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Youth progressive group Anakbayan said that unidentified individuals entered their national office at around 9 p.m. yesterday, January 15.

“Cellphones were not where they were left, tables were moved, windows are open, doors show clear signs of forced entry,” said Anakbayan in their post via their social media accounts.

Later that day, at around midnight, the youth group also stated that some of their members noticed police mobile roaming around the area.

“We fear for our safety. This attempt to enter our office is not detached from what happened to Dyan and Armand in Cebu,” said Jeann Miranda, chairperson of Anakbayan, referring to two Cebu-based activists, Dyan Gumanao, 28, coordinator of Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Region 7, and Armand Dayoha, 27, Alliance of Health Workers-Cebu coordinator, who were reported missing after spending the holidays with their families.

Before their absence, the two reported a series of harassment and tailing. As of this writing, the two have not been found.

Attacks against the youth

Anakbayan has been subjected to relentless attacks under several administrations.

One of the most notable cases is Anakbayan member and student activist Alicia Lucena, whose mother, Relissa, a member of Hands Off Our Children Network, filed a kidnapping and human trafficking case against the youth group along with former Kabataan Representative Sarah Elago and former Bayan Muna representative Neri Colmenares.

However, Lucena goes against Relissa’s statement through a video narrating how her mother illegally detained her at home, prevented her from watching television, and contacted friends and fellow activists.

Aside from this, Jovita Antoniano and the Philippine National Police (PNP) filed kidnapping and child abuse charges against Anakbayan leaders. However, last May 28, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a 15-page resolution junking the charges due to the ‘lack of probable cause.’

The most recent case was last December 29, where Anakbayan, along with progressive groups such as Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)’’s Facebook pages, were removed.

The accounts’ administrators and editors have also been locked due to ‘unknown entities trying to access the accounts.’

Prior to this incident, the group’s posts giving tribute to Jose Maria Sison had been flagged for violating the “Community Standards.”

“We are condemning this action made by Facebook because it’s just an attempt to silence the free speech of the youth. Sharing Prof. Jose Maria Sison’s contribution to the freedom and equality of the Filipino should not be considered a threat or terrorism,” said Anakbayan.

Anakbayan called for the youth and other human rights organizations to stand up and condemn the series of harassment against the youth.

“There is no one to blame but the state who wants to silence those fighting for their freedom and rights. We call for the youth, human rights watch, and even the Commission on Human Rights to help us look into what happened. This incident also fuels us to fight the oppressive and corrupt Marcos Jr,” said Miranda.

Dyan Gumanao, 28, coordinator of Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Region 7 and Armand Dayoha, 27, Alliance of Health Workers-Cebu coordinator were expected to arrive in their offices on Jan. 10 after spending the holidays with their families but have not been able to show up or contact family and colleagues since then.

According to Karapatan-Central Visayas, Gumanao and Dayoha had previously reported a series of harassment and tailing, which had increased following Gumanao’s arrest on June 5, 2020 as part of the Cebu 8.

Both Gumanao and Dayoha had also been tailed by suspected state agents after a Mendiola Massacre commemoration protest on January 22, 2021.

“These irregularities that they have observed have been considered to be possible monitoring of the two of them as active development workers and long-time human rights advocates in Cebu,” Karapatan-Central Visayas wrote in their statement.

The group added that Gumano had also experienced numerous instances of tailing by suspected state forces in the last quarter of 2022.

Gumanao had previously served as the head coordinator of Aninaw Productions and had been a key figure in its revival in 2017. Prior to that, she had been the chairperson of the UP Cebu University Student Council of the University of the Philippines Cebu (UP Cebu) and served as the Vice President for Visayas of the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP).

After graduating cum laude with a Mass Communication degree from the university, Gumanao joined the non-government organization Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET) as a Special Support Services Coordinator.

She currently serves as a volunteer coordinator for the Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Region 7 after having been a volunteer for several years.

Dayoha, meanwhile, graduated from the Psychology program of UP Cebu and has served as a National Service Training Program (NSTP) lecturer in the university since 2015. He has also been pursuing a bachelor in Fine Arts as a second degree.

Having been active in the pursuit of “art for the people,” he was one of the founding members of the Cebu-based cultural group Art and Tankard Organization (ATO).

During the height of the pandemic in 2020, Dayoha was cited to be one of the key volunteers in addressing the issues of the workers and the urban poor in Mandaue City. He eventually became a staff member of the non-government organization Visayas Human Development Agency, Inc. (VIHDA, Inc.).

Dayoha currently serves as the coordinator of the Alliance of Health Workers-Cebu.

Karapatan-Central Visayas said that the incident has been reported to authorities and concerned government agencies.

“We are demanding the urgent action and cooperation of state forces in our collective efforts to identify the whereabouts of Dyan and Armand. We assert that there is nothing wrong with their work and the advocacies they carry with them, and that citizens who decisively tread the path that they have should not be harassed, threatened, silenced, or arrested,” the organization wrote.

Karapatan-Central Visayas, together with various organizations across Cebu, have strongly called to surface the two

Groups of artists condemned the death threat on multi-awarded artist Bonifacio Ilagan, saying the incident is yet another desperate ploy against activists and progressive cultural workers.

The Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) and the Kilometer 64 Writers’ Collective (KM 54) said the threat against Ilagan is part of ongoing fascist attacks against political dissenters.

Ilagan reported to colleagues he was at a pet store in Quezon City in the afternoon of January 2 when he received a call from an unknown number.

He recalled that the caller introduced himself as a commander of a unit tasked to wipe out suspected Communists like the veteran activist.

Ilagan added that the caller warned him to desist from his activities as their so-called unit is just waiting for the “final order from the higher ups.”

“[The caller] said they would surely get me, and that I should not ask for mercy. It would be futile, because I had already been warned,” Ilagan reported.

“While the man didn’t say outright that they would kill me, his point was all too clear: They could,” Ilagan added.

The artist said that while he received his share of messages that cursed and threatened him in the past because of his activism, Monday’s incident was the first time that he received a call that said much more.

“There is no other reason I can think of behind the threat but my activism that goes way back to the 70s,” Ilagan said.

Quick condemnation

CAP said in a statement Wednesday that it condemns that crackdown against activist artists like Ilagan.

KM 64 added that the threat against Ilagan is part of an old strategy against critics of anti-people government policies.

Human rights group Karapatan earlier reported that that at least 17 civilians became victims of mass surveillance and extrajudicial killings from July 1 to November 30 of 2022.

“We are in solidarity and we stand with Bonifacio Ilagan and all other cultural workers who are part of the people’s history by fighting for truth, genuine freedom and human rights,” KM 64 said.

Who is Boni Ilagan?

Ilagan was a student activist during the Ferdinand Marcos Sr. dictatorship who led the historic Diliman Commune uprising at the University of the Philippines in 1970.

Ilagan was abducted in 1974 and was subjected to various forms of torture. After being conditionally released on 1976, Ilagan continued his activism and became a multi-awarded stage and film playwright.

He was again arrested in the 1990s but was released after three months in detention.

He was among the thousands of petitioners who filed a class action suit against the Marcos estate that awarded millions of dollars as indemnification to thousands of Martila Law victims.

He is a member of SELDA (Semahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensiyon at Aresto) and co-convened the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA), an organization composed of martial law survivors that seek accountability for the various rights violations of the late dictator, his cronies, and the Marcos dynasty.

Ilagan was named the winner of the prestigious Gawad Plaridel in 2019, given by the College of Mass Communication of his alma mater University of the Philippines.

Members of the youth group Anakbayan raised alarm after their official Facebook Page was deleted, while their members were locked out of their personal accounts after multiple log-in attempts from anonymous accounts.

At 3:00 p.m. of Dec. 30, the group noticed that the official Facebook Page of Anakbayan PH was no longer accessible both by the public and its page administrators. Meanwhile, at least ten members received e-mails from Facebook, notifying them that there had been multiple log-in attempts in their accounts.

“This (attack) comes as various of our chapters and other mass organizations have received notices for being unpublished, suspension and restriction of personal accounts,” said Anakbayan, through a post by one of its members.

“We vehemently condemn this brazen attack on the youth. This is a conscious and orchestrated attack to deplatform dissent and to silence the critical voice of the youth,” the group said.

According to Anakbayan, the attack happened while the organization is being very vocal on issues faced by the youth such as attacks on academic freedom through the NCST Program, and the worsening economic crisis in the Philippines.

At the moment, the organization and its members are looking into ways to retrieve Anakbayan’s Facebook page. They have created a temporary page, which can be viewed here.

Philippine authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist Frank Cimatu, and should stop filing spurious cyber libel charges against members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, December 13, a Quezon City court convicted Cimatu, a contributor to the independent news outlet Rappler, of cyber libel over a 2017 Facebook post by the journalist about alleged corruption by then Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinol, news reports said.

The court ordered Cimatu to serve a prison term ranging from six months and one day to a maximum of five years, five months, and 11 days, according to those reports, which said he was also fined 300,000 pesos (US$5,385) in moral damages.

Cimatu is free on bail and will appeal the ruling, according to news reports, which said he could appeal as high as the Supreme Court.

“The spurious charge against Filipino journalist Frank Cimatu should be dropped and authorities should start work immediately on decriminalizing libel and overhauling the overbroad cybercrime provisions that allow for these kinds of outrageous convictions,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. “The wanton abuse of cyber libel laws is killing press freedom in the Philippines.”

In a 19-page ruling, Judge Evangeline Cabochan-Santos wrote that Cimatu’s Facebook post, which alleged that Pinol had personally profited from state corruption, was defamatory and appeared to impute a crime, reports citing the ruling said. The ruling said Cimatu made the post in malice and “failed to show any proof to establish that his post was done in good faith.”

Cimatu reportedly argued that the post was private and was only seen by his Facebook friends, but the court ruled it was initially made under a public setting, news reports said. CPJ was unable to review Cimatu’s Facebook account, which has been taken down or set to private.

NewsLine Philippines reported that Cimatu’s Facebook post was referencing a report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism about Pinol’s personal asset and liability declaration. Cimatu covers a wide range of political and other news topics from the northern region of the main Philippine island of Luzon, his Rappler profile shows.

Pinol, a former news broadcaster, filed the charges against Cimatu, according to those reports. CPJ was unable to find contact information for Pinol.

