The case of Tacloban 5’s Frenchie Mae Cumpio serves as a reminder that a “one-stop shop” of intimidation tactics and harassment especially targeting young human rights defenders are carried out unabated under the Marcos administration. This unfair and deplorable practice has to end
Dalawang taon mula nang unang nakipag-ugnayan ang Manobo-Pulangiyon sa Amnesty International Philippines para sa kanilang pakikibaka laban sa isang malaking korporasyon ng pinya na siyang nanghimasok sa kanilang Lupaing Ninuno, at matapos ang pagtitiis sa loob ng mahigit tatlong dekada ang 1,490 pamilyang nawalan ng maayos na tahanan at kabuhayan, napag-desisyunan ng tribong bawiin na…
Press Release Philippines authorities are increasingly using Facebook in red-tagging campaigns targeting young activists, including those who investigate alleged human rights violations by the military, police and other government agencies, Amnesty International said today in a new report. The new report,“I turned my fear into courage”: Red-tagging and state violence against young human rights defenders…
Student and youth activists are at the frontline of political and social change, gaining wins on the streets, in schools and in legislatures towards a society that respects, protects, and upholds human rights. But in recent years, young human rights defenders in the Philippines have come under intensified attacks in a coordinated state-led campaign of…
Listen to Issa’s Kwentong Tibak. On 21 September 1972, a total news blackout engulfed the country. Two days later on 23 September, President Marcos Sr. officially announced that he had placed the country under Martial Law. Technically, Martial Law should have been lifted in January 1981, however, functionally Marcos Sr. would retain his authoritarian powers until his…
Listen to Bae Theresa’s Kwentong Tibak, and learn the story of the Manobo Pulangiyon. According to Manobo-Pulangiyon (MP) their ancestors have lived on their Ancestral land, a property consisting of nearly-1000 hectares, since before the Spanish arrived. There are several key landmarks that members of their tribe alone can identify as having a significant influence…
Tibak, is a slang term for “aktibista”, known and used by activists across different issues and struggles, and slandered and demonized by the Philippine government across administrations. But to be an activist, is simply to take action—to speak out, educate, protest—towards change. And to be a human rights activist, a.k.a human rights defender, is to…
Responding to the news on President Marcos Jr.’s 2025 budget for NTF-ELCAC, Amnesty International Philippines Section Director Butch Olano said: “The government keeps on funding harassment and attacks against activists – instead of abolishing EO 70 which established the NTF-ELCAC, President Marcos Jr maintains his support in perpetuating dangerous narratives against social, developmental workers, and…
Cebu City – Activists and human rights defenders in the Visayas are caught in a very dangerous situation between standing up for human rights and fighting for their lives amid attacks and red-tagging, said Amnesty International Philippines during the Cebu leg of its Amnesty International State of the World’s Human Rights 2023/24 Report rolling launch.…
House Bill 77 or “An Act Defining the Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Human Rights Defenders, Declaring State Responsibilities, and Instituting Effective Mechanisms for the Protection and Promotion of these Rights and Freedoms” Authored by: Rep. Edcel C. Lagman On 28 February 2023, House Committee on Human Rights approved Rep. Edcel Lagman’s HB 77 as…
“Another word for activism is…imagination. Because it’s about this idea of being able to envision a world that doesn’t exist yet…that’s what the job of an activist is. It’s to be able to create, and create into being or into existence a new world order that is really equitable and fair and that’s just and…
Since day one of my release, I’ve been extremely busy. I had to go to a safehouse, upon advice of my friends. I was allowed to see several of my close friends. As I could not check in with my family in person, I had to call them. I stayed a few days in that…