- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Mar 24, 2024
- Event Description
Two Pangasinan-based environmental defenders and organizers were violently mauled and dragged into an SUV at about 8 p.m. on March 24 in Barangay Polo, San Carlos, Pangasinan, according to human rights group Karapatan-Central Luzon
Karapatan – Central Luzon said the abduction of Francisco “Eco” Dangla III and Axielle “Jak” Tiong is the seventh and eighth abduction in Central Luzon.
“Similar to all other incidents of abductions and enforced disappearances, the two were victims of terror-tagging and vilification despite being genuine champions of the environment and the people of Pangasinan,” said Karapatan-Central Luzon in a statement.
Both Dangla and Tiong were actively raising awareness on the impact of coal-fired power plants and offshore mining. They campaigned against the revival of the faulty Bataan Nuclear Power Plant and the proposed entry of small modular nuclear reactors, according to scientists’ group Agham – Advocates of Science and Technology for the People.
They are also both co-convenors of the Pangasinan People’s Strike for the Environment, a member organization of the EcoWaste Coalition and the Ecology Ministry of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan.
Dangla is a leader of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Pangasinan and coordinator of Makabayan, while Tiong is national coordinator for Kabataan Partylist (KPL).
“It reflects the worsening state of human rights under the government of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, which continues to silence criticisms against its anti-people programs and policies,” Bayan said in a statement, calling for both activists to be surfaced.
This incident contradicts the claim of Marcos Jr. of “decreased” human rights violations in the Philippines in his recent speeches inside and outside the country. He claims that incidents of human rights violations were “down by half in 2023 as compared to 2022.”
Karapatan noted that the biggest hike in human rights violations is in the number of victims of enforced disappearances: from four in 2022 to 11 in 2023. This is followed by a 58-percent increase in the number of frustrated extra-judicial killings and 46-percent in the extra-judicial killings.
“These figures are enough to dispel Marcos Jr.’s false claims that things are looking better on the human rights front. The only thing that distinguishes Marcos Jr. from Duterte is his conscious cultivation of a more ‘presidential’ image compared to his predecessor’s crassness,” said Karapatan.
The abduction of human rights defenders continuously paints the worsening human rights situation in the country, despite presidential pronouncements. Several local and national organizations are searching for the whereabouts of the two activists.
“We call on the people to provide any relevant information about this case. We enjoin all advocates of civil liberties to denounce this latest attack on the human rights community and to put pressure on authorities to immediately release Eco and Axielle,” Bayan said, holding the government accountable for any harm done to the activists.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Abduction/Kidnapping, Vilification
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to protect reputation
- HRD
- Environmental rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Suspected state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Mar 12, 2024
- Event Description
Armed men threatened to shoot Rappler Luzon reporter Joann Manabat and K5 News Olongapo reporter Rowena “Weng” Quejada while covering a violent demolition in Barangay Anunas in Angeles City, Pampanga on Tuesday, March 12.
Some 2,000 residents are fighting to stay in a 73-hectare of land being claimed by Clarkhills Properties Corporation. Demolitions have happened in the area several times, with some turning into violent encounters.
Manabat said men dressed in red and white shirts barred her from entering the area and immediately called her out when they saw her taking videos of the demolition.
“Those in red shirts, from a distance, told me to stop taking videos or else babarilin ako at kukunin yung photos ko (they would shoot me and take my photos),” the reporter said.
After acknowledging the threat, the Rappler reporter left the area with the help of residents who accompanied her away from the armed men.
“I stayed at a house near Balubad Street owned by the relative of the resident I was looking for. I left as soon as it was safe to leave the area,” Manabat added.
Before this, Quejada reportedly went missing during the demolition.
Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. confirmed in a statement on Tuesday evening that armed men harassed Quejada and held her at gunpoint.
“Quejada was covering the ongoing demolition at Sitio Balubad, Barangay Anunas, Angeles City, when accosted by armed men who allegedly questioned her and took her belongings,” the statement read.
According to reports gathered by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, one of the armed men at the demolition pointed a gun at Quejada, telling her to stop taking videos.
“The man also hurled invective, calling the media demonyo (devil) for reporting about the ongoing land dispute,” the NUJP said.
A Japanese national assisted Quejada by hiding her inside of his residence. She was able to leave after tensions in the area subsided.
Lazatin and members of the NUJP have condemned the threats that were made against the journalists.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of expression Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Mar 12, 2024
- Event Description
KARAPATAN condemns the violent demolition of a peasant community in Sitio Balubad, Barangay Anunas, Angeles City. At least seven persons have reportedly been injured after combined elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and goons hired by Clarkhills Properties Corporation opened fire on the protesting farmers. Even reporters covering the demolition were reportedly harassed and threatened by the raiding team.
Clarkhills Properties has been trying since October 2023 to gain control of a 72-hectare landholding that had already been awarded to the farmers under the government’s agrarian reform program after they had completed paying the required amortization. The Department of Agrarian Reform, however, later voided the Certificate of Land Ownership Award granted to the farmers, leading to a series of violent attempts by Clarkhills Properties to seize the land from the residents.
The area is populated by at least 535 households with some 2,000 families. Before this violent demolition, the residents had been resisting Clarkhills Properties’ demolition teams which have been conducting monthly demolitions since October.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Land rights, Freedom of expression Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to property, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, Land rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Corporation Corporation (others)
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Mar 7, 2024
- Event Description
Marikit Saturay, a Dutch-Filipino activist and musician, was detained, red-tagged, and deported after trying to visit her family and friends in the Philippines.
International Filipino rights groups Migrante-Netherlands, Linangan-Willem Geertman Art and Culture Network, and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)-Europe condemned the recent attacks against Saturay, stressing that it is not the first time that this happened.
Saturay arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on the evening of March 7. She was supposed to visit her relatives and friends, especially her grandmother who will be celebrating her 100th birthday on March 10.
However, a Filipino immigration officer accused her of engaging in “anti-government activities.” She said that she is part of Migrante-Netherlands, an organization of Filipino migrant workers, families, and refugees.
Despite this, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) continued to disregard her concern and included her in the blacklist order.
“At that point, she was not allowed to exit beyond the Immigration checkpoint. She has been detained at the airport’s immigration holding area since then,” Migrante Netherlands said in a statement, adding that she was detained for three nights without proper sleeping arrangement.
Saturay was also denied access to legal services before she was deported back to the Netherlands.
“She was not allowed to talk to her lawyers, nor was she allowed to receive any family members who wanted to see her to make sure that she was alright. A uniformed agent was also assigned to guard her during the entire detention period,” Migrante – Netherlands said.
A similar incident happened in December 2023 where Anakbayan – Switzerland Chairperson Edna Becher was detained and deported after she arrived in Manila. She was also accused of engaging in “anti-government activities.”
“This pattern of political repression is akin to the Marcos regime’s fascist campaign to criminalize dissent and deserves the condemnation of the international community. Further, this targeted campaign against Filipino migrant activists exposes the Marcos regime’s hypocrisy in milking profit from OFW remittances while at the same time barring migrants from returning to their homeland,” Bayan-Europe said.
Saturay came to the Netherlands in 2006 with her mother, sisters, and brother to join their father who had sought asylum in the country in 2003. This is because of the terror campaign led by Col. Jovito Palparan in the Mindoro region, where her father was based as an environmental activist and human rights worker.
Praised for her sharp and critical lyrics, Saturay used music and songwriting to advocate for the rights of Filipino migrant workers, immigrants, and refugees. She was known for songs “What Did I Do Wrong?” and “Geboren Om Te Strijden” (Born to Struggle).
“Filipino migrant workers will not be cowed into fear by these coercive attacks. We have endured wars, natural disasters, economic hardship, and discrimination of all forms. Wherever we are, we continue to fight for the genuine interests of the Filipino people, even in the face of political repression,” Migrante Netherlands said.
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Europe. His schedule includes a visit to Germany on March 12 and 13. He is expected to go to Prague, Czech Republic for a state visit until March 15. The agenda includes maritime security agreements, bilateral trade, and economic ties.
“This would already be Marcos’ 6th international trip just in 2024, revealing his utter disregard for using taxpayer’s money to finance his junket trips abroad. Instead of deporting and prohibiting the entry of activists and government critics to Manila, Marcos himself should be declared persona non-grata in Europe!” Bayan-Europe said.
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Administrative Harassment, Denial Fair Trial, Deportation, Restrictions on Movement
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of movement, Right to fair trial, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to protect reputation
- HRD
- Artist, NGO staff, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Mar 7, 2024
- Event Description
Yesterday, March 7, 2024, KARAPATAN, through its legal counsel, was notified by the Office of the Solicitor General that it intends to appeal the decision of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 84 Judge Luisito Cortez upholding the acquittal of ten human rights defenders of Karapatan, the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and Gabriela on charges of perjury. Notably, the OSG’s appeal will be handled by members of the NTF-ELCAC’s (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict) Legal Cooperation Cluster.
KARAPATAN views this as part of the sick, deluded and obsessive form of judicial harassment by the NTF-ELCAC and former National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. against its officers and fellow human rights defenders. This case, which dates back to 2019, went through preliminary investigation and trial hearings, resulting in our acquittal by Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 139 Judge Aimee Alcera in 2023, and Judge Cortez’s dismissal of the government’s petition for certiorari that same year. Yet, the saga continues to this day.
