NYCHRP Remembers and Condemns Martial Law!

For Immediate Release

Sept. 23, 2019

Reference: Louie Sawi, Chairperson, New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP), nychrp@gmail.com

NYCHRP at Sept. 20, 2019 Rally to remember 47th Anniversary of Marcos’ Martial Law in the Philippines and condemn the Duterte regime at the Philippine Consulate.

September 21st, 2019 marks the 47th anniversary of when then President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law over the Philippines in 1972 by issuing Proclamation No. 1081. Martial Law granted Marcos absolute control of the Philippines through military rule. Considered one of the most gruesome periods in all of Philippine history, scores of human rights violations were committed under Marcos. According to Amnesty International, about 70,000 people were imprisoned while 34,000 were tortured, 77 disappeared, and over 3,200 were killed during Martial Law from 1972 to 1981. These included activists and oppressed people, protesting about the rising national debt, underdevelopment of industries, government corruption, privatization of basic services, and landlessness of peasant farmers who made up the majority of the population. 

We must never forget the legacy Marcos’ Martial Law left behind. And when we talk about legacy, we’re talking about the lived experiences from survivors of the abduction, detainment, torture, beatings, and rape. Philippine history books in schools do not mention any of this, so we must combat this revisionism and ensure that the over 3,200 that were killed under Martial Law are not forgotten. We are living in dangerous times where the truth is being distorted and lies become facts. History has a tendency to repeat itself.

In 1981, Proclamation 2045 announced an end to martial law under Marcos, but it was not until the People Power Revolution in 1986 that martial law under Marcos truly ended. Today, under the President Duterte, we see many of the same kinds of human rights abuses that were carried out by the Marcos administration. Since 2017, Senator Leila de Lima, an outspoken critic of Duterte’s war on drugs, has been imprisoned after falsified drug charges were brought against her by the Duterte administration; among the first arrests under martial law under Marcos were those of Senators Benigno Aquino Jr. and Jose W. Diokno. In February of this year, Maria Ressa, journalist and founder of Rappler, a news site that has been critical of Duterte, was arrested on trumped up charges of cyberlibel. Marcos not only ordered the takeover of some of the largest news outlets, but also arrested those working for independent publications, including Teodoro Locsin, Sr. of the Philippines Free Press and Jose Burgos of We Forum. Last year, the Philippine National Police set up outposts in several large cities in the US, claiming they would respond to the needs of overseas Filipinos, but in actuality are another form of surveilling the movement against Duterte. We are reminded of Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes, two Filipino- American cannery workers and anti-Marcos activists who were murdered in 1981; both Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos were found by a US District Court jury to be liable for their deaths.      

Under Duterte, martial law is in effect in the Philippines, through Proclamation No. 216 on May 23, 2017, which placed the entirety of Mindanao under martial law. The Congress of the Philippines has since voted to extend martial law three times, through the end of this year; a fourth vote is due later this year, to extend martial law in Mindanao and possibly place other regions of the country under martial law as well. In the two years since martial law was enacted in Mindanao, human rights group Karapatan has estimated that over 800,000 instances of human rights violations have taken place, including 93 extrajudicial killings, over 400,000 forced evacuations, and the closures of 79 Lumad schools. No formal of declaration of martial law throughout the country has been made, but none would be needed, as the Philippines remains in a state of de facto martial law.   

As our kababayans continue to fight the killing machine of the Duterte government, we must do our part to support them, especially here in the belly of the beast. In July, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution to investigate the Philippines on the human rights crisis. While the United Nations General Assembly is taking place right now in New York until next week, we must take advantage of the opportunity to lobby the UN member states that voted on the resolution to ensure that the investigation actually happens. Last year, the U.S. government sent hundreds of millions of dollars to the Philippine government. Our tax dollars funded the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to perpetuate the human rights violations in Mindanao, as well as the drug war killings that has plagued the entire nation. We must act now to demand that Congress cuts U.S. aid to the Philippines before October 1st, the deadline to pass the Appropriations bill.

