FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!
We, Canadians for just peace in the Philippines, strongly support the Peace Talks between the Government of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDPF). We believe that the Peace Process is key to solving the long-standing armed conflict and we hope fervently for its success.
As they expressed their support for the continuation of the peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, more than 200 Canadian trade unions, churches, ecumenical organizations, solidarity and human rights organizations, academics, journalists and individuals in Canada also called for the release of all political prisoners in the Philippines.
Militant lawmakers on Friday blasted the reported sightings of tarpaulin materials in what appears to be a calculated “smearing campaign” against Left-leaning party-list groups.
Below is the unity statement of LODI, National Union of Journalists in the Philippines, AlterMidya People’s Media Network, Bulatlat, Kodao Productions, and Pinoy Weekly.
The arrest of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa on spurious cyber libel charges under suspicious conditions confirms that the Duterte administration has taken to twisting the law and legal processes to persecute its enemies.
The arrest near the close of day and subsequent events show it was meant to show the government’s capacity to orchestrate a full press against critics. There was no effort by Ressa or Rappler to evade the law. But when Rappler’s lawyers tried to post night bail, they were rebuffed by the judge tasked precisely to respond to unnusual circumstances. Indeed, the withholding of information and documents needed for bail, especially coupled with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents threats against journalists documenting the arrest, show clear malice.
We stand in solidarity with Rappler in the fight for press freedom and the people’s right to know. The incident is the latest of many attempts to discredit, tarnish, and demoralize and stop the Philippine media from doing its job. Part of the efforts to silence independent and critical media are the deliberate and persistent cyber attacks on alternative news sites Bulatlat, Kodao Productions, Pinoy Weekly and organizations Altermidya and National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).
For the past weeks, our colleagues have been fending off denial of service (DDoS) attacks aimed at closing down the media outfits. Initial investigations point to the same group of attackers, using the same resources and techniques. We have every reason to believe that the DDoS attacks are the handiwork of Duterte’s minions.
The attacks are an affront against the ordinary people whose perspectives define the stories of the alternative media. These are attempts by those in power to drown out the voice of the marginalized and the oppressed, displaying Duterte’s fear of committed journalism that seeks to inform, educate and guide the public in decision-making.
We will continue to tell the truth and to defend whatever is left of our democracy. We take inspiration from that generation of journalists who bravely fought the dictatorship. It is our responsibility not only as journalists but also as Filipinos.
The post From cyber libel to cyber attacks, Duterte is desperate in suppressing the truth appeared first on Bulatlat.
UNITY STATEMENT OF ALTERMIDYA NETWORK, NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS IN THE PHILIPPINES, LET’S ORGANIZE FOR DEMOCRACY & INTEGRITY (LODI), COLLEGE EDITORS GUILD OF THE PHILIPPINES
The arrest of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa on spurious cyber libel charges under suspicious conditions confirms that the Duterte administration has taken to twisting the law and legal processes to persecute its enemies.
The arrest near the close of day and subsequent events show it was meant to show the government’s capacity to orchestrate a full press against critics. There was no effort by Ressa or Rappler to evade the law. But when Rappler’s lawyers tried to post night bail, they were rebuffed by the judge tasked precisely to respond to unnusual circumstances. Indeed, the withholding of information and documents needed for bail, especially coupled with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents threats against journalists documenting the arrest, show clear malice.
We stand in solidarity with Rappler in the fight for press freedom and the people’s right to know. The incident is the latest of many attempts to discredit, tarnish, and demoralize and stop the Philippine media from doing its job.
Part of the efforts to silence independent and critical media are the deliberate and persistent cyber attacks on alternative news sites Bulatlat, Kodao Productions, Pinoy Weekly and organizations AlterMidya Network and National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).
For the past weeks, our colleagues have been fending off denial of service (DDoS) attacks aimed at closing down the media outfits. Initial investigations point to the same group of attackers, using the same resources and techniques. We have every reason to believe that the DDoS attacks are the handiwork of Duterte’s minions.
The attacks are an affront against the ordinary people whose perspectives define the stories of the alternative media. These are attempts by those in power to drown out the voice of the marginalized and the oppressed, displaying Duterte’s fear of committed journalism that seeks to inform, educate and guide the public in decision-making.
We will continue to tell the truth and to defend whatever is left of our democracy. We take inspiration from that generation of journalists who bravely fought the dictatorship. It is our responsibility not only as journalists but also as Filipinos.
SIGNATORIES:
ALTERMIDYA NETWORK
NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS IN THE PHILIPPINES (NUJP)
LET’S ORGANIZE FOR DEMOCRACY & INTEGRITY (LODI)
COLLEGE EDITORS GUILD OF THE PHILIPPINES
The post UNITY STATEMENT: From cyber libel to cyber attacks : Duterte is desperate in suppressing the truth appeared first on Altermidya.
Still, the political backlash that the Duterte administration is getting has been unforgiving, and rightly so. Even the simplest of minds can read between the line that the media repression these days is but part of efforts to stifle the slightest dissent towards installing an open dictatorship government that Duterte has long been dreaming of.
The media, as the fourth estate, plays a big role in ensuring that genuine democracy is in place. For the obvious reasons, only those who are threats to a just and truly democratic country would want to silence the press, most especially those that air and amplify the grievances of ordinary mortals.
Ressa’s arrest brought to fore the sorry state of press freedom in the country, even when a former journalist and now senatorial candidate recently painted a rosy picture of what he believed was an “isolated” Rappler case.
It is not.
In fact, Ressa is not the first to be subjected to such attacks. Dominant media outfits such as ABS-CBN and the Philippine Daily Inquirer and alternative media outfits are also under attack.
Alternative and campus journalists were among those arrested while covering the violent dispersal of NutriAsia workers’ picket last year.
Back in December, several local papers published identical stories tagging the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines as front of the Communist Party of the Philippines. Such red baiting is not new to NUJP, Bulatlat and other alternative media outfits.
Lately, more and more websites of online news, media groups, and even people’s organizations are being subjected to a politically-driven and well-funded distributed denial of service (DDoS), a form of cyber-attack that overwhelms the website’s server with millions of fake and dubious traffic to shut it down.
Meanwhile, in Negros Occidental, a province known for its robust community papers, at least 15 journalists were among those named in a list being circulated of purported drug protectors.
Worse, 12 journalists have been killed and about 85 cases of threats and harassments were documented by media organizations since Duterte assumed power until November 2018.
The present administration appears to be ignorant of the lessons of the conjugal Marcos dictatorship and how the media and the people fought for press freedom. It has forgotten how the media, in the past, has risen above all state-sponsored attacks to inform, educate and guide the public in their decision-making and actions.
The day of reckoning will soon be here.
The post Politically-driven appeared first on Bulatlat.
Illustration by RENAN ORTIZ
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After two months in captivity, six of the 16 captured Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) personnel were released by the New People’s Army North-Eastern Mindanao Region, Thursday, Feb. 14.
Ka Joaquin, National Democratic Front spokesperson said the release of prisoners of war “shows that the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines are still open for peace talks”.
Iglesia Filipina Independiente Bishop Delfin Callao Jr. and Agusan del Sur Vice Governor Sammy Tortor facilitated the release of the prisoners of war (POWs).
Ka Joaquin said that there are 10 other POWs in other areas, but they cannot be released due to ongoing military operations. Joaquin reminds the Philippine government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to listen to the appeal of the captives’ families for a suspension of military operations in the Caraga region to ensure their safe release. Reposted by
Text and photos by Kilab Multimedia
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