Such frivolous yet retaliatory charges pursued by government counsels also show how public funds are being wastefully utilized to go after those who defend and uphold human rights. Instead of pursuing cases against corrupt public officials or against police and military officers responsible for the killings of drug suspects or activists, our government lawyers are wasting the people’s money for its campaign against human rights watchdogs.
This, however, is no surprise, considering the NTF-ELCAC’s policy to undertake legal offensives against those whom they perceive as enemies of the State. From the Duterte to the Marcos-Duterte regime, this is the same task force that filed cases of perjury against young environmental activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano. This is the same task force that lauded police and military officers responsible for the Bloody Sunday killings and arrests. This is the same task force that is notorious for red- and terrorist-tagging in the Philippines. This is the same task force that has justified the killings and other human rights violations against peasants, indigenous people, workers and development workers.
As we strongly denounce this continuing harassment against human rights defenders, we reiterate the persistent call for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC and for an end to the attacks perpetrated under the Marcos-Duterte regime. We shall continue to challenge these attacks and demand justice for all victims of human rights violations.
- Impact of Event
- 10
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of expression Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- NGO staff, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Feb 25, 2024
- Event Description
Barangay Councilor Eddie Berania, 58, was found dead hours after elements of 22nd Infantry Battalion (IB) of the Philippine Army (PA) visited him in barangay San Juan Daan, Bulan, Sorsogon, February 25, according to Karapatan Sorsogon report.
Eddie’s family told Karapatan Sorsogon that they found the victim around 7:00 in the morning already dead inside his hut located in his farm. Eddie allegedly committed suicide.
Before the incident, Karapatan Sorsogon explained that Eddie’s family witnessed when a certain Ronnie ‘Tatang’ Albao went to talk to Eddie with the elements of the 22nd IB PA on the same day, February 25 around 6:00 in the morning.
“After the conversation, they saw this group left but Eddie was still standing on his farm,” Karapatan Sorsogon stated in its report.
Defend Bicol Stop the Attacks Network (Defend Bicol) and Karapatan Sorsogon strongly condemned the non-stop intimidation and threats by the soldiers to the victim.
“Eddie’s daughter believed it was suicide, triggered by the non-stop threats against his father. Eddie often tells his family why the soldiers are harassing him despite being a barangay official and he knows nothing about the allegations and what the soldiers are looking for in the area,” said Karapatan Sorsogon.
According to the rights group in the province, the threats to Eddie’s life started in 2022, led by Tatang Albao, a civilian and resident of the neighboring barangay, Brgy. Beguin, Bulan.
“Tatang Albao is also a farmer who was forced to surrender to the AFP and now serves as an accomplice in military operations. The military was forcing Eddie to surrender as an NPA even though he is a civilian and actively serves the barangay as an officer,” the rights group added.
Eddie is the head of the Barangay’s Peace and Order Committee and it is also his second term as barangay councilor. He is also an active member of Manghod Organization, a Civil Society Organization (CSO) in Bulan municipality based in Brgy. San Juan Daan.
Defend Bicol and Karapatan Sorsogon also expressed their condolences to the bereaved family of the victim especially to his wife Luz Gonzales and their seven children.
“Just like the courage shown by the Filipinos during EDSA Uno, Eddie stood up for his rights as a civilian until his death,” the progressive groups stated.
The headquarters of the 22nd IB is based in Brgy. Calomagon, Bulan which is around 16 kilometers away from Eddie’s barangay. Since Feb. 6, 2024 until now, there are approximately 12 soldiers who are stationed in the barangay halls of Brgy. San Juan Daan and Brgy. Beguin, according to Karapatan Sorsogon.
“This new incident in the Bicol region clearly shows that Marcos Jr. administration is not after genuine peace in the country. The peace and order head of the barangay was completely silenced by his soldiers so that they could freely sow terror and threats to other residents in the area,” Karapatan Sorsogon expressed.
Defend Bicol insists on resuming the peace talks in order to address the roots of the armed conflict.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Death, Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to life
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, NGO staff, Public Servant
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Feb 24, 2024
- Event Description
The para-teachers of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente’s (IFI) Eskwelayan project denounced the harassment of its community organization Samahan ng Maralita sa Temporary Housing (SMTH). They have been subjected to surveillance by the Philippine military.
The first incident happened in March 2023 when soldiers visited them daily at the daycare center, taking photographs of their operations and asking for their personal information.
“Those military personnel, we [welcomed] them, we also included them in our clean-up drives. Unfortunately, they had a different motive,” Teacher Mariafe Hulipaz, president of Samahan ng Maralita sa Temporary Housing (SMTH), told Bulatlat.
The organization is a key partner of the IFI in the Eskwelayan Project, an alternative school program that offers a rights-based education to children in Aroma, Tondo.
“The harassment faced by the leaders of SMTH deeply troubles us. It prompts us to reflect on why the military is targeting this community-based, cause-oriented group that is simply advocating for their fundamental rights to housing and livelihood,” The Rt. Rev’d Dindo Ranojo, IFI general secretary, said in a statement.
Continued harassment
The SMTH was established in 2016 due to threats of demolition in the community. It advocates for the rights of the residents in housing and livelihood.
“Our families are affected by demolition since they will displace us far from our livelihood here and that’s what we are fighting against,” Hulipaz said.
The state forces also profiled the organization as affiliated with progressive groups.
According to SMTH, they only asked for help from Rep. Arlene Brosas of Gabriela Women’s Partylist regarding the housing opportunities of the government to also help those affected by the demolitions. They said that the SMTH is not affiliated with Gabriela.
“The military always imposed on us the question on how SMTH survives or became progressive if we are not affiliated with any organization,” Delia Gatela, vice president of SMTH, said.
In February 2024, several incidents of red-tagging were documented involving the 11th Civil Military Operations Kaugnayan Battalion’s Facebook post. Some residents are tagged as members of SMTH under the pretext of “fake surrenders.” Another post indicated that they would later sign a commitment of support to the NTF-ELCAC.
“Not all of the 284 are SMTH members, and some of the SMTH members simply received aid [ayuda], but they didn’t know that they would be labeled as surrenderers by the military. Two of our former members allied with the military, when the military found out that there was a problem between SMTH and our former comrades, the soldier got the idea to use them to create a new community organization because the military couldn’t enter the community of SMTH,” Hulipaz said.
Complaints
The teachers filed a barangay blotter and a formal complaint with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) against the military personnel. However, only high-ranking officers faced the organization.
“We want to face the military personnel who red-tagged us in the community because they are the ones who did bad things to our organization,” SMTH said.
The IFI expressed solidarity with SMTH and with the residents of Brgy. Aroma. The IFI also supports their quest for a better situation and wholeheartedly believes that their aspirations are justified and morally right.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Surveillance , Vilification
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to privacy, Right to protect reputation
- HRD
- NGO
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Feb 13, 2024
- Event Description
“The arbitrary arrests and unjust detention of Filipinos under the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. regime show that the same forms of injustice that the Filipino people rose up against 38 years ago continue,” said KARAPATAN Secretary General Cristina Palabay, as the group condemned the unjust arrests and detention of persons ahead of the People Power 1 commemoration.
KARAPATAN condemned the arbitrary arrest of Pertinisa Charita, 55, a farmer, who was with her children to visit her husband, detained sugarcane worker unionist Leon Charita, in San Carlos City District Jail, San Carlos, Negros Occidental. It was Leon’s birthday when Pertinisa and her children visited him on February 13.
During the search of Pertinisa and her children’s belongings and the items they brought for Leon, a jail officer of the San Carlos City District Jail opened Pertinisa’s bag and showed a caliber .22 pistol in his hand, implying that the gun was found inside Pertinisa’s bag. Jail officers immediately apprehended Pertinisa and brought her to PNP San Carlos City station. She remains under police custody as of this writing.
“It is highly improbable that an ordinary person will bring a firearm to jail, knowing his or her belongings will be searched. It is appalling that they did this to a wife of a political prisoner, who is already suffering in jail due to planted evidence. We condemn how the state has victimized the Charita family twice over, with Pertinisa actively calling for her husband’s freedom,” said Palabay.
Pertinisa was among those who met UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan in her Visayas visit in January to provide information on the case of her husband.
Leon was the auditor of the National Federation of Sugar Workers when he was arrested on September 18, 2019, along with seven other activists while they were preparing and inviting people to join the commemoration activity on the Escalante massacre. Elements of the 79th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, Escalante City PNP, and 3rd Platoon, 1st Negros Occidental Provincial Mobile Force Company (NOCPMFC), arbitrarily arrested Leon and his colleagues and planted various firearms and explosives.
KARAPATAN also deplored the arrest and continued detention of filmmaker and director Jade Castro, who was arrested along with three others in Mulanay, Quezon on February 1 for allegedly burning a modernized jeepney the night before. The human rights group also decried the harassment of radio commentator and human rights activist Vince Casilihan by men who introduced themselves as soldiers on February 8.
“We stand with Castro’s fellow artists and colleagues that they are innocent, and they are victims of warrantless arrests. We support Casilihan’s efforts to expose the various forms of harassment against journalists like him in the Bicol region. Castro and his companions should be released soon, while State forces should keep their hands off Casilihan and other press freedom advocates. These incidents in the heels of UN Special Rapporteur Khan’s investigation on the state of freedom of expression and opinion in the Philippines further reaffirm the sordid human rights situation in the Philippines,” Palabay said.
As KARAPATAN prepares to join commemoration activities on the 38th year after the People Power 1 uprising, Palabay said they will also continue to call for the release of the 800 political prisoners in the country.
“There is no holiday for the Marcos Jr. regime in employing the martial law practice of warrantless arrests, trumped up charges and unjust detention. In the upcoming People Power anniversary commemoration, we shall continue to demand for the release of political prisoners, and in holding the Marcos Jr. regime accountable for the spate of rights violations under its watch. Justice and genuine freedom can only be attained with people’s action. Let us live up to the lessons of People Power,” Palabay ended.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Family of HRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Feb 1, 2024
- Event Description
Art organizations cried foul over what they considered the baseless arrest on Thursday, February 1 of filmmaker Jade Castro and three other men for allegedly burning down a modern jeepney in Catanauan, Quezon. The Directors’ Guild of the Philippines Inc. (DGPI), the Philippine Center of International PEN (PEN Philippines), and DAKILA released statements of concern on their respective social media accounts on Saturday, February 3.
“Castro declared his innocence and stated he was on vacation with friends when personalities of the Philippine National Polce (PNP) arrested them for a crime that occurred in Catanauan, Quezon,” filmmakers group DGPI detailed.
“Castro shared more disturbing information: the arrest was warrantless. Jade Castro is a vetted DGPI member and an important voice of the Philippine Independent Cinema. We stand by his innocence and testify to his good character. We urge clarity on the matter from the authorities involved, and the immediate release of Jade Castro from detention,” the DGPI concluded. “Jade, known for his socially-relevant films like Endo and Zombadings, has significantly influenced the creative sensibilities of emerging filmmakers through numerous workshops and mentorships, making profound contributions to the film industry,” said progressive artist-activist group DAKILA.
“As an advocate for justice, we urge an immediate, fair, and transparent investigation by Philippine authorities, trusting in our legal system to protect the rights of those in custody,” it urged.
“We call on the Philippine National Police, the Department of Justice, and all relevant authorities to conduct a quick, thorough, and transparent investigation into this and uphold the rule of law, protecting the rights of individuals under their custody,” literary group PEN Philippines said.
‘INOSENTE KAMI!’ According to reports by the Manila Bulletin, on Wednesday, January 31, a modern jeepney owned by the Gumaca Transport Service Cooperative had been burned to the ground, with police and witnesses saying that the perpetrators had worn bonnets and had been armed.
The driver, Carl Villanueva, said they were instructed by the suspects to get off the vehicle, and then the armed group set it on fire.
In turn, management of the said cooperative claimed the culprits were operators of traditional jeepneys, who’ve had beef with the cooperative since the latter filed for franchise consolidation under the government’s PUV Modernization Program.
Police then traced the suspects to Mi Casa Resort in Barangay Butanyog, Mulanay, Quezon. On Thursday, February 1, filmmaker Castro and his friends – sales manager Ernesto Orcine, civil engineer Noel Mariano, and civil engineer Dominic Ramos – who were staying at the said resort, were apprehended and brought to the Catanauan Municipal Police Station. They were then accused by the driver, conductor, and two passengers of the burned jeepney as the culprits.
On February 2, authorities filed a complaint for arson against Castro and his three companions before the local prosecutor’s office.
Colonel Ledon Monte, PNP-Quezon director, said investigators have yet to determine the motive behind the arson.
Relatives of Castro and his peers claimed they were wrongfully arrested.
“The witness said naka-bonnet yung apat; paano matuturo iyon (The witness said the four culprits wore bonnets, so how could they have identified them)?” one of the suspects’ relatives said in a TV Patrol interview.
Moira Lang, a film producer and playwright, said several witnesses stated Castro and his companions were taking part in the revelry at the public plaza of Mulanay on the night the vehicle was burned in Catanauan.
Castro himself, in a series of X posts, claimed innocence and said they were arrested without a warrant.
“INOSENTE KAMI!” Castro wrote in a February 2 post. “Nagbabakasyon lang kaming magkakaibigan sa Mulanay, Quezon, pero inaresto kami sa krimen na nangyari sa Catanauan.”
(WE’RE INNOCENT! My friends and I were just vacationing in Mulanay, Quezon, but were arrested for a crime that happened in Catanauan.)
Later on February 3, Castro wrote, “Guys, sorry, ‘di maka-reply, bawal cellphone. Opo, warrantless arrest, arson.”
(Guys, sorry, I can’t reply to your messages; I’m not allowed to use a cellphone. Yes, this was a warrantless arrest for arson.)
As of writing, Castro and his peers remain detained at the said station.
Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption President Boy Arsenio Evangelista told Rappler that the investigation was “hastily done” and police filed the case without following case build-up processes.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Denial Fair Trial
- Rights Concerned
- Right to fair trial, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Artist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Jan 25, 2024
- Event Description
KARAPATAN condemns the forced disappearance of activist-writer Nelson Bautista and the illegal arrest of his companion Ademar Etol on trumped-up charges.
Bautista, 45 and Etol, 64, were arrested in Barangay Balingasan, Siay, Zamboanga Sibugay by police forces who barged into the house they were staying at around 2 a.m. of January 25, 2024.
Bautista has not been heard of since the arrest and remains missing to date. He is the 14th victim of enforced disappearance under the Marcos Jr. regime. Etol, who faces multiple trumped-up charges, including one for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition based on evidence planted by the police, is currently detained at the Siay Municipal Police Station.
Bautista was a campus journalist at the Notre Dame College in Kidapawan City and chaired the College Editors Guild of the Philippines in North Cotabato in 2004. He was also a convenor of Kalampag, an alliance of church people and civic groups in the same province. He later became a campaign officer and writer in Davao City for the Kilusang Mayo Uno. Since 2009, he has been a peasant and Lumad organizer, helping farmers, settlers and indigenous people cope with, and resist, the destruction of their environment due to climate crisis-induced disasters and large-scale mining operations.
KARAPATAN joins Bautista’s family, colleagues and friends in their urgent call to surface him. We further call on the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate Bautista’s abduction and disappearance and Etol’s illegal arrest and detention, ensuring that the victims attain justice and the perpetrators are held to account.
Unless the persistent climate of impunity is shattered, Bautista and Etol will not be the last victims of state-perpetuated violence under the Marcos Jr. regime. KARAPATAN demands a stop to these relentless attacks on activists and on the people’s human rights.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Abduction/Kidnapping, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Community-based HRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Jan 17, 2024
- Event Description
KARAPATAN condemns the escalating attacks against peasant activists and leaders perpetrated by State security forces.
On January 17, 2024, two peasant activists were gunned down in Negros Occidental by elements of the 62nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army. According to reports reaching Karapatan, Dionisio Baloy, 67, a member of the Kaisahan sa Gamay’ng Mag-uuma sa Oriental Negros (KAUGMAON-Guihulngan Chapter) and fellow farmer Bernard Torres Sr., who also works as a habal-habal driver and is a member of UNDOC/PISTON – Guihulngan Chapter, were dragged out of the house they were staying at Hacienda Gomez, Barangay Sag-ang, La Castellana, Negros Occidental by operating troops of the 62nd IBPA, interrogated and tortured before being shot.
To justify the cold-blooded killing of the two farmers, the 62nd IBPA later released a statement claiming that the Baloy and Torres were killed in a so-called armed encounter between the soldiers and the New People’s Army.
Baloy and Torres had both been red-tagged and harassed by the military in their communities in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental, forcing them and their families to transfer residence. Like many other victims of red-tagging and harassment, they ended up becoming victims of graver human rights violations.
These latest killings of peasant activists have prompted KARAPATAN to sound the alarm on two monitored incidents of harassment and terrorist-tagging against Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chairperson Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos. KMP reported that on January 3 and 15 this year, motorcycle-riding men were inquiring on the whereabouts and residence of Ramos in Malolos City. In one incident, one of the intelligence agents reportedly said: “Taga-saan ba si Danilo Ramos? Matagal na namin siyang hinahanap kasi terorista siya. (Where is Danilo Ramos? We have been looking for him because he is a terrorist.)
Ramos had also reported being subjected to surveillance last August 2023. These cases of harassment and terrorist-tagging pose a direct threat to the lives of Ka Daning, his family and other peasant leaders and members of the KMP and the progressive peasant movement.
Karapatan has documented that 59 out of the 87 victims of extrajudicial killings under the Marcos Jr. regime (or two-thirds) are peasants, many of them falsely accused of being NPA members or supporters of “communist terrorist groups” and killed in false encounters. Moreover, 65 of the 87 victims (or three-fourths) are from the counterinsurgency-battered regions of Eastern Visayas, Bicol and Western Visayas —regions singled out for more intensified military and police deployment and operations under Rodrigo Duterte’s Memorandum Order No. 32, which Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has not rescinded.
Karapatan calls for a stop to the brutal counter-insurgency war that has been marked by escalating attacks against the peasantry and rural communities from Duterte’s time to the present. Using a militarist approach to end the armed conflict in the countryside will only result in more human rights violations against the peasantry and will not resolve its deep-seated roots.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Killing, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Right to life
- HRD
- Community-based HRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Jan 4, 2024
- Event Description
Altermidya takes strong exception to Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez’s accusation and red-tagging of our member, Ms. Frenchie Mae Cumpio.
