PinoyAbrod.net

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte warned anew that the government will go after organizations believed to be supporting the Communist Party of the Philippines.

Duterte made the statement as he reiterated that there will be no more talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

“Itong NPA (New People’s Army), totodasin ko talaga sila. Tatapusin ko. The talks are over. No more talks. And I will go after the legal fronts,” Duterte said shortly after he delivered his arrival speech from his official visit to India at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport here late Friday night. The President’s press conference lasted for more than an hour.

Duterte said he is aware of the communist’s legal front as he once “handled” the National Alliance for Justice, Freedom and Democracy.

“‘Yun ‘yung Karapatan ngayon,” he added, referring to human rights group Karapatan.

He said if the military and the police has to kill they have to do so.

“And if you have to kill, do it because the human rights, kung babagsak itong bayan na ‘to, walang maitulong sa atin ‘yan,” Duterte said.

Duterte said he is only waiting for the decision of the Supreme Court for the declaration of the NPA as a “terrorist” organization following his signing of a proclamation in December last year labeling the CPP, and its armed wing, the NPA as “terrorists”.

Duterte said the terrorist tagging is because of the “continued violent acts” of the revolutionary movement including its “collection of taxes.”

Meanwhile, Cristina Palabay, national secretary general of Karapatan said, the extension of martial law in Mindanao, the continuing implementation of counter-insurgency program Oplan Kapayapaan, the crackdown on progressive and human rights organizations advocating for people’s rights, and attacks against press freedom show that the Duterte government is “keen on intensifying extrajudicial killings, illegal arrests, threats and harassment against human rights defenders (HRDs).”

Palabay said they have recorded 84 human rights defenders killed under the Duterte administration, out of the 697 HRDs killed since 2001.

“Tyrants do not like unyielding, resolute people who challenge the status quo and work purposely to demand justice – an attribute characteristic of HRDs,” she said.

Palabay said on January 22, Aniceto Lopez Jr., 55, the secretary-general of Kahugpungan sa mga Mag-uuma (KASAMA) – Bukidnon, was shot dead in Purok 3, Paitan, Quezon, Bukidnon.

She said the suspect was identified as Ernesto Balopenios, a member of the Philippine Marines. The victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

“Prior to his killing, the victim reportedly received a call from an unknown person who introduced himself as a member of the Bukidnon police,” Palabay added. She said the caller ordered Lopez to surrender before January 27, as he was accused of being an NPA supporter.

Two days earlier, activist James Flores, 33, a member of the Pederasyon sa tanang Asosasyon sa mga Mag-uuma sa Agusan ug Davao (PAMULAD), was also gunned down by an unidentified assailant while leaving a grocery store in Tagum City.

Karapatan said instead of tinkering with the 1987 Constitution, Filipino lawmakers should focus on passing laws that promote and protect human rights brazenly under attack in the current administration. (davaotoday.com)

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Health officials here urged parents to submit their children to the government’s measles immunization program following an outbreak of the said viral disease.

Josephine Villafuerte, the city’s chief health officer, led this appeal on Tuesday, January 23. She noted that there are parents who refuse or fear to have their kids vaccinated against measles due to the health scare brought by the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine.

“There are those who refuse to be vaccinated because they are afraid. They are afraid because of the previous events… listening to the Senate, listening to the media,” Villafuerte, a physician, said in a radio interview.

Villafuerte admitted there was a challenge of urging the parents to participate in the government’s fight against measles.

These parents, she said, have lost their trust on vaccination programs because of the prevailing fear that these might out to be another Dengvaxia controversy.

“The vaccines we are using are really accurate. It’s been approved by DOH (Department of Health), by WHO (World Health Organization) and we’ve been giving them to children for a long long time already. They should not be afraid,” Villafuerte said.

The Davao City Health Office here declared on January 22, a measles outbreak after more than 200 suspected measles cases were reported from November 2017 until January of this year.

She explained that an “outbreak” was declared “because a lot of cases of measles were recorded and it has to be contained by the outbreak response immunization” and prevent further spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, Councilor Joselle Villafuerte said a data from the Department of Health in Davao Region showed that there have been 224 suspected cases, 16 of which were confirmed from November 2017 to January this year.

She explained that these “suspected cases” were not confirmed through tests but showed measles-like symptoms such as high fever, bloodshot eyes, runny nose, and rashes.

4 deaths due to measles

The councilor also cited that four deaths – children aged six months old to two years old – were also recorded due to complications.

Barangay 23-C recorded the highest number of measles cases with 60, followed by Buhangin Proper with 16 and Barangay Bucana with 13.

Councilor Villafuerte cited that based on DOH’s record, 80% of children in the city were not vaccinated.

She also pointed out possible factors of the sudden rise of measles cases including malnutrition and weak immunity among children, and a large number of transient residents from other areas (including evacuees from Marawi City) who might not have been vaccinated. (davaotoday.com)