Seven administration senatorial candidates and two party-list groups are expected to participate during the Parada Dabawenyo on Saturday, March 16, Acting City Treasurer and 82nd Araw ng Dabaw Parade Head Erwin P. Alparaque said.
‘Whining’ Duterte under fire yet again over misogynist statement
“President Duterte is whining like a crybaby for being supposedly deprived of his freedom of speech when he does not even care at all over the grave deprivation of dignified living that women have been subjected to under his regime.”
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Women rights advocates are up in arms over President Rodrigo’s Duterte’s latest misogynist pronouncement – this time invoking his freedom of expression to joke about women.
“To joke about rape, demean women and order violence against women is not, and will never be, an exercise of one’s freedom of expression. We are not in despair. We are enraged,” said Gabriela secretary general Joms Salvador in a Facebook post.
From his president campaign to present, Duterte has been repeatedly under fire over his misogynistic statements, which he delivers during his official functions as the country’s highest elected official.
Two days ago, in an event that supposedly honors women, President Duterte said that women are depriving him of his freedom of expression. He claimed that he does not remember an incident disrespecting women, adding that he loves them. As proof, in fact, he said that he has two wives.
“President Duterte is whining like a crybaby for being supposedly deprived of his freedom of speech when he does not even care at all over the grave deprivation of dignified living that women have been subjected to under his regime,” Gabriela Women’s Party said in a statement.
In a CBCP News, Benedictine nun Sr. Mary John Mananzan said that as the president utters “insulting and demeaning words to women, then they have the right to criticize you, and condemn what you say.”
Veteran journalist and #BabaeAko convenor Inday Espina-Varona pointed out in a two-minute video posted on her Facebook account that President Duterte “commands headline” of the dominant media and has in his disposal an entire communication infrastructure, which includes an army of trolls.
“Duterte would not recognized rights if these were waved in front of his face,” she added.
Instead of despair, Varona said women are determined to “fight you (Duterte) and your abuses every step of the way.”
The post ‘Whining’ Duterte under fire yet again over misogynist statement appeared first on Bulatlat.
IBON: Duterte govt’s accusations baseless, aim to hide truth about economy
The Duterte government’s accusations against IBON are baseless and aim to stifle economic analysis that is inconsistent with its preferred narrative of growth and development.
For over forty years, IBON has sought to explain socioeconomic and political issues to the public as our contribution to Philippine democracy and the cause of genuine progress and development. We have always been transparent about our bias for the majority of Filipinos who are persistently marginalized and about our opposition to unjust and inequitable economic structures. We have likewise always been open about our belief in the capacity of people to change society and in the importance of organized movements to bring about a better future for all.
We see the attacks on IBON as part of a larger campaign by government and military officials to project a false image of the country. It seems that ‘truth’ for the Duterte administration is not what is true but only what makes it look good. The Duterte administration cannot handle the truth and goes to great lengths to insist on its narrative.
The government’s recently concluded European roadshow to the European Union (EU), United Nations (UN) agencies, Belgian government and others is a case in point. The government flew a delegation halfway around the world to spread malicious misinformation about IBON and other organizations.
The delegation made a number of absurd accusations. IBON and other groups were accused of channeling funding to so-called “Communist-terrorists”. Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Undersecretary for New Media and External Affairs Lorraine Badoy accused us of “[pulling] statistics out of thin air”. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil Military Operations Brigadier General Antonio Parlade said that we submit “fabricated reports” to the EU and UN. Alluding to our analysis, Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat Undersecretary Severo Catura said that their mission sought to “preserve the integrity of information”.
We categorically deny that our funding has gone anywhere than to our programs for research, advocacy and education. We challenge the government to prove that we have been doing anything illegal. We denounce maliciously being denied due process.
We categorically state that our analysis is always based on evidence and facts at hand. Indeed, many of our statistics come from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and we are certain they will affirm our responsible use of data even if our interpretations may differ from the government’s.
In their press conference yesterday, Brig. Gen. Parlade gave particular attention to our analysis of the Duterte administration presiding over the worst job generation in the post-Marcos period. Contrary to its misinformed analysis and falsely invoking even the PSA, the data is quite clear on that point. If anything, the recently released January 2019 labor force survey figures even show the situation getting worse.
Our adherence to facts is in contrast with the government’s cavalier attitude to the truth. We are not funding terrorism. We are not now receiving any funding from the European Union (EU) or Belgian government. The government cannot even get its story straight – we are not even mentioned in the so-called report on atrocities against Lumad the delegation gave to the country’s Permanent Representative to the UN.
IBON has been under increasing attack since last year. Our offices have been subjected to surveillance and our staff have been accosted. It is easy to dismiss Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo’s claim in January 2019 that IBON’s analysis of weak job creation under the Duterte administration was “mathematically impossible”. The facts will bear out our assertion.
However, we decry the government’s sustained public vilification of IBON – during its European roadshow in mid-February, through press statements by the AFP and National Security Council (NSC) in the last week of February, and in its press conference in Malacañang yesterday.
