Category: News

To FABC MEMBERS

16th May 2019 in Bangkok

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, SDB

Dear Friends,

Peace of Christ.

This is a painful talk.

Painful because we have gathered here after the death of innocent people, killed inside the church in Sri Lanka. Our prayers and fellowship are with the Christians families. This talk is painful because we belong to a faith tradition, that preaches NOT vengeance but forgiveness and reconciliation.

We never condoning the heinous crime against humanity, are called to emulate Christ who on the Cross amidst his grotesque suffering could call out “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do”.

It is painful.

It is painful to know that Easter became Good Friday for our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka on that fateful day. We sit at the graves of Holy Saturday and waiting for the streaks of hope of resurrection amidst the silence of the graves.

Until that happens the pain persists in the dawn, in the noon and through the pestering pain of the survivors, the relatives wading through this heart wrenching tragedy. Words fail in these paralyzing moments of darkness. A catastrophic tragedy reminding us of the cry of Rachel: A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Increasingly persecuted community – Christians

As international groups have pointed out, Christians have become the most persecuted religious group in the world. In the Middle East, in China, in India, in Sri Lanka, in Egypt, in Libya and other places Christians have become the scapegoats. In many Middle Eastern Countries the once flourishing Christian communities have disappeared. Too many innocents lost their lives and their blood cries out.

The Challenging Task to the Shepherds of Asia.

We need to be people of Hope, especially those of us who are Shepherds. We cannot allow ourselves to be gripped by fear and paralysis. These are the moments the Shepherds need to walk through the way of the Cross – never losing the hope of a better tomorrow – not only for our people but those who fell victim to evil.

As Shepherds, we are called upon to be hope generating agents. Remember the Psalm 23. This is a Shepherd’s song. It is dark everywhere. With faith and hope let us sing with the psalmist: “Even if we walk through the Valley of Death, You will guide us”.

Road Ahead – Preaching Peace, promoting Reconciliation

The first task is to preach peace – not vengeance. I come from a country where religious extremism saw violence and tears of the thousands. When Pope Francis visited Myanmar, he left a mandate “Do not repay hatred with hatred. Be an instrument of peace”. Let us remember violence begets more violence. Killing begets more killing. And eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is an outdated mandate. Remember Gandhi who said “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” Christ road-map is different “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” These words may look unkind and painful at the present situation. But that is the way of Cross.

Violence is for the weak. Non-Violence and forgiveness is possible only for those who are strong morally and spiritually. This sensibility needs to be nurtured among our people. The Church, in the words of Francis of Assisi, needs to become an instrument of peace praying “where there is hatred, let me sow love.”

At this juncture, Christians face four threats to their life and dignity:

1. Nationalism:

This phenomenon, often cited as a backlash to unfettered globalization is a fast spreading danger. Nationalism is defined as “loyalty and devotion to a nation, especially a sense of national consciousness “exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.” The danger in many countries of Asia is a warped sense of victimhood of the majority community: “the minority complex of the majority community”. Both in Myanmar and Sri Lanka and in India, groups that celebrate their victimhood are becoming mainstreams. The minorities become the scapegoats. Rene Girard the philosopher has treated the violence against the minorities as the process of “scapegoating.”

Historically, nationalism has been used to define and explain everything from radical political and militaristic movements like Nazism to strong protectionist policies controlling modern foreign policy and economy. Nationalism, in its extreme forms, has led to genocide, the Holocaust, and more specifically, the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia in 1990s and elsewhere.

Many of us come from countries where the toxic lava of nationalism and hatred is in full flow. In India, self-professed “Hindu nationalist” Narendra Modi has been elected with a robust verdict. Violence against Christians and church personnel is becoming a norm. Even in Europe and US nationalistic politicians are on the rise. Over concerns for economic wellbeing, Britain announced its exit from the European Union in 2016, dubbed “Brexit.” Even in the most wealthy country like US white nationalism is threatening Jews and African Americans.

2. Terrorism: What is Terrorism?

In the last five years, Christians have shed blood in Asia and the Middle East by suicide bombing. Terrorism has been described variously as a tactic and strategy, a crime and a holy duty, as well as a justified reaction to oppression and an inexcusable abomination. But the killing of Christians is connected to the global conflicts in the near east, an increasing identification of Christians with the western political and economic interests. Attacking Christians also brings immense publicity for terrorists. The world has not taken seriously the silent genocide of Christians.

