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SIGN THE OPEN LETTER ON THE KILLING OF TWO YOUTHS BY PHILIPPINE MILITARY

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SIGN THE OPEN LETTER ON THE KILLING OF TWO YOUTHS BY PHILIPPINE MILITARY

The International Coalition of Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) condemns the Philippine military for the killing of two youths in Uson, Masbate, Bicol Region on December 27, 2024. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families. Click here to read our full statement on the killing.

Together with the Foundation for Filipino Children and Children’s Rehabilitation Center, we demand a thorough investigation on the shooting incident that led to the killing of the two youths, one of whom is a minor. The open letter will be delivered to Ms. Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

Add your signature to our open letter to the United Nations Office for Children and Armed Conflict: ichrp.net/UNOpenLetter

MAKABAYAN, TAUMBAYAN SA SENADO!

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MAKABAYAN, TAUMBAYAN SA SENADO!

IBOTO! BAYAN MUNA (59)

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IBOTO! BAYAN MUNA (59)
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IMA – EUROPE: UNITE FOR JUSTICE – STOP WAR, FUND PEOPLE

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IMA – EUROPE: UNITE FOR JUSTICE – STOP WAR, FUND PEOPLE

Statement by the International Migrants Alliance- Europe: Unite for Justice—Stop War, Fund People


The wars that the different imperialisms are carrying out in the world for a new geopolitical redistribution are forcing millions of people to flee. Europe has maintained a position of total servility towards the USA. On the other hand, the migratory policies in Europe, with the rise of the right wing in many European countries, have provoked an intensification of anti-immigrant policies.


The International Migrants Alliance- Europe(IMA) stands firmly against the Dutch government’s decision to terminate national funding for the Landelijke Vreemdelingenvoorziening (LVV). This shameful abandonment of undocumented migrants comes while taxpayer money continues to support the destructive proxy wars of the U.S. and NATO. These wars create the very displacement crises that force migrants to flee their homes.

A Call to Dutch Nationals and Local Communities: Stand with Migrants
We call upon Dutch nationals and local communities to join us in demanding a fundamental change in the priorities of the Dutch government. Instead of funneling billions of euros into wars that devastate countries, destabilize regions, and destroy lives, we demand those resources be redirected to housing, healthcare, and social support—not just for migrants, but for everyone living in the Netherlands.

The Dutch people are facing growing economic inequality, rising housing costs, and underfunded healthcare services. Meanwhile, public resources are being wasted on militarism and war, leaving both migrants and locals to shoulder the burden of government negligence. This is unacceptable.

War-Making Creates Undocumented and Refugees—End the Hypocrisy
The Dutch government plays a complicit role in global conflicts through its support of NATO’s imperialist ambitions.

These wars, fought for profit and power, force millions of people to flee their homes. Yet, the Netherlands responds not with solidarity, but with deportations, detention centers, and abandonment. This is a betrayal of human rights and international obligations.

To the Dutch government, we demand:

  1. Stop funding US-NATO’s wars. Redirect taxpayer money to housing, healthcare, and support systems for undocumented migrants, refugees, and Dutch nationals alike.
  2. End deportations and detention. Criminalizing undocumented migrants is cruel and unjust, especially when displacement is caused by wars and economic policies supported by the Netherlands.
  3. Provide long-term solutions. Invest in affordable housing, healthcare, and inclusive policies that uplift both locals and migrants.
  4. Address root causes of displacement. End militarism, exploitative trade policies, and environmental destruction that drive migration.
  5. Solidarity Across Borders
    The struggles of migrants and Dutch nationals are deeply connected. A government that prioritizes war over welfare fails us all. Migrants are not the enemy—our shared enemy is a system that values profit over people.
  6. We call on Dutch nationals to unite with migrants in rejecting war, inequality, and systemic exploitation. Together, we can demand accountability, justice, and a future where resources are invested in the people—not in imperialism.
  7. No more war. No more deportations. Housing, healthcare, and dignity for all.
  8. International Migrants Alliance – Europe

OFWs reject SSS Contribution rate hike, Philhealth member penalties for data breach

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OFWs reject SSS Contribution rate hike, Philhealth member penalties for data breach

Migrante International
Press release

Migrante International condemned the scheduled contribution rate hike of the Philippine Social Security System (SSS) from 14% to 15% this 2025 on Thursday, claiming that OFWs around the world will struggle under this even heavier burden, as they will be forced to pay for nearly nonexistent social services to keep working abroad. 

Migrante argues that this new increase in contributions will most likely go to fund the life of the SSS and the salaries of its board, not any meaningful rise in pensions. The Philippine government has yet to give out its promised Php 1,000 pension increase under Duterte.