In his January 4 “Paul’s Alarm” column on JournalnewsOnline, the Presidential Task Force On Media Security (PTFOMS) executive director wrote, “Nais din niyang (United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion Irene Khan) malaman ang sitwasyon ni Franchie (sic) Mae Cumpio, na kasalukuyang naka-detine sa Palo Provincial Jail sa Leyte dahil sa aktibo nitong papel sa lokal na teroristang grupo ng mga komunista.”
This is exactly what we mean by red-tagging: a senior government official linking civilians to alleged communist groups without proof. May we remind Mr. Gutierrez that Ms. Cumpio is contesting the charges filed against her in court and has yet to be convicted. There is absolutely no point for anyone, more so a high government official, to forget that “everyone is innocent until proven in a court of law.”
Ironically, Mr. Gutierrez’s column was about the arrival of Ms. Khan who is set to visit the country in an official visit starting next week. Much of the highlight of our submissions to the UNSR office contains precisely this kind of wanton and mindless vilification, harassment and intimidation of journalists. It is exactly this kind of information that we wish Ms. Khan would closely look into in her investigation into the Philippine situation.
In his column, Mr. Gutierrez declared that he is ready for the challenge of Ms. Khan’s visit. We think not. If he bothered to carefully prepare for the visit, he would have surely found out that Frenchie Mae was an active broadcaster with MBC’s Aksyon Radyo in Leyte at the time of her arrest with several other human rights defenders on February 2020. She is the executive editor of alternative media outfit Eastern Vista and a former editor of the University of the Philippines-Tacloban Vista student publication. She was also manager-in-training of the Radyo Taclobanon, a women-led disaster resiliency community radio station project in Supertyphoon Yolanda-hit Eastern Visayas. Indeed, she is the very Frenchie Mae Cumpio mentioned in laureate Maria Ressa’s Nobel Peace Prize speech.
The statement of USec Guiterrez highlights the urgency of our appeal to Ms Khan to conduct a thorough investigation on the continued vilification of journalists, affecting the exercise of press freedom and the people’s right to know.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Vilification
- Rights Concerned
- Right to protect reputation
- HRD
- Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Dec 18, 2023
- Event Description
Human rights alliance Karapatan decried the filing of trumped-up charges against two leading activists in Central Visayas.
Bayan Muna Central Visayas coordinator John Ruiz III and former Visayas Institute for Human Development Agency Inc. (VIHDA) executive director Jhonggie Rumol faced frustrated homicide charges by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) last December 18, 2023. The charges stem from false allegations on Ruiz and Rumol’s involvement in an armed encounter with the New People’s Army on April 6, 2023 in Sitio Sereje, Barangay San Isidro, Toboso, Negros Occidental.
“Ruiz is known for opposing so-called development projects and privatization schemes that are inimical to the interests of the poor,” said Karapatan secretary general Palabay. “Rumol, on the other hand, has been serving various marginalized communities in Central Visayas as a development worker,” she added.
“The patently trumped-up charges levelled against these two Central Visayas-based activist-leaders are but the latest in a string of cases slapped against prominent social activists and other human rights defenders in Central Visayas,” said Palabay.
“Just last May, current and former members of the board of directors and staff of CERNET, another Central Visayas-based development NGO, were slapped with trumped-up charges of terrorist financing,” said Palabay. The accused include Central Visayas union leader and BAYAN chair Jaime Paglinawan.
Several other Cebuano mass leaders have also received death threats and become victims of red-tagging.
“We are one with the people in demanding a stop to the continuing attacks against human rights defenders in Central Visayas and elsewhere and will not relent in our efforts to advance the people’s rights and welfare,” concluded Palabay.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, Environmental rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Dec 12, 2023
- Event Description
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has recommended the filing of separate criminal charges of grave oral defamation against abducted environmental activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano.
The two could face a maximum of six months imprisonment if found guilty.
In a 15-page resolution penned by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Arnold Magpantay dated Dec. 12, 2023, it is said that the two activists’ sworn statements are different from their pronouncements during a press conference they held with government authorities after they emerged from their alleged abduction.
The DOJ also said that Castro and Tamano resorted to a press conference to allegedly embarrass the 70 Infantry Battalion (IB) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“Conspicuously, respondents ventilated the alleged abduction in the press conference, betraying their purpose to expose complainant and the AFP as well to greater latitude of public mockery, demonstrating their ill motive to prejudice them,” the resolution read.
“The slanderous words were obviously uttered with evident intent to strike deep into the character, honor and reputation of complainant and the AFP,” it added.
Meanwhile, the perjury complaint, filed by Lt. Col. Ronnel dela Cruz, commander of the 70th IB, was dismissed.
Castro and Tamano were reportedly abducted on Sept. 2, 2023 in Bataan.
They surfaced on Sept. 19, 2023, after the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict presented them in a press conference supposedly to present them as “returnees” from the communist insurgency.
However, Castro and Tamano retracted their statements and affidavits during the said press conference and claimed that they were abducted by the military and forced to sign an affidavit of surrender.
The actions by the environmental activists during the said press conference resulted in the military’s filing of perjury charges.
The environmental activists filed a writ of amparo on Sept. 29, 2023 before the Supreme Court, asking the court for a protection order against the respondent Dela Cruz.
Defend Manila Bay Network, meanwhile, slammed this decision of the DOJ saying that the indictment of the Justice department is a “major stumbling block” on the activists' advocacies for Manila Bay.
“It is unfortunate that after Tamano and Castro survived the abduction and intense pressure of the military, they are now subjected to trumped up charges,” they said in a statement on Monday.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of expression Offline
- HRD
- Environmental rights defender, WHRD, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- Philippines: two young environmental WHRDs abducted
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Dec 7, 2023
- Event Description
Rights group Karapatan decries the arbitrary blacklisting and deportation of Edna Becher, a Filipino-Swiss who went to the Philippines to spend the holidays with her family and friends, only to suffer from political persecution from Philippine immigration authorities.
Reports reached Karapatan that Becher arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 early evening yesterday, December 7. She was detained by immigration authorities for two hours, as they alleged that she is on a blacklist due to involvement in anti-government activities.
As of this writing, immigration authorities have deported Becher, and is on a flight back to Switzerland.
The blacklisting and deportation of Becher is arbitrary, baseless, and a vile act of political persecution. Becher, an activist from Anakbayan-Europe and also of Swiss nationality, has done nothing wrong and illegal against anyone, whether in her country of residence and much more in the country of her family roots. These acts also violate Becher’s freedom of association and freedom of movement.
Becher participated in mass actions in Switzerland in relation to the Universal Periodic Review of the Philippines and during the visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for the World Economic Forum.
Many other foreign nationals, especially those who have been extending international solidarity for human and people’s rights issues in the Philippines, have suffered similar persecution. Under the Duterte administration, Australian missionary Sr. Patricia Fox and Australian lawyer Gil Boehringer were subjects of deportation proceedings. Currently, under the Marcos Jr. administration, many others are at risk of being in the Bureau of Immigration’s blacklist.
It is appalling that this happened days before International Human Rights Day, when the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights will be commemorated. In the Philippines, we will marching to call for an end to extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, illegal arrests and detention, fake surrenders, bombings, threats including red-tagging, and other human rights and international humanitarian law violations. We will demand accountability for the crimes committed against the Filipino people, including violations on freedom of association.
Karapatan calls on Philippine authorities to stop the policy and practice of drawing up blacklists and deportation of foreign nationals who support human rights advocacies in the Philippines. Becher and many others should be removed from these blacklists and allowed to freely exercise their basic rights to visit their families or friends, to freely associate with organizations who conduct human rights advocacies, and to support calls for justice and accountability for human rights violations in the Philippines as forms of international solidarity.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Deportation, Reprisal as Result of Communication, Restrictions on Movement
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of movement, Freedom of expression Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Nov 15, 2023
- Event Description
On November 15, PCIJ, the Filipino non-profit and independent media agencyspecialising in investigative journalism, reported an active cyber-attack on its website which prompted it to take the site down temporarily to assess the incident and prevent further breaches. The hacking attacks began on November 13 and escalated around noon on November 15.
According to the PCIJ, the incident is the most serious cyber-attack in recent years. The motive behind the attack remains unknown, however a number of recent reports of breaches and cyberattacks on Filipino government websites and databases have been recently been recorded. At the time of publication, the PCIJ website remains inaccessible.
PCIJ's recent stories have included include a report on online communities of Filipinos who have been amplifying and supporting pro-Beijing narratives, which include the claims of the Chinese government in the West Philippine Sea. The PCIJ has also published articles on the alleged sale of votes in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, the killing of radio broadcaster Percy Lapid, and the issue of excessive profits at the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).
The IFJ has documented an increase in cyberattacks against media outlets in the Philippines, and across South East Asia, in recent years. In February 27, 2022, the website of CNN Philippines was hit by a cyberattack that made the site inaccessible to users while the network was hosting a presidential debate ahead of the country’s May 2022 election. In December 2021, news outlets including ABS-CBN, Rappler, Vera Files, and Philstar, were targeted by Distribution Denial of Services (DDos) attacks.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Online Attack and Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Internet freedom, Media freedom, Freedom of expression Online, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Unknown
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Unknown
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Oct 18, 2023
- Event Description
When Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano were abducted last month while volunteering with fishing communities opposed to reclamation activities in Manila Bay, human rights groups suspected the state was involved.
