by MLC | Jul 17, 2017 | News
By Amita Legaspi
Source: GMA News
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday urged alleged victims of abuses perpetrated by government security forces during the Mindanao Martial Law to come out and present their evidence.
“I strongly encourage these groups and alleged victims of excesses by government security forces to come forward, present your evidence, and file charges in the proper courts,” Lorenzana said in a press statement.
“Huwag po kayong matakot. If indeed some of our soldiers are found guilty of committing excesses under martial law, then we will not hesitate to administer the appropriate sanctions against these individuals, while ensuring that due process is followed,” he added.
He made the statement after human rights groups and peace advocates from Mindanao claimed that there have been massive rights violations in the southern region, but remain unreported due to the victims’ fear of reprisal.
The groups are calling for the lifting of martial law in Mindanao.
Lorenzana said they will never allow anyone within the defense and security establishments to tarnish their image and reputation.
He said this is the reason why they make sure that only the best men and women be allowed to operate in critical areas such as Marawi City and elsewhere in Mindanao, “and that our Muslim brothers and sisters should not be singled out in our operations since terrorism goes beyond any religion or creed.”
“We have made it clear from the very start that all our operations under martial law will be based on the rule of law and respect for human rights of all, regardless of religion, ethnicity or ideology,” he said.
Lorenzana also cited the Defense department’s opposition to calls for an ID system for Muslims because of the belief that it is discriminatory.
“We believe that if an ID system is adopted, it should be national in scope, and should apply to every citizen of the republic,” he said.
The Defense secretary further said that as an added measure to prevent any potential excesses or mishandling by their forces, they have actually deployed military human rights officers and lawyers on the ground.
“[This is] to help guide our soldiers in performing their expanded duties and responsibilities under martial law,” he said.
He said his trust and confidence in the professionalism and integrity of the Armed Forces remain strong.
“Naniniwala akong gagawin ng ating kasundaluhan kung ano ang nararapat alinsunod sa batas at hindi nila kailanman tatalikuran ang kanilang sinumpaang tungkulin – ang ipagtanggol ang bansa at sambayanang Pilipino, kahit kapalit ang sarili nilang buhay,” he said.
On Sunday, Lorenzana said that he had submitted on July 13 the Defense department’s recommendation regarding the extension of martial law, but declined to provide details.
“We will have to wait for the President’s final decision on the matter. What I submitted to him was my recommendation from the security sector as Administrator of Martial Law in Mindanao after consulting with the CSAFP Gen Año. The President has a lot more to consider,” he said, referring to the inputs from the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police and other government agencies and stakeholders in Mindanao.
“I fully trust the President’s judgment on this whether he considers my recommendations or not,” he added.
The 60-day martial law period, as announced by President Rodrigo Duterte on May 23 under Proclamation No. 216, will end on June 22, 2017.
Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao following the attack of the Maute group in Marawi City.
Malacañang said Duterte is already reviewing Lorenzana’s recommendation.
by MLC | Jun 10, 2017 | News
Source: Rappler.com
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines in Lanao del Sur says it is ‘utterly shocked’ by the ‘sheer magnitude’ of abuses against innocent civilians in Marawi
UNDER ATTACK. In this photo, a Philippine Marines armored personnel carrier speeds away as black smoke billows from burning houses after military helicopters fired rockets at militant positions in Marawi City, May 30, 2017. Ted Aljibe/AFP
MANILA, Philippines – Lawyers in Lanao del Sur expressed their “severe outrage” over alleged martial law abuses in Marawi City, and demanded swift government response to what they called “unspeakable acts of bestiality.”
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Lanao del Sur Chapter criticized the implementation of martial law in a June 9 statement addressed to President Rodrigo Duterte, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, and Armed Forces chief General Eduardo Año. It was signed by its president, Aminoden Macalandap, with the concurrence of its board.