Finally, we ask you to support our friend, fellow Philippine-based American human rights activist Brandon Lee, who was shot multiple times in front of his home in Lagawe, Ifugao by agents of the Philippine military. Brandon had been targeted by the Duterte Administration because he had raised awareness about the human rights abuses in the Philippines. He was also a climate justice advocate in a nation that was listed by Global Witness as the deadliest country for environmental and land activists in 2018. Brandon is recovering from an operation in a hospital, but needs to be airlifted to the U.S. for proper medical treatment and safety. The airlift costs $200,000. We demand House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to fund his airlift, but we also ask of you to donate what you can. You can help Brandon Lee by donating to https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-brandon-lee.

As we look back to the dark times of the Philippines and continue the fight today, let us remember that NO DICTATOR has succeeded in ruling over the Philippines. THE PEOPLE have and will always rise up to overthrow the dictators into the dustbin of history.

Never Again to Martial Law!

Stop the Killings in the Philippines!

Defend Democracy!

Rise, Resist, Unite Against Duterte’s Tyranny!

Sources:

Amnesty International (2019, Sept. 16) https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/ASA3591392018ENGLISH.pdf

Chua, M (2019, Sept. 12) https://www.academia.edu/7968581/TORTYUR_Human_Rights_Violations_During_The_Marcos_Regime

Rappler (2019, Sept. 10) https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/142723-martial-law-declaration-philippines

Robles, Raissa (2016). Marcos Martial Law: Never Again. Filipinos for a Better Philippines, Inc.

NYCHRP stands with Malaya Movement on the National Day of Action to Defend Philippine Democracy

Reflections by KP, Organizational Development Chair, New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines

I don’t get how elections work in practice. I mean, I understand that in theory it gives governed people an opportunity to express their opinions peacefully, to demonstrate dissent without fear of retaliation, that it is a means of transferring power peacefully, and that it’s necessary to democracy and justice. But can we really say that this is what happened in the Philippines? What should happen in the event there are… “discrepancies” and “irregularities” in the voting process? I’m sure it’s complex enough without the added headache of so-called “interventionists” raising their voices in unison. There have been quite a few reports of “inconsistencies” and violations of the election code in the recent Philippine midterm election, both in the motherland and at polling locations around the world. Over a week since the election, the COMELEC still has yet to adequately address myriad concerns from a vocal sector of the voting public affecting the validity of election results. So what exactly is a governed people to do when a government legitimizes an election that the people have clearly experienced as a scam?

On Friday May 17, the New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP) joined other member organizations and solidarity allies of Malaya Movement Northeast to expose and oppose the ongoing offenses against democracy and human rights perpetrated by the US-Duterte Regime. Over 70 concerned individuals convened outside the New York Philippine Consulate, the edifice of the same government that failed to fully account and accommodate the rightful votes of Philippine citizens.

Every OFW’s ballot is a love letter sent home in hope of improving the motherland, in hope of electing officials who will generously and selflessly prioritize the needs of their constituents. They are artifacts of trust, remnants of the political relationship that tether OFWs to the place of their birth and the economic-political system that drove them abroad in the first place.  Failing to properly account for their votes implies the true sentiment of the current Philippine government: “Keep your opinions, but feel free to remit your wages.” Yet, this is the message that the Philippine government sends with its blatant violations of civil and political rights and Philippine law.

A contingent of the Philippine National Police (PNP) was caught electioneering, extending the war on drugs into a war on democracy. When the entity whose motto is “to serve and to protect” violates impartiality during elections, we have to ask: whose interests exactly are they serving and protecting? We anxiously await a report from the investigation, but how can we trust the fairness and cleanliness of the investigation? The unlawful electioneering of the PNP has been  covered by reputable sources such as the Inquirer, MSN, and Karapatan. Despite the evidence of unlawful behavior, the Philippine government has patted itself on the back while legitimizing the fraudulent election.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte himself has shamelessly said, “The practice of buying votes has been an integral part of an election in the Philippines.” A politician truly invested in the genuine interests of the electorate would reject such a notion, would gladly accept the will of the voting public at the cost of their own career and legacy, would never have to justify the acceptability of bought votes. And a politician doing their job–acting in the best interest of the people and properly enacting their will–should never have to make that distinction just as a citizen should never have to choose between compensation and their genuine opinion. When citizens are simply trying to survive, the ability to turn down a bribe–to choose their political interest over their economic interest–becomes a luxury.