3. Religious Extremism

Some years ago, Professor Samuel Huntington wrote a provocative book: The Clash of Civilizations implying that the western Christian civilization will be at loggerheads with Islamic civilization impacting peace and development in the world. He proposed a hypothesis that people’s cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world. The events of the last two decades seem to prove his prediction. Violence in the name of religion is growing.

Terrorist acts done in the name of religion, typically aim to enforce a system of belief, viewpoint or opinion. The validity and scope of religious terrorism is limited to an individual’s view or a group’s view or interpretation of that belief system’s teachings. There are some researchers however, who argue that religion should be considered only one incidental factor and that such terrorism is primarily geopolitical.

What has happened in Middle East and Afghanistan in the last four decades is growing into international threat to small communities. With the spread of social media, terrorists have found safe spaces to spread their mission of hatred. In recent years religious riots in India, the slaughter of innocent Muslims at prayer by a white Nationalist in New Zealand, Muslim suicide bombers killing Christians in Sri Lanka have all made religion seem valueless and brought disgrace upon organized religion’s reputation.

What is missing is the vigorous condemnation of the fringe groups by the silent majority. God tells us that such activity must not be covered up or sanitized by believers. It must be vigorously and publicly condemned since it undermines the very ability of religion to influence people to live according to God’s directives. Now, people presume that religious people can do dastardly things.

A threatening example is ISIL (ISIS)

This group claimed responsibility for the Sri Lankan Easter attack. Thought to be wiped out in Middle East, the Sri Lankan attack demonstrated its growing influence in Asia and Africa.

ISIS aimed to create an Islamic state called a caliphate across Iraq, Syria and beyond. The group was implementing Sharia Law, rooted in eighth-century Islam, to establish a society that mirrors the region’s ancient past.

ISIS is known for killing dozens of people at a time and carrying out public executions, crucifixions and other acts. ISIS uses modern tools like social media to promote reactionary politics and religious fundamentalism.

Terrorism is not a poor man’s game

The jihadi bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday are the latest reminder that terrorism is not driven by deprivation or ignorance. As with the 2016 cafe attack on foreigners in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the slaughter of churchgoers and hotel guests in Sri Lanka was carried out by educated Islamists from wealthy families. Two of the eight Sri Lankan suicide bombers were sons of one of the country’s wealthiest businessmen. Several of the attackers had the means to study abroad.

Terrorists are neither poor nor do they represent the interests of the poor. The interests of the West and its handling of the Middle East crisis continue to be the root cause of spread of disaffection and dastardly acts.

The past role of the West in supporting dark forces

Most of those who indulge in violence in the name of Islam are those inspired by an ultra conservative movement: Wahhabism. According to many authors, aided by the oil price boom, Saudi actively promoted these ultra conservative Islam, to various parts of the world.

But the oil price boom was not the only factor contributing to Wahhabism’s rapid spread. The so called Islamic terrorism did not start with the some Muslims. The export of this jihad-fostering ideology was also promoted by the United States and its allies to stem, for example, the threat from Soviet communism: The painful role of some rich western countries in the modern day terrorism is well documented. The CIA, according to the author Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (the nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy), “nurtured violent jihadism as a Cold War weapon”. Targeting terrorists and their networks brings only temporary success—but the long-term strategy needs to focus on discrediting these ideologies that attract attackers.[1]

We need to understand innocent Christians are sacrificed because of the last five decades of geostrategic conflicts between the Islamic countries and the West. More such violence cannot be ruled out. The very name Christian has become a liability. Western Societies have the capacity to protect themselves. But Asian countries and African countries especially the Christians will bear the brunt of violence. We appeal to all nations – solve your geostrategic conflicts. Live and let live Asian Christians.

Response to Religious Violence

The West has not understood Islam. While western countries manipulated orthodox regimes like Saudi for cheap oil, in the bargain allowing the ultra conservative merciless Wahhabism to spread to every corner of the earth.

The role of Saudi needs to be isolated from Islamic communities and countries. There are 47 Muslim dominated countries and more than a quarter of them are at peace with multiculturalism.  

