Year: 2020

Welfare of the Filipinos, social protection of workers shall be the priority; not the anti-terror law that suppresses the rights of people.
Most Rev. Gerardo A. Alminaza, D.D.
Bishop, Diocese of San Carlos
Co-Chairperson, Church People-Workers Solidarity

Church People-Workers Solidarity joins the Filipino people in condemning the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act. We demand the immediate abolition of the said law as it will further endanger the human rights of the Filipino people.

In this hard time amid the Covid 19 pandemic, we believe that our government should prioritize the basic and urgent needs of the people and not the legislation and passage of a law that suppresses the legitimate outcry of people for universal health care, mass testing, protection of frontliners, humane repatriation of OFW’s, wage subsidy, unemployment benefits,  social protection, livelihood of jeepney drivers and respect to human rights and civil liberties.

In the past four months, workers consistently demanded for social protection measures amidst the serious health crisis. Yet, the government has turned a deaf ear on their demands.  Millions of workers did not receive the promised financial assistance which left their families starving and homeless.  Tens of thousands of workers lost their jobs due to the shutdown of many companies.  This concern should be the priority of the government to be resolved and not the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act which basically removes hard won rights of workers and people.

We stand that with the very vague definition of terrorism in the Anti-Terror Act, anyone could be surveilled, arrested and detained on mere suspicion of being a terrorist or for airing complaints to the government.  Legitimate protests, strikes and other forms of collective actions by workers demanding just wage, job security, health and safety in the workplace and better working condition can be tagged as a terrorism act under the said law.  Therefore, Anti-Terrorism Law would only heighten the repression of trade unions and basic democratic rights of workers and people to free speech and freedom of assembly.

We have witnessed how the existing laws were used to attack workers’ rights to peaceful assembly such as the dispersal of strikes and protest actions in Nutri Asia, Pepmaco, Sumifru Philippines Inc. among others. These incidents happened despite legality and constitutionality of the said protest actions. With the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act and the creation of the so called Anti-Terrorism Council that exercises the powers of both executive and judiciary and determines who is a terrorist and who will be arrested and detained, we are concerned that there will be more trade unionists and workers’ advocate will be illegally arrested and detained because of their stand for workers’ rights.

Hence, we stressed our call to the government to prioritize the WELFARE of the FILIPINO PEOPLE amidst the Covid 19 pandemic:

1.       Covid 19 Mass testing, contact tracing, isolation and treatment.
2.       Wage Subsidy and unemployment benefits for affected workers.
3.       Adequate and decent jobs for those who lost their jobs.
4.       Resumption of Traditional Jeepney operations.
5.       Humane repatriation of Overseas Filipino Workers.
6.       Health and safety and better working conditions for workers reporting back to work.

Finally, we appeal to our brothers and sisters to continue our prayers for respect of human rights, peace and justice and without letting up, we join the broad unity of people to JUNK THE ANTI TERROR LAW. ###

Signed:

Co-Chairperson, Church People-Workers Solidarity

 On July 3, President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 despite the fierce opposition repeatedly registered by Filipinos across the country and the lingering coronavirus crisis.

We, civil society and people’s organizations working on diverse issues of the environment, strongly condemn the enactment of the Anti-Terrorism Law, which immensely threatens environmental work and workers. The legislation, which spurns human rights safeguards while granting unchecked powers to the government, can be used to silence all forms of legitimate dissent. It could only make matters worse for a country already ruled by a climate of impunity, and would further threaten the well-being of its most vulnerable peoples, such as environmental defenders who have been among those who bore the brunt of state abuses in recent years.

The Philippines is known today as the country deadliest in the world to environmental defenders, as independent watchdog Global Witness reported in 2019. Since President Duterte assumed office, there had been at least 113 killings of indigenous peoples, farmers, lawyers, and other environmental workers, many of whom were falsely tagged as communists and terrorists before being unjustly brought to their deaths.

It is in these circumstances that President Duterte labeled as urgent the Anti-Terrorism Bill and eventually signed it into law. Now, Republic Act 11479 allows warrantless arrests on mere suspicion of committing terrorist acts, expands the period of warrantless detention to as long as 24 days, lowers penalties for abuses committed by law enforcers, and completely removes any liability from state actors for wrongful accusations – all based on a vague and malleable definition of terrorism.

Our indignation stems from the knowledge that the Anti-Terrorism Law effectively places a blade onto the waiting hands of abusive corporations and state forces ready to wield its preposterous provisions to silence all who are in the way of their destructive projects and selfish interests. Signed just days after the fourth death anniversary of anti-coal community leader Gloria Capitan of Bataan, the first victim of the spate of killings of environmentalists under the Duterte administration, the Act is an insult to all who have spent their lives for the protection of the environment and of human rights.