When the security forces claimed the pair had surrendered as communist rebels, their contemporaries believed they had been forced into doing so but were unable to prove it.
At a government-organised news conference, they got their answer.
Rather than going along with the official story, Castro, 23, and Tamano, 22, shocked everyone by announcing they had been abducted by military officers who had forced them to surrender.
“They were confident we would lie to the public,” Castro told Al Jazeera. “The important thing was for the public to know the truth.”
The two activists filed for a legal protection order after speaking publicly.
In the court filing, they accused military members of forcing them into an SUV, blindfolding them, and subjecting them to eight days of interrogation. Facing death threats from their captors, the two women were often brought to tears and feared for their lives.
“I was hoping we could get out alive,” Castro said. “But there was a possibility it wasn’t going to happen.”
The military has maintained that Castro and Tamano were not abducted, but kidnapped by the communist New People’s Army (NPA) before escaping and surrendering to the military. It filed perjury charges against the two activists on Wednesday.
“There is no abduction based on the duo’s sworn statement,” army spokesperson Col Xerxes Trinidad told Al Jazeera, citing documentation that “they surrendered and sought the assistance of the military for them [to] be reintegrated into mainstream society”.
Rare insight The accounts of Castro and Tamano, who spoke to Al Jazeera about their experience, provide a rare insight into the alleged abduction of activists in the Philippines.
At least 18 community organisers and activists have been abducted since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr took office in June 2022. Most of the time, the victims “don’t surface, or they parrot the narrative forced upon them by the state”, said Dino de Leon, the lawyer for Tamano and Castro.
Many activists are pressured into surrendering after being “red-tagged” or falsely branded as rebels affiliated with the NPA, which has been fighting against the government for more than 50 years. Most never dare to speak out against state security forces.
“I was really nervous,” Tamano recalled, thinking before the news conference. “I knew that it was something that is usually not done.”
Before they disappeared, the activists were volunteering with AKAP Ka Manila Bay in Bataan, about three hours’ drive from Manila. The group opposes land reclamation projects in Manila Bay that have stoked concern over their environmental impact and the involvement of Chinese investors.
Marcos said in August he would suspend the reclamation projects pending further environmental review, but ships have continued dredging the bay.
Bataan, which lies across the bay from the capital, is a “grey area” where reliable data on land reclamation has not been collected by environmental groups, said Aldrein Silanga, an advocacy officer with the Manila-based environmental NGO Kalikasan PNE.
After arriving in Bataan, Castro and Tamano said they discovered several projects that began during coronavirus lockdowns without the knowledge of nearby communities. They even witnessed one village being demolished after residents refused an offer of cash compensation and were forced to leave.
They quickly realised they were being watched when they were approached multiple times by a man who photographed them and accused them of being communist rebels. Castro’s mother, Rosalie, was visited at her home by men identifying themselves as military officers and asking about her daughter.
“Any advocates against the reclamation are being red-tagged,” Castro said.
Castro and Tamano were walking to a bus stop on September 2 when they were abducted by armed men wearing face masks, who forced them into an SUV when they tried to run away.
At first, the pair were unsure who had abducted them. But one man knew Castro’s name and mentioned that her mother was looking for her, leading her to suspect the military.
The abductors interrogated the two women in separate rooms, according to the court filing, threatening to use physical violence and to arrest them on charges of rebellion. One told Tamano: “We will cut out your tongue if you do not speak.”
“I thought they were going to shoot me that night,” Castro said. “I was blindfolded. Our hands were tied. I was waiting for a bullet to be shot at me.”
The pair were kept in a motel in separate rooms, with five to six men in each, and continuously interrogated, according to the court filing. On the third day, Castro was given a form with the stamp of the 70th Infantry Battalion.
One of the abductors showed Castro his graduation picture from the military academy, while another shared a video from an encounter with rebels. “It was really obvious” they were members of the military, Castro said.
‘They were exposed’ On September 12, the military announced that Castro and Tamano had surrendered, claiming they were abducted by communist rebels after working with AKAP Ka, which they claimed was linked to front organisations of the NPA.
According to the military, the pair had realised the error of their ways — a common narrative in surrenders allegedly forced by the military. “They wanted us to tell the people that what we are doing is wrong,” Castro said.
Trinidad, the military spokesperson, said the statements were made voluntarily and were not given under duress.
But when the government called a news conference on September 19, Castro and Tamano decided to deviate from that narrative, even if it meant they would be arrested or face other consequences.
“We reached an agreement that it didn’t matter what would happen to us,” Tamano said. “It was the only opportunity where we could tell the truth.”
Castro, sitting alongside a military officer and a member of the government’s anti-communist task force, went off script, saying they had been abducted by the military and “obliged to surrender because they threatened to kill us”.
Military officers told the two women they could face charges of perjury if they reneged on their surrender. The next day, the anti-communist task force said it felt “betrayed” and “hoodwinked”.
“We expected that they would become defensive because they were exposed,” Tamano said.
Castro and Tamano now face perjury charges filed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which can carry as many as 10 years in prison.
Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro accused the two women of being liars.
“The [military] filed criminal charges because we want to teach them a lesson that they can’t jerk us around,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
Trinidad, the army spokesperson, told Al Jazeera the military would cooperate with court proceedings and inquiries from the country’s Commission on Human Rights, but rejected calls for an independent investigation into the disappearances, saying the involvement of outside NGOs would be “a slap in the face on our judiciary system”.
Last month, rights groups accused the military of abducting three Indigenous activists investigating alleged human rights violations in the central Mindoro region. The Philippine Army said they were arrested legitimately.
De Leon, who also represents jailed Senator Leila de Lima, said the international community “must be involved” in pressuring the Philippine military to institute human rights reforms. The United States is a key defence partner of the Philippines and recently concluded two weeks of joint military drills with the country’s armed forces.
“There are no institutions [in the Philippines] strong enough to counterbalance state elements who author things like this,” de Leon said.
Castro and Tamano want to return to Bataan and continue their work, but they worry it is not safe. Still, their ordeal has only cemented their resolve.
“It made us realise that what we are doing is right,” Castro said.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of expression Offline
- HRD
- Environmental rights defender, WHRD, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- Philippines: two young environmental WHRDs abducted
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Sep 29, 2023
- Event Description
A veteran labor organizer was killed by elements of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) in Binangonan, Rizal province on September 29.
According to initial reports received by labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), 67-year old Jude Thaddeus Fernandez was killed in a firefight after police served a search warrant in his home in Binangonan. The officers claimed that Fernandez fired upon them, forcing them to fight back.
KMU, however, disputes this narrative. “Fernandez was organizing workers in communities to enjoin them to campaign for wage increases and other workers’ rights,” the group said in its statement. “He is a labor organizer and does not bear arms.”
A fact-finding mission led by KMU, progressive mass organizations, human rights organizations, Gabriela Women’s Party representative Arlene Brosas and former Bayan Muna representative Ferdinand Gaite indicated that there were “no signs of resistance on the part of Fernandez when he was gunned down by persons who identified as elements of the CIDG.”
KMU Secretary-General Jerome Adonis described the killing as “terrorist-esque.” He also noted that Fernandez’ remains have yet to be released to his family.
“It has been five days since he was killed and brought elsewhere, and now, [the PNP and CIDG] are refusing to give [the remains],” Adonis said in a statement by KMU. “Ka Jude’s friends and family only wish to mourn in peace and know the truth behind this brutal crime by the police.”
Fernandez was a veteran activist and labor organizer who first started organizing during the Marcos Sr. dictatorship. He began as a student activist in the University of the Philippines Los Baños and was a member of the UP Student Catholic Action. He started organizing workers in the Southern Tagalog region before moving on to organizing nationwide.
In a KMU-led indignation rally in front of the PNP National Headquarters in Camp Crame, Adonis said that Fernandez “was old, but he gave his entire 67 years to serve the working class.”
Since 2016, there have been 72 victims of extrajudicial killings from the workers’ sector nationwide, with Fernandez being the latest. KMU stressed that there have been four killings since the International Labor Organization conducted its High-Level Tripartite Mission in January 2023.
“The attacks against organizers and unionists are attacks on the legitimate campaigns of the workers and the people for wage increases, regular jobs, freedom to unionize and other people’s rights,” KMU said. The group noted that Fernandez’ killing came at a time of increased calls for wage increases, as well as to end government corruption and human rights violations.
In Rizal province, the minimum wage ranges from P385 ($6) to P520 ($9) per day. Ibon Foundation estimates that a family of five needs PHP1,108 daily to “live decently.” Meanwhile, coalitions in CALABARZON like the Workers Initiative for Wage Increase are lobbying for a P750 ($13) across-the-board wage increase.
Women’s alliance Gabriela also condemned Fernandez’ killing, stating that the incident is part of the “US-Marcos regime’s whole-of-nation approach which has only led to red-tagging, trumped-up charges, abductions, and killing of civilian advocates.”
The Fernandez slay happened just as news of three Indigenous People’s rights advocates were abducted by elements of the 203rd Infantry Brigade in Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro province. According to human rights watchdog Karapatan-Southern Tagalog, Job David, Peter Del Monte Jr., and Alia Encela were investigating reports of human rights violations in the Bongabong-Bansud area when they were forcibly taken by the military.