Cimatu is at least the third Rappler reporter to be convicted of cyber libel, along with Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa and ex-Rappler researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr. Their appeal of a 2020 cyber libel conviction was rejected in October and is now pending at the Supreme Court. CPJ has repeatedly called for the charges to be dropped.

CPJ emailed the Quezon City prosecutor’s office for comment but did not receive any reply.

A Baguio court handed down a guilty verdict against Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) Secretary-General Sarah Dekdeken, over a cyber libel case filed against her by former Cordillera Police Regional Director Brigadier General R’Win Pagkalinawan.

“This libel case is an attack on truth and those who wield it to champion peoples’ political rights,” said CPA in a statement decrying the guilty verdict.

Baguio Regional Trial Court Branch presiding Judge Ivan Kim B. Morales issued the ruling yesterday, Dec. 1.

In 2021, Pagkalinawan filed charges against Dekdeken for her remarks in an online press conference detailing the desecration of the Heroes’ Monument in Bugnay, Kalinga and the perpetrators behind it.

In her testimonies, Dekdeken recalled how she only relayed information based on reports gathered from the community in Bugnay, blaming the police as the culprits in the demolition of the monument. The community reported that the police removed the monument under the orders of then Regional Director Pagkaliwan.

CPA noted that this was not taken into consideration, citing how Dekdeken supposedly “failed to show proof” that Pagkalinawan was the one who ordered the demolition and that her claims were “malicious and sufficient to impeach the reputation of the complainant” since she also failed to investigate and verify the information with Pagkalinawan first before conducting the online press conference.

Dekdeken was fined P250,000 and ordered to pay Pagkalinawan an additional P10,000 as moral damages and P5,000 as exemplary damages.

“It is a machination to cover up their involvement in the desecration of the Cordillera Heroes’ Monument, a symbolic structure of peoples’ triumphs over state-sponsored destructive development initiatives,” they added.

The group added that this is only an attempt to erase the fact that the same people who are supposed to serve their constituents are the ones who are violating the people’s civil and political rights.

Pagkalinawan was also the one who filed a similar case against Northern Dispatch’s editor-in-chief Kimberlie Quitasol and reporter Khim Abalos over his “shoot to kill” order in 2021.

“We maintain that speaking the truth is not libelous nor is it a crime; especially so if the true narrative is a revelation of state institutions’ abuse of power. This is a responsibility of every citizen in a democratic society,” CPA said.

(1st UPDATE) 'The details surrounding his death need to be thoroughly and impartially investigated due to possible violations of human rights and international humanitarian law,' says Pilgrims for Peace

Church leaders, human rights advocates, and PEN Philippines, the national chapter of the international group of writers, on Thursday, December 1, called for a probe into the November 30 deaths of National Democratic Front (NDF) consultant Ericson Acosta and peasant organizer Joseph Jimenez in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.

Rights group Karapatan on Thursday, December 1, called on the Commission on Human Rights to conduct an independent investigation into “the reported summary execution” of Acosta and Jimenez.

The rights watchdog said Acosta was recuperating from an unspecified illness when he was killed. Karapatan urged authorities to respect the rights of the families of the deceased and their legal representatives, in their efforts to have access and claim the remains of their loved ones.

Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos and Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) Obispo Maximo Rhee Timbang signed a call by Pilgrims for Peace with 10 other church leaders, and human rights advocates.

“The details surrounding his death need to be thoroughly and impartially investigated due to possible violations of human rights and international humanitarian law,” Pilgrims for Peace said.

PEN Philippines urged the Philippine government “to perform a full and fair investigation, and serve justice,” as it condemned the tragic death of Acosta.

Other groups joined the call, citing the need to unravel conflicting claims by the 62nd Infantry Battalion in Negros Occidental and the NDF Negros on the November 30 early morning clash in Kabankalan City.

Pilgrims for Peace said that Acosta worked on and contributed to the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) between the government and the NDF.

Pablo Tariman, the father of Acosta’s late wife Kerima Tariman, who died on August 22, 2021 in an encounter in Silay City, told Rappler that the family, including Acosta’s mother, Liwayway, would fly to Negros Occidental on Friday to claim his remains.

“We will have him autopsied, then cremated,” Tariman said, without giving further details. ‘Top rebel’

The military dismissed as “propaganda” the statements of various groups questioning Acosta’s death.

“Obviously, the CPP-NPA-NDF will churn out propaganda statements in order to generate sympathy from the community whenever they suffer major setbacks. They will always claim that there was no firefight or encounter whenever the situation does not favor them,” 303rd Brigade Commander Brigadier General Inocencio Pasaporte said in a statement.

The 62IB claimed that Acosta was the deputy secretary of Komiteng Rehiyon- Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor (KR-NCBS) and head of the Political Unified Committee (PUC) of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the Visayas.

The unit said that the NPA central leadership deployed Acosta and Kerima to Negros Island in 2018 “because of the internal squabbles and problems inside the NPA organization and also due to the dwindling political cadres in Negros Island.”

Acosta, the military added, was also a member of the Pambansang Kalihiman sa Edukasyon (PAKED) or the rebels’ national education committee, which placed him at the highest implementing body of the KR-NCBS.

On November 30, the military announced the deaths of two then unidentified rebels in an encounter at 2 am in Sitio Makilo, Barangay Camansi, Kabankalan.

Later that day, after NDF-Negros confirmed Acosta’s death, the 62IB released a second statement saying former comrades had also confirmed his identity.

Karapatan Negros called the reported clash “a fake encounter.”

The rights group said that “residents of Sitio Makilo attest that Jimenez and Acosta were captured alive in the wee hours of the morning,” and that the bodies of Jimenez and Acosta allegedly bore stab wounds.

BAYAN secretary-general Renato Reyes said “the manner of killing is consistent with many summary executions made to appear as ‘encounters’ and ‘firefights’.”

Reyes said Acosta was an NDF consultant who helped draft the agreement on socio-economic reforms in the 2016-2017 peace talks.

Acosta, he added, participated in the formal peace talks and discussions of the reciprocal working committees.

Karapatan said he should have been covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).

The New Crossroads of the North (TNCN), the official student publication of the University of Caloocan City (UCC) – North Campus, suspended the online operations of its original page on October 29, following the decision of the university administration.

In their last online broadcast, they answered the questions behind the inactivity of the student publication for two months, underscoring that the closure of their social media platform was a decision of the administration to “streamline information” in one page.

The page the administration sought to utilize is the UCC The New Crossroads, the student publication of UCC – South Campus with a different set of editorial board and staffers.

Chris Agustin, a fourth-year Communication student and current editor-in-chief of the TNCN, said that the two publications are different.

“TNC of the North is progressive, critical, and pro-student. We ensure local, and national issues are discussed in our newsroom. The New Crossroads, however, remains stagnant and sometimes practices PR coverage,” Agustin said.

Asserting editorial independence

Upon hearing of the suspension of their original online page, Agustin faced the university administration and Caloocan City Mayor Dale “Along” Malapitan to appeal for reconsideration.

He asked for the formal memorandum of the decision, but the Vice President for Academic Affairs has yet to present a document as of this writing. The decision was only verbally communicated to the staffers last August.

“They said that we have to ‘fix’ our way of writing and the stories should be devoid of ‘personal attacks’ to any individual or politician. The administration also said that the editorial process should involve them,” Agustin said.

This attempt of the university’s administration to interfere pushed Agustin to continuously assert editorial independence.

A compromise was made wherein TNCN was made to promise to uphold responsible journalism, which they said they have been practicing since its establishment.

TNCN’s editorial board, however, continues to question the school administration’s decision to suspend their online page.

“I think there is a looming threat in merging two publications into one platform–it is easier for the administration to control or manage the stories that we are releasing, which may limit our coverage,” Agustin added.

He vows to continue their uncompromised reportage in TNCN with their migration to a new social media platform. They plan to communicate their values effectively and assert that publishing their stories are part of their fundamental rights and freedoms.

Challenges inside and outside the university

Agustin said that they started their online page during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of informing students of UCC North campus.

“The publication started because there is a need for local coverage in the university and an agenda shift to bridge campus, local, and national issues for the students. It’s an initiative born out of student volunteerism,” the staff of TNCN explained in their last online broadcast.

However, their honest intentions and responsible newsmaking came into conflict with the University administration and some individuals.

They were also red-tagged for covering grassroots actions and socially relevant topics.

In addition, the publication faced other problems like lack of resources, funding, and technical support, primarily because of the non-collection of subscription fees because of the pandemic, explained Agustin.

This, however, did not stop TNCN from publishing stories of social relevance such as the opposition to the Anti-Terror Law.

Braving the crisis

In their online broadcast, TNCN took pride in its achievements such as launching different projects with Rappler’s civic engagement arm, MovePH, to combat disinformation and misinformation campaigns during the pandemic, and pre- and post-election.

They were also able to successfully network with other student publications through the College Editors Guild of the Philippines especially in promoting genuine campus press freedom.

They also started the Katigan Chronicles, the first online broadcast platform of their University, which they hope to continue in the new platform.

“We remain committed to serving the students with critical journalism. We hope the students and our fellow student journalists will continue to support us because the fight is not yet over. At the end of the day, the truth will prevail,” Agustin ended.

Rights group Karapatan condemned the arrest of trade union activist Benjamin Cordero, the most recent in what they believed to be another round of attacks against trade union activists and workers’s rights defenders.

According to initial reports from Karapatan Metro Manila, Cordero was arrested at past 11:00pm on October 26, 2022 in his home in Quezon City. He was reportedly served with a warrant of arrest dated October 24 based on charges of frustrated homicide issued by Branch 77 of the San Mateo, Rizal Regional Trial Court. He is currently detained at Batasan Police Station 6, Quezon City. Recommended bail is at P72,000.

Cordero is the chairperson of the Labor Sector of the QC City Development Council, and member of Samahan ng Manggagawa sa Quezon City. He is also currently the campaign officer of the Urban Poor Coordinating Council - National Capital Region.

“We believe that Cordero’s case stems from another trumped-up charge maliciously filed in court by state agents who may have the possible motive to deter Cordero from conducting his activities as a trade union activist. Also, it should be noted that the charges of frustrated homicide against him were filed in San Mateo, Rizal, when he is obviously spending a large part of his work in Quezon City. Many similar trumped up charges against activists were filed elsewhere, far away from their work or residence,” said Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay.

