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Fr. Shay Cullen
24 September 2020

There are many global threats facing the world today. The most serious in everybody’s mind is the coronavirus pandemic with 200,000 dead in the USA alone and spreading. It is a cause of shock and realization that we humans for all our economic, military and medical power is very weak and vulnerable to the invisible virus that has invaded our world, our communities, families and our bodies. Some nations have had success in controlling it; others have failed through incompetence and corruption.

Martha has a cheerful, happy-go-lucky personality, a healthy mother of four. On a recent Saturday evening, she forgot herself and went to a house party with friends to celebrate a birthday. She ignored precautions as did others and wrongly believed it wouldn’t touch her. But it did. By Friday, she was having strong coughing and fever symptoms and reactions and was rushed to the overcrowded hospital. There in painful convulsions, Martha struggled and gasped for breath, isolated from family, only the nurse, dressed in blue plastic, went to help her. It was no use, Martha quickly fell silent and died. It was her weak lungs, they said. Some underlying health condition, said another. No one really knows why she died so quickly. There was no time for an autopsy, not even a proper funeral. She was brought straight to the crematorium, leaving behind a weeping crying, traumatized family.

There are hundreds of thousands of people like Martha and more of them every day. A mistake took away her precious, beautiful, happy life and that of her family. But it is also the many mistakes of the politicians that have failed to act decisively in time to lead and instruct the people that Covid-19 is a dangerous deadly virus with the power to kill and maim. They fail to insist that everyone must wear masks, avoid contact with others, disinfect, wash their hands frequently since anyone may have the deadly killer virus.

It is spreading because many people ignore these precautions and corrupt, inadept and stupid failed leaders do not order and impose protective measures to save the vulnerable people and issue strong, consistent health warnings. They have failed to implement and insist on a national response to test and trace the infected people and isolate them. How else can this vicious virus that spreads like venom be contained? Those strong, respected leaders who did response to the attack of Covid-19 in a wiser, more scientific and disciplined and educated manner saved hundreds of thousands of their citizens, which is their sworn duty.   

In the nations with the highest death rates, it seems they have restricted the showing of videos of mass burials, lines of waiting coffins, full crematoriums, overcrowded hospitals, dying people and sick doctors and nurses. It is too shocking. Is it for some an effort to deny and cover up the real extent of their incompetence, criminal behaviour and lack of moral conscience all for the sake of retaining political power? Covid-19 is spreading and causing more sickness and death because of some selfish, pleasure-seeking and irresponsible people who flout precautions and care for no one other than themselves. In their ignorance, they demonstrate against the safety precautions no less.

It is our fervent hope and belief that the majority of humans are good, law-abiding people that care for others, protect them from Covid-19 and care for the public health and environment. They choose the good over evil. They act in a responsible way saving their own lives, their families and neighbours. The people who do believe and choose to do the good and practice the values of love of the stranger, of neighbour and work for justice, have a responsibility to share those values so that equality, peace and harmony can be a reality in society. We should actively persuade and convince the others to do likewise. Inactivity in the face of wrong is to allow it to grow and prosper.

It may seem like mission impossible to persuade the virus deniers and the climate sceptics of the truth of a pandemic and global warming. We have to challenge and call out the oppressors, corrupt leaders and politicians to do justice, respect the rights of all, to care and protect the public health and to serve humbly. To convince these people who live in darkness that it is a better life to be in the light and to bring happiness to people, not terror, oppression, pain, suffering, rights violations and death. It is a mission to persuade the ordinary people to always choose the good over evil.  It is a challenge for all to teach by good example, taking action for justice and accepting and living the truth that justice and goodness is the path to happiness for all. It is a great shining ideal, but will it ever come to be?

This is the goal we must work for. There is so much evil in the world that allows the virus to spread uncontrolled in many countries, mostly among the poor. We see much irresponsible selfish behaviour by some national leaders, bankers, industrialists, military, police and criminals. We know that abuse and evil persist because they with the power choose the evil and reject the good as they exercise their free will corruptly. The evil comes from making the wrong choice to crush and hurt others to retain political and economic power and to plunder the nation.  For them, the health and well-being of others is just a matter of lip-service, words without meaning, action without purpose, hypocrisy and skulduggery for selfish personal gain.  The great hope is that a society, a nation, will evolve with the beautiful values, principles, and compassion that motivate overwhelming good that is  the paramount driving force that brings happiness to all.

www.preda.org

Active Vista Festival

21 September 2020

International Day of Peace, Martial Law 48th Commemoration

FOUR NATIONAL networks of humanitarian, development, and faith-based organizations file on Monday the 36th petition questioning the Constitutionality of several draconian provisions of the Anti-Terror Law (ATL) or the Republic Act 11479.

As part of the group’s commemoration of Martial Law and the International Day of Peace, the group’s representatives stood in front of the Supreme Court bearing calls for peace and to protect the local civil society organizations.

“Our partners, member organizations, and even the poor communities we are working with in building their resilience have experienced harassment through malicious tagging,” Yolanda Esguerra of the Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI) said.