KMU is calling on the ILO and the Commission on Human Rights to “swiftly respond and attain justice.” They also call on all “workers and the people to protest and demand accountability and justice from the PNP-CIDG and the entire Marcos Jr. administration.”
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Killing, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Right to life
- HRD
- Labour rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Sep 29, 2023
- Event Description
Relatives of two missing activists demanded that their abducted loved ones be surfaced in a press conference on Wednesday, October 11.
“Whoever is holding my brother, please surface him now,” Nica Ortiz said. She was with her sister Nicole along with Karapatan-Central Luzon Spokesperson Danilo Cadano and Karapatan legal counsel Maria Sol Taule. They also sent letters to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on the same day to ask for assistance in locating their missing brothers.
Activists Norman Ortiz and Lee Sudario were reported missing on September 29.
According to Nica, her brother told her that he will be going to Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija on September 28. The following day (September 29), Norman texted his sister at around 1:00 a.m. informing her that he is with Lee Sudario and that he would send a message when they leave Bantug village in Gabaldon. But Nica said Norman did not message her after that.
Norman’s family then asked Karapatan-Central Luzon for assistance. They went to the area of the incident on October 2. They found out that around 10 armed men wearing fatigue abducted two men around 1:00 am to 2:00 am on September 29.
“A witness said he was not able to see the face because it was dark, but the description fits my brother. Witnesses who also live nearby said that they were frightened to go out and check because they saw that the men had firearms,” Nicole said, adding that at that hour the dogs barked loudly which was unusual.
According to those who witnessed the incident, two men were forced into a van. One of the individuals, they said, attempted to flee to a nearby cemetery but got caught and was dragged back to a waiting van.
“They said that it is very seldom for a van to go to their area that is why they would immediately notice it,” Nica added.
They also went to the barangay hall to file a blotter report of the incident but they were told that they should file it instead at the place of residence of Norman and Sudario.
On October 4, the family of Norman went to the military camp of the 91st Infantry Battalion in Baler, Aurora and on Oct. 6 to Fort Magsaysay. Similar to the experiences of families of other missing activists, Nica said that they were not allowed to look inside the camps. Authorities also declined to sign a certification stating that the missing persons are not in their custody. The said certification is stated under the Anti-Disappearance Act of 2012.
Nica said that prior to his brother’s abduction, soldiers would go to their house looking for him.
Karapatan Central Luzon also said that Sudario was accused of being a member of the New People’s Army and was among those charged with the anti-terrorism law and crimes against humanity in November 2022.
Alarming trend
Taule said that they have observed an alarming trend that those being abducted were later surfaced by the authorities as rebel returnees.
Taule said this was the case in Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro who were also presented by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) as former guerrillas. In a press conference organized by NTF-ELCAC, they denied it and stressed that they were abducted.
The reported missing youth activists Michael Cedrick Casaño and Patricia Nicole Cierva were also presented by the military as surrenderers.
In recent reports, the three indigenous peoples rights advocates who were reportedly abducted in Mindoro were also presented by the NTF-ELCAC as surrenderers.
“We are alarmed with the pattern that we observed lately because we don’t know what happened to those who were abducted days prior to their surfacing,” Taule said.
As relayed by Tamano and Castro, as well as Dyan Gumanao and Armand Dayoha, they were kept in a safe house days prior to their surfacing. In Gumanao and Dayoha’s case, they said they underwent psychological and physical torture.
“This means that during the days that they were held captive in a safe house, they cannot be accessed by their families and their lawyers. And then later on they would execute affidavits without the assistance of a counsel of their own choice,” she said.
“For us, affidavits like that have no bearing because, like in the case of Jhed and Jonila, it was not executed in the presence of their chosen lawyers and was executed under a very coercive environment. You would admit everything they tell you when you are in the hands of people who hold your life, that is the logical effect of this kind of situation,” Taule said.
Taule said they and the families are in the process of filing a legal remedy to pressure the authorities to surface Norman and Sudario.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Abduction/Kidnapping
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Suspected state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Sep 23, 2023
- Event Description
Three indigenous people’s rights advocates investigating human rights violations were abducted in Mindoro Oriental.
According to Karapatan Southern Tagalog, they are Job Abednego David, 29, Peter del Monte Jr., 29, and Alia Encela, 19.
They were abducted in Malaglag village, Barangay Lisap, Bongabong town by soldiers belonging to the 4th Infantry Battalion and the 203rd Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
David, Del Monte and Encela were investigating human rights violations related to reports of bombings and shelling in the area earlier this year which were connected to mining and quarrying projects that affected the residents and indigenous people.
Before their disappearance, the families of David and Del Monte received messages from a suspicious Facebook account claiming to be General Randolph Cabangbang of the 203rd Infantry Brigade, asking them to contact him.
Human rights groups in the Southern Tagalog region condemned their abduction.
“This latest attack by the military on rights advocates only proves that there is no ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ (New Philippines) under Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. He only exposed himself as an enabler of state terrorism and attacks against the Filipino people,” said Rev. Luisito Saliendra, Karapatan Southern Tagalog spokesperson
Indigenous communities in Mindoro have been the primary targets of military operations, including test fire exercises, aerial bombings and strafing which affect thousands of residents.
Previous military abductions have raised concerns about the use of red-tagging tactics to justify human rights violations. Karapatan Southern Tagalog and other human rights organizations have called for a thorough investigation into these violations and justice for the victims.
“We are demanding for the immediate release of David, Del Monte and Encela and holding the 203rd Infantry Brigade and the 4th Infantry Battalion accountable for their actions,” Saliendera said.
- Impact of Event
- 3
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- Abduction/Kidnapping
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Indigenous peoples' rights defender, WHRD, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Sep 22, 2023
- Event Description
On September 22, student journalist Aila Joy Esperida received a letter signed by a regional administrative authority, a Naga City Barangay, summoning her and her parents for a discussion with unidentified members of the Philippine armed forces on September 24. The Democrat found that the letter contained no official Barangay seal, and no reason was provided for the invitation. A day prior, The Democrat photojournalist John Harvee Cabal received a similar letter from their Barangay.
Prior to the summons, during the 51st-anniversary Martial Law commemoration at Plaza Rizal in Naga City on September 21, Esperida and other student journalists were harassed by soldiers, who took photos of The Democrat’s student staff without their consent and demanded they provide personal information. The student journalists objected to this and urged the soldiers to delete the photos.
Esperida requested the identity of the soldier who collected their personal information, later identified as Sergeant Creo, who questioned the students about their presence at the plaza and encouraged them to join an Infantry division.
A similar incident took place on September 13, involving the publication's former Editor-in-Chief, Berlineth Nymia Montes. Similarly, pressure was exerted on her and her family, with members of the armed forcesinsinuating that she held an affiliation with Filipino terrorist organisations, a practice commonly known as ‘Red-tagging’.
The Democrat, affiliated with the College Editors Guild of the Philippines, is currently seeking the assistance of human rights attorneys and the NUJP. The publication's editorial team has also notified university authorities and scheduled meetings to plan their future actions.
- Impact of Event
- 3
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Surveillance
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Freedom of expression Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Student, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Sep 15, 2023
- Event Description
In what is rapidly becoming a sinister pattern, two individuals were abducted on September 15, 2023 by suspected State agents in Negros Occidental.
A Facebook post by Negros alternative media outfit Paghimutad reported that Bea Lopez, a 26-year-old peasant organizer and resident of Sitio Langud, Brgy. Camalandaan, Cauayan, Negros Occidental; and tricycle driver Peter Agravante, a resident of Sitio Tagnok, Brgy. Gil Montilla, Sipalay City were seized in Sipalay at around 10 a.m. They were reportedly on the way to Brgy. Gil Montilla when they were accosted by masked and armed men in a white van who forced them into the vehicle. The tricycle the victims were riding was also taken and loaded at the back of a pick-up vehicle.
On September 17, Agravante’s body was found in a cliff in Barangay Nagbo-alao, Basay, Negros Oriental. His wrists were bound with rope and his eyes, mouth and ankles bound in duct tape. He had a gunshot wound to the head. Witnesses said that at around midnight of September 16, a white pick-up truck stopped at the area and threw something by the wayside.
Lopez is among the latest victims in a string of abductions and disappearances under the Marcos Jr. regime.
Their abduction comes barely two weeks after that of environmental activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano who were reported seized in Orion, Bataan on September 2, 2023. Pictures of Castro and Tamano were shown to the media on September 15 in a press conference organized by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) but the two remain in military custody despite appeals by Jonila’s mother Roselie Castro for her daughter’s release. Contrary to numerous eyewitness accounts of the abduction, the NTF-ELCAC is making dubious claims that Jonila and Jhed voluntarily surrendered.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Abduction/Kidnapping
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Suspected state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Sep 14, 2023
- Event Description
The Palace extended its heartfelt condolences to the family of Maria Saniata Liwliwa Gonzales Alzate, after being gunned down by still unidentified assailants in Banguet, Abra last Thursday.
Alzate was shot at least eight times while inside her parked white Mitsubishi Mirage G4 sedan two days ago. The gunmen were seen riding a motorcycle and immediately fled the crime scene.
"We are one with the family of Atty. Maria Saniata Liwliwa Gonzales Alzate in this time of grief, and we offer them our most sincere and heartfelt condolences," Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in a statement this Saturday.