Karapatan Metro Manila also reported that Cordero did not receive a copy of the subpoena and complaint affidavit on the case, which is why they were unable to reply on the charges against Cordero. He was unable to participate in the preliminary investigation because he was not informed of any case against him. However, authorities were quick to serve the arrest warrant one day after it was issued, which means that authorities readily know Cordero’s address and information.

“We urge the court to look into the filing of charges against Cordero, and see whether his right to due process was violated. None of Cordero’s activities make him a criminal. Despite the previous dismissal of trumped up charges that were rendered baseless in the courts, state forces continue to file criminal charges against activists and rights defenders, taking away from them significant and productive time from their work and service to communities and in defense of people’s rights. We demand the release of Cordero, and the outright dismissal of charges against him,” Palabay said.

The arrest of Cordero comes after the arrest of KMU international officer Kara Lenina Taggaoa and Pasiklab Operators and Drivers Association-Piston president Larry Valbuena on October 10, on charges of direct assault. Both are out on bail.

National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) strongly denounced the recent attacks against one of its officers by rabid red-tagger Lorraine Badoy together with Jeffery Celiz and others in a program aired at Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) on Oct. 12.

In a show entitled “Laban Kasama ang Bayan,” NUJP secretary general and Bulatlat managing editor Ronalyn Olea was tagged as an “operatibong internet operator” for the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front.

The group said that this is not the first time that Badoy and others linked personalities, groups and members of the media to revolutionary groups.

In fact, they added, the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), Movement Against Disinformation (MAD) and Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa have all been accused of rebel links without basis.

“However silly the term ‘operatibang internet operator’ sounds, the attempt to link Ms. Olea to the CPP-NPA-NDF for her work in Bulatlat and in NUJP shows how hollow the claim made by Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla before the UN Human Rights Council that red-tagging is simple criticism that is ‘part of a democracy’,” the group said in a statement.

They added that the “The mischaracterization as well as the effects of that mischaracterization — in the case of Bulatlat and PinoyWeekly, of being blocked without even an opportunity to address the accusations by the National Security Council — show that red-tagging has actual effects and is part of government policy.”

Alipato Media Center Inc., publisher of Bulatlat, of which Olea represented, questioned the blocking of its website in the court. On Oct. 10, Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 306 denied motions for reconsideration filed by the National Telecommunications Communication and retired Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. against the temporary unblocking of bulatlat.com. This, after the court granted the preliminary injunction plea filed by Bulatlat against the blocking order of the NTC in August.

“In the face of the baseless accusations and desperate vilification, we stand with Ms. Olea and all others red-tagged by the government and by its mouthpieces,” the group said.

They added that in the light of the killing of commentator Percy Lapid and online threats against journalists Ed Lingao and Lourd de Veyra, they are “not taking red-tagging of journalists lightly and will hold authorities responsible should any harm come to fellow journalists.”

Nearly two decades of practicing journalism

Bulatlat expressed its alarm over the red-tagging of Olea.

“Her being red-tagged happened at a time when there are continuing attacks against journalists in the Philippines,” the online news website said in a statement.

It added that Olea has been a part of Bulatlat during its early days as contributor to becoming its managing editor today.

“She is a champion of human rights reporting, media workers’ welfare and journalists’ safety,” they added.

Olea won awards for her stories on human rights. In 2013, Olea’s story entitled, Killings unabated under Aquino, won third place in the Red Cross Award for Humanitarian Reporting. She was also among the finalists in the Save the Children Media Awards: Uncovering Child Hunger and Malnutrition in 2015 and the Chit Estella Journalism Awards in 2012.

Olea earned her degree of journalism at the Lyceum of the Philippines University. She finished her master’s degree in journalism at the Ateneo De Manila University under Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Media Programme.

Olea was the national president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines from 2002 to 2004.

“In her fight for press freedom, Len is highly visible in the trial courts, in various fora and in the parliament of the streets. She fought those who dare to stifle press freedom and to curtail the people’s right to know. She stands in solidarity with fellow journalists and media workers under attack,” Bulatlat said.

Violation of legislative franchise

Meanwhile, the Movement Against Disinformation (MAD) asserts that the red-tagging of Badoy and others through SMNI is a violation of the 2007 Broadcast Code of the Philippines of the Kapasinan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) and violation of RA 11422, an act granting legislative franchise to SMNI’s corporate vehicle Swara Sug Media Corporation.

The group cited Badoy and Celiz’s attacks against Ressa after the Court of Appeals denied its motion for reconsideration in cyber libel conviction against her and former Rappler researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr., in the same program.

This time, Ressa was tagged as an operator for disinformation, misinformation, deception and giving a platform to the CPP-NPA.

Through these attacks, MAD said that SMNI and the presenters of the Laban Kasama ang Bayan show are using, misusing and abusing its legislative franchise.

“Mass media such as SMNI are highly regulated and are imbued with the public interest because they disseminate information and ideas to the public which ‘set the standards, ideals and aims of the masses,” the group said in a statement.

They added that Section 4 of RA 11422 states, “The grantee shall provide… at all times sound and balanced programming… and not use its stations or facilities for the broadcasting of obscene or indecent language, speech, act or scene; or for the dissemination of deliberately false information or willful misrepresentation, to the detriment of the public interest…”

The group said the influence of mass media could not be left unchecked and unregulated.

“Hence, legal and ethical standards are imposed to curb and control potential misuse and abuse,” the group said.

The group added that the SMNI and its presenters are not above the law in the exercise of their right to deliver information to the public. “They are legally, ethically and morally prohibited from red-tagging and putting in harm’s way the subjects of their news,” they added.

MAD also urged the KBP and all relevant government agencies to review and investigate the red-tagging involving SMNI and Badoy et al.

“It is time that the regulatory powers of the regulators be felt in full force to rein in and hold to account contumacious red-taggers and purveyors of disinformation and misinformation in the Philippines,” they added.

Various groups denounced the arrest of two activists just after their arraignment at Quezon City Regional Trial Court today, Oct. 10.

Kilusang Mayo Uno’s International Officer Kara Taggaoa and transport leader Helari Valbuena, president of Pasiklab Operators and Drivers Association (PASODA) are charged with trumped-up cases of robbery and direct assault.

The charges reportedly stemmed from their reported involvement in the protest action on July 11, 2020 in front of the Commission on Human Rights in Quezon City. The protest was about their opposition to the enactment of terror law and the cancellation of ABS-CBN’s franchise. According to human rights group Karapatan, an alleged cop in plainclothes was surveilling the protesters at that time.

In a video posted on Facebook, Taggaoa said the arraignment on the robbery case had just ended when she was accosted by some police personnel on her way out, read her Miranda rights and then arrested for direct assault charges.

Taggaoa said the robbery case was already scheduled for a resolution in the next hearing.

Valbuena and Taggao decried the violation of their right to due process as they have yet to receive any subpoena from the Office of the Prosecutor in Quezon City. They were also not given a chance to participate in the preliminary investigation on the complaints against them, Karapatan said.

Valbuena and Taggao were able to post bail on the robbery case that is why their arrest for another charge caught them by surprise. They also denied any involvement in any of the charges against them.

The two were taken to Camp Karingal in Quezon City where the police reportedly showed the warrant of arrest against them.

Different groups immediately trooped to Camp Karingal denouncing the arrest of Taggaoa and Valbuena.

Karapatan demands the immediate release of Valbuena and Taggaoa.

“Exercising the people’s right to conduct assemblies and rallies and to express their opinions freely without threats, even during a public health emergency, are fundamental rights, which should not be criminalized in whatever way by authorities,” the group said in a statement.

International League for Peoples’ Struggle-Philippines (ILPS Philippines) also condemned the arrest of Valbuena and Taggaoa, who is also a member of ILPS Workers Commission 5.

“The police personnel’s justification of their arrests along with other human rights defenders, is a blatant manifestation of weaponizing the law to silence and repress those who criticize the government’s failed pandemic response, corruption and trade union and human rights violations,” the group said in a statement.

A donation drive is ongoing to raise funds for the bail of Valbuena and Taggaoa.

Former senator and chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines, Leila de Lima, should be released immediately and unconditionally, said the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) following a recent hostage-taking incident.

On 9 October, three convicts allegedly linked to local terrorist groups stabbed a police officer and held de Lima hostage inside her cell at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center. De Lima, a former senator and human rights lawyer, is being unjustly detained on trumped-up charges.

Responding police officers shot the three convicts, while de Lima, who suffered a mild stroke last year, was hospitalised for three days.[1]

‘De Lima should not even be in detention in the first place. We have received reports of her mistreatment while in detention including constantly being denied access to visitors, electronic devices, and adequate medical furlough under the previous regime,’ said FORUM-ASIA.

‘We strongly condemn the PNP breach of de Lima’s security protocol and failure to ensure her rights while in custody, despite threats to her life and health. The arbitrary detention and mistreatment of de Lima is evident in the Philippine government’s judicial harassment of human rights defenders and narrowing civic space in the country.’

De Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte’s gross human rights violations, was imprisoned in 2017 on politically-motivated charges following her senate investigation into the thousands of extrajudicial killings under Duterte’s war on drugs. Her case continues to move at a snail’s pace despite the lack of evidence supporting the allegations against her. In response to the recent hostage-taking incident, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. offered to transfer de Lima to a different detention center but de Lima reported declined.[2]

‘President Marcos Jr’s offer to transfer De Lima to another facility is a mere band-aid solution. De Lima’s ill-treatment and prolonged detention over baseless, trumped-up accusations are unacceptable and clearly violate international human rights standards. The recent hostage incident underscores the urgency of her release. The Philippine government should immediately release her and dismiss the fabricated allegations against her,’ said FORUM-ASIA.

Radio broadcaster Flo Hervias was physically assaulted by four assailants on October 7, amid a growing number of violent attacks against journalists in the Philippines. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), in condemning the attack and urging the authorities to immediately investigate the incident and hold those responsible to account.

On the evening of October 7, Hervias was assaulted by four masked men as he exited the DYRI radio station in the Lapaz District of Iloilo City after his program ‘Banwa Binag-binaga’ aired. Hervis was beaten and sustained injuries to his eyes and mouth.

According to the NUJP, the assailants pretended to be garbage collectors as they waited outside the station for Hervias to exit the building.

On the day of the attack, Hervias reported on a controversial rehabilitation project of the city’s public market, which is currently underway. The broadcaster interviewed the contractor in charge of the project to discuss what was being done to help the market’s existing vendors transfer to temporary stalls.