Moreover, placed against the backdrop of a global health crisis and a looming recession, the passing of the Law is a wake up call to halt the overarching focus of the Duterte administration on public order and national security, at the expense of human rights and the rule of law, in its tracks. It is also a manifestation of the infuriating detachment of our leaders from the realities of the public they claim to serve. With over 40,000 infected individuals, the Philippines currently accounts for over a quarter of all COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia. The signing of the Law coincided with the largest single-day increase of confirmed cases nationally at 1,531. Medical facilities continue to struggle with limited resources and manpower. Unemployment has risen to never before seen numbers in recent times. Hunger and poverty pose threats to the lives of our people just as much as COVID-19 does. Yet, rather than listen to the cries of the Filipino public, the government has chosen the path of oppression.

History will remember how our leaders, from the members of the Congress who formed the treacherous bill, to our nation’s chief executive who breathed life into it, refused to protect the rights of the people and turned their backs from our pressing needs, choosing instead to create means to illegitimize our voices. History, however, will also remember our collective uproar.

We will continue to lend our voices to amplify the calls of environmental defenders who fight for their communities despite being met with violence from state and private actors. We will continue to demand accountability and a just recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. And, as the battle against the Anti-Terrorism Act does not simply end with the President’s signature, we stand in solidarity with all groups urging the Supreme Court to junk this perilous law, and we encourage all members, partners, and supporters to join the mobilizations and protests, both online and in the streets, without compromising health and safety guidelines, as our clear stand against the draconian law. We shall stay safe, but not silent.

A growing list of church leaders and justice advocates sign on to the call

Bethlehem, Palestine, July 1, 2020— Kairos Palestine and Global Kairos for Justice, a broad network of allies including Palestinian Christians and international friends of Kairos Palestine, issue Cry for Hope, an urgent call to end the oppression of the Palestinian people.  

Rifat Kassis, General Coordinator of Kairos Palestine, explains, “The Body of Christ can no longer stand by as world leaders and the international community trample on the rights of Palestinians to dignity, justice and self-determination under international law. The integrity of the Christian faith itself is at stake.”  

The authors of this international call describe the release as coming at a time of global emergencies, when the world has been summoned to turn its attention to the most vulnerable. They point to movements around the world that are seeking to bring down the structures of racism, ethnic cleansing, and the violation of land and its resources. 

Cry for Hope: A Call to Decisive Action makes the case that, as Israel announces its annexation plans, a critical point has been reached in the struggle to end the oppression of the Palestinians. Authors of the Cry for Hope argue that the personal, cultural, economic and environmental suffering of Palestinians under occupation increases day-by-day. 

Apart from the Cry, leaders around the world have made the case that, with expected support from the U.S. administration, Israel’s annexation of an additional one-third of the West Bank, including the fertile Jordan Valley, will effectively accomplish the goal of colonizing the Palestinian homeland.

Dr. Souraya Bechealany, Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches, says of the call, “The Kairos document Cry for Hope is our cry for Justice and, therefore, we sign in conviction under this petition as an institution representing all the Churches in the region. Our struggle for Justice and Rights will never cease. It is our raison d’être as Christians, the pursuit of and establishment of Justice. Peace without Justice is inconceivable.” 

Attached to the Cry are the names of over 300 persons and organizations offering their endorsement—church leaders, theologians, officers of ecumenical bodies and grassroots advocacy networks. Embodied in the Cry, released today, is an appeal for more signatures and bold actions on the part of the church. 

The international writing team declares, “Cry for Hope is rooted in the logic of love which has as its goal the liberation of both the oppressor and the oppressed. To bring an end to the suffering and bloodshed and to bring peace in the Holy Land, we invite churches, international ecumenical  organizations, concerned advocates from all faith traditions and partners from every sector to commit through the seven action points in the Cry.”

The Cry and its accompanying signature campaign are accessible at http://chng.it/qyNLXmvvdZ . The list of international leaders who have endorsed the document and translations in multiple languages can be found at www.cryforhope.org. Authors of the document encourage persons to report how they plan to take action for hope, justice and freedom at the movement’s Facebook page, Global Kairos for Justice Coalition

Attached: Cry for Hope: A Call to Decisive Action. Please see www.cryforhope.org for the full listing of global leaders and organizations endorsing the call.

 Kairos Palestine, the most extensive Palestinian Christian ecumenical non- violent movement, is based on the Kairos Palestine document, A Moment of Truth, launched in 2009, affirming that the Palestinian Christians are part and parcel of the Palestinian nation, calling for peace to end all suffering in the Holy Land by laboring for justice, hope and love, embraced by the Christian community, signed by all historically recognized Palestinian Christian organizations, and endorsed by the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem. 

Global Kairos for Justice (GKJ), a worldwide coalition of concerned Christians from different churches, denominational and national (or people of faith), churches and church related organizations born in response to the Kairos Palestine “Moment of Truth: a word of faith, hope, and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering,” which was launched in 2009. GKJ is committed to none violent means, calling for ending the Israeli colonization of Palestine and advocating for the right of self-determination of Palestinian people and peace with justice for all people in the holy land.