Category: Announcements

Greetings from the De La Salle University!

The Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance of De La Salle University in partnership with  INCITEGov and the Asia Democracy Network through the support of the Asia Democracy Research Network is pleased to invite you or a representative from your organization to an online knowledge forum Democracy in Pandemic Times. The knowledge forum will be held on August 12, 2021 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (Philippine Standard Time) through Zoom. This activity aims to examine the current state and future of Philippine democracy in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will tackle how the global health crisis has exacerbated democratic backsliding and triggered an economic recession in the country. Moreover, it will generate key insights to foster democratic engagement in the 2022 national elections.

The online forum will feature five presentations from knowledge experts in various fields. The presenters will share their insights and ideas concerning the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic to the country’s democratic institutions. An open forum will follow the presentations to allow the attendees to ask salient questions and share their relevant insights. You may refer to the attached document for the indicative program flow and invited speakers.

Kindly confirm your participation by accessing this Zoom registration link: bit.ly/DemocracyNF. Should you have questions or concerns, you may contact our staff, Mr. John Benedict Felices, via email (john.benedict.felices@dlsu.edu.ph) or mobile (+639162192369). Thank you and keep safe!

Sincerely,
LSIG Team

PROGRAM

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.

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

As part of our COVID-19 information campaign, we are pleased to share with you our second information, education, and communication (IEC) material on the COVID-19 pandemic entitled, “TUNGO SA PAGHILOM: “Bakuna, Bakuna, Magliligtas Ka Ba? Mga Katotohanan at Impormasyon Hinggil sa mga Bakuna para sa COVID-19”. This is available in Tagalog and Cebuano languages.

The National Council of Churches in the Philippines aims to make reliable information on the COVID-19 vaccines more accessible to the communities. Churches, organizations, and families can use this comprehensive briefer on COVID-19 vaccines to hold discussions within their households and communities. NCCP hopes to encourage communities to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and to become allies in ensuring accountability and transparency in the national response to the pandemic.

Download the attached files or Access the digital copies here: https://bit.ly/3uSy3gO

For inquiries and updates, please coordinate with us at nccp.actalliance@gmail.com

Padayon!

Program Unit on Faith, Witness and Service
National Council of Churches in the Philippines

The Partnership Mission for People’s Initiatives (PMPI) is concerned about the recent decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF) to construct in Nayong Pilipino a mega vaccination hub funded by billionaire Enrique Razon Jr.’s International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI). The proposed facility if erected in one of the remaining green spaces in Parañaque is set to destroy the existing grassland ecosystem, mangrove and the beach forests that function as habitat, nutrient sink and filter to land-based pollutants aside from acting as buffer and natural defense against storm surges as many have seen after Typhoon Yolanda.

We find the decision unreasonable given that many open spaces like arenas, empty hotels and even malls are opening up to a vaccination center, so why construct a new one that would again destroy the few remaining ecosystems in cities like Paranaque? Replicating the idea behind existing city vaccination hubs like Makati Coliseum, Ospital ng Maynila, Ayala Malls Manila Bay, and such would be much more time efficient, cost effective, and accessible, and thus more apt in the nation’s interest to be COVID19-free.

A plan that would involve loss of green spaces and disruption of ecosystems is a plan that is doomed to fail. This apparent disregard for ecosystems and nature only confirms that even after a year in the pandemic, this administration has yet to understand COVID-19 and its zoonotic nature. Its misplaced priorities reflected how it failed to comprehend the interconnected strings of societal issues — overwhelmed health care system, low vaccination rate, failed education system, lost livelihoods, and deepened economic and social inequality — that have made the country a most favorable hotspot for the spread of the disease.

The location of Nayong Pilipino is an apt ecological buffer zone to protect the Las Piñas–Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA), a Ramsar site declared for conservation under the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). A projected environmental degradation in the area will strip off its natural barriers against hazards, making the already vulnerable reclaimed land of Parañaque even more prone to disasters..

Additionally, it is counterproductive to construct the proposed mega vaccination hub in an area that is inaccessible to individuals without a private car. Further, the likelihood of virus spread is high due to the proximity of the hub to a quarantine facility also located in Nayong Pilipino. Too far from being able to manage the pandemic, plummeting economy, and increasing higher rate of poverty, this administration does not have the luxury to undertake reckless decisions anymore.

Isang panawagan at imbitasyon para sa mga Pilipino na kagaya ninyo na may malasakit para sa kinabukasan ng ating bayan at ng ating mga anak.

Panahon na para baguhin ang pamamalakad ng ating bayan! Panahon na para magkaisa! Our future and the future of the next generations depend on it.

It’s time to say NO to misgovernance, to abuse and misuse of political power, to “leaders” who betray the nation and the trust bestowed on them by the electorate. It’s time to speak out and demand accountability from our government officials! It’s time to assert our collective power to elect the right people to public office!

1SAMBAYAN is a broad coalition of citizens and organizations, a coming together of Filipinos whose only wish is to protect our democratic rights and freedoms and to ensure that we get a government that truly serves and serves us well.

This will not be possible if we remain divided and devoid of a unifying agenda. This is why we have 1SAMBAYAN, a vehicle where we can join hands in fighting for good and accountable governance. The first task is to assemble, through a consultative and participative selection process anchored on a clear set of criteria, a common slate for President, Vice President and 12 Senators for the fast-approaching 2022 national elections.

If you want better governance and truly-deserving elective national officials, now is the time to get involved.

Join 1SAMBAYAN and fight for a better future for ourselves and the next generations of Filipinos! Sign up by downloading 1SamaAko app at Apple Store or Play Store and register on the app. The link is https://1sambayanapp.page.link/S6BpA1ybJGhdyyTe8 . To know how to use the app, you may also visit: https://1sambayan.org/1sambayan-app/

Please note the app will undergo refinements and will eventually be capable of being our messaging platform. If you have any problems registering, please inform us so we can help you.

Mabuhay po kayo!

Very truly yours,

Susan Villanueva
Chair, 1SAMBAYAN Membership Committee

Br. Armin A. Luistro FSC
Convenor

The Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life announces the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly under the theme “I am with you always”.

By Vatican News staff writer | April 20, 2021

The First World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly will be celebrated on Sunday 25 July, announced the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life in a press release on Tuesday.

The theme chosen by Pope Francis for this inaugural commemoration is “I am with you always” (Mt 28:20). It expresses the closeness of the Lord and the Church to every older person, especially in these challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The theme, “I am with you always” is also “a promise of closeness and hope that young and old can mutually share”, notes the press release. Not only are grandchildren and youths invited to be present in the lives of older people, but older people and grandparents also have a mission of evangelization, proclamation and prayer, and of encouraging young people in their faith.

To further encourage the celebration of the World Day in local churches and associations, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life will offer pastoral tools from mid-June, which will be available on the website www.amorislaetitia.va