Hervias has since requested temporary protection from the Philippine National Police.

The attack comes days after radio commentator Percival Mabasa, also known as Percy Lapid, was shot dead in his vehicle in Las Piñas City.The veteran broadcaster, host of ‘Lapid Fire’ on radio station DWBL 1242, was known to criticise the practice of red tagging, or the labelling of activists or organisations as supporters of communism, among other political issues.

Lapid is the second journalist to be killed under the administration of President Ferdinand Jr., with his death causing widespread fear within the journalist community in the Philippines.

Veteran radio broadcaster Percival Mabasa, more popularly known as Percy Lapid, was shot dead in his vehicle in Las Piñas City on Monday evening after receiving death threats, prompting the government, including the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), to launch probes into his death.

The family said Lapid received a lot of death threats before he was killed, and because of his brave commentaries on various issues, a lot of angles (on possible motives for the shooting) could be considered, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) Secretary General Ronalyn Olea told CNN Philippines' Balitaan on Tuesday.

Lapid was a staunch critic of the current administration and of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

"Medyo challenging din po 'yong magiging imbestigasyon pero from the looks of it, batay doon sa topics na kanyang tinalakay, ay malamang po work-related ito," Olea said.

[Translation: The investigation will be challenging but from the looks of it, based on the topics he tackled, the killing is probably work-related.]

Las Piñas City Police said Lapid was gunned down by two assailants at the gate of a subdivision along Aria St., Barangay Talon Dos. One of the attackers was on a motorcycle while the other was on board a white Toyota Fortuner.

"We are deeply saddened and angered by the brutal and brazen killing of fearless broadcaster, father and husband, brother and friend, Percy Lapid," a statement of Lapid's family posted on Facebook said.

"We strongly condemn this deplorable crime; it was committed not only against Percy, his family, and his profession, but against our country, his beloved Philippines, and the truth," added the statement posted by Lapid's younger brother, journalist and former National Press Club president Roy Mabasa.

Before his death, Lapid hosted a radio news commentary program on DWBL 1242 called Lapid Fire, where he delivered hard-hitting criticism of perceived abuses and irregularities by the government. He was also a former broadcaster of DWIZ radio station.

The NUJP said Lapid was the second journalist killed during the term of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The first was radio broadcaster Rey Blanco, who was stabbed to death in Negros Oriental last month.

Olea said Lapid was the first in recent years to be killed in Metro Manila. He was also the 196th journalist killed in the country since 1986, the year democracy was restored after the ouster of dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, the father of the current president.

Calls for justice over Lapid's killing have since flooded the comment section on his social media posts. PNP, CHR launch investigations into Lapid's death

The Philippine National Police vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable, saying the local police created a special investigation task force and that the probe is underway.

Meanwhile, Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevarra said he would meet with the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, as well as with the Southern Police District to ensure the conduct of the investigation "proceeds without any problem and submit to us, report to us hopefully within the next seven days."

The CHR, meanwhile, denounced the killing of Lapid, as it stressed journalists' role in "upholding democracy and demanding accountability in any society."

"Any threat or attack to press freedom is a direct threat to people's right to truth and information," it said in a statement.

The commission also noted it has started its motu proprio investigation into the killing of the broadcaster.

Lapid's last broadcast aired on Sept. 30 during which he tackled the dangers of red-tagging, among other political issues.

Students of Far Eastern University (FEU), along with other university belt schools, staged a protest last November 4 to condemn the FEU administration for the possible dismissal of three Tamaraw students.

The three students are facing charges after they participated in a September 21 protest commemorating the 50th year since the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. declared Martial Law.

In an interview with Bulatlat, one of the students, Romarie Relator, 20, a first year nursing student narrated the timeline of events about the issue.

Timeline of Events

Relator said various groups in the university made plans and initiatives for the Martial Law commemoration, including a massive callout to join a silent protest in the university pavilion with participants wearing black.

At precisely 12 noon, during breaktime, many students joined the Sept. 21 protest, which lasted for only two to three minutes. This was followed by a short discussion about the atrocities committed during the martial law years.

While the discussion was taking place, several university guards approached the students and took pictures of their discussion circles. The students then returned to their classes after the discussions.

Relator and two other students Marie Justine Keswani, 20, a second year student, and Dyan Macerin, 22, a second year education student, stayed at the pavilion since they no longer had classes. They were then “forcefully escorted” to the Office of the Student Discipline (OSD), where they were questioned by the security personnel without being informed why they were being apprehended.

Relator said OSD director Rosalie Cada ordered the three to look for the other students who joined the protest.

The university staff also confiscated the pamphlets that were distributed during the activity and attempted to take the their identification cards. When they asked why, the students were told to ask for clarifications during the Parents Committee.

They were also warned that if they do not comply with the hearing that will be conducted by the Ad Hoc Discipline Committee, together with their parents, they will not be able to enrol the following semester.

Seven days after the protest, she said that their school IDs were blocked, leaving them without access to the campus and that they missed their classes as a result. Relator, for her part, said she missed her midterm examination for her Art Appreciation class.

Macerin’s parents conference took place last Oct. 21, while Relator’s was last Nov. 3. For Keswani, the OSD has yet to schedule the conference with her parents, since they are working overseas and that the OSD insists that the parents be present during the conference.

During the conference, the students then learned that they were being charged with grave offenses stated their handbook. These are:

1. “Hazing and recruitment or membership to fraternities, sororities, or other organizations not recognized by the university,” and

2. “Acts of subversion and insurgency, such as unauthorized demonstrations, rallies and boycotting of classes, including use of class hours or classrooms to encourage students to join in subversive acts or insurgency.”

Relator said they tried to negotiate the OSD’s decision, and that they be at least allowed to finish the first semester. They were told, however, that the handbook is “black and white” and that their appeal will not be granted. They were also advised to voluntarily withdraw from the university to still be able to obtain a good morale certificate instead of their respective records be marred with the alleged offenses.

Calls to drop the charges

Relator said their silent and short protest was only meant to remember the atrocities during Martial Law of Marcos Sr. and that this is very much relevant with the dictator’s son now seating as president.

“We protested in order to forward our calls during the Martial Law commemoration but the FEU’s actions resulted in trampling our freedom of expression and the people’s rights to organize,” Relator said.

This, she added, will result in a chilling effect among her fellow students.

Various progressive youth groups came to the defense of the three students, expressing their disappointment over the “lack of action on the grievances of the student body, which encompasses the students’ right to quality education and democratic rights.”

“FEU labeling the Martial Law Commemoration protest as ‘acts of subversion and insurgency’ is no different from the NTF-ELCAC’s massive spate of red-tagging and harassment conducted against those who fight for historical truth and justice,” said Justine Keswani, spokesperson of Anakbayan Morayta.

The intercollegiate alliance of student publications in the Asia-Pacific, the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), meanwhile said that the university that claims to champion fortitude, excellence, and uprightness should be the same university for a safe haven of discourse and pillars of critical thinking.

The groups called on the FEU administration to drop the charges against the three students, saying that “as our nation faces a severe education crisis, FEU must channel its energy in putting primacy on giving quality education and heeding the demands of the students.”

What happens next?

According to Relator, the OSD said they will forward the case to the Student Conduct Committee, consisting of seven representatives from the university. However, she also reiterated that during the time when their case was deliberated, no student conduct committee was formed.

The three students are now talking to a lawyer for possible legal action.

Bulatlat has reached out to the FEU administration for comments. As of this writing, the university has not yet replied.

Christine Marie Vidaya, community leader of Pinagkaisang Lakas ng Mamamayan (PLM) in Payatas Quezon City was traumatized after she and other members of their group were presented to the public as New People’s Army (NPA) returnees.

She said a former coordinator of PLM told her that they can get aid if they will “surrender.” Last Sept. 12, at around 8:00 a.m., Vidaya and 19 others were fetched from their community and were brought to Caloocan where they were supposed to get aid.

“When we got into the venue in Caloocan, a (police) chief was already there. There were also soldiers and other people, including the media. I was wondering that if we’re only going to get aid (a food pack and rice) why all the fuss?” Vidaya said in Filipino.

She said they had no idea what was going on until they were presented as NPA returnees.

Vidaya said they cannot do anything at that moment.

“We did not know what to do. We did not know what would happen if we didn’t sign the document they made us sign. Would they allow us to leave?” she added.

As a result, Vidaya had been anxious not only for her safety but also for her family and their members. For a week, she said, she had been crying thinking that what had happened has ruined her reputation. “It was really humiliating,” she said.

Vidaya was one of the speakers at the launching of Citizens Rights Watch Network (CWRN) last Nov. 5 at the Commission on Human Rights. The CWRN is a network of individuals and organizations aimed at mobilizing support for Filipinos whose democratic, civil and political rights are under attack.

Vidaya denied that they were members of the NPA. She said she cannot understand why they are being alleged as such. “We only fight for our rights. If only the government is giving us what we need we would not complain,” she said.

Lean Porquia, lead convenor of CRWN, said in a statement that communities and sectors are “being red-tagged for calling out for legitimate demands—just wages and decent jobs, aid, housing, and other social services.”

“Filipinos are being intimidated into silence, especially by the NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict) and their cohorts. But we say no more,” Porquia said. Porquia is the son of slain Iloilo activist Jory Porquia.

Porquia himself was repeatedly red-tagged by the NTF-ELCAC.

In its manifesto of unity, the network said they gathered together in defense of communities and even virtual spaces in the exercise of their rights and liberties.

“We gather to put a stop to repeated attempts by the NTF-ELCAC and other state agencies to sow terror, confusion, and intimidate our people into silence and inaction. We gather to stand as one with the people in their struggles for democracy, social justice and genuine peace,” the manifesto read.

During the launch, different individuals spoke about their experiences of being linked with the revolutionary groups. Also present to tell their stories were Kilusang Mayo Uno’s international officer Kara Taggaoa; Gabriela’s Ruth Manglalan, whose partner, Elizabeth “Loi” Magbanua is still missing; Rey Valmores, chairperson of LGBTQI group, Bahaghari, and Karapatan Southern Tagalog Interim Officer; and United Church of Christ in the Philippines pastor, Rev. Edwin Egar.

Egar shared that he was visited twice by members of the 59th Infantry Battalion on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. He was told by the soldiers to surrender because he is a “supporter.”

“I asked them who I was supporting. They said they got a document in the Bondoc Peninsula and they suspect that the NPAs are using me. I told them I cannot surrender because why would I surrender?” he said.