Terrorists and religious extremists gain when stereotyping of a whole religion for the crime of a few. We need to take notice Islamic terrorists have killed more Muslims than any other community.  

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What has happened to the PMA Honor Code of NOT TO LIE, NOT TO STEAL, NOT TO CHEAT nor TOLERATE THOSE WHO DO

By DR. DANTE SIMBULAN
Philippine Military Academy ’52

TO:
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, (Adopted Member)……….. PMA Alumni Association
Ret. Maj. Gen. Delfin Lorenzana (PMA ’73)…………. Secretary, DND
Ret. AFP Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, J. (PMA ’74)…… National Security Adviser
Gen. Benjamin Madrigal, Jr. (PMA ’85)……………………. Chief of Staff, AFP
Brig. Gen. Fernando T. Trinidad (PMA ’87)………….. Dep. Comdr, AFP Intel
Maj. Gen. Erwin Neri (PMA ’88)……………………… Chief, ISAFP
Lt. Gen. Macairog Sabiniano Alberto (PMA ’86) ……… Commanding General, PA
Ret. PNP Sr. Supt. Alex Paul Monteagudo (PMA ’81) … Director General, NICA
Ret, PN Commo. Vicente Agdamag (PMA ’77)……….. Deputy Director General, NSC
PNP Sr. Supt. Omega Jireh Fidel (PMA ’89)…………… PNP DIGM, Member, NTF
Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade, Jr. (PMA ’87)……………. . Asst. Dep. Chief of Staff, CMO
Cavaliers,

Let me ask fellow PMAers, the generals of the AFP and PNP mentioned above, what has happened to the PMA Honor Code of NOT TO LIE, NOT TO STEAL, NOT TO CHEAT nor TOLERATE THOSE WHO DO? Is the PMA Honor Code only observed in Fort Del Pilar?

Like you, I am a graduate of PMA (Cl. ’52) and a member of the PMAAA. As graduates of PMA and members of the PMAAA, we call each other “cavaliers.” Even President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, although not a PMA graduate, could be considered a cavalier because he was an adopted member of PMA Class 1967 and later, by the PMAAA.

It may interest you to know that PMA Class 1967 had members who became activists who joined the Kabataang Makabayan while still cadets. It was the class in which then PC Lt. Victor N. Corpuz who raided the PMA Armory in Fort Del Pilar and joined the New People’s Army in 1970. For six years, Victor Corpuz was with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA and he even reportedly became a member of the Central Committee of the CPP. In 1976, his PMA classmates arranged for his surrender. Instead of being released, he was detained for 10 long years. He was tried by a military tribunal, and together with Bernabe Buscayno a.k.a. Commander Dante of the NPA and Prof. Jose Maria Sison, was sentenced to die by firing squad. The sentence was not carried out because of the EDSA uprising against the Marcos Dictatorship. Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino, the widow of Benigno Aquino, Jr. became the president who pardoned both Buscayno and Victor Corpuz and were both released in 1986. Corpuz was “rehabilitated” by the AFP. He was assigned to the Office of Chief of Staff Gen. Angelo Reyes, and had agreed to work against his former comrades in the NPA. He was promoted from his former rank of 1st Lt. to Brigadier General (!) when he was designated as Chief of the Intelligence Service of the AFP.

***

Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, a.ka. “Digong” and “Rody,” like Victor Corpuz, was also a self-declared Leftist. He was an activist since his student days at Lyceum. He was a student of Jose Maria Sison who later became the chairperson of the CPP-NPA. Like Corpuz, he became a member of Kabataang Makabayan. When Duterte was mayor of Davao City, he became friends with NPA Commander Leoncio Pitao (a.k.a. Ka Parago). Duterte allowed a hero’s burial of commander Parago of thousands in the streets of Davao City. Duterte publicly admitted that he “was not against the NPA and its quest for social inequality.” I suppose it is this similarity of views of Duterte and Corpuz why PMA Cl ’67 adopted him as a “mistah.”

