Philippine human rights workers are being systematically killed in a growing war on dissent Human rights worker Zara Alvarez, 39, was killed by an unknown gunman Aug. 17 in Bacolod in the Philippines. New draft regulations by the Philippine House of Representatives in May would allow Congress to ban reporters who “besmirch” the reputation of lawmakers from covering the national legislature. Bulatlat Contributors January 13, 2019 charter change, human rights ... A gathering of victims of tyranny, from Marcos martial law to present. Human Rights in The Philippines and Islamic State in Lanao. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.. The report, among other things, “detailed ongoing threats to freedom of expression, with legal charges and prosecutions being brought against journalists and senior politicians critical of the Government, as well as actions to shut down media outlets.” — Genesis 32:24. Philstar.com is one of the most vibrant, opinionated, discerning communities of readers on cyberspace. In February, Duterte suggested to a group of returning overseas migrant workers that they avoid using condoms because they “aren’t pleasurable.”. That action put those individuals at risk of extrajudicial execution. Police have killed dozens of children since the start of the “war on drugs” in June 2016, deaths which Duterte has dismissed as “collateral damage.” In February, police arrested three police officers implicated in the execution-style summary killing of 17-year-old Kian Lloyd delos Santos in August 2017. Trillanes has been Duterte’s most vocal critic since de Lima, accusing the president and his family of corruption. Attacks on Human Rights Defenders. Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people in 90 countries worldwide, spotlighting abuses and bringing perpetrators to justice, Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808, As China’s Grip Tightens, Global Institutions Gasp, You Should Be Worrying about the Woman Shortage. In May, the city of Mandaluyong approved an ordinance to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people—the latest in a slew of similar local laws passed across the country. Essay about human rights violation in the philippines rating. Bigger House spending seen with more deputy speakers. In July 2018, he again pledged to continue the “war on drugs,” saying “it will be as relentless and chilling as on the day it began.”. As peace talks between the government and the communist opposition stalls, human rights violations continue in the Philippines. But this does not include the thousands of others killed by unidentified gunmen. Human Rights Watch research shows that many sexually active young Filipinos have little or no knowledge about the role of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted diseases because the government fails to promote condoms vigorously, among other factors. In October, the Senate and House of Representatives approved a bill that would amend the country’s 20-year-old AIDS law. As various international and local human rights groups raise concerns over alleged human rights violations in the Philippines, the Philippine government, through the Department of Justice (DOJ), launched a three-day human rights summit on Monday at the Philippine International Convention Center. Copyright © 2020. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Philippines: Joint civil society statement urging UN Human Rights Council to monitor developments, be ready to launch investigation on the Philippines Research Philippines. PH gov't to UN: Stop weaponizing, politicizing human rights. Some employers may also disregard or actively facilitate workplace harassment of employees who are HIV positive. The leadership of the House of Representatives under Speaker Lord Allan Velasco has become the largest in the history of the... After Human Rights Day arrests, HRW says there is ‘damning history’ of cops planting evidence. The Indonesian government in February awarded then-Philippine National Police Director-General Ronald dela Rosa its highest honor, the Medal of Honor, for his “rock star-like inspiration to the Indonesian national police and the Indonesian people on how to fight the war on drugs.”. 1987 PHILIPPINE CONSTITUTION ARTICLE III, BILL OF RIGHTS. Majority of Filipinos see human rights violations in 'failing' drug war — SWS. Furthermore, 49% of Filipinos were in agreement while 21% were in disagreement that the removal of Vice President Leni Robredo as co-chair of the Inter-agency Committee on Anti-illegal Drugs was an admission by the administration that the drug war was failing. There are now an estimated 68,000 Filipinos living with HIV. Representatives also introduced a bill that would create civil partnerships and give same-sex couples rights in adoption, insurance, inheritance, property, and medical decision-making. In February, the Department of Justice issued a petition that labeled more than 600 people—among them Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, and dozens of leftist activists—as members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA). The periodic review of the Philippines in the UN Human Rights Committee. Asian governments have expressed implicit or explicit support for the anti-drug campaign. Here's what the UN has said about drugs and 'drug wars', 'Change strategy': Robredo wants 'Tokhang' scrapped, gov't to go after drug lords, Robredo points out 'inconsistent' government data on 'drug war', PNP: 'Three tons of shabu a week' estimate came from police but was 'theoretical, hypothetical', Duterte's offer for Leni not an admission that drug war failed — Panelo, UN rights chief criticizes Duterte's drug war, calls for public health approach, The War on Drugs: In-depth reports and analyses on the government's bloody anti-narcotics campaign, Why this power combo is the ‘wais’ choice for washing clothes, Globe recreates holiday season with series of online pop-up events. Malacañang has consistently said that extrajudicial killings are not state policy, even claiming in multiple press briefings that democracy is flourishing and that the rule of law continues to prevail in the country. On October 12, the Philippines was elected to serve a second three-year term on the UN HRC, starting January 2019. President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs has left nearly 4,000 drug suspects dead and seen human rights groups claim he was responsible for a crime against humanity. 3 Filipinas share how it led them to action, Customers give Globe high remarks on network improvements, Share more happiness this holiday with Lazada’s 12.12 Grand Christmas Sale, Globe grabs 2 awards at International Finance 8th Annual Awards, EuroMillions jackpot worth P11.6 billion up for grabs, Top Filipino food companies unite for Brand Aid: Noche Buena Para sa Lahat. While there are areas that have shown an increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, an expert from the OCTA Research Group... Moderna vaccine 94.5% effective in second breakthrough. Bishop Long, chair of Bishops Commission for Social Justice – Mission and Service, took part in the “Church People's Prophetic Voices against State Terrorism in the Philippines” online forum on Wednesday. Moderna released early results from a clinical trial with more than 30,000 participants, after US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech last week said their vaccine was 90% effective. PDEA sought to justify the move as an attempt to identify 10-year-old potential drug users so they “can get intervention while they are still young.”. The human rights crisis in the Philippines unleashed since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in June 2016 deepened in 2018 as Duterte continued his murderous “war on drugs” in the face of mounting international criticism. The House of Representatives unanimously passed a federal nondiscrimination bill protecting LGBT people in September 2017, but opponents have stalled a companion bill in the Senate. Month-on-month, car and truck sales went up 2%, but remained 27.3% down year-on-year. Reintroducing the death penalty would violate the Philippines’ obligations under the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which commits the country never to reinstate the penalty. Robredo is meeting with UN reps this week. Article 3 — Right to Security of Person. ABS-CBN News Posted at Oct 16 03:04 AM. MANILA, Philippines — Most Filipinos believe that the government's campaign against illegal narcotics came with numerous human rights violations, a new Social Weather Stations survey showed. During his campaign to the presidency, Duterte promised to end the drug problem within six months of his election. The Philippines faces the fastest-growing epidemic of HIV in Asia. Alliance calls on Filipino people to act amid ‘bleak situation under Duterte’. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the number of new HIV cases jumped from 4,400 in 2010 to 12,000 in 2017, the last year for which data were available. According to human rights groups, the number of killings under the current Duterte regime, infamous for its deadly war on drugs, has risen to 30,000. Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Roque alleged in March that “some human rights groups have become unwitting tools of drug lords to hinder the strides made by the administration.” That echoed comments made days prior by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano equating efforts of some unnamed human rights organizations to stop Duterte’s murderous “war on drugs” with “being used by drug lords.”, The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) announced in June that it was seeking to impose annual unannounced drug screening tests on teachers and schoolchildren starting in the fourth grade. 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