“Bumababa na nga ang halaga ng sahod ng ating mga migranteng manggagawa sa labas ng bansa dahil sa tumataas na presyo ng pagkain, kuryente at iba pang batayang serbisyo sa Pilipinas at sa labas bansa, said Josie Pingkihan, Deputy Secretary General of Migrante International. “Ngayon, itataas naman ang singil ng SSS na pinipilit pa din ng gobyerno ni Marcos Jr na bayaran ng ating mga OFWs.”

Napaka-insensitibo ang administrasyon na ito, nilulunod tayo sa mga samu’t saring bayarin at hindi naman natin natatamasa ang maayos na serbisyo,” continued Pingkihan

Migrante argues that the additional penalization of PhilHealth members this year, worth Php4.6 Billion, as a result of the hacking and data breach of PhilHealth in 2023 is an added burden to our migrant workers who are already suffering from the impacts of job insecurity, low wages, and mounting debt. 

“Hindi makatarungan na ang mga OFWs at Philhealth members ay paparusahan para sa kapabayaan ng Philhealth. Kinaltasan na nga ni Marcos Jr ang badyet para sa pampublikong serbisyo sa kalusugan, nanakawin pa tayo,” said Pingkihan.

Migrante argued that OFWs and the Filipino people deserve a social security service that prioritizes the wellbeing of the public, not the benefits and perks of the SSS board. The OFW group also advocated for a truly universal public healthcare service, not a corrupt and negligent PhilHealth.

Migrante calls on the Marcos administration to scrap the new SSS rate hikes for OFWs and the public. The group asserted that Marcos must also hold the PhilHealth board accountable for its negligence over the 2023 data breach, and ensure that PhilHealth members will not be punished, but instead be compensated for the data leaks. Migrante reiterated its call to scrap mandatory SSS and PhilHealth contributions for OFWs.###

https://migranteinternational.org/ofws-reject-sss-contribution-rate-hike

ICHRP – Germany Launched on International Human Rights Day

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ICHRP – Germany Launched on International Human Rights Day

Berlin, December 12, 2024 – The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) – Germany was launched in Berlin to mark the 76th International Human Rights Day. The event brought together Filipinos, Germans, and other international solidarity supporters. ICHRP-Germany aims to amplify the campaigns for human rights in the Philippines, expand the solidarity network and promote wide global support for the cause.

Under the theme “Living Solidarity – ICHRP Germany for Human Rights in the Philippines,” the event opened with a discussion on human rights violations in the Philippines, led by Cynthia Deduro of Gabriela Germany. A victim of human rights abuses herself, Deduro recounted being forced to seek asylum in Germany due to government harassment targeting her and her husband for their activism and staunch defense of human rights. She emphasized the worsening situation under the Marcos regime, highlighting the continous and even worsening human rights abuses from Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to his son, the current Presidnet Ferdinand Marcos Jr. She added that there had been no fundamental changes to the dismal human rights situation in the Philippines.

The discussion followed by testimonies of Revd. Christopher Ablon and Kiri Dalena on the genesis and development of their activism. Dalena, a Filipina filmmaker and human rights activist, revealed that her desire for film making exposed her to basic sectors in society who fell victims of human rights violations.  These strengthened her resolve to engage in activism and expose these social injustices using the lens of her camera. She added that because of her activism, she and other activists were charged with perjury filed by the National Security Adviser and retired general Hermogenes Esperon, Jr.

Reb Chris, a Filipino priest, activist and musician, recounted that his faith and ministry shaped his engagement in activism.  He shared that it started with his involvement with the ecological justice campaign programs of the Church, then later in human rights and peace activism.  He live by the conviction to stay grounded in the faith that humans are made in God’s image. He also mentioned the failed “riding in tandem” attempt on his life together with five other priests in Manila in 2019 and the intensified red-tagging against him in 2022 and 2023 that eventually forced him to leave the country.

The launching was also graced by congratulatory messages by Peter Murphy, chairperson of the ICHRP Global Council and Christina Palabay, chairperson of KARAPATAN Alliance for the Advancement of Peoples’ Rights in the Philippines. Both emphasized the importance and urgency of international solidarity to expose and fight against the grave human rights abuses under the US-supported Marcos Jr. regime.

The event concluded with group discussions where relevant recommendations and perspectives on next steps forward and desired activities to further campaign for the protection of human rights  in the Philippines were collected. As a manifestation, the participants created two placards, one with a call for the release of Tomas Dominado, a political prisoners, arrested only a few day before December 5; and one placard calling for action and accountability: “Kung hindi tayo, sino? Kung hindi ngayon, kalian? (If it is not us, who will? If it is not now, when will it be?).##

House Resolution to grant clemency to Mary Jane Veloso

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House Resolution to grant clemency to Mary Jane Veloso

The Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan or Makabayan Bloc of the 19th Congress, 3rd regular session led by Representative Arlene Brosas of Gabriela Women’s Party, Rep France Castro of ACT Teachers Partylist and Rep Raoul Manuel of Kabataan Partylist filed today, December 11, 2024 House Resolution No. 2128 urging the Philippine government through PBBM, to grant Mary Jane Veloso clemency for her drug trafficking conviction in Indonesia.