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This background of President Duterte who was once an activist and a self-declared leftist and “socialist” may surprise the present crop of AFP and PNP generals who are now engaged in a smear and red-tagging campaign, not only against activists and leftists but also against human rights defenders such as Karapatan, Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, Mindanao Interfaith Service Foundation, Ibon Foundation, National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers and other critics of the Duterte regime. Karapatan is a non-profit NGO that is conducting human rights advocacy by monitoring and documenting human rights violations in the Philippines since 1995. It is a national alliance of organizations, groups and individuals working for the promotion and defense of human rights and people’s rights in the Philippines. The Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, founded in 1969, is a non-profit NGO composed of men and women religious, priest and lay persons belonging to different denominations and congregations. It acts as mission partners of the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP). The Mindanao Interfaith Service Foundation, founded in 1983, is a non-profit religious institution serving the marginalized Lumad, Muslim and Christians in Mindanao. IBON Foundation is a non-profit development organization conducting research and education since 1978.

The Duterte regime and his generals in the AFP and PNP are not only smearing and harassing those organizations they have red-tagged as “communists” but have also engaged in the killing of some of their members. It is becoming clear that the red-tagging is not only the license to harass, to arrest with manufactured evidence, but also to kill. The regime has also decided to wage an international campaign so countries abroad will stop supporting human rights organizations in the Philippines.

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In a gathering of human rights and democracy advocates held in Washington, DC. on April 6 to 8, 2019, I was asked to share my views on the developing political crisis under the Duterte regime and what we can do about it.

First of all, let us look briefly at the situation which propelled Rodrigo Duterte’s rise to power. When he was campaigning for the presidency, he pledged to address the following social problems and promised to solve them:

• The struggle for land of millions of landless peasants, the widening gap between the wealthy few and the masses of the people, the exploitation and oppressive relations between the owners of capital and their workers;

• The lack of jobs which forced millions of Filipino workers to leave their families and seek jobs in the US, in the Middle East, in Europe, in Canada and elsewhere;

• The neo-colonial relations which made us dependent on the US and other foreign powers;

• Elimination of the widespread graft and corruption by bureaucrat-capitalists in government; and

• In Davao City, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte used the military and police in getting rid of drug users, suspected dealers and petty criminals. He claimed he will do these to the rest of the country.

When Mayor Rodrigo Duterte ran as candidate to the Presidency, he promised to address all the above and said “Change is coming.”

He courted the support of the common people, proclaiming populist slogans, even setting up a radio program called “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” (from the masses to the masses” (which he borrowed from the activists of the left).

He announced that he was a leftist, even a “socialist.” He befriended NPA communist guerillas operating in Davao where he was a mayor for 22 years. He was a friend of the late NPA guerilla commander Leoncio Pitao (a.k.a. Commander Parago).

Perhaps to convince people of his being a Leftist, he even appointed several leftist personalities in government—(a) Judy Taguiwalo as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), (b) Rafael Mariano as secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform, (c) Liza Maza as head of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, (d) Joel Maglungsod as undersecretary of the Department of Labor and Employment, and (e) Terry Ridon as chair of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor.

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FAO and IFAD Global Action Plan highlights family farmers as key drivers of sustainable development

29 May 2019, Rome – The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) today launched the United Nations’ Decade of Family Farming and a Global Action Plan to boost support for family farmers, particularly those in developing countries.

The two UN agencies lead the implementation of the Decade of Family Farming declared by the United Nations at the end of 2017.

Family farms represent over 90 per cent of all farms globally, and produce 80 percent of the world’s food in value terms. They are key drivers of sustainable development, including ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition.

The Decade of Family Farming aims to create a conducive environment that strengthens their position, and maximizes their contributions to global food security and nutrition, and a healthy, resilient and sustainable future.

The Global Action Plan provides detailed guidance for the international community on collective and coherent actions that can be taken during 2019-2028.

It highlights the need to increase, among other things, family farmers’ access to social protection systems, finance, markets, training and income-generating opportunities.

“We don’t have only the problem of hunger, which is on this rise, but also the problem of growing obesity. We need to pay attention to obesity. We know what we have to do to combat hunger, but not enough about combating obesity. Family farmers are the ones who produce local, fresh food, and produce food in a sustainable way. This is their contribution,” said José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General at the launch of the Decade in Rome.