Egar also said they received information on Nov. 2 that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police will have a “one time, big time” operation similar to what happened on March 7, 2021, infamously dubbed as Bloody Sunday.

Egar said that there is a climate of fear because of what is happening in Southern Tagalog. That is why, he said, such gatherings will give the people the courage to fight back.

Vidaya said that she has explained to their members that there is no truth to the allegation against them.

“What we have are only placards bearing our calls to the government,” she said.

Lawyer Minerva Lopez of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) reiterated the importance of being united against those who violate the rights of the people.

“If we don’t fight together, nothing will happen,” she said.

Lopez said she believes that one day, perpetrators will be held accountable.

The CRWN convenors and participating organizations include Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos, Fr. Rudy Abao, MSC, Atty. Josh Quising of Alternative Law Group, Karl Suyat of Project Gunita, Sr. Eleanor Llanes, ICM, UP Professor Cynthia Zayas, former political detainee Pol Viuya, Director Kip Oebanda, and the Far Eastern University Legal Aid Bureau, among others.

The network plans to hold community-based human rights training and seminars, stakeholder meetings and dialogues, legal consultations and actions, fact finding and humanitarian missions, information and advocacy campaigns, community mobilizations, and lobbying.

They also called on other freedom-loving citizens, organizations, and institutions to join the network.

Groups decried the harassment of red-tagged peasant leader Lucia Capaducio, who is at the forefront of seeking government assistance for the food producers of Panay.

Capaducio is a known peasant leader and the current chairperson of the peasant group Paghugpong sang Mangunguma sa Panay kag Guimaras (PAMANGGAS).

According to Panay Alliance Karapatan, on Sept. 3, three men who introduced themselves as personnel of Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) went to Capaducio residence and asked her whereabouts. Capaducio’s husband Felix, 72, who was in the house that day was interrogated by these men and accused her wife as a leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) and that their family are supporters of the rebel group. Their daughter was also interrogated, the group said.

Capaducio was not in the house when the three men came. Panay Karapatan Alliance said Capaducio was in the community gathering signatures for a petition against golden rice and aid for farmers.

A day before the incident, another red-tagged development worker Linalyn Jaynos was also arrested.

Panay Alliance Karapatan believes that the recent incidents are an attack against farmers who are only demanding help from the government. They assert that allegations against Capaducio are all lies.

“The attack against Nay Lucia is an attack against our farmers who are suffering from the effect of the economic crisis this government has created and failed to resolve,” Panay Alliance Karapatan said in a statement.

“It is the latest assault on local peasant communities that, for years, have been harassed for calling out the government for its negligence and incompetence in tackling the issues confronting their sector. Under a sham democracy, those who are on the “laylayan” have become victims severalfold,” it added.

Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG), a farmer-led network, urged the government to stop the harassments against Capaducio’s family and demanded that the government use their resources to help farmers instead.

“MASIPAG urges the government to honor their mandated duty of supporting our local farmers and not to abuse their powers as duty bearers in forwarding their own exclusive agenda in agriculture,” the organization said in a statement.

“We in MASIPAG enjoins everyone in condemning this recent attack on Nay Lucia and to all the farmers experiencing structural harassment and persecution. MASIPAG rally behind in full solidarity and support to Nay Lucia and others who have exemplified that in times of hardship, it is our duty to help,” it added.

Capaducio has been working to champion the rights of peasants and human rights in cases of indigenous people against the military and humanitarian initiatives during calamities

She is also a long time MASIPAG member.

“For decades, Nay Lucia has been sharing her wide array of skills in sustainable organic farming by training farmers across the country both in the technical and advocacy and lobbying aspect of sustainable organic agriculture,” MASIPAG said.

Panay Alliance Karapatan said Capaducio has participated and assisted in fact-finding missions, particularly on the attacks against the Tumandok people.

“The attack against Nay Lucia is an attack against our farmers who are suffering from the effect of the economic crisis this government has created and failed to resolve. It is the latest assault on local peasant communities that, for years, have been harassed for calling out the government for its negligence and incompetence in tackling the issues confronting their sector. Under a sham democracy, those who are on the “laylayan” have become victims several fold,” Panay Alliance Karapatan said.

In 2021, Capaducio was awarded the Gawad Ben Ramos Award for her efforts in championing pro-farmer and pro-people agriculture and food system.

Women’s group Gabriela denounced the recent raid of one of its shelter houses for abused women that led to the arrest of Lenilyn Jaynos, a community development worker, in Roxas City on Sept. 2.

Jaynos is a community organizer of the urban poor group Kaisog, a member organization of Kadamay in Panay. She was in the shelter house for post-operation medical check-ups.

The 45-year-old activist, along with Gabriela-Roxas City’s secretary general Marivie Bartolome Arguelles and another individual, was named in a search warrant used by the members of the police to raid their shelter house for women located at Happy Homes Subdivision, Barangay Sibaguan, Roxas City.

Only Jaynos was in the shelter at the time of the search.

The police purportedly found in her possession several arms and explosives, which Maura Abellon, chairperson of Kadamay-Panay also said it would be impossible for Jaynos to carry.

They also took with them as “evidence” a flag of Gabriela.

However, Clarice Palce, Gabriela’s secretary general, said these were all planted.

Gabriela-Panay chairperson Lucia Francisco said the raid of the shelter is reminiscent of previous searches and raids, where purported evidence are planted before authorities would come in to conduct the “search.”

In this case, she said that Jaynos saw a man carrying two back packs entered the shelter. The said man walked out of the shelter without the bags.

“More than 30 members of the operatives surrounded the shelter. They conducted the search, called the village officials and then after the search they claimed that they found two bags containing arms and explosives in the window at the back of the curtain,” Francisco said during the online briefing.

Not a terrorist

Women rights advocates said that contrary to the claims of the police, Jaynos is not a terrorist.

“She has been serving the poor for most of her entire life. She was a teacher for an urban poor daycare center in Iloilo City for years before later serving peasant communities in Capiz,” Panay Alliance Karapatan said in a statement.

When typhoon Yolanda hit the country, Jaynos is among the volunteers of Buylog Capiz that helped many farmers and fisherfolk recovered from the trauma and devastation of one of the strongest typhoons to ever make landfall in recent history.

She also worked with Gabriela, particularly in cases of victims of state negligence and abuse.

Gabriela, for its part, said the shelter where Jaynos was arrested is among the crisis centers they have established in many parts of the country to provide a safe space for women who are survivors of abuse.

“Centers like these are refuge for women incapable of protecting themselves against powerful perpetrators and who have nowhere to turn to, as government has meager and ineffective responses to the widespread problem of violence against women,” Gabriela said.

Rights violations

Progressives said the recent event is among the apparent heightened number of cases of harassment against women activists.

Last month, ailing women’s rights activist Atheliana Hijos was arrested in Butuan City. She has difficulties walking.

“It is abhorrent that in spite of billions of money being poured into government so-called intelligence funds, we find such failures of intelligence victimizing poor people such as Jaynos who has been deeply traumatized by the event,” the group said in a statement.

“Jaynos arrest and the accusations against them is an indication that under the Marcos-Duterte regime, human rights violations will remain rampant and that state forces have again mobilized their ranks to commit human rights violations,” Panay Alliance Karapatan said.

A 76-year old longtime women’s rights activist was arrested by elements of the Regional Intelligence Division in Butuan City on Tuesday, Aug. 30.

Atheliana “Atel” Hijos, is the secretary general of Gabriela-Caraga.

An alert released by Karapatan-Caraga chapter said that the police arrested Hijos over charges of murder, kidnapping and serious illegal detention. Warrants of arrest were issued by the Regional trial Court Branch 43, Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte dated June 10, 2020 and by RTC Branch 7, Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur dated February 12, 2020 with no bail bond.

Women’s group Gabriela said there is no other reason for her arrest other than her being their leader for decades.

“She is one of the pillars of the women’s movement in Mindanao,” the group said in a statement.

“She dedicated her life to helping and serving women who are victims of abuse. She also actively led in the 80’s the cases of women victims of sex trafficking. She became active in campaigns against giant mining companies, and ran for council in her hometown in Mindanao,” they added.

Hijos is also a former public school teacher and was the founding member of Women’s Alliance for True Change (WATCH)-Mindanao – a broad-based movement of women who resisted the Marcos dictatorship.

According to human rights groups Karapatan, Hijos has pulmonary tuberculosis and hypertension. She recently suffered from a mild stroke.

“She has been bedridden, and she has difficulties walking, at times using a wheelchair. How can an elderly and elderly woman, with such a frail build like Atel’s, possibly commit all the crimes alleged against her?” said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan in a statement.

Palabay said the arrest of Hijos is based on fabricated testimonies of soldiers who accused her as a combatant and was involved in armed encounters.

Palabay said “this is a blatant lie considering Atel’s senior age and frail physical condition.”

“In one of the charges leveled against her, she has submitted sound and reasonable proof that she was attending election-related activities at the time of the alleged incident of armed encounter between soldiers and New People’s Army rebels. Like all those who were arrested, Hijos has been subjected to red-tagging, via numerous posters and fliers bearing her name and picture disseminated by the military in public places in Caraga,” Palabay said.

Karapatan has recorded, as of July this year, 92 political prisoners in the Caraga region, 22 of them are women.

They expressed their concern over the cases filed in court saying that “the region has become a warrant factory where trumped up charges against activists are cooked up to suppress their voices and stifle political dissent.”

The group noted activists who have cases and similar charges filed in the courts of Cagara such as Mindanao-based activists and development workers such as Dr. Naty Castro, human rights worker Renalyn Tejero and Teresita Naul, women’s rights activists Nerita de Castro, teacher Gary Campos, development workers Julieta Gomez and Niezel Velasco, peasant activists Virgilio Lincuna and Marcela Diaz, church worker Aldeem Yanez, indigenous rights activist Gloria Campos Tumalon, among others.

Karapatan also said that Luzon-based trade unionists Juan Alexander Reyes, Rowena Rosales, Maoj Maga, and Antonieta Dizon, and development workers Benito Quilloy and Rita Espinoza were likewise implicated in trumped up charges filed in courts in Caraga, despite the fact that these individuals have never been to Mindanao.

“The successive arrests of long-time women’s rights activists Atel Hijos and Adora Faye de Vera, both have fought the Marcos dictatorship, show the government’s contempt for brave Filipinas who struggle against political repression,” Palabay said.