We initially gave the government the benefit of the doubt and immediately wrote the AFP and NSC seeking clarification about their statements reported in media. When we met representatives of the NSC, they perplexingly said that they were not prepared to explain fully and asked us to write the president in his capacity as chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. In any case, we have already filed a complaint with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
IBON is extremely grateful for the support and confidence given by so many in all our decades of existence. Our faith in the people’s ability to discern truth from fiction is solid. ###
Int’l lawyers’ groups hold colloquium on role of lawyers in PH
With the increasing number of attacks against lawyers, judges and prosecutors in the Philippines, various lawyers’ organizations have come together for a “Colloquium on the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers: Focus on the Philippines.”
The Colloquium will be an avenue to revisit the basic principles on the role of lawyers and the duty of States to protect members of the legal profession. This event brings together lawyers from various fields of practice to discuss the challenges to the free and unhampered exercise of the profession under the present context.
The event is scheduled for today, March 14, 2019 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Auditorium, P. Dona Julia Vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig. It is open to the public and photo opportunities for the media are available.
The main organizers of the event are the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), Union of International Advocates (UIA) and Day of Endangered Lawyers Foundation. Upon their request, it is hosted by the National Union of the Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).
This Colloquium gathers lawyers from Belgium, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, United States representing various lawyers’ groups including the IADL, UIA, DELF, Confederation of Lawyers in Asia and the Pacific (COLAP), National Lawyers Guild (NLG) of the U.S., Progress Lawyers Network of Belgium, Italian Democratic Lawyers, Japanese Lawyers for International Solidarity and Action (JALISA), and Minbyun of Korea.
It is likewise supported by Dutch Lawyers for Lawyers, European Lawyers for World Human Rights and Democracy (ELDH), European Democratic Lawyers (AED), International Association of Peoples’ Lawyers (IAPL), Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers of UK, Hellenic Union of Progressive Lawyers (HUPL) of Greece, Italian National Bar Association, and the Dutch League of Human Rights.
The speakers are: Judge Felix P. Reyes, President of the Philippine Judges Association (PJA) who will also represent Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin Atty. Abdiel Dan Elijah “Ade” S. Fajardo, National President of the IBP; Atty. Neri Colmenares, Chairman of the NUPL; and a representative of the present International Delegation of Lawyers.
The International Delegation of Lawyers will also meet with government offices, law enforcement agencies, bar associations, law professors, non-government organizations, and victims and/or their families and discuss the issue of the attacks on their peers and brethren in the Philippines.#
PRESS RELEASE | 14 March 2019
Contact: M. Pinlac – Ad Hoc Delegation Secretariat
09159074183 ¦ 2019lawyersdelegation@gmail.com
Int’l media watchdog ‘mirrors’ Philippine alternative news amid cyber-attacks
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – International media watchdog Reporters Without Borders has included in their website mirroring campaign two Philippine alternative news websites, Bulatlat and Kodao Productions, following the intense cyber-attacks since December.
Bulatlat and Kodao Productions, along with many other alternative news websites in the Philippines, are being subjected to a well-funded Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack in an apparent concerted effort to stifle press freedom in the Philippines.
Related story: What you need to know about the ongoing cyber-attacks vs. alternative news Bulatlat
These attacks have led to the shutting down of their respective websites for days, until the cyber-attacks were mitigated by Sweden-based Qurium Media Foundation. The DDoS attacks, however, continue and remain relentless as of this writing.
The five-year-old campaign dubbed as Operation Collateral Freedom “circumvents technological censorship by means of an original strategy in which ‘mirrors’ or duplicates of the censored websites are created on the servers of the world’s Internet giants. Authoritarian regimes cannot block access to the mirrors without the ‘collateral damage’ of restricting their own access to the services of these Internet companies.”
A total of 22 media outlets that are blocked in their respective countries are now being mirrored, allowing “millions of people to access freely reported news and information.” Since it began its campaign, its “mirror” websites have received a total of 142 million visits.
Bulatlat and Kodao Productions are the only Philippine-based news organizations being mirrored by the media watchdog.
You may visit Bulatlat’s mirror website by clicking here.
The Reporters Without Borders began their website mirroring campaign of the two Philippine alternative news organizations on March 12, World Day Against Cybercensorship.
The post Int’l media watchdog ‘mirrors’ Philippine alternative news amid cyber-attacks appeared first on Bulatlat.
What World Day against Cyber Censorship means to Filipino journalists
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA — For the first time since it was initiated by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders in 2008, Filipino journalists commemorated the World Day against Cyber Censorship to protest the series of relentless cyber-attacks against websites of alternative news media organizations.
The World Day Against Cyber Censorship is a global campaign of Reporters Without Borders that is intended to rally “in support of a single Internet that is unrestricted and accessible to all.” It recognizes the Internet as a “force of freedom,” which, as a result, is pushing many governments to control it.
Digital rights advocates have documented an apparent global attempt to silence dissent by cutting access to the Internet. Governments, a report said, are “leaning on in an increasingly authoritarian and menacing manner.”