“To meet the Sustainable Development Goals of zero hunger and no poverty, we must invest in the world’s small-scale family farmers and help them leverage their assets, knowledge and energy, and empower them to transform their lives and communities,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, IFAD President. “The choices we make now will determine whether our future food systems are healthy, nutritious, inclusive, resilient and sustainable.”

And in letter read out at the launch, Pope Francis said: “The employment of young people in agriculture, in addition to combatting unemployment, can bring new energies to a sector that is proving to be of strategic importance to the national interests of many countries. The goals of the 2030 Agenda cannot ignore the contribution of young people and their capacity for innovation.”

Family farmers are important drivers of sustainable development

Family farming encompasses the production of all food – be that plant-based, meat, including fish, other animal products such as eggs or dairy, and food grown on agricultural lands, in forests, in the mountains, or on fish farms – that is managed and operated by a family, and is predominantly reliant on the family labour of both women and men.

Family farmers provide healthy, diversified and culturally appropriate foods, and grow most of the food in both developing and developed countries.

They generate on- and off-farm employment opportunities, and help rural economies grow.

They preserve and restore biodiversity and ecosystems, and use production methods that can help reduce or avert the risks of climate change.

They ensure the succession of knowledge and tradition from generation to generation, and promote social equity and community well-being.

The Global Action Plan for the Decade of family Farming

Although family farmers produce most of our food they – paradoxically – face poverty, especially in developing countries.

They face challenges because they lack access to resources and services to support their food production and marketing; because their infrastructure is poor; because their voices go unheard in political processes; and because the environmental and climatic conditions on which they rely are under threat.

In general, women farmers face greater constraints. Rural youth are also highly vulnerable due to a lack of incentives for on-and off-farm employment opportunities.

The Global Action Plan of the Decade of Family Farming is a guide to develop policies, programs and regulations to support family farmers, putting forward collective and coherent actions that can be taken during the next ten years.

It details specific activities to address interconnected challenges, and target a range of actors – governments, United Nations agencies, international financial institutions, regional bodies, farmers and producer organizations, academic and research institutes, civil society organizations and the private sector, including small and medium enterprises.

Actions include:

Developing and implementing an enabling policy environment (including comprehensive and coherent policies, investments and institutional frameworks) that support family farming at local, national and international levels;

Supporting rural youth and women by enabling them to access productive assets, natural resources, information, education, markets, and participate in policy making processes;

Strengthening family farmers’ organizations and their capacities to generate knowledgeand link locally specific (traditional) knowledge with new solutions;

Improving family farmers’ livelihoods and enhancing their resilience to multiple hazards though access to basic social and economic services, as well as facilitating and promoting production diversification to reduce risks and increase economic returns;

Promoting sustainability of family farming for climate-resilient food systems, and their access, responsible management and use of land, water and other natural resources.

Facts and figures on family farming:

More than 80 percent of all farms globally are below two hectares.

Family farms occupy around 70-80 percent of farmland and produce more than 80 percent of the world’s food in value terms.

Women perform nearly 50 percent of farm labor but hold only 15 percent of farm land.

90 percent of fishers are small-scale operators, which account for half of the capture fisheries production in developing countries.

Up to 500 million pastoralists rely on livestock rearing to make a living.

Mountain farming is largely family farming.

Family farmers include forest communities. Around 40 percent of the extreme rural poor live in forest and savannah areas.

Traditional indigenous territories encompass up to 22 percent of the world’s land surface and coincide with areas that hold 80 percent of the planet’s biodiversity.

Lorenzo P. Espacio
Program Manager, Legal, Policy and Advocacy Development
Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA) Room 207, Partnership Center, 59 C. Salvador St., Quezon City, the Philippines

The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) calls on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to heed President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s advise to “dispose” of Smartmatic.

NAMFREL has taken note that the conduct of the automated elections since 2010 is not without the participation of Smartmatic, a foreign company. The conduct of Philippine elections, automated or not, should be left at the hands of Filipinos.

The President’s pronouncement opens up the opportunity to look for other election technologies. It should be noted, however, that Republic Act No. 9369 (RA9369) or the Automated Election Law prescribes that the automated election system “x x x must have demonstrated capability and been successfully used in a prior electoral exercise here or abroad.” This provision effectively prevents local systems developers from participating in the development and supply of an automated election system. RA9369 needs to be revisited and amended to open up opportunities for local technology providers to supply locally developed election solutions that protects the secrecy of the ballot and ensures transparency of the vote count.