The group demanded the immediate release of Hijos and De Vera and all political prisoners on humanitarian and just grounds.

“We enjoin all women human rights defenders in the Philippines and around the world in our collective call – Free Our Sisters! Free Ourselves!” Palabay said.

“Who is Adora Faye?”

This question started circulating in social media after her reported arrest on Wednesday, August 24 and after his brother, Commission on Higher Education (Ched) Chairperson Prospero De Vera III distanced himself from her sister.

Panay News reported on Thursday, August 25 that Adora Faye De Vera (reported as de Veyra) was arrested by authorities in Teachers Village East, Quezon City. Allegedly, De Vera has a warrant of arrest for multiple murder with the use of explosives and multiple frustrated murders issued on March 19, 2006.

De Vera was alleged as a high ranking officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

But amid this allegation of the authorities, former secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Judy Taguiwalo said De Vera is a martial law survivor.

“She is a martial law survivor whose story of rape and sexual abuse while in the hands of the military was one of the cases filed during the class suit against Marcos in Hawaii,” said Taguiwalo in a Facebook post.

She also described De Vera as a very talented poet “whose poems deal with women’s oppression, state violence against women and the power of collective action.” Along with her post is De Vera’s poem entitled 11:30, which Taguiwalo said, she used as reference in teaching women’s studies.

Taguiwalo was also a political prisoner during martial law of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay also posted De Vera’s poem for desaparecidos, including her husband who has been missing for many years.

“Hahanapin kita sa luntian bukirin, Sa ngiti ng sanggol, sa ihip ng hangin; Kung sa paglaya na ang iyong pagdating, At wala ka roon ay hahanapin pa rin.”

The horrors of her torture and sexual abuse from the hands of the soldiers written in Martial Law Files: A History of Resistance also resurfaced and circulated in social media.

De Vera is also among the 10 original plaintiffs who filed a class suit against Marcos Sr. in the US.

Alive but shocked.

This is how Kinja Cariño Tauli described her father, Stephen Tauli, a long-time development worker and indigenous people’s rights defender, who was found last night after he was believed to be abducted by state forces on Saturday night, August 20.

In an earlier statement, the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) said Tauli, 63, was beaten up and kidnapped by five men in a store along Ag-a Road, Appas, Tabuk City in Kalinga province.

Tauli, regional council member of the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance, has long been subjected to red-tagging, particularly by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict that even held a forum in the Kalinga State University last week.

“Active since the Chico Dam struggle, he has persistently campaigned against dams, mines, and other forms of development aggression against the Cordillera peoples. For his committed work, he was wrongly red-tagged and subjected to surveillance and harassment,” Kinja wrote in her Facebook post.

Tauli’s colleagues in the human rights movement have also called for his surfacing and demanded the government to stop harassing developmental workers in the province.

“Manong Steve’s only crime is his commitment to organizing and empowering the people to defend their ancestral lands against development aggression and militarization,” the Dap-ayan ti Kultura iti Kordilyera, an alliance of cultural organizations and individuals in Cordillera, said.

The Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) said Tauli needs to recover to be able to state the full account since he was assaulted and kidnapped.

uman rights defender Fr. Angelito Andig Cortez, OFM, 37 years old, priest, and resident of Kapanata Community, Cleofas Street, Barangay Bagbag, Novaliches, Quezon City, received threats through phone calls from an unidentified person during two separate occasions.

Fr. Cortez spent nine months abroad as he was assigned to a mission to the General Curia in Rome, Italy. He returned to the Philippines in February 2022.

On May 24, 2022, Fr. Cortez received six missed calls from mobile number 09978339528 at 4:40 p.m., 6:19 p.m., and 6:41 p.m. (four times). At 7:15 p.m., he again received a call from the same number. Fr. Cortez picked up the call but just listened to the other person on the line. It was a male voice that said, “Alam namin, Father, nandito na kayo sa Pilipinas. Kailangan namin ng tulong ninyo.” (“We know, Father, that you are already here in the Philippines. We need your help.”) After ending the call, Fr. Cortez blocked the number from his phone.

On August 20, 2022, a few weeks after Fr. Cortez and another priest returned from Geneva, Switzerland as part of the international lobby mission during the 50th United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), he again received calls from an unidentified person. This time, the calls came from the mobile number 09557153712. There were missed calls at 10:23 p.m. (thrice), 10:35 p.m., 10:38 p.m. (twice), and 10:39 p.m. (twice). Fr. Cortez picked up the call at 10:39 p.m. and listened to the other person on the line. The male voice was the same as the one who called him on May 24. The man said, “Mga taga-Zamboanga kame, inutusan kaming ipapatay kayo! May apat na kaming kasama na nadeploy sa Manila, dalawang babae at dalawang lalake, pero nalaman po namin na pari kayo kaya pinahold muna namin, ayaw namin madamay mga inosenteng tao, lalo na ang pamilya niyo.” (“We are from Zamboanga, we were ordered to have you killed! We already have four companions deployed in Manila, two women and two men, but we learned that you are a priest so we put [the order] on hold, we do not want innocent people, especially your family, to be implicated.”) After ending the call, Fr. Cortez blocked the number from his phone.

On August 26, 2022, Fr. Cortez filed a police blotter of the incident at the Novaliches Police Station 4. His account was put on record and was advised to report at the Quezon City Police District Anti-Cybercrime Group.

According to Fr. Cortez, he started receiving threats and nasty comments on his Facebook posts in 2018. He has been part of the international advocacy mission for the UNHRC sessions for several times. During the missions, he talked about the human rights situation in the Philippines, as well as demanded for accountability through the International Criminal Court. He believed that the threats may have been a result of his international lobby work.

After he returned to the Philippines from Geneva on July 9, Fr. Cortez also had several meetings with diplomats to also talk about the human rights situation in the Philippines.

He said that it may also be related to his work as a religious of providing sanctuary to victims of human rights violations and/or their families.

Fr. Cortez did not pay much attention to the previous threats. He however felt the gravity of the latest threat because the caller already mentioned his family.

On August 10, 2022, the houses of Juvenile Estrada, 53, and Deana Estrada, 53, were allegedly demolished illegally by seven alleged goons hired by Hacienda Vicenta in Purok 1 and Sitio Kambagting, Barangay Cabacungan, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, Philippines. Juvenile and Deana are members of Hacienda Vicenta Farm Workers Association (HVFWA). HVFWA has an ongoing land dispute with Hacienda Vicenta. Apart from Juvenile and Deana, other members of HVFWA have received threats from the said goons.

According to Juvenile, he was sitting inside his house at around 9:00 A.M. when five men wearing face covers barged into his house and asked him if he was the owner of the said house. Juvenile politely asked what the problem was. One of the men then ordered Juvenile to get out of his house within five minutes or stay and be crushed while the men demolished the house. Juvenile said that he was confused and tried to stand up but was held back by one of the men. Juvenile was told that there was no need to ask the barangay officials and that they already settled the matter with the officials. Juvenile added that the men did not present any document to prove the legality of the demolition. Juvenile further added that he was intimidated by the men’s appearance and did not ask further questions.

According to Gaudiosa Estrada, Juvenile’s wife, upon hearing what the men said, she quickly ran outside to ask help from their barangay officials. Gaudiosa said that their officials refused to help them and allegedly said that they do not have jurisdiction over the matter for it was a privately owned lot. Gaudiosa added that by the time she returned to their house, it had already been demolished.

According to Juvenile, he begged to save their belongings but the men refused. Juvenile said that while five men were inside their house, another two were positioned outside. One end of the rope was tied to one of their house’s posts and the other end to a tractor. Juvenile said that within seconds after he went out their house, the driver drove the tractor forward and pulled their house in one go. Juvenile added that the men left after destroying their house and sarcastically ordered him to compute the monetary amount of the damage and it would be paid by the hacienda’s owner.

According to Rose Ann Estrada, Deana’s daughter, she was busy inside their house along with eight children when five men entered their house and ordered them to leave. The men allegedly said that within five minutes, they will demolish their house. Rose asked the reason for the demolition, but was instead threatened by one of the men. Rose was left with nothing to do and instructed the children to rush outside. Rose then rushed up to the second floor to wake up and get her 11-month-old child. Rose said that she went out as quickly as possible and felt dizzy. Rose added that she remembered handing over her child to one of her children and then she passed out. Rose further added that by the time she regained consciousness, the demolition was done.

According to Rose, one of the men tied one end of the rope to their house and the other end to a red canter truck owned by Hacienda Vicenta.

According to May Ann Montalvo, a witness and also a member of HVFWA, she and her brother were inside their house eating when they noticed a gray pick-up truck parked outside their house. Montalvo and her brother went out and saw the plate number of the truck suspiciously covered with leaves and a piece of plywood. Her brother then uncovered the plate number and went around the truck to take pictures of the plate number. Montalvo said that while her brother was taking pictures, she saw Jose Pameroyan, a worker from the hacienda, peeking from inside the truck. Montalvo added that Pameroyan was the alleged team leader of the demolition team.

According to Montalvo, after taking pictures of the truck, she then proceeded to check the status of the Estradas’ house. On her way to the demolition site, she came across the demolition team and overheard the men talking. Montalvo said that the men were saying that it would not be the last demolition and there will be a next time.

According to Juvenile, before the incident, he was summoned by the barangay captain to sit in a meeting with the hacienda’s secretary and sign an agreement between him and the hacienda. As to Juvenile’s understanding, he was offered to be paid by the hacienda if he voluntarily vacates their lot. Juvenile allegedly agreed on the terms. Juvenile added that after the demolition, he received no payment from the hacienda.

As of this writing, both Juvenile and Deana have not received any assistance, monetary or otherwise, from the hacienda. The barangay is also allegedly giving Juvenile and Deana a hard time in procuring the necessary documents required for case filing.

On July 26, 2022, unidentified men were allegedly seen roving around the residence of Ronald Deocadiz, 38 years old, human rights defender, land rights advocate and organizer, in Barangay Caduhaan, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental. Deocadiz is a community leader and organizer specialized in land rights and disputes in Negros Occidental. Deocadiz is also a paralegal volunteer who help farm workers in Barangay Purisima, Manapla push their land claims against Victorias Milling Company - Manapla Distillery (VMC) which led to multiple harassment incidents.

