Month: February 2021

15 February 2021

The Ecumenical Institute of Labor Education and Research (EILER) condemns the brutal murder of Leonardo “Ka Esca” Escala, union president of the port operator International Container Terminal Services Incorporated (ICTSI) last Februrary 7, in Tondo Manila.

Under Escala’s leadership, the union, the Nagkakaisang Manggagawa sa Pantalan Incorporated (NMPI)-ICTSI under the National Federation of Labor Unions (NAFLU), fought for labor rights and humane working conditions.

Because of his convictions, he constantly received death threats. 

According to reports, Escala was with his 4-year old niece when both of them were shot by two assailants who escaped in a motorcycle. Escala died in the hospital an hour after they arrived, while his niece is still receiving treatment .

According to the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights, the number of labor leaders killed under Duterte have already gone up to 51. Adding to that the increasing numbers of harassment, union-busting, and cases of repression.

The culture of impunity under the Duterte administration has resulted in the increased number of  killings of labor leaders, human rights defenders, and ordinary citizens. This has to stop. We seek justice and we also want to hold accountable those that perpetuate this culture of impunity.” said Rochelle Porras, Executive Director of EILER.   #

February 18, 2021

Dear Partners and Colleagues,

In the spirit of defending our fundamental freedoms, we inform you of the continuing saga of red-tagging by the Philippine government to civil society organizations, specifically, the intensifying harassment and attacks on labor organizations and church people.

Research and education work is not a crime. The Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER) strongly denounces the allegations of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA). In the NICA’s letter to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), EILER is branded as a Communist-Terrorist Group-affiliated. The said letter was received by our volunteer staff from the BI only on February 3, 2021.

The red-tagging endangers the lives of EILER’s Board of Trustees, its staff, and the workers it serves. Our volunteer researcher and lay missionary, Otto De Vries, has been maliciously accused by NICA that he was “engaged and actively participating in protest rallies of Communist-Terrorist Group (CTG) front organizations.” Under EO 70 (2018), the NICA sits as a member of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), and heads the NTF-ELCAC’s Situational Awareness and Knowledge Management (SAKM) Cluster.

The wrongful allegation is another violation by the Philippine government in its relentless series of harassment and attacks on church people and labor rights defenders. Further, the attacks on civil society organizations indicate the eroding democratic governance in the country, in a critical time the focus should be on relief and recovery amid the pandemic.

Contrary to the accusations of NICA, EILER neither supports terrorism nor publishes materials to recruit terrorists. EILER is an established non-profit, non-governmental organization that has tirelessly advanced labor education, research, capacity-building, campaigning and advocacy work since 1981. It has published numerous research materials and has produced documentaries on the plight of the Filipino workers for 40 years.

We would like to assure our partners that we will continue to serve the workers through our projects, research and education work. We also appeal for your support in this very difficult time. We hope that you can sign on to endorse our official statement (attached), in support of our campaign to end red-tagging, as well as to put an end to the culture of impunity.

We urge our partners, civil society organizations and trade unions to stand in solidarity with EILER in condemning the attacks and in defending our democratic rights. We kindly ask for  you to:

1)    Issue statements supporting EILER’s call for defending labor rights and defending our institution so that we may continue serving the workers. You may also include our publicly-shared photos from any joint activities of our organizations and the hashtags below for online posting.

2)    Issue statements supporting Otto’s mission to the Philippines.

3)    Share our campaign to stop red-tagging and hold those in power accountable for perpetuating the culture of impunity.

4)    Endorse our statement by affixing your signature.

Our calls:
No to Red-tagging!
Hands off Otto! Hands off Labor Rights Defenders!
Research and education work is not a crime!
Stand with EILER! Hands off civil society organizations!

Thank you very much for your solidarity.

Sincerely,
Rochelle M. Porras
Executive Director
Institusyong Ekumenikal para sa Edukasyon at Pananaliksik sa Paggawa
Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER)

Amid Duterte government’s lowest land distribution record in CARP history, hungry, pandemic-vulnerable Negros farmers ask president: Why do you break our hearts? Why can’t you fulfill your land reform promise?

Carrying “broken hearts” made of red cartolina, about 50 landless Negros Occidental farmers belonging to national peasant federation Task Force Mapalad (TFM), staged a post-Valentine protest-rally in front of the provincial office of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Dawis, Bacolod City on Monday, February 15, to express their frustration over the failure of the Duterte administration to fulfill its promise of completing land distribution under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). 

“First you gave us hope, you made us look forward to a much better future, free from the clutches of hacienderos, because you repeatedly vowed that we would have land. But now, you’ve broken our hearts, our dreams, Mr. President, because you failed to deliver what you promised,” said Teresita Tarlac, president of TFM’s Negros-Panay Chapter.

Tarlac said TFM farmers were apprehensive to hold a rally amid the pandemic, but extreme hunger aggravated by the sharp increase in the prices of basic commodities made them decide to go out and hold a rally and tell President Duterte of their plight.

“Hunger and the lack of adequate nutrition will make us vulnerable to illnesses, which in turn will make us susceptible to Covid-19. We have no other choice but to fight for our right to land, to our right to food and nutrition, so we can shield ourselves from diseases, including Covid-19,” she said.

“President Duterte has to see CARP as the most viable solution to our problem. He must give us our land now, ” added Tarlac. 

In January 2020, while in North Cotabato, President Duterte reiterated his vow to complete the CARP’s land acquisition and distribution (LAD) component within his term, adding that he had directed DAR Secretary John Castriciones to fully implement the program, particularly in Negros Occidental, the province with the biggest LAD balance nationwide.

In May 2019, as a response to the chief executive’s directive to complete the distribution of agricultural landholdings to their tillers, the DAR said its target was for CARP to be LAD-free by 2022. In August 2020, the DAR shortened the land acquisition process from to 291 to 112 days supposedly to fast-track CARP.

Low and unmet land distribution target, lowest performance in CARP history 

However, according to TFM, it is clear from the records of the DAR itself that there is a big credibility gap between what President Duterte promised and what the department does.  

“While the DAR has been projecting to the media that it is doing its job, the truth is the current administration does not only have low and unmet land distribution targets. It is also, on record, the worst CARP implementor in terms of LAD since the land-to-the-tiller program started in 1988,” said Tarlac.

Data from the DAR show that in 2020, the department was only able to distribute a total of 18,789 hectares (has.) of agricultural landholdings nationwide or nearly 40 percent short of its 30,154-hectare target for last year.

“The nationwide LAD balance is still about 500,000 hectares. If the DAR’s LAD target is only over 30,000 hectares yearly, how can the CARP be LAD-free by 2022? At 30,000 hectares yearly, it would take the DAR over 15 years or three more administrations after the Duterte administration before it completes land distribution nationwide,” Tarlac said.

“Worse, missing the target means land distribution will be forever or never,” she added.

From 2016 to 2020, or during the last five years under the Duterte administration, its total LAD accomplishment nationwide was only 142,806 has., according to TFM’s computation based on DAR data.

“That total LAD performance is just equivalent to a yearly average accomplishment of 28,561 hectares – the lowest ever in the history of CARP, ” said Tarlac.

“We thought President Duterte’s predecessor, who came from a haciendero family, was the worst CARP implementor. But we were proved wrong. How come this happened when our current chief executive issued strong directives to the DAR to complete CARP before he stops down from office?” the TFM leader added.

From 2010 to 2015, or during the first five years of Benigno Aquino III’s presidency, the DAR distributed a total of 525,151 has. of agricultural landholdings under the CARP, or an annual average of 105,030 has., based on data from the DAR.