NAMFREL has proposed going back to manual voting and counting. NAMFREL clarifies that it does not mean going back to the old manual vote counting process. The proposed process involves the following:

1) Manual voting using ballots with blank spaces per contest where the voter writes the names of this choices and the ballot to be dropped in a ballot box,

2) Computer assisted vote counting using laptops and LCD projectors to publicly display the progress of the vote tally, thereby doing away with the tally boards pasted on all four walls of school classrooms that served as voting precincts.

3) Electronic generation of the election return based on the computer assisted vote count followed by printing of the election returns. The contents of the printed copy of the election returns may be compared with its electronic counterpart displayed via LCD projector,

4) Electronic transmission of election returns to the corresponding city/municipal canvassing server, and

5) Automated canvassing and consolidation of election results through the ladderized canvassing hierarchy.

It is high time that the Philippines’ IT talents are harnessed for our elections. While our IT community works on the appropriate responsive technology, interested stakeholders should push for the law to be amended.

NAMFREL calls on election lawyers, IT experts, election reform organizations, and other interested groups to come together and work with the COMELEC to look for the appropriate responsive, election technology solution.

A labor research group slams the Employers Confederation of the Philippines and Philippine Chamber of Commerce Industry in their unjust opposition to any bill that prohibits contractualization.

The Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER) said that the business groups’ free market argument relies on labor flexibilization and deregulation to reap higher profits from contractual workers in favor of big capitalists. This means guaranteeing that Filipino workers are paid the lowest minimum wages without additional benefits and that they work for longest hours possible. It’s also a direct attack to freedom of association, as contractual workers are prohibited from forming or joining unions.

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Global Catholic Climate Movement-Pilipinas
Rm 206 One Annapolis Building
#5 Annapolis St. Cubao Quezon City

Greetings of peace and solidarity!

I am writing in behalf of 350.org Pilipinas one of the groups supporting Climate Youth Strike Philippines which is a part of the rising international movement of school students who are dedicating their Fridays to take part in demonstrations to demand action to prevent further global warming and climate change.

The movement is inspired by the ideals and initiatives of the 16 year old activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg who first gained widespread acclaim when she staged an action in August 2018 outside the Swedish Riksdag (parliament), holding a sign that read “Skolstrejk för klimatet” (“School strike for the climate”).

We are writing to invite your participation for the upcoming global climate strike that will be happening in Manila on May 24, 2019. Climate Youth Strike Philippines will be joining youth from all over the world in taking the streets to call for drastic and ambitious climate action from the Philippine government.

The activity will be a solidarity march from Morayta to Mendiola where the organizers will hold a short program comprising of solidarity messages and cultural performances from participating organizations.

We hope you can be a part of our small gesture to stand in solidarity with the global call of the youth to rise up to the challenge of the climate crisis.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me through my email chuck@350.org or through my number +639272412743 for more information or to confirm your participation to the climate strike on the 24th.

Looking forward to see you on the day.
Sincerely,
Chuck Baclagon
350.org Pilipinas

The 2019 midterm election is over. Elections should have been the chance of a people to shape their own destiny. Yet, our experience of elections, regarded as the most massive platform for public participation in governance, has sadly always been missing its point of target.

The just concluded election is no different. The traditional politicians many of whom have graft and corruption cases, those with most money for campaign “tokens” or bribes and those with the most popularity and exposure “won”.

Cheating, fraud and vote-buying abound. No less than the President consider vote-buying “normal”. The vote-buying and glitches on the vote counting machines (VCM) are substantiated by reports coming from our partners in communities who tried to question the irregularities but were not able pursue it for fear for their life and security and distrust from the system.

Three reports have it that they voted for their chosen candidates but receipts included the name of Bong Go which was not part of their choice. Another voted 10 candidates however, the receipt yielded only eight names while the 9th and 10th are just dots. Another received a shaded ballot already. These are just few of the reports which manifest irregularities.

We, from the Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI), a network of civil society organizations, rights groups, peace and faith-based institutions joins other civil society and church groups to demand accountability and transparency from the Commission on Election (Comelec).