IBP-Lanao del Sur said it was “utterly shocked…by the sheer magnitude” of the abuses allegedly committed against private individuals who had no connection to terrorists – the targets of the martial law declaration. (READ: TIMELINE: Marawi clashes prompt martial law declaration in Mindanao)
“The IBP-Lanao del Sur Chapter hereby expresses its severe outrage and condemnation over illegal searches and seizures in Marawi City by military men, police, and other law enforcement agencies which result in rampant loss and deprivation of properties and possessions of innocent civilians,” they said.
They said the military and the police had committed “wanton disregard of sanctity of domicile, the right against deprivation of property without due process of law, the right to be secure in one’s person, house, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures and the privacy of communication and correspondence of innocent civilians.”
The lawyers said their claim was based on “first-hand data and information fresh from the battle field” they had gathered since the May 23 implementation of martial law, as part of their group’s bid to protect human rights in their backyard.
The group, which had thrown its support for President Rodrigo Duterte’s martial law declaration, said it monitored warrantless searches and unauthorized intrusions of residential and commercial establishments that had no links to the Maute Group.
Worse than Marcos’ martial law
The lawyers also cited reports of “forcible entries” into homes and establishments,”total disregard of plain view doctrine in searches and seizures activities” and the “ransacking” of homes and establishments without authority.
“As a consequence of illegal searches and seizures, rampant loss of valuable personal belongings of innocent and helpless civilians has been reported. Residential and commercial establishments have been laid open to looters all over the besieged city,” the group said.
The “military men” who committed these acts, the lawyers said, “exhibited no remorse,” based on video and social media posts the group saw.
They described the “wholesale illegal searches and seizure” as “unparalleled in magnitude” and that similar operations done during “the Marcos years of martial rule pale in comparison.”
To describe the supposed current situation in Marawi under martial rule, the group lifted from a statement of the IBP Board of Governors on November 25, 2009, in relation to the Maguindanao massacre: “It is an indictment of our government’s inability to enforce the law and maintain order.”
“And yet, no one raises a voice of dissent. The deafening silence in the Congress, appropriate government agencies, and even the mainstream media on the matter is not only alarming but construed as an implied approval of unspeakable acts [of] bestiality,” IBP-Lanao del Sur said.
Investigation
The lawyers called on Lorenzana and Año, martial law administrator and implementer, respectively, to act quickly on the alleged abuses.
The defense department had earlier reminded soldiers to uphold the rule of law and established human rights norms in the implementation of martial law.
The lawyers also urged the creation of a “credible multi-agency investigation committee” to investigate the incidents.
IBP-Lanao del Sur wants an end to the warrantless searches and seizures, and the return of all illegally-seized properties.
The lawyers also called on all IBP chapters in the country and other sectors to support them “to ensure that the people’s bill of rights in Lanao del Sur and Marawi City enshrined in the Constitution is respected and honored, never suppressed, at all times even during the effectivity of martial law.”
“If, in the remotest possibility, this urgent plea falls on deaf ears, the IBP-Lanao del Sur Chapter will not hesitate to take appropriate legal action,” they said.
Duterte imposed martial law in Mindanao through Proclamation 216, after local terrorists with links to ISIS attacked Marawi City on May 23. (READ: Question you need to ask about martial law)
Several petitions have been filed before the Supreme Court seeking the nullification of Proclamation 216, and calling for a joint session of Congress on martial law. (READ: 3 groups take on gov’t in SC oral arguments on martial law)
Duterte had said that he would follow the SC decision on martial law.
by MLC | Jun 1, 2017 | News
By Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez
Source: GMA News
Former senator Evangelina “Eva” Estrada Kalaw was remembered on Thursday by her former colleagues and friends as one of the prominent voices who fought the Marcos dictatorship.
The Senate held a necrological service for the former senator who passed away last May 25 at the age of 96.
Former senator Edgardo Ilarde, who, along with Kalaw, was among those injured during the August 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing, hailed her as a “mentor.”