According to Deocadiz, on July 24, he received a tip from a friend telling him to be cautious in his movements for he is already in the Order of Battle (OB). Deocadiz said that his friend allegedly heard rumors circulating within the blue guards of VMC. Deaocadiz added that he was not surprised to hear the news for he was already expecting these kinds of aggression, but is still wary, given that one leader from Manapla was killed on July 13.

According to Deocadiz, later that day, his sister-in-law also told him the same information but from a different source. Deocadiz said that his sister-in-law was visited by a friend who allegedly told her that Deocadiz is in the OB and will be killed by persons riding-in-tandem. Deocadiz said that the tips from his friend and his sister-in-law coincidentally matched and had become very serious to be ignored.

According to Deocadiz, on Tuesday morning, July 26, he noticed suspicious-looking men lurking and roving around his residence. Deocadiz said that at first, he did not pay much attention to it and thought that maybe the men were just from another barangay visiting someone in his neighborhood. Deocadiz added that he was later convinced that the men were after him when the same men kept passing by their house for no apparent reason. Deocadiz then decided to move to a relatively safer place and inform his networks about his ordeal.

According to Deocadiz, although he is safe for now, he is not sure whether or not he would be safe in the coming days. Deocadiz said that the owner of his temporary safe house also received multiple death threats due to their line of work. Deocadiz is asking for a much safer place to hide for the meantime. Deocadiz said that he is currently in a dire situation and is badly in need of support from networks.

Background:

Deocadiz is one of the main organizers who assisted Felicidad Begonia Farm Workers Association (FBFWA), an organization of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARB), that has a land dispute with VMC-Manapla Distillery. FBFWA then launched a mass action protest on February 9, 2022, in the hopes that their calls and claims would be heard by concerned government agencies. The mass protest almost came to a halt when the Manapla Philippine National Police (PNP) carried out a violent dispersal on February 17 that resulted in the arrest of four members and injury of several members.

Throughout the ARBs’ struggle for land claims, various ways and tactics were allegedly employed by VMC to harass and intimidate the ARBs. This past few months, FBFWA members reported different incidents of harassment they allegedly experienced. These alleged harassment incidents vary from simple surveillance to death threats and trumped-up cases. On July 13,, Rodan Berito, FBFWA’s chairperson, was shot dead while riding his motorcycle in Victorias City.

A Lumad teacher was arrested by the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Sunday, July 17, according to human rights group Karapatan-Caraga.

Gary S. Campos, a Lumad-Manobo, was on his way to a review center to prepare for the upcoming licensure examination for teachers when he was arrested in Tandag City, Surigao del Sur, the group said in an alert.

Campos was able to call his friends from a police station in Butuan and told them that he was arrested. The group said the police reportedly presented a warrant of arrest but the charges are yet to be disclosed as of this writing.

Save Our Schools Network denounced Campos saying that this is “another attempt by state agents to repress Lumad youth who have been proactive in giving back to their communities.”

“Even after his administration has ended, Duterte’s terror persists and has been passed down to the current, including, among other things, extensive trumped up charges, unlawful detentions, and other human rights violations,” the group said in a statement.

Campos, is a graduate of Tribal Filipino Program of Surigao del Sur (TRIFPSS) and Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (ALCADEV). He also finished his education degree at St. Theresa’s College-Tandag through the help of the Indigenous Peoples Apostolate scholarship program of the Diocese of Tandag.

Karapatan-Caraga said Campos volunteered as a teacher in TRIFPSS after his graduation to serve back to the community.

He currently volunteers as a teacher at a local school in Tandag City under the Department of Education.

Campos is also a member of Malahutayong Pakigbisog Alang sa Sumusunod (MAPASU), a Lumad organization at the forefront in defending the Andap Valley Complex against foreign, large-scale coal mining.

“We call on all student and Indigenous peoples’ rights advocates to stand with Gary and seek accountability from the terror being unleashed by the Duterte-Marcos regime,” the group said.

Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) writes to inform you about a shooting incident in Osmeña Ave., Barangay 5, Victorias City, Negros Occidental on July 13, 2022 that claimed the life of Rodan Berito, 40 years old, president of Felicidad Begonia Farm Workers Association (FBFWA). FBWA has a long-standing land dispute with Victorias Milling Company-Manapla Distillery (VMC). FBFWA leaders, including Berito, received multiple death threats and suffered from various forms of harassment allegedly from VMC.

CASE DETAILS:

Rodan Berito, 40 years old, president of Felicidad Begonia Farm Workers Association (FBFWA), was killed in a vigilante-style summary execution in Osmeña Ave., Barangay 5, Victorias City, Negros Occidental on July 13, 2022. Berito previously received multiple death threats related to their land dispute against Victorias Milling Company-Manapla Distillery (VMC). Berito was a resident of Barangay Purisima, Manapla, Negros Occidental.

According to Ronald Deocadiz, a land rights advocate and FBFWA organizer, between 3:00 to 4:00 P.M., Berito was standing in the area to buy cigarette when an unidentified gunman approached and shot him at close range. The gunman allegedly fled onboard a motorcycle driven by an unidentified accomplice. Deocadiz said that Berito succumbed to a fatal bullet wound in the head. Deocadiz added that the police recovered a fired deformed slug and a fired cartridge case of a .45 caliber pistol.

According to Deocadiz, Berito was aware that his life was under serious threat. Deocadiz said that on June 24, Berito’s son was robbed while driving Berito’s car in Hacienda Leticia, Barangay Caduhaan, Cadiz City. Deocadiz also said that Berito was the supposed target but when the perpetrator found that it was his son who was driving Berito’s car, they had to improvise, hence the robbery.

According to Deocadiz, Berito was scheduled to attend a court hearing on July 14, just a day after he was killed. Deocadiz said that Berito was arrested in April 2021 when the police raided his house in Manapla for illegal firearms and ammunition and illegal drugs. Deocadiz added that Berito was released later that year after posting bail.

Background:

Berito was the FBFWA president at the time of his death. In 2013, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) gave five collective Certificate of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) to 105 members of then Ha. Begonia Farm Workers Association. However, they were not formally installed because of an alleged intimidation incident carried out by alleged goons of VMC in 2017.

FBFWA, alongside the residents of Barangay Purisima and neighboring barangays, has a long-standing complaint against VMC for its illegal waste water disposal that resulted in multiple fish kills and emission of unbearable odor. The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-6) released multiple Notice of Violations to VMC to which the company complied. However, residents continued to complain against VMC for alleged malpractices.

On February 9, 2022, FBFWA members launched a picket line enforcing a stoppage order issued by Barangay Purisima Council. The picket line blocked the road leading to VMC preventing delivery tankers from entering and exiting the distillery plant. On February 17, the picket line was violently dispersed by Manapla Police and resulted in the arrest and detention of four FBFWA members.

The Philippine Court of Appeals (CA) affirmed the cyber libel conviction of Rappler CEO and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa, and former Rappler researcher-writer Reynaldo Santos Jr., adding eight months to the prison sentence initially imposed by a lower court in Manila.

“The appeal is denied. The decision of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46 finding accused Reynaldo Santos Jr. and Maria Ressa guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violation of Section 4(c)4 of Republic Act 10175 otherwise known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 is affirmed with modification insofar as accused are sentenced to suffer the indeterminate penalty of imprisonment ranging from six months and one day as minimum to six years and eight months and twenty days as maximum,” said the decision by the Court of Appeals Fourth Division.

The CA ruling was signed by Associate Justices Roberto Quiroz, Ramon Bato, and Germano Francisco Legaspi. It is a different set of justices than the ones who handled the appeal earlier on and who had previously granted Ressa’s travel authorities.

The CA justices also imposed a longer prison sentence than what the Manila court imposed in June 2020 which was six months and one day as minimum to six years as maximum. This set of CA justices added eight months and 20 days to the maximum imprisonment penalty. The fines totaling P400,000 for moral and exemplary damages were retained.

“Both [Ressa and Santos] will avail of all legal remedies available to them, including elevating the decision to the Supreme Court for review,” said Rappler in a statement Friday, July 8. Constitutionality of cyber libel

The Manila court’s ruling, which the CA affirmed, interpreted the young cyber libel law as having a 12-year prescription period as opposed to having only a one-year prescription period as stated in the revised penal code. The 12-year period, which means you can be sued even after 12 years of publication, was a gray area in the highly-contested law, but was interpreted by the justice department using a pre-war statute to be able to prosecute Ressa and Santos.

The Manila court also ruled that republication is a separate offense. Rappler’s story in question, an investigative story about the use of one of complainant Wilfredo Keng’s vehicles by the late chief justice Renato Corona, was published in 2012 but months before the cybercrime law was even enacted. But a correction of a typographical error made two years later was considered a separate offense by the court. It was regarded as a republication of the story and legal experts have questioned the constitutionality of the ruling on these grounds.

Rappler said: “While the decision is unfortunate, it is also a good opportunity for the Supreme Court to take a second look at the constitutionality of cyber libel and the continuing criminalization of libel, especially in light of the freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”

Ressa won the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2021. Santos has pursued a career outside of journalism since 2016, and had told Rappler after their trial court conviction in June 2020: “I’m scared to go to jail, I’m not as fearless as Maria.”

Because cyber libel is bailable, neither has to go to jail while they exhaust their remedies up to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court, in at least two separate decisions against broadcaster and now Senator Raffy Tulfo, has shown an inclination to decriminalize libel. In 2019, it affirmed the conviction against Tulfo but removed the prison sentence. In 2021, it acquitted Tulfo and said “the constitutionality of criminalizing libel is doubtful.” Cases against Rappler

Rappler received last week the decision by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoking its license and ordering its closure. Rappler’s legal counsel Francis Lim, former president of the Philippine Stock Exchange, said the order is appealable to the courts and the news organization can go on business as usual.

The SEC order stems from the Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDR) issue which has spurred five tax charges against Ressa and several board members. Two separate but related cases for violation of the anti-dummy and securities law have been remanded to prosecutors. Three other libel cases have now been junked.

“We call on our media colleagues, our community, and other advocates of a free and independent press to be vocal and vigilant now more than ever. This is not just about Maria Ressa, Rey Santos Jr., or Rappler. What is ultimately at stake is our democracy whose strength rests on a media that is not threatened by the state nor intimidated by forces out to silence critical voices,” said Rappler.

On the last two days of President Rodrigo Duterte, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an order affirming one more time its decision to revoke the certificates of incorporation of Rappler.

