahit sa mga patalastas ng malalaking negosyo, ipinapangalandakan ang iisa kumpara sa marami pa sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay-pugay sa mga indibidwal sa kapangyarihan niyang bumili ayon lamang sa kanyang nais.
Nasa interes ng mga negosyante ang indibidwal na konsumerismo dahil dito nakasalalay ang kanilang tubo. Nasa interes ng mga nassa kapangyarihan ang pokus sa indibidwal dahil napapahina nito ang organisadong pagkilos.
Kung ganito ang kaso, paano natin maipapaliwanag ang sitwasyong may pinapaboran din namang mga organisasyon ang mga nasa kapangyarihan? Hindi ba’t napakaraming kilusan sa kasalukuyan tulad ng pagsusulong ng pederalismo at pagbabago ng Konstitusyon? Sa ganitong konteksto, mali ba ang ating argumento?
Hindi po. Pakitang-tao lang ito. Wala namang pangmatagalang layunin ang mga ganitong klaseng organisasyon kundi suportahan ang gobyerno sa kabila ng mga kakulangan nito. Madalas na hindi malinaw ang direksyon nila at ang tanging alam lang ng mga miyembro ay kung ano ang panawagan. Halimbawa, “Isulong ang Pederalismo.” Pero bakit ba ito dapat isulong? Ano ba ang diumanong bentahe nito? Hindi na mahalaga para sa gobyerno ang pagpapaliwanag dahil ang mas binibigyang-pansin lang nila ay ang indibidwal na numero. Sa madaling salita, ginagamit nila ang organisasyon para sa pagpapalawak kahit na hindi ito nagbubunga ng pagpapalalim.
Mababaw na pagpapalawak. Ganito ginagamit ng mga nasa kapangyarihan ang organisasyon. Napagtatakpan nila ang pagkiling sa indibidwalismo at ang pagpigil nila sa organisadong pagkilos. Panahon nang labanan ang ganitong perspektiba at piliin natin ang pagiging organisado.
Indibidwal pa rin naman ang mapagpasya. Pero ang kinakailangan ng lipunan ay ang pagkilos tungo sa pagiging organisado.
Sa aking biyahe pabalik sa Pilipinas, nag-iisa lang ako. Pero may intensyon akong ipagpatuloy ang pakiiisa sa mas marami pa. Inaasahan ko ang iyong pagsama. Salamat po sa pagbabasa.
Para makipag-ugnayan sa awtor, pumunta sa https://risingsun.dannyarao.com
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Kin of victims of extrajudicial killings fight for justice
While rural communities grapple with militarization, Metro Manila and other urban centers have also turned into bloodbaths due to Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs.”
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com
MANILA — Heaven wept with Carmela Avelino.
The 42-year-old widow grieves the death of her husband Edgardo, one of the 14 farmers killed in synchronized police and military operations in Negros Oriental last March 30. Clutching a photo of her husband to her chest, Carmela wiped her tears as she joined relatives of other victims of human rights abuses in a protest action, July 17.
Her search for justice brought her in front of Camp Aguinaldo, headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and then to the gates of Camp Crame, headquarters of the Philippine National Police. Her 16-year-old daughter chose to remain inside a jeepney, still traumatized by the incident. Carmela said Grace is still having nightmares, seeing in her dreams how her father was shot to death.
Marching beside Carmela was Vina Sunibyo, whose uncle Apolinario Libico was slain by suspected soldiers. Libico, a local village chieftain in barangay San Miguel, Las Navas, Northern Samar, was publicly tagged by the Philippine Army’s 20th Infantry Battalion as a New People’s Army (NPA) supporter, Sunibyo said.
Both Negros and Samar were included in President Rodrigo Duterte’s memorandum order no. 32. Signed by Duterte on November 22, 2018, the memo ordered the deployment of more troops in three provinces including Bicol purportedly to “suppress lawless violence and acts of terror.”
Human rights alliance Karapatan, however, maintained that the memorandum resulted in massive human rights violations. Karapatan documented 50 cases of extrajudicial killings in Negros and 26 in Bicol as of March this year. At least 250 were gunned down in the name of Duterte’s counterinsurgency operations, according to Karapatan.
While rural communities grapple with militarization, Metro Manila and other urban centers have also turned into bloodbaths due to Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs.”
Amy Jane Lee, whose husband Michael was killed by men riding in tandem on March 20, 2017 in Bagong Silang, Caloocan, also joined the protest. Lee told Bulatlat that her husband, a jeepney driver, was neither a drug user or a drug pusher.
“I came here for my husband, and for my children,” Lee said in Filipino. “I wouldn’t be able to bring his life back but I will continue to fight for justice.”
With three children to feed, the 36-year-old widow has been cooking and selling food in a school canteen. With the classes suspended due to the weather, Lee took the opportunity to join other members of Rise Up for Life and for Rights.
Lee’s neighbor, Rhea Nonay, 64 years old, held a photo of her youngest son. Bernard, a tricycle driver, was only 34 years old when killed on June 20, 2018 by masked men.
The families welcome the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution to investigate the killings and other abuses in the Philippines.
“At least now the world knows what is happening here. Even if the government does everything to hide the truth, the truth would surely come out,” Lee said. “We want to be heard.”
In a statement, Amihan, the national federation of peasant women, called for the scrapping of memorandum no. 32 and Duterte’s counterinsurgency program Oplan Kapanatagan.
Amihan said peasant communities from as far as Nueva Ecija, Mindoro, Negros, Samar and Bicol will march and join other sectors in United People’s SONA on July 22.
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BAYAN warns against police disinformation as SONA approaches
Bayan said the Philippine National Police have warned participants not to bring jackets and backpacks during the rally as a security precaution.
EJK victims’ kin, rights advocates call for an end to killings, challenge PH gov’t to cooperate with UN report process
Condemning the killings under President Rodrigo Duterte’s regime, relatives of the victims of extrajudicial killings, along with several human rights groups on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 trooped to the Department of National Defense (DND) in Camp Aguinaldo and to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.