National
Karapatan calls for immediate release of Tirso Alcantara amid his transfer to civilian detention facility
Submitted on Mon, 08/13/2012 - 12:00
Karapatan today renewed its call for the immediate release of Tirso Alcantara, a peace consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, as they received reports that the Gumaca Regional Trial Court ordered, on July 18, 2012, the Chief of the Intelligence Security Group or the Commanding Officer of the Intelligence Security Group of the Philippine Army to comply with the May 9, 2012 Order to “commit accused Tirso Alcantara at the the PNP Custodial Center at Camp Crame.”
“Ïn the first place, Alcantara should be released immediately, instead of being subjected to inhumane conditions in jail, as a consultant in the peace process between the NDFP and the GPH,” said Cristina Palabay, spokesperson of Karapatan.
Aquino’s double-standard justice: GMA is free as political prisoners suffer in jail
Submitted on Thu, 08/02/2012 - 15:15
Tirso "Ka Bart" Alcantara today attended at the Taguig Regional Trial Court the first hearing of three of the 43 various cases lodged against him. Alcantara has been in solitary confinement at the Fort Bonifacio Headquarters, Philippine Army Custodial Center, 191st MPBn., HHSG, PA Fort Bonifacio since he was illegally arrested on January 4, 2011, over one and a half years ago. Alcantara is one of the 385 political prisoners who are still in jail because of fabricated criminal charges.
Alcantara's legal counsels from the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) filed three separate motions: to defer Alcantara's arraignment; to immediately transfer Alcantara from military custody to a civilian detention facility; and, to consolidate the charges of illegal possession of firearms and illegal possession of explosives to rebellion. Alcantara faces two cases of rebellion. The Judge Advocate General's Office (JAGO) was given five days to reply to the said motion as they were absent during the Court proceedings.
Karapatan seeks disqualification of Abang Lingkod partylist
Submitted on Fri, 07/27/2012 - 11:23
Karapatan today joined Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) in filing a complaint at the Commission on Elections for the removal and/or cancellation of registration of Abang Lingkod partylist. The complaint was filed by Wilfredo Marbella, Deputy Secretary General of KMP and Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Karapatan chairperson. The complaint included a petition to deny due course and/or cancel certificate of nomination.
The complaint stated that, “Abang Lingkod is not a party-list group of the marginalized and underrepresented peasant/farmer sector“ because Abang Lingkod’s objectives “do not contain anything that relates to peasant/farmer sector and, none of its incorporator and trustees are peasants/farmers.” On the contrary, “its nominees and leaders possess interest in conflict and adverse to the interests of peasants/farmers.”
Marie Hilao Enriquez said that Karapatan is specially concerned with Abang Lingkod’s standard bearer, Joseph Stephen Paduano aka Carapali Lualhati, the national commander of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB). RPA-ABB has been involved with numerous cases of human rights violations, specifically in Negros Occidental and Oriental. It is widely known that RPA-ABB now functions as a paramilitary group.
Aquino’s warped sense of justice: GMA freed, torturer promoted, impunity ignored
Submitted on Thu, 07/26/2012 - 13:42“And so this is justice under Aquino -- torturers are given plum positions in the military, and the rich, powerful and notorious human rights violators like Palparan and Arroyo are mockingly free as preying vultures. No wonder, Noynoy deliberately omitted anything on human rights and peace in his SONA, a tacit and dangerous signal for state security forces to continue to prowl, with terror and violence against the people.”
Thus said Karapatan spokesperson Cristina Palabay, after news came out on the court resolution granting bail for former Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the designation of Morong 43 torturer Col. Aurelio Baladad as acting commanding officer of the 9th Infantry Division of the Phil. Army, shortly after Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (SONA). In his SONA, Aquino heralded the state of “justice” under his administration.
Post SONA: Noynoy Aquino, zero on human rights on two counts
Submitted on Wed, 07/25/2012 - 12:00
Karapatan said that yesterday’s 3rd State of the Nation Address (SONA) only proved how Noynoy Aquino regards, or more aptly, disregards human rights.