“The company registration and monitoring department is hereby directed to effect the revocation of the certificates of incorporation in the records and system of the Commission,” read part of the order dated June 28, and signed by SEC chairperson Emilio Aquino; and Commissioners Javey Paul Francisco, Kelvin Lester Lee, Karlo Bello, and McJill Bryant Fernandez.

What does this mean? “We have existing legal remedies all the way up to the highest court of the land. It is business as usual for us since, in our view, this is not immediately executory without court approval,” said Rappler in its statement on Wednesday, June 29.

In a statement on Wednesday, the SEC said: “In this light, the latest order issued by the Commission En Banc merely puts in effect its earlier decision and those of the Court of Appeals.”

This comes after the National Security Council (NSC) blocked news websites, including Bulatlat.com, using the feared anti-terror law. Reasons

In July 2018, the Court of Appeals (CA) issued a decision siding with the findings of the SEC that Rappler’s issuance of Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) to foreign investor Omidyar constituted some amount of foreign control that was prohibited by the Constitution. The Constitution requires that media companies should have zero foreign control.

But in the same decision, the CA said that when Omidyar donated its PDRs to Rappler’s Filipino managers, “the negative foreign control found objectionable by the SEC appears to have been permanently removed.” The CA remanded the case to the SEC to reevaluate, with a nudge to the Corporation Code’s clause allowing companies to have a grace period to cure their alleged defects.

The SEC stood by its findings in February 2021. Rappler filed a motion for reconsideration before the SEC. This latest order is an action to that motion.

SEC said in this latest order: “Considering that the object of the Donation (the Omidyar PDRs) was void for being contrary to law, the Donation itself was void under Article 1409(1) of the Civil Code for being contrary to law and public policy.”

SEC said that when the CA remanded the case, the appellate court did not order to reinvestigate but only to reevaluate. Rappler asked the SEC to receive additional evidence.

“The Commission’s compliance with the said directive could not have violated the due process rights of Rappler and RHC because, by the very nature and essence of the directive, Rappler and RHC were not entitled to participate in the said legal evaluation,” said the SEC.

In February 2019, the CA affirmed its 2018 decision. By September 2019, the Supreme Court issued a resolution declaring the case closed and terminated. The CA registered its books of entry of judgment, declaring it had attained finality in March 2019.

“Public interest will be served if the revocation of the Certificate of Incorporation of Rappler and Rappler Holdings Corporation is sustained because it will implement the policy of respecting and fully complying with the provisions of the Constitution, to which every Filipino owes allegiance,” said the SEC in its order.

Rappler told its staff in an internal memo sent late night Tuesday: “Clarity, agility, sobriety. Review our drills and the tasks assigned to you.”

“Meantime, it is business as usual for us. We will adapt, adjust, survive and thrive.”

On June 21, Bulatlat obtained from a reliable source a copy of a government order for all internet service providers to block the website of Bulatlat and 26 others, including fellow alternative news outlet Pinoy Weekly and progressive organizations.

Bulatlat has condemned this move as prior restraint against protected speech, adding that this is based on hearsay of National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr.

“We raise the alarm that such arbitrary action sets a dangerous precedent for independent journalism in the Philippines,” the country’s longest-running online news said in a statement.

This report revisits what the public needs to know about the DNS blocking and what it means for press freedom in the Philippines.

1. How was DNS blocking on Bulatlat and 26 other websites discovered?

On June 17, 2022, Bulatlat received queries from its readers asking why its website was inaccessible. These were forwarded to its web host, Qurium Media Foundation, which confirmed that users of Smart Broadband as their internet service provider were faced with returning errors related to failing DNS resolution. In its initial investigation, Qurium found out that the last DNS request coming from Smart Broadband was recorded on the 16th June at 6:24 UTC. Simply put, the ISP deliberately blocked access to the website.

This prompted Bulatlat to write to PLDT/Smart, the National Telecommunications Commission, and the Department of Information and Communications over the apparent DNS blocking on June 20. A day after, on June 21, Bulatlat was able to get, through a reliable source, a copy of the NTC memorandum and the letter of National Security Adviser and retired general Hermogenes Esperon Jr. requesting the blocking of Bulatlat and 26 other websites of independent media and progressive organizations over allegations that they are “affiliated to and are supporting terrorists and terrorist organizations.”

2. What is DNS blocking?

A DNS (domain name server) block is a mechanism to prevent users from accessing suspicious websites. In this case, however, DNS blocking is being used for internet censorship, similar to what is implemented in Vietnam and Myanmar.

3. What did the NSC “request”?

In its letter, the National Security Council cited as basis for the DNS blocking three resolutions of the controversial Anti-Terrorism Council designating revolutionary organizations and alleged members of the Communist Party of the Philippines Central Committee as terrorists.

Esperon, in his capacity as National Security Adviser, “requested” for the blocking of the 27 websites (28 were listed because perhaps for emphasis, Bulatlat was listed twice), without laying the grounds nor presenting evidence.

4. What did NTC order?

Responding to the so-called request, the National Telecommunications Commission issued a June 8, 2022 “for strict and immediate compliance” order directing the immediate blocking of the reported websites. The NTC gave internet service providers no later than five days upon receipt of the order to carry out the blocking.

Bulatlat and the groups in the NSC list were never informed of the said blocking “request.”

5. Why is it questionable and unconstitutional?

There is no provision in the Anti-Terror Act nor in the Cybercrime Prevention Act which provides authority for the NTC to order the blocking of websites.

The NTC memo violates the right of Bulatlat and other groups to publish, and the people’s right to freedom of thought, free speech and free expression.

6. What does it mean for the Philippine independent news?

In a statement, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines has denounced the blocking, adding that while reporting may be critical of the government, “it is dangerous to equate this with affiliation or support that the government now claims.”

“Blocking access to these sites leave a gap in discourse and in flow of information and highlights and threats posed by the Anti-Terrorism Act on the freedom of expression and on freedom of the press,” the NUJP said.

Progressives denounced the arrest of 68-year old environmental defender Daisy Macapanpan who was arrested on June 11, Sunday.

Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan, called for the immediate release of Macapanpan who, she said, is “a victim of warrantless arrest and unjust detention based on false charges, which are seen as reprisals on her advocacy work for the environment and her community.”

Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment described Macapanpan’s arrest as overkill.

Macapanpan was arrested in her home in Pakil, Laguna reportedly by 24 policemen.

In an online press conference on June 12, Macapanpan’s relative, Ryan, Macapanpan just came from a meeting in a church in their town in Pakil when the police came to their residence.

According to Kalikasan, Macapanpan has been leading the opposition against the construction of Ahunan Pumped-Storage Hydropower Project on top of the mountain in Pakil, Laguna.

Leon Dulce, national coordinator of Kalikasan, said that there is nothing wrong with airing disapproval and explaining opinions on why the Ahunan Hydropower Project should be shelved.

“The purpose of such discussions that locals have is to raise awareness and discourse over the matter at hand. Is there something that the proponents are trying to hide that Daisy has probably discovered,” Dulce said.

The said project, according to Dulce, will be constructed in Mt. Inumpong of the Sierra Madre mountain range along Pakil, Laguna. He said that the biodiverse area also has water resources flowing from the Dakil river ecosystems, including the Sirena Falls.

He said that the Ahunan Power Inc., a joint venture of tycoon Enrique Razon’s Prime Metro Power Holdings Corp. and JBD Water Power Inc., is one of the proponents of the hydropower project that will affect 300 hectares of land.

The project will result in more flooding brought about by larger typhoons in floodplains along the shores of Laguna de Bay. The location of the said project is also prone to landslide, said Dulce.

Agham (Advocates of Scientist and Technology for the People) said the proposed project is envisioned to produce 1,400-MW electricity. The group said that the water from the Laguna Lake will be pumped into a reservoir on top of the Sierra Madre in Pakil which will be dropped thereafter to produce hydroelectric power.

They said that the residents fear that the hydropower dam will affect their source of drinking water as well as religious practices in the natural pools in Pakil.

“The construction of the Ahunan hydropower dam will also involve the destruction of trees in Sierra Madre, which will also affect wildlife. The destruction of forests will also increase the likelihood of landslides and heavy flooding,” the group said in a statement.

The group recognizes that the Ahunan hydropower dam is seen as a renewable energy source that could become an alternative to coal-fired power plants. “However, the development of such renewable energy sources should not be at the expense of the environment and people. Additionally, such renewable energy would still be under the control of a private corporation, thus cheap electricity prices are still not guaranteed,” the group added.

More arrests foreseen

Ryan denounced the ill-treatment of her aunt by the arresting officers.

“Some of the policemen who did not have name patches and were carrying firearms, forcibly entered the house of my aunt Daisy. She was alone then. I tried to run to her because I was afraid they might kill her and say that she fought back. The police won’t let me. They were able to get my aunt. Male police officers carried her through her arms and feet and forcibly took her to their mobile,” Ryan said.

He added that the police did not wear body cameras and did not present any warrant of arrest.

Karapatan said it was only when Macapanpan was at the Quezon Provincial Police Office in Camp General Nakar, Lucena City when she learned that she was charged with rebellion for an incident in Infanta, Quezon.

Karapatan added that the charges against Macapanpan and other activists in Southern Tagalog were filed in 2008.

“The rebellion case filed before the Regional Trial Court Branch 65 in Infanta, Quezon was the same case levelled against peasant organizer Dana Marcellana, daughter of peasant leader Orly Marcellana and slain human rights worker Eden Marcellana, who was arrested last year,” Palabay said in a statement.

“At this rate, this rebellion charge may be used repeatedly against activists in Southern Tagalog as the government continues its harassment against activists and government critics,” Palabay added.

Agham meanwhile expressed their alarm over the increasing number of rights violations against environmental and land rights defenders as the President Duterte’s term is about to end.

“Prior to Daisy’s arrest, at least 90 agrarian reform beneficiaries and peasant advocates were illegally arrested in Tarlac. With the worsening global climate crisis, it is imperative that the government afford protection on environmental defenders who serve as frontliners in protecting and conserving the environment,” the group said.

Palabay meanwhile said that they believe that the policy of repression and terror will continue under the new government following the mass arrests of farmers and supporters in Tarlac as well as the preparations for president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s inauguration including restrictions on rallies and mass actions.

“Nevertheless, we will continue to call and work for Macapanpan’s release and that of all political prisoners who face trumped up charges and other forms of attacks,” Palabay said.