“She was our mentor, our team leader, she was our inspiration in our quest for political victory and one of the voices, with much courage in fighting for what is right for the good of our country and people,” Ilarde said in his eulogy.
Kalaw was a known opposition leader during the Martial Law years under former President Ferdinand Marcos. She was the lone woman in the iconic photo taken outside the padlocked Senate session hall in 1973.
“We pray that is not the last Senate when the last martial law is declared,” Ilarde quipped amid the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, and President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement on the possibility of expanding it nationwide.
“I can almost hear the honorable Senate President Koko [Pimentel] saying ‘that is not funny’,” he added.
Former senator Rene Saguisag, a human rights victim, said “we need the likes of Senator Eva.”
“We need the likes of senator Eva, who will be asking the foolish questions of the day, Where is the invasion? Who are the invaders? Where is the rebellion? Who are the rebels? But unfortunately, what we see now or hear are echoes, not voices,” Saguisag said.
Under the 1987 Constitution, the President may declare martial law in cases of invasion or rebellion.
Former senator Teresa Aquino-Oreta said Kalaw was the epitome of courage.
“The Marcoses were very well-entrenched in power, people were afraid, and the press was silenced; and freedom, democracy and human rights were words used only by the opposition. And so-called friends have abandoned, leaving a few brave men who dared o be identified, among them was this lady, senator Estrada Kalaw. She was unafraid,” Oreta said.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, for her part, hailed Kalaw as a “remarkable” woman.
“I can only pray that when it is our turn, we muster but half of her courage and fire,” she said.
Senate President Pimentel, meanwhile, vowed to continue the public service of Kalaw.
“She may have been born in a different era, but the values of integrity, respect for the rule of law, and dedicated service to the people that she believed in and practiced remain as relevant as ever. Tita Eva, we are here to continue your causes,” Pimentel said.
Kalaw was the fifth woman to be elected in the Senate in 1965 and, in 1871, was the first woman to win a re-election.
She served with fellow female Senators Magnolia Antonino, Maria Kalaw Katigbak, Helena Benitez and Tecla San Andres Ziga during the sixth and seventh Congresses.
During her stint as senator, Kalaw authored 41 bills, including the salary standardization for public school teachers, creation of Local School Boards and the Education Financing Act. She was the chairperson of the Senate Committees on Games and Amusement as well as Tourism and the National Minorities.
Kalaw was also the founder and chairperson of Samahang Filipina and was the first president of the Jayceerettes foundation.
by MLC | May 9, 2017 | News
By Jessica Bartolome
Source: GMA News
Martial Law victims on Tuesday welcomed the “unprecedented” move of the Philippine government to provide compensation to human rights victims during the regime of former president Ferdinand Marcos, but said the money does not repair the damage inflicted by the family of the late dictator.
The government has released initial compensation in accordance with the 2013 Republic Act 10368, or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act. Almost 400 Martial Law victims were given the first tranche of compensation for the suffering they endured during the regime of Marcos.
In a joint statement, the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation, Inc., Claimants 1081 Foundation, Inc., and Lingap-Bilanggo said that the move signals the long-awaited reparation process.
“Today marks the beginning of that reparation process, both monetary and non-monetary. This is unprecedented in our history, and we reached this point only through persistence, struggle, and faith,” the statement said.
It also said that by providing compensation, the government explicitly recognized the following:
- The Marcos regime was responsible for injuries, sufferings, deprivations, and deaths of so many Filipinos.
- The Philippine government recognizes the heroism and sacrifice of Filipinos who were victims of summary execution, torture, enforced disappearance, and other violations of human rights by that regime; and
- The Philippine government acknowledges its obligation to provide reparation.
However, the groups said that and that only when the Marcos family and their cohorts are made accountable for their crimes will the damage be fully repaired.
“…in no way have the Marcoses participated in this reparation process. And in no way does the release of the reparation money repair the damage the Marcoses inflicted on our families, and, indeed, on the social fabric and our institutions, on the Filipino people,” they said.
