“These people are innocent civilians being tagged by the NTF-ELCAC as NPAs. Out of their desperation, they are using the civilians for their report on the counter-insurgency program.”
The warning declared by various groups in 2020 – that the ATA would be used by the government to intimidate and harass human rights defenders, activists and dissenters – has become a reality.
For workers in Southern Tagalog, repression is as normal as resistance.
The struggle for their right to housing taught them that they have bigger fights to win.
A decade after Yolanda, survivors have to grapple with the absence of reliable and potable water supply, inadequate housing space and absence of certificate of ownership, high transportation costs, limited income opportunity and food insecurity, and absence of clear mechanism to hear grievances.
Students from state universities are calling for higher budgets for science laboratories, classrooms, and equipment amid expectations of excellence.
“Teachers have long suffered from an atrocious education system in the country. It is high time for the government to address these problems.”
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was silent on press freedom issues during his second State of the Nation Address. The situation on the ground is no better.
A decade after the enactment of the Anti-Enforced Disappearance Act of 2012, relatives of victims of enforced disappearances continue to decry lack of accountability.
Agricultural workers and farmers remain in endless wait as agrarian reform takes a backseat under the Marcos Jr. administration.
“The nature of work of delivery riders is unquestionably necessary and desirable to the business and trade of the companies to whom they render their services. Without them, companies engaged in the delivery business have actually no business to speak of. Thus, delivery riders are deemed regular employees by operation of law, regardless of the existence of any work contracts they signed.”