Yes to Safeguarding Palawan Social and Ecological Integrity!!!
Time might soon run out for Palawan, as we have known it until present time.
On May 20 a plebiscite will be held on the island to decide whether the it will be split into three provinces: Palawan del Norte (Northern Palawan), Palawan Oriental (Central Palawan), and Palawan del Sur (Southern Palawan).
Republic Act 11259 was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte on April 5, 2019 to provide for the holding of such plebiscite.
According to local activists and NGOs supporting the Save Palawan Movement (SPM), the division of Palawan would not only open the island’s extensive natural resources to potential mismanagement but would allow extractive and destructive industries, such as large-scale mining and plantations, to take root and destroy even further the rich ecosystems.
Palawan also known as the “Philippine Last Frontier” is well known for having some of the richest biodiversity in Southeast Asia. For this reason, the entire island was declared by the UNESCO as a Man and Biosphere Reserve . The island is home to some of the oldest trees in the southern hemisphere, more than 200 endemic species and more than a 100 endangered species according to the IUCN Red List.
Palawan is also is home to the Indigenous Tagbanua, Pala’wan and Batak. In fact, the island is sometimes referred to as “the Cradle of Philippine Civilization” because of its significant archaeological discoveries.
Jose Alvarez, the governor of Palawan, well known for his aggressive approach toward intensive use of natural resources and for his favorable stand towards logging, claims that dividing Palawan into 3 provinces would speed up the delivery of basic services to residents and further boost the provincial economy.
Instead SPM, and other supporting NGOs such as CALG (Coalition against Land Grabbing) firmly believe that the planned division of Palawan is totally an unnecessary measure and a major step-back on the real development needs of the province and its communities. They argue that this was a policy direction that was conceived and forced to the residents of Palawan province by its political leadership without the benefit of methodical studies, planning and genuine consultations particularly involving the communities at large, which have so much stake on it.
The NGOs in Palawan have no doubt that RA 11259 is, indeed, the product of a strong political lobby staged by the provincial government and its allies in Congress and the executive branch. SPM believes that the measure contradicts many important provisions of the Constitution pertaining to public participation and consultations, the empowerment of local government units for good governance and the principle of sharing of proceeds from the national wealth. It believes that the planned division is not a development agenda as its proponents wanted the public to believe and is instead a direct attempt at gerrymandering.
SPM and those opposing the splitting of Palawan claim that this:
1) is not the appropriate answer to the existing weak governance, corruption, and natural resource use issues in the province and that this is mainly motivated by partisan political concerns;
2) will only aggravate the threats and challenges already facing the environment and further expose the vulnerability of poor communities to the harsh impacts of environmental destruction and climate change;
3) will have huge costs entailed in creating three provinces, as well as in holding a plebiscite. At the end of the day, taxpayers would be the primary bearers of such costs.
Palawaños never asked for their province to be spilt. Rather then division, SPM and supporting NGOs, are asking for the government to focus instead on the empowerment of local government to strongly implement wildlife laws, the IPRA law (RA. 8371) for indigenous peoples’ ancestral land recognition and demarcation and a sustainable management of natural resources. Overall, rather than splitting the province into three, the local government should be strengthen down to the municipal and barangay levels.
SPM is aware it is facing an immense challenge to turn back RA 11259 and the dismemberment of Palawan, knowing that the message has to reach out to the widest public as hard as that it can in order to inform it. This is why a clear and concise audio-visual document has just been produced to highlight the immense threats that Palawan faces, if RA 11259 is validated in a plebiscite. As of now, this document is only available in Tagalog and it is really worth watching!
Please, have a look and circulate it widely
LET’S BE UNITED IN SUPPORTING THE “ONE PALAWAN” CAMPAIGN LET’S SAY A FIRM NO TO THE SPLITTING OF PALAWAN FOR THE BENEFIT OF AN AMBITIOUS AN UNSCRUPOLOUS POLITICAL CLASS. NO TO THE SPLITTING OF PALAWAN PROVINCE!!! YES TO SAFEGUARDING PALAWAN SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY!!!
Maraming salamat po! The CALG Team Coalition Against Land Grabbing (Philippines)
Church People – Workers Solidarity (CWS) Statement on the Bureau of Immigration’s cancellation of Otto de Vries’ permanent resident visa and red tagging of EILER
The Church People – Workers Solidarity (CWS) vehemently condemns the recent attack and harassment of missionary worker Otto de Vries. The Duterte government, through the Bureau of Immigration (BI) ordered the cancellation of Otto’s permanent resident visa and was consequently Ordered to Leave the country. The said Order was based upon the false and malicious allegations made by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) accusing Mr. Otto of engaging and actively “participating in protest rallies of Communist-Terrorist Groups (CTG) front organizations.”
Mr. Otto, a 62-year old Catholic missionary from the Netherlands came to the Philippines in May 1991 upon the invitation of the Bishop Julio Xavier Labayen, OCD, Prelature of Infanta in order to do pastoral work. For years, Mr. Otto was involved in various NGOs and church-based organizations advancing the rights of the poor, marginalized, and oppressed. CWS can attest to fruitful missionary work among the workers in the Philippines. For almost three decades Mr. Otto lived in slum areas around Metro Manila in order to immerse himself in harsh conditions of the workers and urban poor. He worked as a welder, electrician, and maintenance of a steel factory in various factories. His experience in these workshops opened his eyes to the dehumanizing circumstances of contractual workers who receive below minimum wage and work in unsafe working environments.
Contrary to the allegations made by NICA, organizing workers’ associations and unions and educating them about their rights and welfare does not constitute acts of terrorism. Neither is doing research work about the concrete conditions of the working class an illegal political activity. Mr. Otto has long been an affiliate of the Ecumenical Institute for Labor and Research (EILER), a civil society organization that has advocated for labor rights and welfare for more than four decades. Just recently, EILER has become a victim of red-tagging by the Philippine government accusing EILER of being a “communist-terrorist” affiliate. As a convener and long-time partner of CWS, we stand in solidarity with EILER in condemning the recent attack and harassment of civil society organizations, labor organizations and church people. CWS stands with EILER in defending our democratic rights; we likewise support EILER’s advocacy of serving the workers. The recent saga of red-tagging, intimidation, and harassment of legal organizations have intensified in the wake of the Anti-terror Law (ATL). State forces, especially the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) have become more audacious in labeling civil society organizations and individuals as “communists” or “terrorists”. Indeed, ATL weaponizes the State to go after political dissenters. What is more alarming is the fact that red-tagging has become a prelude to State-sponsored killings.
Mr. Otto has exemplified, concretized, and lived out the mission of the church to become a Church of the Poor. Instead of harassing and intimidating church workers, CWS calls on the government to recognize the selfless contributions of Mr. Otto in uplifting the conditions of Filipino workers. Lastly, CWS urged the Bureau of Immigration to reconsider its Order to send the Dutch missionary out of the country.
to Red-tagging!
Hands off Otto! Hands off Labor Rights Defenders! Stand with EILER! Hands off civil society organizations!
The Asia Pacific Research Network (APRN) strongly condemns the attack against our fellow researcher and trade union activist Otto De Vrie. The Philippine government cancelled his permanent visa and issued a deportation order to De Vrie because of his active participation in the labor rights advocacy.
According to documents issued by the Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration, De Vrie has been accused by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency or NICA of participating in protest rallies organized by “Communist-Terrorist Groups (CTG) front organizations.” After the passage of the Anti-Terror Law, the Duterte administration has intensified its already unabated red-tagging spree. NICA has labeled the Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER), the labor NGO for which De Vrie has been volunteering, as “CTG-affiliated.”
De Vrie, 62, hails from the Diocese of Rotterdam, Netherlands and started his immersion in the Philippines in 1991. He was invited by Bishop Julio Xavier Labayen, OCD of the Prelature of Infanta to do pastoral work in the country. For more than 30 years of his pilgrimage in the Philippines, he has witnessed the dire conditions of Filipino workers and other marginalized sectors of society. He has regularly visited striking workers in picketlines and has lived in urban poor communities to see the workers’ plight and hear their demands and struggles. As part of his mission for the working class, De Vrie has been a volunteer researcher for EILER five years.
He also worked as an electrician in various construction projects to investigate the harsh working conditions in the construction sector. His immersion among construction workers provided the material for his contributions to studies. Among the notable research papers with which De Vrie was involved are: “Mega-FTAs and Their Implications on Asian Workers” (2017), “Garment Workers Training Manual” (2018), and “Will Healthcare Become Universal in the Philippines?” (2019).
De Vrie’s present predicament is reminiscent of that of late Archbishop Helder Camara of Brazil who said, “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist.”
EILER is an active member-organization of the APRN in Southeast Asia. It participates in workshops and webinars aimed at advancing the rights of society’s marginalized sectors, and engages with other regional CSO formations such as the ASEAN People’s Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) and Asia-Pacific Regional CSO Engagement Mechanism (APRCEM).
EILER’s humble beginnings can be traced to the 1970s when it started as a church labor center. It continues to be an ecumenical service institution devoted to labor education, research, training, and advocacy work. Its flagship output in the 1990s, “Genuine Trade Unionism” has brought together church groups, academic institutions, and the youth working to defend workers’ rights. EILER has become a worker’s school — building the capacity of workers for forming unions and training new leaders and educators.
The APRN expresses its concern over the government’s “communist-terrorist” tagging of EILER, a labor think-tank which the APRN has worked with over the years. This is the Duterte administration’s maneuver to vilify its critics to silence them.
The grave terror and communist tagging of NGOs and people’s organizations are part of the Duterte government’s vilification campaign against independent and critical voices. Instead of heeding the plight of the marginalized in the country being given voice by institutions like EILER, the Duterte government chooses to silence them.
Despite, for example, the record levels of job losses, price hikes, and hunger during the pandemic, the National Task Force To End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), one of the government’s machinery that orchestrates these wrongful accusations, has received a total of P 16.4 billion (USD 339,430,800) for its 2021 budget, which should been allocated to social services and aid that will benefit the workers and the poor.
The administration has been negligent in its duties to its people. More than 500,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus. Joblessness is worse than ever with 10.9 Million workers who lost their jobs and are suffering from lower income. Hunger spikes due to price hikes. The trend of shrinking and closing civic spaces rapidly escalates with the spate of illegal arrest, fabricated charges, and killing spree against rights defenders and activists.
It is no wonder that the Philippine government ranks lowest among ASEAN countries in terms of Covid-19 response. According to a recent survey titled “The State of Southeast Asia: 2021” published by the Asean Studies Centre of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, 53.7 percent of Filipino respondents expressed disapproval of the Duterte administration’s pandemic response, 17.9 percent expressed “strong disapproval, and only 6 percent expressed “strong approval.” Continuing protests of various people’s organizations and CSOs amid the pandemic is proof of the people’s dissatisfaction with the government’s actions.
APRN stands with EILER and Otto De Vries. The research group urges the Philippine government to halt the revocation of De Vries’ permanent visa and revoke instead its terror- and communist-tagging of EILER. APRN is also inviting its members, affiliates, and network of advocates to express solidarity with De Vries and EILER and condemn the Duterte government’s continuous and rabid red-tagging rampage.
May we also request you to help us in expanding PCM members, supporters or networks so we can reach the broadest number of lay people to participate actively in the coming 2022 elections, share the lecture of Bishop Pabillo on the significance of the coming 2022 election and our role as lay people in line with this, PCM is advocating the Gabay sa Pagpili ng Kandidato : 6 knock-out issues and the Criteria ( Character, Competence, Commitments ), of which the most important criteria is the strong political will against the dictatorship.
PCM secretariat is very much willing to help facilitate discussions on the basis of knock-out issues and the criterias; we can also help invite resources person to discuss the knock-out issues like charter change, extra judicial killings and the human rights situation in the Phillipines, the impact of pandemic in economic and political situation, and so on.
If you can organize volunteers or lay leaders to form as PCM coordinators in your localities, the secretariat can help by providing materials and orientation of PCM.
PCM secretariat is also appealing for whatever help you can share to strengthen the secretariat like cash donations for communication, transportation food of volunteers, office supplies, and most importantly, volunteers.
Many thanks and God Bless!
THE PCM SECRETARIAT [Aida dela Cruz – CpNo. 09151927222; Judy S. Alan CpNo. 09152158129 / 09772107863]
To: All Laiko Members: Arch/Diocesan Councils of the Laity & National Lay Organizations
Re: WALK FOR LIFE 2021
Dear Brothers & Sisters:
“All life has inestimable value even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live forever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect.”
-Pope Francis
In line with our vision and despite the present situation, to “build together a life integrated in our faith, founded on love, solidarity, righteousness and peace,” we will be holding once again the annual WALK FOR LIFE on February 20, 2021, 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm.
This year however, because of the restrictions, we will do it differently. Instead of actual walk, we collaborate with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Dance Exchange on Air for an online rendition of the event dubbed as: “Walk for Life: A Celebration of Life through Dance”
Our event has Two (2) parts. First Part is the Dance Production, portraying various expressions of value and reverence for life. The second Part will be an anticipated Eucharistic Celebration to be officiated by the Chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on the Laity & Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila, Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, D.D., at the Santissimo Rosario Parish, University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila.
The Walk for Life 2021 will be shown live at the following Online Platform: YouTube Channel of Dance Exchange Philippines, Facebook Pages of:
We issue this Joint Statement to clarify the surrounding facts relative to the presence of policemen at the Talamban Campus of University of San Carlos this morning, February 15th, that to us is of serious concern.
To recall, the Societas Verbi Divini (SVD) Philippines Southern Province supported the Archdiocese of Cebu–Commission on Social Advocacies (COSA) project of a bakwit school program with Save Our Schools (SOS) Network.
For this, the SVD hosted last March 11, 2020 the delegation of forty-two (42) students accompanied by five teachers and three community elders (Datu), after four other educational institutions in Cebu hosted the same. The delegation was housed at the SVD-owned retreat house, accessible through USC–Talamban Campus. The delegation was supposed to complete their modular schooling on April 3, 2020 after which, they would have returned to their respective indigenous communities.
As we all know, though, the Cebu City government imposed quarantine restrictions beginning March 13, 2020 to stem the spread of coronavirus disease of 2019 (CoViD-19). After being locked down, the SVD Community has since sheltered the delegation at its retreat house, providing them with comfortable accommodation, and allowing them the use of its facilities for the lumad’s recreation.
When the quarantine restrictions loosened, plans were made for their safe return to their homes. Because the return necessitated logistical preparations to be made and entailed costs such as those relating to the swab tests, fare and food allowance, the travel of the delegation was planned to be carried out in batches. At least four of the delegates have so far returned to their place, and another batch was scheduled to return this week.
It, thus, came as a surprise that reports about minors being “rescued” surfaced today. While COSA mentioned that some parents were coming over to fetch their children, it did not dawn on us that the parents’ visit will necessitate the presence of policemen. Here, no rescue need ever be conducted because the presence of the lumads in the retreat house was for their welfare and well-being, and all throughout, they were nurtured, cared for, and treated with their best interest in mind.
(original signed) Fr. ROGELIO N. BAG-AO, SVD Provincial Superior SVD Philippines Southern Province
(original signed) Fr. NARCISO A. CELLAN, Jr. SVD President University of San Carlos
(original signed) Most Rev. JOSE S. PALMA, D.D. Archbishop of Cebu