“There is no payment imaginable for the generation we lost to the regime — a generation that includes some of the best, the brightest, most nationalistic, and most freedom-loving Filipinos, except to honor their sacrifice and heed the example they have provided us,” they added.
They also pointed out that source of the financial reparation “is money stolen by the Marcos family” and that it is a “miniscule part of the illegal wealth the Marcoses accumulated during their rule.”
Even as the survivors acknowledged the significance of the compensation, they made sure to remember the Filipinos who died during the Marcos regime.
“As we welcome the meaning of this day, however, we remember our fellow Filipinos who risked everything they had in order to oppose and defeat the Marcos brutal regime. This recognition and partial compensation is in their honor,” they said.
by MLC | May 8, 2017 | News
By NB/KBK
Source: GMA News
Former First Lady Imelda Marcos on Monday laughed off rumors that she had passed on.
Marcos, who at 87 is Ilocos Norte’s representative, was again among the handful of lawmakers who showed up early at the House plenary for its session on Monday afternoon.
The former first lady’s attendance came hours after actress and Bacoor, Cavite Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla tweeted condolences for the latter’s supposed death.
While waiting for the plenary session to begin, the widow of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos told reporters: “Buhay pa, kaya lang matanda na.”
Asked how her health was, she said: “Ito, nakakapasok pa ako sa Congress, saka nangunguna pa kami [na pumasok dito].”
Marcos also told reporters: “Thank you na inyong pinatotoo ang katotohanan na ako ay buhay pa.”
Mercado-Revilla, a former Cavite representative, has posted an apology on Twitter for the misinformation. Both of her posts, however, have been taken down since.
After the release of the said tweets, Imelda’s eldest daughter, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, clarified that her mother was still alive.
‘Panaginip sa bansa’
During the short interview, Marcos, who turns 88 on July 2, said she still dreams of bringing “paradise” back to the country.
“Lahat ng ikabubuti ng bayan ang aking panaginip, na sana mabigyan ako ng pagkakataon na makamit ang panaginip sa bayan, na ibalik ang paraiso sa ating bayan, sa sambayanang Pilipino, ay mangyari kasi nandirito lahat ng kayamanan at kagandahan. Kailangan magkaisa tayo,” said Marcos, who pursued various lavish beautification projects when she was first lady and concurrent Metro Manila governor.
Marcos was then asked if she also wishes the vice presidency for her son, former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who has filed an electoral protest questioning Vice President Leni Robredo’s slim victory against him.
Smiling, the first lady said, “Let him talk for himself.”
by MLC | Apr 12, 2017 | News
By Jessica Bartolome
Source: GMA News
The families of victims of abuses during the Martial Law Regime and those who have been slain in alleged extrajudicial killings made sure to remember them during the Holy Week.
On Wednesday, they gathered for Kalbaryo ng Kawalan ng Karapatan held at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City.
https://twitter.com/jacbartolome/status/852104783208919040/photo/1
“Hindi ibabaon sa limot ang mga buhay na inalay para lang ang Inang Bayan ay mapalayang higit,” one of them said during the program.
The mourning families were supported by members of various human rights foundations such as iDEFEND and Asian Federation Against Disappearance (AFAD), who organized the event.
Aside from the program, iDEFEND and AFAD also arranged meetings among the families of Martial Law victims and families of those killed in the war on drugs. A psychologist will be facilitating the meetings.
The human rights defenders raised concerns over the increasing number of alleged extrajudicial killings in the country.
Nissa Concepcion from iDEFEND said that they were at a loss as to how to raise awareness about the victims of human rights abuses.
“At this time, there’s a huge lack of concern. There’s a huge apathy in society,” Concepcion said.
“I don’t know what other means we can employ to create awareness and sympathy for the victims,” she added.
This was an effort to provide support system to the families, help them decide what to do and where to go, Concepcion said.
“We want to show support first of all…and tell that they are not alone, that it has happened before to other families especially yung disappearances,” she said.
