Duterte Administration fails to protect the Filipino Workers amid the Covid 19 pandemic

Signed, Most Rev. Gerardo A. Alminaza D.D. Bishop of San Carlos Co-Chairperson, Church People-Workers Solidarity

On the occasion of the 5th SONA of President Rodrigo Duterte, the Church People-Workers Solidarity is in unity with different sectors in denouncing the current administration’s failure to address the miserable condition of the Filipino people amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With actions that are oppressive, irresponsible, and irrelevant to the country’s most pressing needs, it has, instead, worsened an already dire crisis.

Today we call attention to how the administration, in particular, failed to protect the Filipino workers amid the coronavirus crisis.

First, the administration implemented community quarantines of varying stringency nationally without proper implementation guidelines and adaptation frameworks. The suspension of mass transportation, in particular, was and still is a heavy burden especially for essential service and healthcare workers whose continued reporting to work is necessitated by the pandemic. Many of our frontliners were made to walk to or from the hospitals and establishments they work in for hours, even as they are already overworked and severely exposed to the disease due to the lack of manpower and provision of protective equipment.

Good day PMPI partners,

We would like to let you know that the Secretariat is planning to have An Assessment: Post-SONA Virtual Rally on July 28 at 3:00 PM. We highly encourage and welcome you to participate.

The activity is in response to the State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Duterte on July 27 and his performance from last year.

We will be inviting speakers that would give their statements/opinions and evaluations on particular issues:

• Human Rights situation (ATL, Press Freedom)
• Environmental protection (extractives)
• Climate Change policies (energy use and community preparedness)
• Health and COVID-19 Pandemic Response
• Philippine sovereignty (On West Philippine Sea)

After the speakers give their statements/opinions and evaluations, we will try to rate President Rodrigo Duterte’s performance by: Thumbs Up (👍); Thumbs Down (👎) or Neutral (✋).

Message of Bishop Broderick S. Pabillo

Dear Friends and Compatriots,

     On Monday, July 27, President Rodrigo Duterte will face the joint session of Congress to deliver his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) at a time of great uncertainty and mounting protests against his administration’s huge failures and tyrannical abuse of power.

     Duterte’s late, bungling and militaristic response to the Covid-19 pandemic, his failure to use hundreds of billions at his disposal to help the millions of families who lost their jobs and livelihoods under the prolonged lockdowns, the misprioritization of the Anti Terrorism Law and closure of the ABS-CBN Network of his allies in Congress, and his submissiveness to China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea while leveraging US backing, have broadened and galvanized the resistance to his tyrannical rule.

     In this light, a broad array of individuals, sectoral organizations, and political and social movements have banded together to hold joint and coordinated protest actions on July 27 under the banner “SONAgKAISA”. In particular, we would like to invite you to participate in the following activities for that day:

1. SONAgKAISA rally – 10am-12nn along Commonwealth Avenue fronting the Commission on Human Rights Complex, Quezon City.
2. Mass for Justice and Peace – 12:15pm at the Manila Cathedral (limited seating) to be  broadcast live over TV Maria, Radyo Veritas, and various social media accounts.
3. Metro-Wide protest and noise barrage – starting at 6pm in various areas in and around Metro Manila (details to be announced)
4. Ribbons of Resistance – whole day tying of red and black ribbons on our gates, fences, vehicles and wrists as a symbol of resistance.

     For activities where people will gather, physical distancing, wearing of face masks, and other Covid-19 protocols will be observed.

     For more details as well as to coordinate your participation in the said activities, please contact Ms. Gel Marcelino at mobile no. 09475891578 or via email at stopryrannyph@gmail.com.

     Thank you and keep safe.

     Yours in solidarity,

“Sow for yourselves justice, reap in mercy. Break up for yourselves a new field, for it is time to seek the Lord, till he comes and rains justice upon you.” (Hosea 10:12)

Dear Fellow Filipinos,

A few days ago, we received a letter from His Eminence, Charles Cardinal Maung Bo,

 Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar and President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences. It was an ardent request for prayers for Hongkong, on account of the signing into law of a new National Security Act. He explained in his letter how this new law poses a threat to the basic freedoms and human rights of the people of Hongkong, and how it potentially undermines especially their freedom of expression.

Apparently, the Chinese government assures the people of Hongkong that they have nothing to be afraid of, as long as “they don’t get involved in any activity that threatens national security.” Why does this sound eerily familiar to us Filipinos? Because we are in a similar situation. And so, while we responded with an assurance to His Eminence, Cardinal Bo, that we would join him in praying for the people of Hongkong, we also asked him to pray for the Philippines and explained why we are as seriously in need of prayers as the people of Hongkong. Like them, we are also alarmed about the recent signing into law of the Anti-Terror Act of 2020.

We are still in disbelief about the manner in which the contentious Anti-Terror Bill was fast-tracked and approved in both Houses of Congress while the whole country’s attention was focused on the Covid-19 pandemic. They did not even seem to care that many of the people they represent were against it—lawyers’ associations, the academe, the business sector, labor groups, youth organizations, NGO’s, political movements, faith-based communities, and even the Bangsamoro government.

The dissenting voices were strong but they remained unheeded. None of the serious concerns that they expressed about this legislative measure seemed to be of any consequence to them. Alas, the political pressure from above seemed to weigh more heavily on our legislators than the voices from below. It only made more evident the blurring of lines between legislative and the executive branches of our government.

In particular, the legal experts and constitutionalists in our country are seriously concerned that this newly signed law has many elements that are “oppressive and inconsistent with our Constitution.” They have pointed out convincingly how this new law poses a “serious threat to the fundamental freedoms of all peaceful Filipinos.”

And yet, the people in government and their allies have dismissed these fears as unfounded. The assurance that they give sounds strangely parallel to that which the Chinese government gave to the people of Hongkong: “Activism is not terrorism. You have no reason to be afraid if you are not terrorists.” We know full well that it is one thing to be actually involved in a crime and another thing to be merely suspected or accused of committing a crime.

Have we not heard of people active in social advocacies who are accused of being communists? Have we forgotten the bishops, priests and religious who were included among those falsely charged by the Philippine National Police with crimes of sedition and inciting to sedition? Are we not aware of the thousands of people who have been killed in police operations on the basis of mere suspicion of involvement in criminality and illegal drugs? Have we not followed the news about Senator Leila de Lima who continues to languish in jail, also on the basis of mere allegations? Have we not heard of media personalities being harassed by a multitude of criminal charges? Have we not felt the chilling effect of the closure of the country’s biggest broadcast network, the ABS- CBN, after being denied renewal of its franchise? Is it not evident to us how this pattern of intimidation creates an atmosphere detrimental to the freedom of expression in our country?