This is not to mention the threats sent to potential voters to dissuade them from going to the poll booths, the deaths of elected officials such as Attorney Bernadino Patigas, and the fact that Senate winners had been declared while most of the overseas votes still left uncounted – 34.51% of ballots reported as of May 21, 2019. When is it time for people to preserve and repair what’s left of an already eroding democracy?

No matter the country, there is a certain luxury in the apathy of those who have been afforded the opportunity to exercise their civil and political rights but don’t: the right to vote, the right to protest, the right to speak freely, et al. Maybe they don’t see the value of their vote or the point in voting in what they see as an inevitably, incredibly corrupt political scheme. Maybe they’re genuinely ignorant of the consequences of their inaction. Maybe they’re perfectly content with the status quo, with whatever societal advances that have come at the cost of inherent human dignity. Around 100,000 Marawi refugees still waiting to return home, the extension of unconstitutional declaration of martial law in Mindanao, nearly 30,000 killed to date in a relentless drug war without foreseeable end, all somehow rationalized as acceptable collateral damage in the onward march of so-called progress. Nevertheless, this is an onward march towards authoritarianism and Marcos style dictatorship.

At the same time, there’s an irony in the outrage of people not directly affected by these mechanisms of the Philippine government and its failings. What is our investment in genuine democracy half a world away? Why do we risk being called ignorant, interveners; risk being insulted or worse? We are overcome with a sense of duty towards our fellow Filipinos and their constitutionally protected political rights. We are obligated to our fellow human beings and obligated to upholding their inherent dignity. As the Filipino diaspora and deeply concerned allies, our love for the fellow oppressed, for the people of the Philippines, is not bound by the constraints of time, space, or political geography. We see the interminable hypocrisy, injustice, and impunity and we demand better; We continue to demand fair and clean elections.

We are three long years into the Duterte presidency and unless the people assert their will, or by some act of God we have at least three more long years to go. With all three branches of government consolidated under Duterte circles of influence the Philippines is on the brink of charter change (ChaCha), federalism and outright dictatorship.

In a true democracy, every vote counts, every voice matters through fair and just elections. So what more can be done to make our concerns heard? Plenty. Many joined the Malaya Movement and contingent organizations at local Philippine Independence Day Parades in protest of the abuses to democracy. We wore black at these events as a sign of outrage and solidarity. On June 2nd, Malaya Movement Northeast presented an active voice in the Philippine Independence Day Parade. Join NYCHRP in the never-ending fight for human rights in New York and the Philippines.

Philippine independence is a continuing history of resistance. The struggle for true democracy and true independence from intervention is ongoing and this will be a summer of amplified indignance. Discrepancies, cheating, and irregularities could never silence the voice of the people but we must not remain resigned to accept injustices as foregone conclusions. Join the Malaya Movement; Join the People’s State of the Nation Address whether in DC or locally.

Laban Bayan! Kontra Daya!

NYCHRP Condemns the Killing of Bernardino “Toto” Patigas and Attacks on Human Rights Advocates!

For Immediate Release

April 22, 2019

Reference: Louie Sawi, Chairperson, New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP), nychrp@gmail.com

NYCHRP Condemns the Killing of Bernardino “Toto” Patigas and Attacks on Human Rights Advocates!

NYCHRP condemns the extrajudicial killing of Escalante City Councilor and human rights worker Bernardino “Toto” Patigas, 72, on April 22, 2019. He is the Secretary General of the North Negros Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, a member organization of Karapatan-Negros chapter. Karapatan is the Philippines’ major human rights organization. He was also running for reelection as Sangguniang Panglungsod (City Council) member. Patigas survived the Escalante massacre, where 20 farmers and farmworkers were killed during a protest on September 20, 1985, marking the 13th anniversary of Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law; Patigas continued to participate in fact finding missions in Negros and advocate for human rights.

