Category: News

Stop the Killings in Negros

August 9, 2019

Dear Friends and Compatriots,

Peace be with you!

In line with the various initiatives to help put a stop to the surge in killings in Negros Island, we would like to solicit your signature for the attached urgent appeal titled “Stop the Killings in Negros.”

We hope to gather the broadest range of concerned citizens to sign on to the appeal which we will to send to all parties and individuals who can act to stop to the carnage.

Your help will be very much appreciated especially by the people of Negros who have suffered enough.

Hoping for your positive response, we remain,

Respectfully yours,

Stop the Killings in Negros
An urgent appeal

A bloodbath is now happening in Negros.

In less than a week, from July 23-July 28, 15 civilians were killed by unidentified vigilantes in Negros Oriental following the July 18 ambush of four policemen by the New People’s Army (NPA).

Prior to this, last March 30, 14 civilians were killed in coordinated operations by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Canlaon City and the towns of Manjuyod and Sta. Catalina.

Human rights groups have reported at least 87 killings of unarmed civilians in Negros since the government intensified its campaign against suspected rebels and their alleged front organizations in 2017.

This cannot go on. The killings must stop.

In solidarity with the people of Negros, we urgently call for the following:

• An impartial and independent investigation on the facts, circumstance and underlying causes of the surge in killings so that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice. Such an investigation cannot be simply left to the PNP and AFP who have been implicated in the killings;

• For Pres. Rodrigo Duterte to stop inciting the PNP, AFP and even firefighters to kill more in retaliation for alleged rebel atrocities, leading to even more indiscriminate killings and exacerbating the spiral of violence;

• For the government and the CPP-NPA-NDFP to resume the peace talks so that a stand down can be negotiated leading to a de-escalation of armed conflict and reduction of the climate of fear enveloping the province. The talks should address the roots of the armed conflict without resorting to all- out war and its ensuing human rights violations.

Your Eminence/Beatitude/Grace/Excellency/Rev. Fathers/ Rev. Sisters/Rev. Brothers

Greetings from OHD/CCD !

In a word, it is not only the cause of migrants that is at stake; it is not just about them, but about all of us, and about the present and future of the human family. Migrants, especially those who are most vulnerable, help us to read the “signs of the times”. Through them, the Lord is calling us to conversion, to be set free from exclusivity, indifference and the throw-away culture. Through them, the Lord invites us to embrace fully our Christian life and to contribute, each according to his or her Proper Vocation, to the building up of a world that is more and more in accord with God’s plan: Excerpts from the MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS, FOR THE 105th WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES 2019 [29 September 2019]

The World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2019 (WDMR) will be celebrated on Sunday 29th September and the theme is ‘It’s Not Just About Migrants; It Is About All of Us’.

Given below is list of resource materials attached here with, Please feel free to use and circulate it to all your networks, communities and individuals who can use it further for celebrating the day.

1. Resource material by M& R (Migrants & Refugees) Section of the Vatican.
2. Posters and short video (high resolution & for Social Networking sites like Facebook, whatsapp) by FABC-OHD/CCD,
3. A tentative plan of action suggesting possible activities and programs that can be undertaken to celebrate the WDMR 2019.

May God bless our work and efforts in reaching out to our Migrant Brothers and Sisters and May Mary our Mother guide us constantly.

Fr. Joseph Gonsalves
Executive Secretary
OHD Office of Human Development/
CCD: Climate Change Desk of FABC: Federation of Asian Bishops Conference
St Pius College, Aarey Rd,
Mumbai-400 063
Maharashtra, India

Movement Against Tyranny

08 August 2019

Dear friends in the Movement Against Tyranny:

On July 11, 2019, the United Nations Human Rights Council 41st Session in Geneva passed the Iceland-initiated Resolution on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Philippines. This was truly welcome news, as the Resolution urges the Philippine government to take measures to prevent extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, carry out investigations, and to hold perpetrators accountable.

Now, we have a lot of work to do.

The Ecumenical Voice for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (Ecuvoice) through the Philippine UPR Watch and in cooperation with Karapatan, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers(NUPL) and Rise Up for Life and for Rights invites you to a public forum:

A Walk-Through of the Iceland-initiated Resolution on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Philippines
9am-noon, Friday, Aug 16, 2019
College of Mass Communication Auditorium, UP Diliman, Quezon City

August 7, 2019

Dear Editor:

Last July, we listened to this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA). We, the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of the Manila Priory and the Academic Community of St. Scholastica’s College declare our great concern about the things happening in our society that are not mentioned in the SONA.

We are concerned at the continuous killings in relation to the Drug war which recently took the life of an innocent child.

We are concerned about the harassments, arrests, detention and killing of people suspected (not convicted) of being communist supporters.

We are concerned about the sedition cases filed against the most credible of the critics of this administration including the Vice President, Bishops, Priests and a Christian Brother on the testimony of the most non-credible person who goes from one side to the other without principle or shame.

We are concerned about the plight of our fisherfolk who had been attacked and who are in danger of losing their livelihood because of the President’s incredible subservience to China. We are especially scandalized at his referring to our Philippine Constitution as “toilet paper”.

We are dismayed at the continuous persecution of the LUMADS whose 55 schools have been suspended without investigation and due process.

We are dismayed at the consolidation of power, which erases the autonomy of the three branches of the government, taking away the guarantee of checks and balances. This has been recently manifested when the Speaker of the House was virtually appointed by the President even if there was a questionable election process that happened. This smacks of an undeclared dictatorship.

We do not understand how the President can sign the anti-sexual harassment law, the provisions of which he has repeatedly violated in the past and actually repeatedly violated again in his SONA speech.

We foresee with trepidation the passing of questionable laws such as the death penalty, the lowering of the age of criminality of children, the expansion of the Anti-Terrorism Act which will make all dissent terrorist acts.

AND MANY MORE . . .

We are in favor of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights conducting investigations of the many violations of human rights presented to them.

We join the efforts and struggles of Filipinos who love their country and continue to voice out their protest against all these threats to our democratic society in spite of danger to their lives and freedom.