"We join our brothers and sisters in the legal profession in condemning the killing of Atty. Alzate, who was mercilessly gunned down in front of her home in the afternoon of 14 September 2023."
Bersamin described Alzate as a "fearless," "steadfast," and "principled" lawyer unrelenting in her pursuit of justice.
Alzate, according to National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL) president Ephraim Cortez, was the third lawyer killed during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The NUPL is currently considering the possibility that the attack was connected to her profession, given the nature of the cases she handles.
The victim was said to have given her legal assistance to reported victims of illegal arrest, detention and torture allegedly perpetuated by the Philippine National Police.
She had also been providing pro-bono legal services to indigent litigants and has been serving as private prosecutor in the slaying of a teacher allegedly by a barangay chairperson.
"Her death is a tragedy as well for the good province of Abra and for the legal profession," Bersamin added.
"We will ensure that our law enforcement agencies will work relentlessly to bring to justice those behind this heinous act. Hot pursuit operations are already ongoing, and we call upon our citizens to remain vigilant."
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) likewise condemned the killing and joins the calls for enforcement agencies to urgently pursue the perpetrators in order to be brought to justice.
"In the midst of calls to address impunity, threats and attacks against the members of the legal profession directly affront the rule of law," stressed the commission.
"CHR has since stressed their important role: courts, lawyers, and judges are crucial in administering justice, as well as in uncovering the truth, especially for gross human rights violations."
CHR says that it's in the best interest of the state to protect lawyers to be able to dispense their duty of ensuring justice without fear of threats and retaliation.
Gonzales-Alzate is known to be the former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Abra chapter and has been an IBP Commissioner of Bar Discipline since 2015.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Killing, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Right to life
- HRD
- Lawyer, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Unknown
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Unknown
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Sep 2, 2023
- Event Description
Save for a pair of slippers and a piece of sandal, there were no traces of the two young women abducted by armed men in Orion town in Bataan province on the night of Sept. 2, a human rights group said.
The fact-finding mission of friends and colleagues of Jhed Tamano, 22, and Jonila Castro, 21, yielded no other leads as of Monday, according to Amador Cadano, spokesperson for the human rights watchdog Karapatan in the Central Luzon region.
In a post on social media, Karapatan sought online help for any information that could lead to the whereabouts of the two following the reported abduction.
According to Karapatan, Tamano works as a coordinator in the “Turn the Tide Now” program of the church group Ecumenical Bishop Forum-Central Luzon while Castro serves as a community volunteer for Akap Ka Manila Bay, a network of various sectors opposing the reclamation projects on Manila Bay.
Both environmental workers studied at Bulacan State University (BulSU) in the City of Malolos in Bulacan and were former members of the Student Alliance for the Advancement of Nationalism and Democracy BulSU, an activist group at the university.
Castro was an undergraduate psychology student in 2019 while Tamano was a business economics graduate in 2022.
Citing accounts of eyewitnesses, Karapatan said armed men were seen forcing Tamano and Castro inside a gray Toyota Innova in front of the Orion Water District in Barangay Lati at 8 p.m. on Sept. 2.
Tailed “Before they went missing, the two reported being tailed by men wearing civilian clothes. The two stayed in Sitio Ormoc in Barangay Balut (also in Orion) for at least three days, consulting the community for a possible relief operation,” Cadano said.
They were sent to Orion by Akap Ka to consult with communities that were affected by the new coastal road and reclamation project planned for the expansion of the free port of Bataan, according to Cadano.
The ongoing dredging work in Barangay Capunitan had so far displaced some 200 families in need of help, he added.
The two women were set to leave Orion on the night of Sept. 2 for another consultation in another town but they stopped replying to text messages from friends around 7 p.m., Cadano said.
Karapatan-Central Luzon held state forces, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and the Marcos administration “accountable for the enforced disappearance of Jhed and Jonila and all others who disappeared in the region and in the nation.” Cadano did not say the basis of the group’s suspicion.
He said the incident involving Tamano and Castro was the second case of enforced disappearances in the region after those of peasant organizers Elena Pampoza and Elgene Mungcal, also known as the Moncada 2, who went missing in July 2022.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Abduction/Kidnapping
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of expression Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Environmental rights defender, WHRD, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Suspected state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Aug 24, 2023
- Event Description
community organizer and a jeepney driver were arrested and taken into custody last Aug. 24 in Buhay na Sapa, San Juan, Batangas province.
In a recent alert issued by Tanggol Batangan, a human rights group in Batangas, the detained individuals were identified as Ernesto Baez Jr., an engaged farmer advocate and organizer of Samahan ng Magbubukid sa Batangas (Sambat), jeepney driver Jose Escobio, and his friend Junald Jabonero.
Baez Jr. is the brother of Erlindo Baez, spokesperson of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan – Batangas, who is now detained due to trumped up cases.
Tanggol Batangan learned of the incident after Escobio’s family reported his disappearance.
In a statement released by Sambat, Baez Jr. said he hired Escobio to drive for him to San Juan, Batangas. The three, however, were intercepted and held at gunpoint at Buhay na Sapa village in San Juan.
They were then blindfolded and forced to return to their vehicles, which, according to Sambat, was filled with planted firearms and explosives.
“The PNP and AFP appear to be merely repeating their well-worn and evident modus operandi of arresting civilians and planting ‘evidence’ on them which clearly shows they are doing this to silence the people,” said Sambat.
All three are detained at Camp Miguel Malvar in Batangas City and have been charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
This incident adds to a growing concern of alleged harassment cases by state forces in Batangas province.
Just this month, local organizers in the sugarcane and sugar industry have been targeted with repeated harassment, false accusations, and surveillance by the 59th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army.
“It is crucial to act and mobilize further, intensifying the call to respect the human rights of Batangueños. The abduction of the San Juan 3 only implies the state’s desperation to suppress the rights of the people,” Hailey Pecayo, spokesperson of Tanggol Batangan, said.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment, Vilification
- Rights Concerned
- Right to liberty and security, Right to protect reputation
- HRD
- Community-based HRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military, Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Aug 24, 2023
- Event Description
The Quezon City police filed new charges against Renato Reyes Jr., artist Max Santiago of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, and several others for burning an effigy during a protest coinciding with Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).
The police claimed that the activists violated the Marcos Sr. era decree Public Assembly Act of 1985 or the malicious burning of any object in the street or thoroughfares.
“This is clearly a harassment suit because I wasn’t even present at the SONA rally. I was on a trip abroad. I was already mid-air when the rally happened,” said Reyes in a statement.
Reyes also noticed that his name was only hand-written on the cover page of the complaint.
“This ridiculous and flimsy trumped-up complaint it seems is in retaliation for our public statements exposing the QCPD for its harassment of Max and our members from Bayan Southern Tagalog. When we spoke out, they filed another complaint. Fascists being fascists,” he said.
Earlier in August, the Quezon City police also filed charges against Santiago and several others for violating the Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Waste Management Act of 2001 and the Republic Act No. 8749 or the Clean Air Act of 1999 over the effigy burning.
Advocates said the charges constitute an attack against free expression.
Reyes said they are consulting their lawyers regarding the case. “There is nothing wrong nor illegal in the burning of an effigy which is part of protected free speech. There is nothing wrong in expressing indignation over the policies of the Marcos regime,” he added.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of expression Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Artist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Aug 13, 2023
- Event Description
Yet another organization helping the poor is being accused of terrorist links.
Based in Cebu, the Community Empowerment Resource Network, Inc. (CERNET) is a registered non-government organization that supports people’s organizations in the Visayas region, particularly on food security. On August 13, CERNET received a subpoena from the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleging that 27 individuals who are former council members, board members, staff, and even a member of the network’s partner people organization are supporting the armed revolution.
‘Stern warning’
Brig. Gen Joey Escanillas, commanding officer of the 302nd Infantry Brigade, in his complaint accused members and former members of CERNET of violating Republic Act No. 10168 (Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012).
In a press conference, Escanillas claimed that CERNET is operating a 60-40 scheme wherein 60 percent goes to the communist movement while 40 percent goes to the intended beneficiary.
“They have mastered this form of acquiring funds legally but it goes to something illegal.”
He said that in 2018, CERNET was able to raise “more than 333 million pesos from foreign funding agencies”. He added that “around 200 million [were given to] the communist terror group.” These estimates, he said, is based on publicly available data gathered by an “independent individual” who was said to be curious about CERNET.
Although he admitted that CERNET’s funding is subject to audit, Escanillas still insisted that a “large portion” goes to the financing of a terrorist group. “This case serves as a stern warning to those who aid, collaborate with, and conspire with this terror group.”
Harassment based on lies
In a statement read by CERNET Executive Director Justine Villarante, CERNET stressed that the charges are meant to harass the organization engaged in helping poor farmers, fisherfolks, and urban poor communities in the Visayas region through livelihood and empowerment initiatives since its founding in 2001.
“(The accusation) is grounded on the lies and baseless accusations of their primary witness, Bernabe Nieves, a former staff of CERNET who was terminated due to grave misconduct and violation of CERNET Code of Ethics,” the statement read.