Patigas is Karapatan’s 48th human rights worker killed in action. The murder of an incumbent City Councilor is another case of election-related violence. Moreover, de-facto Martial Law and Oplan Sauron have killed yet another peasant in Negros.

Patigas’ human rights work has led to harassments and threats on his life. In 2017, trumped up charges were filed against him then dismissed. In April 2018, Patigas’ name and picture, together with that of slain human rights lawyer Benjamin Ramos and 60 other individuals and rights advocates, were included in a poster of alleged communist personalities.

Peasant activists of Negros see Patigas’ death as an extension of the extrajudicial killings occurring as a result of Oplan Sauron or SEMPO (Synchronized Enhanced Managing of Police Operations). Oplan Sauron is a series of joint military and police offensives against supposed drugs and criminal activities, but has quickly shifted into an anti-insurgency operation leading to various forms of extrajudicial killings, armed intimidation and harassment, and the illegal arrests of farmers and peasant advocates struggling for genuine agrarian reform. Oplan Sauron and Memorandum Order 32, an executive order that imposes de-facto Martial Law in Negros, Samar, and Bohol, uses the redtagging of peasant organizations and their members as justification for grave human rights violations.

A few hours after the killing of Patigas, other human rights advocates received threatening text messages. The messages displayed:

“Condolences: Nag-umpisa na kami, ang priority namin ay ikaw, si Clarissa, Roque, Nolie, Rey, Aldren, Patigas, Cristian, Dolly, at si Alyas Tatay Ogie na makikita sa Silay at sa Libertad. Itong lahat ang priority namin na tapusin ngayon taon.”

[TRANSLATION] “Condolences: We already started, you are our priority, along with Clarissa, Roque, Nolie, Rey, Aldren, Patigas, Cristian, Dolly, and Alyas Tatay Ogie who can be seen in Silay or Libertad. They are our priorities for this year.”

Members of NYCHRP are alarmed by the brutal murder of one of their kindred human rights activists. This attack is a violent trifecta of human rights violations. Bernardino “Toto” Patigas, as an incumbent City Councilor, deserved the due process of free and fair elections. Duterte’s fascism threatens our call for fair and free elections. We don’t believe his government will provide those electoral conditions to flourish. As a human rights advocate, Patigas deserved the civil and political right to redress grievances with the government and to assemble and speak to issues that affect the community. Smear campaigns, including redtagging and terrorist-labeling,  have resulted in dangerous forms of rights violations against human rights activists, whose names were alleged like Patigas. As a peasant leader, he was silenced because of his opposition to the continued rule of the hacienderos in an import-dependent, export oriented economy and his support of genuine land reform. Duterte is the number one enemy of #GenuineLandReform, protector of the oppressive hacienda system begun by Spanish colonizers and perpetuated by the plantation system imposed by US colonialism and imperialism.

As human rights advocates in the United States, we stand with our fellow human rights defenders in the call to oppose the red-tagging and extrajudicial attacks on innocent people. We remain steadfast in our support for the struggle for genuine freedom and national democracy in the Philippines, and to oppose tyrants and fascism as they arise in the country.

#JusticeforTotoPatigas! #StoptheKillings #ActivismIsNotACrime #DefendTheDefenders #GenuineLandReform

#StopKillingFarmers and peasant advocates! #StopTheAttacks against peasant organizations, activists, and civilians!

SOURCES:

Tinay Palabay. (2019, April 22) http://www.facebook.com/tinay.palabay [Facebook Post] Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/tinay.palabay/posts/10216571853581571

Saka Pilipinas. (2019, April 22) http://www.facebook.com/saka.pilipinas [Facebook Post] Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/saka.pilipinas/posts/347769099178690?__tn__=K-R