The people have the right to know and be clarified:

Why was there a lull of 7 to 9 hours in the transmission of results to the transparency server, media and watchdog groups?

Why is there a sizable increase in glitches in the VCM and SD cards this year compared to previous elections?

Why is the central server and “meet me room” set-up of Comelec kept secret?

Why were the depository of receipts of the casted ballots unsealed and in carton or plastic boxes only?

Why is there lack of information on the voting process and there was no instruction during precinct voting on the manner of voting which lead to over-voting and inability of many to vote party list groups?

Weeks before the election we are mulling over these questions:

Why did the Comelec refuse to allow NAMFREL to have an open access to the data and information in real time of the transmission of results?

Why did the Comelec declared Nacionalista Party (NP), a known ally of the majority party as the dominant minority opposition?

In the spirit of transparency and accountability, these questions need be answered by the Comelec as these paint seeming conspiracy by the Comelec to rig the election.

The inability of the Comelec to explain what cause the sudden stoppage of transmission during the actual lull is unacceptable. There was no clear and thorough explanation on the so called “java error” provided during the lull. And when it finally resumed 90% of votes have been counted! Likewise keeping secret the central server and “meet me room” is a violation of the Omnibus Election Code.

The 1,699 voting counting machines (VCM) challenged by technical glitches, out of 85,000 VCMs, and almost a thousand SD cards malfunctioned compared to 188 only in the 2016 election reek of inefficiency and unpreparedness. Even a newbie technical person would know that a huge data flooding the transmission and server needs a backup system.

Furthermore, the ruling of Comelec declaring the Nacionalista Party (NP), four days before the Election Day, as the dominant minority party is puzzling. This is crucial because under the Omnibus Election Code, the dominant minority party, which was previously the Liberal Party, are guaranteed to receive copies of the election returns and certificates of canvass to ensure fairness and transparency. Is this a move to prevent the opposition from counter checking the result of the election?

PMPI demands an explanation from Comelec. We push for the creation of an independent body to investigate the accountability of Comelec in this seeming conspiracy and fraud and its sheer inefficiency and irresponsibility.

We will not rest until a proper investigation of these allegations of a fraudulent election and conspiracy is initiated. We will help document cases of election related fraud and irregularities. We will remain vigilant. We will continue to be watchdogs and hold accountable the culprits. We call on the people to come forward and report cases and experiences of election related anomalies.

Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI)

The Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI) is a social development and advocacy network of 250 plus Philippine church/faith-based groups, non-governmental organizations and people’s organization spread all over the country, in partnership with Misereor, a social development arm of the German Bishops based in Aachen, Germany.

21 May 2019

Dear friends and colleagues,

Warm greetings!

After the casting of votes in the May 13, 2019 mid-term election, people across the nation have held protest actions demanding accountability for the conduct of the polls. Despite the proclamation, the results have been tainted with allegations of fraud and other irregularities. The polls were fraught with problems from votebuying, intimidation and the breakdown and lack of transparency of the voting machines.

In this light, it is important to provide venues for meaningful discussions on these and other issues that happened during the elections.

With that, Kontra Daya is inviting you in a post-election forum entitled “Subverting the People’s Will: A forum on the conduct and outcome of the 2019 Elections”, to be held this coming Saturday, May 25 from 9:30am to 12nn at the Pardec Room A & B, Commission on Human Rights, UP Complex, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.

We look forward to having you in the forum.

Against all forms of fraud,
ASSOC. PROF. DANILO ARAO, Convenor

Press Statement May 17, 2019, 18:30H

NAMFREL expresses alarm over the video circulating in social media that appears to confirm previous anecdotal reports of ballot pre-shading. The video provides evidence that ballot pre-shading is real and may be happening in some parts of the country. Even more alarming is that the video is being dismissed by certain quarters, reasoning that it has been done in past elections in areas where political families hold sway or in areas where there are few or no watchers.

The slow response in replacing failed vote counting machines and/or corrupted SD cards may have also opened up the opportunity for some parties to engage in ballot pre-shading.

NAMFREL calls on the Commission on Elections to get to the bottom of the recorded ballot shading incident instead of suspecting that the uploader is out to undermine the integrity and credibility of the election results. The COMELEC should put a stop to this practice. ###