In the Philippines, Internet connection does exist even if it is among the slowest worldwide. But access to websites that provide sharp and comprehensive analyses of national and global issues is being cut off through relentless cyber-attacks. Through what is called a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), an insidious and well-funded cyber-attack is being conducted to overwhelm the server of a website to deny legitimate readers access to its contents.
During the protest action, AlterMidya People’s Media Network national coordinator Rhea Padilla said that government’s inaction over the repeated attempts of Sweden-based Qurium Media Foundation to reach out regarding the cyber-attacks pushes them to believe that this is a state-sanctioned move.
By targeting the Philippine alternative press, however, those behind the attack inadvertently highlighted its role in shaping public opinion. Media watchdog Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) noted that “alternative news organizations play a crucial role in informing the people about issues and concerns of public interest that are usually overlooked by the mainstream media. They provide a platform for voices in society that are conveniently ignored, or worse muted, by state and non-state actors alike.”
And, more importantly, this is not isolated case that is aimed to curtail both the freedom of the press and of expression. SEAPA, in its report, noted specific incidents under President Rodrigo Duterte where target news sites were either forced to go offline or be subjected to hacking.
Aside from cyber-attacks, the Philippine media have also been subjected to various forms of attacks. Journalists have been killed and have faced threats. Some were arrested, as in the case of journalists arrested while covering the NutriAsia workers’ strike or the politically-motivated charges against Rappler chief Maria Ressa. Also part of the attacks against press freedom is the probable non-renewal of the franchise of TV giant ABS-CBN which expires in March 2020 and the repeated threats against the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
To justify these attacks, the role of the press in a democracy (or whatever’s left of it) is constantly being belittled and mocked. After all, the vilification of the media, especially those that are critical in reporting government policies, is an old weapon used to stifle dissent, no matter how futile it may be.
The essence of the World Day Against Cyber Censorship is true for many Filipino journalists struggling to ferret out the truth.
The post What World Day against Cyber Censorship means to Filipino journalists appeared first on Bulatlat.
Dagdag na P 1,000 pensyon sa benipesyonaryo ng SSS, ipinanawagan
Nagtungo ang Bayan Muna at iba pang grupo sa tanggapan ng Social Security System (SSS) para kalampagin ang ahensya na ibigay na ang P1,000 dagdag sa pension. Ipinahayag din ng grupo ang pagtutol nito sa implementasyon ng dagdag-singil sa SSS contribusyon sa mga miyembro nito sa darating na April 2019.
“Nasa 36 na milyon ang miyembro ng SSS at nasa 15 milyon lang ang nagbabayad, ibig-sabihin wala kayong karapatang magdagdag ng mga kontribusyon hangga’t hindi maayos ang pag singil sa ibang miyemro na hindi nagbabayad,” ito ang naging pahayag ni Bayan Muna chairman at tumatakbong senador na si Neri Colmenares sa planong dagdag-singil na kontribusyon ng SSS
Dagdag pa ni Colmenares, “ayusin muna ang koleksyon [sa mga miyembro] bago taasan ang kontribusyon.”
Dagdag na singil sa SSS
Ang panukalang dagdag na kontribusyon ay nakapailalim sa bagong batas na SSS Rationalization Act na pinirmahan ni President Duterte noong Pebrero 7, 2019.
Ang mas mataas na singil ay aabot sa 12% at nakasaad din sa implementing rules and regulation (IRR) ng batas na ito na kada dalawang taon ay magkakaroon ng isang porsyento na pagtaas sa singil hanggang umabot sa 15%.
Sa kasalukuyan, nasa 11% ang kontribusyon ng mga miyembro, at aasahan ang mga susunod pang pagtaas sa darating na 2021, 2023 at 2025.
Epekto sa mga manggagawa
Ipinahayag din ng Kilusang Mayo Uno Metro Manila ang kanilang pagkadismaya sa plano ng SSS na dagdag na kontribusyon sa kadahilanang magiging dagdag-pasanin na naman ito sa mga manggagawa.
“Hindi na nga sapat ang sahod, kita ng mga manggagawa at halos hindi na nga umabot sa minimum wage ang kanilang sahod ay kakaltasan pa ng panibagong reporma para pagkunan ang sahod ng mga manggagawa at idagdag sa pondo ng SSS kung saan hindi naman pinakikinabangan ng mga manggagawang Pilipino,” ani Ed Cubelo, Chairperson ng KMU Metro Manila.
Mungkahi ng grupo sa halip na dagdagan ang kontribusyon ng mga manggagawang mababa ang sahod ay dapat mas bigyang-pansin ng SSS ang pagsingil sa mga employer na lumalabag sa pagbigay ng SSS contribution ng mga manggagawa.
The post Dagdag na P 1,000 pensyon sa benipesyonaryo ng SSS, ipinanawagan appeared first on Manila Today.
Tight security measure up in Davao
Series of big events are set to be performed in Davao City and authorities now brace for the influx of visitors, both local and foreign, in the city starting this week.