She added that with the law’s provisions, the law will legitimize these attacks against humanitarian and development organizations, which is no different during the Martial Law era.

“Once branded as terrorist by the council under ATL, these provisions allow state forces to simply freeze the organizations’ operation and arrest its staff while under investigation. This is legitimizing the current attacks against local humanitarian and development workers,” she added.

DRRNetPhils or the Disaster Risk Reduction Network Philippines (DRRNetPhils) representative highlighted that local organizations working on disaster risk reduction and management in vulnerable communities must be protected.

“We are ensuring that everyone is part of the development and when there are emergencies, we ensure that everyone receives the appropriate aid they need per Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability,” Dr. Susan Balingit, the Chairperson of Citizen Disaster Response Center (CDRC) said.

She added that every humanitarian organization following the Humanitarian Principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence shall be “violating” Section 12 or providing material support if the communities or sectors who are receiving aid are being labeled as terrorist. On the other hand, humanitarian workers might fear to fulfill their duties, especially in conflict hotspots.

“Since CDRC has been established 35 years ago, we have received threats and harassment and we can only hope every organization is protected and not be put in a more harmful position as what this law’s provisions are doing. For instance, helping displaced lumad communities in Mindanao can be an even more difficult situation,” Dr. Balingit said. CDRC is a co-lead convener of DRRNetPhils.

The National Secretariat for Social Action NASSA/Caritas Philippines said that even the Church-work is not exempted from this propaganda against humanitarian and development sectors, especially in high-risk areas.

“Not only in conflict-ridden areas but even in cities, we are being branded as part of terrorist fronts. Many of our staff are afraid of such vilification but we continue working,” NASSA-CARITAS Executive Secretary Fr. Tony Labiao said.

September 19, 2020
Bantayog ng mga Bayani

The civil and political rights of Filipinos have been continuously trampled upon by the Duterte government. We all bear witness to the deteriorating human rights situation of the country. Day by day, we are outraged by the escalation of attacks on our rights perpetrated no less by the State and its agents.

From July 2016 to August 2020, Karapatan, a human rights organization, documented 328 victims of extra-judicial killings, 439 frustrated extrajudicial killings, 13 enforced disappearances, 214 victims of torture, 2,596 illegal arrest without detention, 973 illegal arrest and detention, 694 of illegal search and seizure, 390 of assault and injury, 456,913 of forced evacuation, and 3342 forced and fake surrenderees, among other violations which continued and even escalated during the pandemic. Of the killings, KMP has documented at least 265 peasants killed for asserting their right to land.

Those killed in Duterte’s war against illegal drugs are estimated to be more than 30,000 individuals, while more than a hundred thousand were illegally arrested. 

Just recently, while the country faces a pandemic, four prominent activists, namely Randall “Ka Randy” Echanis, Zara Alvarez, Jory Porquia, and Carlito Badion, were brutally murdered by state agents. Before their murder, they were red-tagged and branded as terrorists just like other assassinated activists.

The government itself, through its several agencies, the police, and the military, publicly propagate red-tagging and anti-communist or terrorist hysteria, putting the lives of those they tag in clear and present danger.

A climate of impunity prevails and no one is held accountable for these dastardly crimes. The Duterte government is absolutely doing nothing to stop, prevent, or even investigate such inhumane acts. Instead, President Rodrigo Duterte publicly encourages and extolls state agents to do more of the killings and human rights violations.

Thus, even the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted that there is rampant, systematic, grave, and serious violations of human rights by the Duterte regime.

Given these facts, and due to the passive attitude of the government to put a stop to these human rights violations and give justice to the victims, there is a need for the people to act to protect their rights, prevent the occurrence of more human rights violations, and struggle to achieve justice for the victims.

We represent the Justice for Echanis, Justice for All broad network that is comprised of individuals and organizations from various sectors — peasant organizations, land rights activists, human rights defenders, environment defenders, peace and social reform advocates, civil libertarians, Church people, artists, cultural groups, and youth and student organizations committing to stand in solidarity to demand justice for Randall “Ka Randy” Echancis and all victims of peasant political killings.

Ka Randy’s brutal death is not simply the death of a man, it is part of a fascist regime’s insidious acts against the people. This can be seen not only in the heinous and cowardly manner of his murder done by state agents but also in the desperate attempt at covering it up as a common crime.

Ka Randy has been a long-time leading consultant of the NDFP Peace Negotiating Panel on social and economic reforms.

Seeking #JusticeForKaRandy is part of advancing the people’s struggle for land, peace, and justice. We demand a thorough and impartial investigation on the brutal killing of Ka Randy Echanis and other victims of extrajudicial killings, and to make accountable the perpetrators.

We demand the rescinding of Executive Order No. 70, Memorandum Order No. 32 and other state policies that authorize red-tagging and human rights violations, including the recently enacted Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020.

We aim to unite advocates, concerned individuals, and groups to propagate and support the broad advocacies of Ka Randy – land and farmers’ rights, human rights, socio-economic reforms, social justice, among others.