“We express our dismay as this only proves that the Philippine government targets and persecutes Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in the country, particularly those advocating collective action and development initiatives by weaponizing Philippine laws derived from the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force,” it continues, stressing that this action “endangers the lives of development organizations and workers as they strive [to help achieve the] UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”
Helping the poor
Carmelita Alcontin of the Kapunungan sa Makugihong Mag-uuma sa Bato, Toledo City (KMMB) said that since CERNET arrived in their community in Bato, Toledo City to survey the place, they have not been hesitant in giving out help to the community through projects. “They are giving us services which the government should be providing to poor farmers. CERNET was the one who responded to our needs,” she said, adding that if CERNET did not provide the projects they would continue to suffer from extreme poverty.
Giovanni Gabuli, president of Pundok Sagop Kalikupan, a beneficiary of CERNET, said that it is difficult for an ordinary fisherman to improve their economic status with just the means available to them. He said that they were grateful when CERNET offered their services. He said that CERNET helped establish the fishpond and communal garden, as well as conducted training in soap making.
In a statement, AMP-Action Network Human Rights-Philippines found the charges against CERNET to be “unsubstantiated, seemingly designed to tarnish [its] reputation and to hinder its operations.” A network of German church-based and human rights organizations, AMP reports the Philippine human rights situation in Germany and the European Union. Its member organizations include Amnesty International Germany, Brot für die Welt, International Peace Observers Network (IPON), Misereor, Missio Munich, philippinennbüro e.V. and the United Evangelical Mission.
History of harassments
For more than two decades, CERNET and its network members have been experiencing various forms of harassment and intimidation.
In 2008, its executive director and administrative officer were falsely implicated in a case filed by the military. The case was dismissed the following year as baseless and in 2011 they filed countercharges. Ten years later (2018), CERNET suffered from continuous attacks and vilification, to the point of being included in the presentation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in a 2019 congressional hearing. In 2020, a member of its network, Elena Tijamo, was abducted from her home in Bantayan Island only to be found in a funeral parlor in Metro Manila the following year. How she arrived in Manila remained a mystery.
In January this year, its staff April Dyan Gumanao was abducted by suspected members of the Philippine Army together with her partner, also a development worker. They were later surfaced in a resort in Northern Cebu.
Uncertain future
Villarante stressed that CERNET complies with the stringent financial reporting of their funders and their financial records passed an extensive third party audit.
For his part, Dennis Abarientos of Karapatan Central Visayas said that they are confident that the case would not stand in court.
On September 28, the respondents submitted their counter-affidavits and attended the preliminary investigation.
Meanwhile, small farmers, fisherolks, and women from the urban poor, are worried about their future as they depend on CERNET’s assistance.
“If CERNET would stop, it is like putting an end to our organization,” said Virgie Garcia who belongs to a women farmer’s group based in Aloguinsan, Cebu. “The threat and attacks against CERNET is an attack on our projects, and initiatives that help in our effort to attain food security, as well as with our livelihood and attacks against our families.”
- Impact of Event
- 28
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Vilification
- Rights Concerned
- Right to protect reputation, Right to work
- HRD
- NGO, NGO staff
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Aug 5, 2023
- Event Description
A Laguna-based unionist was subjected to surveillance and harassment last August 5, following a series of threats and intimidation of labor leaders in the Southern Tagalog region.
According to reports, Mario Fernandez, president of Technol Eight Philippines Workers Union (TEPWU-OLALIA-KMU), was approached by a man claiming to be affiliated with UMPHIL, an organization allegedly created by the management of Philfoods, Inc. right after the Unyon ng mga Panadero ng Philfoods Fresh Baked Products, Inc’s (UPPFBPI) establishment. UMPHIL was reportedly meant to obstruct the Sole and Exclusive Bargaining Agent (SEBA) process of UPPFBPI-Organized Labor Associations in Line Industries and Agriculture (OLALIA).
The man followed Fernandez throughout the day. The labor leader also attempted to record the surveillance video on his phone but was stopped. He was also threatened that they have his photos and other personal information.
This incident happened after the pre-election conference of UPPFBPI-OLALIA.
“I will not be silenced by these acts of intimidation. The fight for workers’ rights to unionize is more important than ever, and I will continue to stand up for what is just and fair.” Fernandez, who also sits as chairperson of OLALIA-Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), said.
The surveillance of Fernandez comes on the heels of relentless attacks against unionists and community organizers in the Southern Tagalog region.
This has since resulted in the killing of Dandy Miguel, labor leader of Lakas ng Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng Fuji Electric Philippines (LNMFEP-OLALIA-KMU).
“It is deeply concerning that someone who is dedicating his life to advocating for the rights of workers is facing such blatant harassment and surveillance. Instead of wage increase, we receive an increasing number of human rights violation among workers here in Laguna.” Fe Valdeavilla, spokesperson of Alyansa ng Manggagawa sa Probinsya ng Laguna, said.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Surveillance
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Labour rights defender
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Suspected non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Aug 4, 2023
- Event Description
Progressives decried the apparent harassment suit filed against visual artist Max Santiago and three other John Does over the burning of the effigy of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the last State of the Nation Address protest.
In the complaint, the Philippine police said Santiago violated environmental laws such as the Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Waste Management Act of 2000 and the Republic Act 8749 or the Clean Air Act when an effigy of Marcos Jr. was burned during the protest action last State of the Nation Address.
This, the police said, was a “deliberate disrespect to the President and to our country” and later added that it “greatly contributed to air pollution.”
“It is well established that an effigy is a form of art. It is not solid waste: it is not garbage or refuse. It is hypocritical of the state to allege this when it cannot even address the problem of worsening traffic and its emissions, urban and industrial waste, and other government-regulated practices that contribute to environmental destruction,” Lisa Ito, secretary general of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines, said.
CAP added that the “emissions from an effigy burning are nothing compared to the criminal conduct and neglect of this administration.”
On Aug. 4, the Philippine police filed a certificate of extraction before its anti-cybercrime group on the Facebook Page of Film Weekly, an alternative news outfit in the country.
This is per the open-source intelligence of the police, where videos of the burning and creation of the effigy of Marcos Jr. was supposedly posted.
The police said that while peaceful protest is integral to democracy, “any form of protest should be conducted within the boundaries of the law and respect for the rights and safety of all individuals involved.
However, the police added that they found no social media account under the name of Santiago.
Santiago is a long-time cultural worker and visual artist. He was formerly with the cultural group Ugatlahi and editorial cartoonist for the online alternative Manila Today.
He also regularly contributes editorial cartoons to online alternative news Bulatlat.
In an earlier tweet, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan chair Renato Reyes called on the artist community to support Santiago, saying that “this is repression hiding behind feigned concern for the environment.”
Ito of CAP said, “this lawsuit is an attack on freedom of expression and right of the people to redress and expression of grievance. Why spend public resources on this just to save face when the realities that the effigy reflects and expresses remain unaddressed?”
The preliminary investigation is set on Sept. 5 and 12 at the prosecutor’s office of Quezon City.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Freedom of expression Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Artist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Jul 14, 2023
- Event Description
Three San Juanico TV reporters were harassed by two off-duty police officers and allegedly shot at by an unknown party while covering a land dispute involving the officers in Leyte, Visayas, on July 14. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), in condemning the harassment and attempted attack by the journalists and urging the authorities to continue its investigation transparently.
On the morning of July 14, three reporters from San Juanico TV, Lito Bagunas, Noel Sianosa and Ted Tomas, were conducting interviews with farmers in Leyte’s Municipality of Pastrana while preparing a story on a land dispute between Philippine National Police (PNP) Staff Sergeant Rhea Mae Baleos and local couple Moises Empillo and Anecia Nogal. The trio were stopped by an unknown woman, subsequently identified as Baleos, who instructed them to leave the scene.
Sianosa’s phone was reportedly confiscated by Baleos after he and Tomas recorded footage of an argument between Baleos and Nogal. In a video published by the NUJP, Baleos can be seen violently pushing and grabbing Sianosa, attempting to escort him away from the scene. A few seconds later, at least three gunshots can be heard, with Tomas alleging he saw uniformed police officers firing the bullets. Tomas urged the shooter to cease their fire, identifying himself and his colleagues as members of the press.
According to Leyte police, Baleos called for police intervention following the dispute, with several officers being sent from the local Pastrana Municipal Police Office. Pastrana police denied that the dispatched officers discharged their weapons, alleging that an unidentified assailant was responsible for the shooting. The dispute allegedly originated from land ownership claims made by Empillo and Nogal, with the couple debating Baleos’ claims to have mortgaged the property in 2017, instead stating the land had been sold by a third party.
Following a complaint from the reporters, Baleos and her husband, Staff Sergeant Ver Baleos, were relieved from their duties on July 15. They have since surrendered their firearms, with a provincial investigative team commencing a probe of the incident.
The NUJP said: “We welcome the news that the two police officers allegedly involved in the harassment have been relieved and will be investigated. However, we also note statements from the municipal police dismissing the reported shooting incident as "disinformation" even while the provincial police office has promised a thorough investigation. […] While we welcome the prompt action by authorities, this incident is a reminder to assert press freedom and to revisit safety protocols to help keep ourselves safe in the field.”
The IFJ said: “The harassment and alleged attack by police officers of identified members of the press is deeply concerning. Journalists working in the field must be protected and allowed to report without fear of reprisal. The IFJ condemns the threats against journalists Lito Bagunas, Noel Sianosa, and Ted Tomas and urges the authorities to ensure that investigations into the incident are conducted swiftly and transparently.”
- Impact of Event
- 3
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of expression Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending