Home 2021 July (Page 4)

Month: July 2021

Concern over children raised as Philippine volcano continues to emit sulfur dioxide gas

Several families in the towns of Agoncillo and Laurel, which are considered “high-risk areas,” have already been evacuated

Jose Torres Jr.
July 5, 2021

Women, children, and the elderly are among the most vulnerable to sickness in evacuation centers. (Photo by Jire Carreon)

A child rights organization has raised concern for the safety of children and families in the province of Batangas as Philippine authorities warned of the imminent eruption of Taal volcano.

Several families in the towns of Agoncillo and Laurel, which are considered “high-risk areas,” have already been evacuated.

Reports said more than 7,000 residents in Laurel town and nearly 14,500 people from Agoncillo are already affected by sulfur dioxide emissions from the volcano.

“If the volcano erupts again, it could be deadly,” said Jerome Balinton, humanitarian manager at Save the Children in the Philippines.

He said thousands of families and children who have been forced to evacuate their homes are already temporarily sheltered in evacuation centers.

“We are also concerned that, amid the chaos of the evacuations, families will be unable to follow social distancing guidelines and are at risk of being infected with [COVID-19],” said Balinton.

At least 16 active cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Agoncillo and Laurel towns.

“If the evacuation of families becomes overwhelming, it may contribute to the spread of the virus,” warned Balinton.

“With the country still reeling from the fallout of COVID-19, a life-threatening volcanic eruption is the last thing these areas need,” he said.

Many families in the province of Batangas lost their homes and their livelihoods after Taal volcano erupted in January last year, covering several towns with ashes and sand.

Lawyer Albert Muyot, chief executive officer at Save the Children in the Philippines, appealed to local government units in the area “to ensure the safety and protection of children and their families.”

He said Save the Children’s humanitarian teams are on stand by and ready to respond, and provide displaced families with temporary shelters and other essentials, as needed.

Residents watch as Taal volcano releases ash and smoke during an eruption in Tagaytay, Cavite province south of Manila, Philippines on Monday. Jan. 13, 2020. (File photo by Basilio Sepe)
Continue reading

A Statement of Church and Workers Leaders on Duterte’s last year as President

An appeal to President Duterte to address workers’ plight in his last year in office

As the five years of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte were not able to provide a dignified life to the common Filipino workers, the Church People-Workers Solidarity (CWS) challenges the president and pertinent government agencies to exert all efforts to do better in his last year in office.

Pope Francis, in his September 25, 2015 United Nations address, highlighted three important “minimum material means” for a person to live a dignified life: land, labor, and lodging.

June 30, 2021 marked the five years of President Duterte and the CWS is saddened of the miserable situation of workers in the country:

1. Failed land reform program. Much of farmland in the country is still concentrated in the hands of large corporations and wealthy families. President Duterte promised free land distribution, but since taking office in 2016, not only has he failed to implement a genuine land reform program, he has also cracked down on those who dared to fight for it.

2. Killings of industrial workers, farm workers and fisherfolks. Labor rights groups documented at least 56 killings involving workers and labor leaders. Attacks on agricultural workers’ rights proliferated across the country. As of October 2020, Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) documented 333 cases of killings of peasants, farmworkers, and fisherfolks under President Duterte’s administration. In 2018, two years after President Duterte assumed office, nine sugarcane workers were killed in Sagay City, Negros Occidental, including four women and two children.

3. Labor rights violations. Earlier this year, sugarcane farmworkers, including a mother and her two-month old baby, were arrested in Hacienda Ambulong, San Fernando, Talisay City, in Negros. Last month, sugar farmworkers in Isabela decried union busting and wage slavery. The sugar workers in a plantation run by the Lorenzo-owned Green Future Innovations, Inc. receive a humiliating Php 15 daily wage, far from the regional minimum wage of Php 340 a day. Moreover, Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian recently ordered the suspension of the business permit of Nexgreen Enterprise for unfair labor practices, non-payment of other benefits and for paying the salary of a worker in centavo coins.

4. Unemployment. Joblessness increased due to continued lockdowns. The Philippine Statistics Authority recorded last June 2021, an 8.7% unemployment rate or 4.14 million jobless Filipinos. President Duterte’s campaign promise to end the practice of “contractualization” or “endo” and to improve labor conditions for all have not been fulfilled.

President Duterte’s campaign slogan promised the Filipino people that “change is coming”. Five years would have been more than enough to fulfill that promise. However, the promised change never happened. With one more year in office, can we still expect fundamental changes to happen, especially now that the 2022 election is looming? The challenge is for us citizens — church people and workers, actually every voter — to choose good leaders and to make sure that the coming election will be clean, honest, accurate, meaningful, and peaceful (c.h.a.m.p.)!

The CWS calls on President Duterte to address the workers’ woes, let justice prevail and truly serve the interest of the Filipino working people. Perhaps, he may still redeem himself if he takes our challenge to put the dignity of the human labor at the center of his efforts in his last year as president; and to have the passion for The True, The Just, and The Good.

+MOST REV. GERARDO A. ALMINAZA, D.D.
Bishop of San Carlos, CWS Chairperson
gerard_alminaza@yahoo.com

Invitation to a Townhall: Simbahan at Bayan

01 July 2021

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

Warm greetings. We trust you are finding hope through the difficulties of this pandemic.

We wish to invite you to join us online in 1Sambayan Town Hall: SIMBAHAN AT BAYAN on July 10, 2021 at 3:00 to 6:00 PM.

The People’s Choice Movement, an inter-faith effort to elect good and worthy candidates for the crucial 2022 national election is supporting 1Sambayan and as such is spearheading this Faith-Based sector meeting. In this event, we will talk on issues that are important to people of God in the coming elections. Leaders from various church traditions are going to speak on the biblical basis for our social involvement. At the end of the meeting, we hope to begin a conversation towards a consensus on selecting and voting leaders for the nation.

For a start, the PCM has identified 5 issues that are most important to faith communities – 1) poverty and economics; 2) sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea; 3) the EJK and respect for life; 4) political repression and human rights; and 5) the problem posed to democracy by political dynasties. Bishops from the Catholic, mainline Protestant and evangelical communities have been invited to provide biblical reasons for why these issues are important to us. They will pose a challenge to their respective churches on what can be done and bring a word of encouragement to the flock.

The Bishops we have invited to share their views on the said issues are the following:

  • His Eminence Jose Fuerte Cardinal Advincula Jr., Archbishop of Manila
  • Bishop Efraim Tendero, former Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), and the first Global Ambassador of WEA
  • Bishop Reuel Norman Marigza, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines
  • Bishop Broderick Soncuaco Pabillo, D.D., Chairman, CBCP Episcopal Commission on the Laity, and newly appointed by Pope Francis as Apostolic Vicar of Taytay
  • Bishop Antonio Javellana Ledesma, S.J., D.D., Archbishop-Emeritus of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro
  • Bishop Antonio N. Ablon, President of the Mindanao Bishops Conference, and Regional Chairperson of KARAPATAN in Western Mindanao

There will be an hour of Open Forum to carefully listen and answer questions among the attendees, both on Zoom and on other social media platforms of PCM, 1Sambayan and other networks participating.

We are attaching herewith the program guide for the Townhall meeting. To register, follow this link https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YH1R1QnITL2ucogsatGACQ.

We trust that this meeting will signal the start of circles of discernment and action among our various church traditions, in keeping with our responsibility both as citizens of the Kingdom and of this country.

Yours in Christ,

PEOPLE’S CHOICE MOVEMENT

PROGRAMME

2:45     Open Zoom Room for Attendees

3:00     Singing of National Anthem

Invocation to be led by His Eminence  Jose Fuerte Cardinal Advincula Jr., Archbishop of Manila
1Sambayan & PCM Introduction

Continue reading

Eleksyon 2022 Koalisyon (E22K)

July 5, 2021

To: All Laiko Member Organizations: Archdiocesan Councils of the Laity & National Lay Organizations

Dear Brothers & Sisters:

Attached is a letter from our Coalition Partner (Eleksyon 2022 Koalisyon), a non-partisan group promoting election related activities such as voters registration and education; as well as programs to help ensure a free and honest election in May 2022.

The coalition is getting organized in the local areas and we encourage our DCLs and NLAs to support their effort in reaching out to our members as well others in our circle of influence.

We hope you will give your full cooperation and support when our coalition partners connect with you.

Thank you very much and let us be one in doing our share for the future of our country.

May God bless us all!

Sincerely in the service of the Lord,

30 June 2021

SAMAHANG LAIKO NG PILIPINAS
Laiko Building, 372 Cabildo St.
Intramuros, Manila

ATTN: MR. ROUQUEL PONTE
President

Dear Madams/Sirs:

Greetings!We cannot be more grateful and proud to have your organization as among the conveners of Eleksyon 2022 Koalisyon (E22K). We thank you for your support in the successful public information and awareness campaign to drive up voter registration, which culminated in our May 22, 2021 online launch event. The next step is for us to undertake activities on the ground, which may include voter registration drives and awareness campaigns in the localities and rendering assistance to citizens who will register or reactivate their registration. The latter can be done through coordinating with COMELEC and LGUs in proposing and organizing satellite registrations, providing transportation to registrants, assisting registrants to accomplish forms, by providing safe venues for offsite registration, etc.

While COMELEC may have publicly reported that the number of registrants is already near the target it has set, we believe that we have to continue pursuing our efforts. We have to make people realize the importance of their power as sovereigns in choosing our leaders. Besides, only very few of the 7 million whose registrations have been deactivated for failing to vote in two preceding elections, have so far reactivated their registration.

Your nationwide reach is vital to E22K’s goal of reaching as many of our fellow citizens as possible in our voter registration drive for the upcoming May 9, 2022 National and Local Elections. It is in this regard that we are requesting your network in the regions to assist in the conduct of E22K activities on the ground. We would also appreciate to have your network be our reference on the ground in coordinating and monitoring our activities. We are ready to reach out to your network to discuss other possible activities on the ground and to conduct briefings on updates and trainings. Thank you so much.

Invitation to “New Heroes of the Pandemic: Responsible Parents” on July 26

14 July 2021
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
The peace & Love of the Lord,
We are pleased to endorse to you the invitation from the Responsible Parenthood & All Natural Family Planning Network to the Webinar on the “New Heroes of the Pandemic: Responsible Parents” on July 26, 2021, 2-5 pm via Zoom.
Attached is the invitation letter & the details of the event.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
(Sgd) ROUQUEL A. PONTE
President

2 July, 2021
Mr. Roquel Ponte
National President
Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas
2F LAIKO Building
372 Cabildo St., Intramuros, Manila
Dear Brother Roquel,
Greetings of hope and good health.
The world celebrates Parents’ Day on the 4th Sunday of July every year, to pay tribute to the noble sacrifices of parents everywhere. The RP ANFP Network recognizes the selfless love of parents in building up the next generation of citizens and desires to honor them in a special way.
In view of this, we are inviting you to a webinar on the “New Heroes of the Pandemic: Responsible Parents”, on July 26, 2021 from 2-5 PM, via Zoom and Live on ANFP Network Facebook page. The webinar is especially designed not only for parents, but also for educators, counselors, community and parish workers involved with families, youth, children, and the elderly.
As a sequel to the successful webinar last April, the RP-ANFP Network will now highlight the fact that amidst the threats presented by the COVID 19 pandemic, responsible parents as our modern day heroes are capable of creating opportunities for families to remain united, healthy and vibrant.
Practical guidelines founded on the realities of the present day situation are envisioned to emanate from insights from our eminent speakers:
 Archbishop-Emeritus Antonio Ledesma, SJ of Cagayan de Oro will discuss the Pastoral Approach to Humanae Vitae contained in Amoris Laetitia.
 POPCOM will provide insights into the challenges to families during this pandemic, specifically the persistent unintended pregnancies and domestic violence.
 Selected parents to share what families can do while facing these challenges.
 Rev. Fr. Luciano Ariel Felloni of “Almusalita” fame will discuss the various perspectives of responsible parenting in light of Catholic Church teachings.
Attached is the program of the event, as we look forward to the active participation of Sangguniang Laiko members. Please share this information to your members and networks.

Truly yours,

(Sgd.) Amelita D. Go, Ed.D.
Chairman

(Sgd.) Dr. Divina LUpe M. Lazaro, M.D.
President

(Sgd.) George Pimentel
Vice President & Executive Director

Living without destructive plastic

Plastic pollution is destroying many creatures and poisoning our air and rivers and oceans and people don’t seem to care

LICAS News
Father Shay Cullen
July 1, 2021

Greenpeace together with the Break Free From Plastic coalition conduct a beach cleanup activity and plastics brand audit on Freedom Island off the coast of Manila in in 2017. (Greenpeace photo by Daniel Müller)

Plastic was and is a magical invention. It is a material based on oil and has thousands of excellent and life-saving uses. In the medical world, in construction, in tool-making, manufacturing of phones and other gadgets, cars, household items, furniture and almost everything you see has plastic in it.

Our modern world depends on plastic to sustain its present lifestyle. But that lifestyle built on the plastic revolution has its dangerous dark side. Everything we humans use and discard can have dire consequences for the planet.

Garbage is everywhere and it is damaging our health. Plastic pollution is destroying many creatures and poisoning our air and rivers and oceans and people don’t seem to care.

It is dangerous to health because it is a destructive chemical-based pollutant. The one-time use of disposable plastic stuff is so dangerous and damaging to our lives, our health, our environment. The fish we eat have plastic in them because the vast oceans are filling up with discarded plastic.

Continue reading

The Philippine Terror Law and Implications on Rights and Civic Space

A year ago, in 2020 amidst the pandemic, the draconian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 was enacted into law, despite broad opposition from various sectors, groups and personalities. At least 37 petitions were filed at the Supreme Court seeking that the ATA be declared unconstitutional. The petitions remain pending at the High Court, after a series of oral arguments during the first half of 2021.

During the past months, counter-terror legislations and policies have been increasingly used against religious and civil society organisations, as well as individuals, in a perceived attempt to silence dissent, to impede their work for social justice and human rights, and to further constrict civic and democratic space.

A year after the enactment of the Anti-Terrorism Act in the Philippines, Karapatan together with the Ecumenical Voice for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines will hold a  webinar on the Philippine Terror Law and Implications on Rights and Civic Space  on July 6, 2021 (Tuesday), 3:00-4:30 PM via zoom.

The webinar seeks to inform the public on the dire implications of the counter-terror laws on rights and fundamental freedoms. We invite you to join us in the said webinar. You may register through http://bit.ly/70621ATLvvCivicSpace