Mary Jane was arrested in Yogyakarta Airport in Indonesia in April 25, 2010 for allegedly possessing illegal drugs inside the lining of her luggage given by her recruiter. After few months of trial, Mary Jane was found guilty and sentenced to death. The following year, Mary Jane’s sentence was suspended after series of protests held in the Philippines as well as in Indonesia and different countries worldwide that forced the PH government to make series of appeal through its PH Embassy in Jakarta. The global protests was led by MIGRANTE International together with its partner grassroots migrants and human rights defenders and institutions.

on March 4, 2020, the Supreme Court of the Philippines upheld its decision with finality to allow Mary Jane Veloso to testify against her recruiters by way of deposition in Indonesia.

However, the recent changes in the Presidency in Indonesia, the incumbent Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, through the Coordinating Ministry for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correction, manifested that as part of constructive diplomacy, they are considering prisoner transfer for foreign detainees, including Mary Jane. And on December 6, 2024, both the Philippine and Indonesian governments agreed to transfer Mary Jane to the Philippines, pursuant to Indonesia’s “Transfer of Prisoners” policy.

Thus Mary Jane’s family including its supporters call for the clemency of Mary Jane upon return to the Philippines for humanitarian reason and as a matter of justice after suffering for 14 years in jail.

On the IHRD – HKCARPP Reaffirms its Solidarity with the Filipino People in their Struggle for Just Peace

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On the IHRD – HKCARPP Reaffirms its Solidarity with the Filipino People in their Struggle for Just Peace

For over 19 years, the Hong Kong Campaign for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (HKCHARPP) has tirelessly campaigned to build solidarity for the Filipino people’s work towards just and lasting peace.

Today, the world marks the 76th anniversary of International Human Rights Day. On this day, we aim to highlight how the human rights crisis in the Philippines has worsened under the Marcos Jr. regime – both for communities in the Philippines and for Filipino migrants working abroad. As part of the international response to this point, the Hong Kong Campaign for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (HKCAHRPP) held their annual cultural night for human rights in the Philippines on the 7th of December.

Over the course of the evening, over 70 attendees gathered to hear and watch different kinds of cultural performances while learning more about the human rights crisis in the Philippines. Performers came from different backgrounds and countries, to share their talents with the audiences and express their solidarity with the Filipino peoples dreams for just and lasting peace. Connected by the fact they all are currently living and working in Hong Kong, performances included songs, dances and poetry.

The evening opened with Amirah “Mek” Lidasan joining us via zoom to share first hand updates on the human rights crisis. Lidasan is a patriotic Moro leader from the Philippines who has dedicated her life to actively fighting for the rights, peace and culture of the Moro and Indigenous peoples. Lidasan spoke about the current struggles of indigenous and Moro communities in Mindanao and across the Philippines to protect their ancestral land and culture as well as their struggles against rising human rights violations including denial of right education.

Members of HKCAHRPP performed a cultural interpretation to the song “Freedom of Education”, featuring the struggle of the Lumad (indigenous) children from Mindanao and their dreams to go to school in their land without members of the Philippine military using their school for war games. Schools that have been shuttered by the Philippine government over the past two years. HKCAHRPP members visited Mindanao this past summer and met Lumad students, who all shared of dreams and determination to move back to the ancestral lands and reopen the schools.

Throughout the evening, poems were read in English and Tagalog from “…And So We Write”, the first ever poetry zine released by HKCAHRPP on the night. All original poems written by HKCAHRPP members and Filipino migrant workers in Hong Kong, told the stories of the realities of Filipino farmers, indigenous peoples, and communities to protect their lives, families, and the importance of international solidarity.

The evening also featured a time of remembering the martyrs, human rights defenders, farmers, women, and activist who have lost their lives in the Philippines this year and those who have disappeared without a trace. We also recognized those who are facing the ongoing human rights violations and red-tagging of the Philippine government while urban poor and farming communities are neglected. We know that the attacks and targets of the Philippine government reaches overseas to Filipino migrant workers, by red-tagging those who are holding the government accountable for its neglect of the welfare of Filipino workers abroad, including Filipino migrants here in Hong Kong. We also recognized the countless martyrs in Palestine who have been killed in the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the West bank.

Finishing with a closing solidarity action, attendees were invited to sign and add their slogans to two banners with the call Foster a Just Peace in the Philippines! as a sign of ongoing commitment to expand our solidarity with the Filipino people.

Beyond a one night event, HKCHARPP and those gathered expressed their steadfast and growing solidarity with the Filipino people in their struggle for just and lasting peace in their country. HKCAHRPP joins with the international community in strengthening our support to the Filipino people. We call upon all peace-loving people in Hong Kong to join with us in building the broadest solidarity support to advance the struggle for just and lasting peace in the Philippines.

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