Cristina Palabay, spokesperson of Karapatan, said that, “the police brutality that was used against the demonstrators and Aquino’s deafening silence on the increasing number of extrajudicial killings and intensifying military operations that continue to attack the people in the countryside and the reign of impunity provided the real picture of the state of human rights in the country.”
Lies, terror and violence in Aquino’s 3rd SONA
Submitted on Mon, 07/23/2012 - 12:00
With two years of presidency and three State of the Nation Address (SONA), Pres. Noynoy Aquino has only peddled lies on the human rights situation in the Philippines. He has been, in fact, inflicting terror and violence against the Filipino people.
The second year of the Aquino administration is being punctuated with shamelessly deceptive slogans on economic development and human rights to prop up the administration’s image especially in the international community. But it is clear that the Filipino people have seen the truth behind the cacophony of these lies. The severe landlessness and hunger, the multitudes of jobless and the growing number of homeless are more stinging realities, more visible, more audible and felt than any other PR spin from Malacanang. Thus, the growing number of impoverished Filipinos had no recourse but to resist and struggle.
Karapatan, SELDA calls on flash mob dancers for political prisoners’ freedom
Submitted on Sun, 07/22/2012 - 15:48
A day before Pres. Noynoy Aquino’s 3rd State of the Nation Address (SONA), Karapatan and SELDA today launched via http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnCjfcdJ-vY&feature=youtu.be a call out video for flash mob as part of the campaign to release all political prisoners. Following yesterday’s launch of the “Awit ng mga Detenidong Pulitikal,” by the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP), members of Anakbayan in Sampaloc and San Juan danced to the song that describes the plight of political prisoners and calls for their immediate release.
Protestant bishops echo political detainees call for freedom
Submitted on Sat, 07/21/2012 - 12:00
Eight Bishops from the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) expressed support to the ongoing hunger strike/fasting of political prisoners. In a statement, the Bishops urged Pres. Noynoy Aquino “to consider the plight of political detainees under his administration and their call for a general, unconditional and omnibus amnesty.”
Karapatan slams Lacierda’s statement on Aquino’s human rights record
Submitted on Thu, 07/19/2012 - 11:19(Cristina Palabay, Karapatan spokesperson, on the statement of Malacañang spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Aquino’s human rights record)
Broken promises, blame games, unabated human rights violations – these characterize Malacañang’s response to calls for Pres. Aquino to stop the killings and human rights violations under his administration.
Malacañang spokesperson Edwin Lacierda’s statement shows the Aquino administration’s propensity to squirm out from each and every responsibility for extrajudicial killings and rights violations by blaming a branch of government under its auspices. It is the simply the lamest of excuses, as it disregards the efforts of victims and their families to file cases against rights violators, no thanks to Aquino. It simply manifests this administration’s low regard for the pursuit of justice for the victims and, in putting an end to killings and impunity. With this frame of mind, it is no wonder why Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr. remains free from arrest up to this time.
MAY WE REMIND LACIERDA THAT AQUINO HIMSELF PROMISED THESE “REFORMS” DURING HIS ELECTION CAMPAIGN AND INAUGURAL SPEECH; PROMISES THAT REMAIN AS BROKEN AS AQUINO’S RECORD ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN HIS TWO YEARS IN OFFICE.
Karapatan chides Noynoy Aquino to stop acting like there are no political prisoners
Submitted on Tue, 07/17/2012 - 18:39A week before Pres. Noynoy Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), political prisoners from Luzon to Mindanao are conducting a one-week fast to push the call for the release of all political prisoners.
“It has been two years since we started to campaign and lobby for the release of political prisoners who are in various jails, but President Noynoy Aquino not only ignored our call but also arrested and detained 107 more farmers, indigenous peoples, leaders of organizations and activists, as well as suspected rebels. As of June 30, 2012, there are now 385 political prisoners,” said Marie Hilao-Enriquez, chairperson of both Karapatan and SELDA.
Karapatan said that Noynoy Aquino cannot just shrug off his shoulders, declare that he is different from the past GMA regime and blame it for all the ills besetting his “matuwid na daan” administration. He cannot go on pretending that there are no political prisoners in the country because “he is already responsible for detaining 107 activists based mostly on fabricated charges in the same way as Gloria did through the brutal Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL).”
