The Church People – Workers Solidarity (CWS) joins the international community in celebrating International Human Rights Day. We stand in solidarity with human rights defenders as we commemorate this day when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR sets out a broad range of fundamental rights and freedoms to which all of us are entitled. It guarantees the rights of every individual everywhere, without distinction based on nationality, place of residence, gender, national or ethnic origin, religion, language, or any other status. The Declaration is ever more relevant today as Filipinos face relentless and increasing attacks on their fundamental rights by State forces.
The COVID-19 pandemic has already devastated the economic life of millions of Filipinos with recent data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showing an 8.7% unemployment rate in October—or around 3.8 million people jobless. Reports of hunger incidence also reached a record-high in September as Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported 30.7% or an estimated 7.6 million families reported involuntary hunger amid the pandemic. President Duterte’s militarist approach to the pandemic only worsened the human rights situation in the country as thousands of ordinary Filipinos were arrested due to alleged quarantine violations.
The Philippines, under the present administration has become a dangerous country especially for human rights defenders. Attacks against human rights advocates continue. Zara Alvarez, a CWS volunteer and a long-time human rights defender in Negros was killed on August 17, 2020. She was previously red-tagged as terrorist by State forces in 2018. The Commission on Human Rights pointed out that human rights defenders live a “grim reality” in the Philippines as they face systemic and widespread attacks for their work. In 2018, the United Nations listed the Philippines as one of 38 countries where governments subject human rights defenders and activists to “an alarming and shameful level of harsh reprisals and intimidation.”
CWS express strong concern over the recent waves of “red-tagging” among church people and labor leaders. Red-tagging vilifies individuals and organizations as enemies of the State, communists, and terrorists. We firmly believe that red tagging along with the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 will only intensify attacks and widespread repression against activists, lawyers, human rights and environmental defenders, indigenous peoples, workers, farmers, and peace advocates. Last December 4, labor leader and transport union organizer Jose Bernardino was arrested at Sitio Maisac, Mexico town, Pampanga on charges of rebellion. Red tagging is essentially against freedom of speech because it is aimed at stopping speech, expression, beliefs, and association it does not agree with. These “acts of intolerance, discrimination, and violence”, as Pope Francis pointed out in his 2018 Human Rights Day message are nourished by “reductive anthropological visions… that does not hesitate to exploit, discard, and even kill man.” Pope Francis reiterated his call to give special attention to “more vulnerable members of our communities” whose “dignity is ignored, despised or trampled on and their most basic rights ignored or violated.”
As we welcome the coming of the Messiah through the Season of Advent, may we be reminded that praying and loving is what it means to be watchful. As the Pope reminded us during his Advent homily: “when the Church worships God and serves our neighbor, it does not live in the night. However weak and weary, she journeys towards the Lord.” May we continue to defend the defenseless and be the voice of the voiceless. May the Savior’s light “rouse us from our slumber and mediocrity; awaken us from the darkness of indifference and awaken in us the desire to pray and the need to love.” In these times of darkness where evil and tyranny persist and rampant human rights violations escalate, may we become beacons of hope and love by upholding and defending the fundamental rights of those who are most vulnerable. May we continue to show courage in the midst of persecution as we link arms with the broad masses in building a more just and humane society.
Stop Red Tagging!
Scrap Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020!
Activism in not a crime!
Defend human rights!
Signed:
