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PRESS STATEMENT: On the arrest of relief volunteers in Norzagay, Bulacan

ICHRP Secretariat
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The Asia-Pacific Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (APCHRP) strongly condemns the wrongful arrest of seven individuals delivering relief goods to poor households in Norzagay, Bulacan.

On the morning of the 19th of April, a jeepney carrying relief goods was stopped at a police checkpoint in the town of Norzagay. Volunteers from Tulong Anakpawis and Sagip Kanayunan were scheduled to distribute this humanitarian assistance to members of the urban poor and peasant community affected by the COVID-19 enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Seven volunteers, including the driver of the jeepney, were brought to the Norzagay Municipal Police Station for questioning. These individuals were never given a reason why they were being questioned, or any explanation as to why they were apprehended in the first place.

At around 12:30 p.m., former Anakpawis Party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao arrived at the police station to negotiate the release of the volunteers. The relief goods were turned over to the Barangay Bigte office and will be turned over by barangay officials instead.

While the apprehended relief volunteers were momentarily released upon the intervention of Rep. Casilao, they were later called back to the police station – again without any offense or violation committed.

Former Rep. Casilao says of the incident: “This is harassment, plain and simple. We have no violations. The police also can’t justify why they are refusing to release our volunteers. We are in a crisis situation. Now is not the time to prosecute activists and cause oriented groups who are engaged in humanitarian and relief efforts.”

APCHRP strongly condemns the unjust detention of seven relief volunteers, whose only aim was to distribute much-needed humanitarian assistance to impoverished residents hit hard by the ECQ restrictions. 

At a time when the Duterte government and other local government units are evidently failing the people with uneven distribution of relief goods and delays in in the disbursement of cash assistance, they need to encourage – not harass – private organizations who want to help.

This is also not the first time that state brutality featured during the COVID-19 pandemic under the Duterte regime. It can be remembered that 21 residents of Sitio San Roque, Quezon City were violently dispersed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) after demanding for food assistance from their local government.

President Duterte himself recently told law enforcement officials who encounter protesters to “shoot them dead”. These people are protesting because they have not been given the food and monetary assistance promised to them by the government. Their livelihoods have been affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and have no other means to sustain themselves or their families.

Rather than showing compassion and expediting relief assistance, the Duterte regime has instead resorted to grave threats against them. In fact, the administration has threatened to impose “martial law” style lockdown by bringing in the military and elite police forces to crackdown on those who do not abide by the ECQ rules.

APCHRP calls for the immediate release of the seven volunteers and an end to the harassment of relief volunteers and activists. Rather than senselessly cracking down on activists and relief volunteers, the Duterte government should instead turn their attention to expedite the distribution of humanitarian assistance to impoverished families. ###

Human rights coalition condemns arrest of PH relief volunteers

ICHRP Secretariat
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Human rights coalition condemns arrest of PH relief volunteers

ICHRP appeals for an end to the harassments of Filipino civilians

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) vehemently condemned the weekend arrest of seven volunteers for a relief operation in Norzagaray, 50 kilometers away from country’s capital, Manila, as baseless. The incident happened last April 19 as police apprehended the volunteers’ vehicle carrying relief goods for hungry and displaced peasants.

“We are appalled by how the Philippine government treats relief volunteers in this time of a global pandemic. The recent arrest of seven civilians whose only intent is to help their fellow farmers affected by the crisis is a testament to this,” says ICHRP chairperson Peter Murphy.

One of the seven arrested was former lawmaker Ariel Casilao who negotiated their release with the police so that they may turn over the goods for distribution. Moments later the volunteers were called back and detained again in the station.

According to a statement from the Peasant Movement of the Philippines (KMP), the authorities were unable to give any justification for the arrest. “We have been conducting relief operations since the first week of the lockdown. We have secured the necessary food pass and permits, we are wearing face masks, and observing physical distancing. The information materials that we are distributing are based on the latest data from the DOH and the WHO. What violation could the police possibly accuse us of?”, one of the detained farmer leader Redo Pena asked.

Still, Casilao and his team will be charged for violating quarantine protocols according to a recent government response. They claimed that they “conducted an unauthorized travel outside of Metro Manila and attempted to organize a mass gathering in Norzagaray, Bulacan in the guise of distributing relief goods.”

“We are appealing to the Philippine authorities to release the volunteers and abandon the militarist approach the pandemic, which is a health crisis. Instead, they should work with organisations which try to help people cope with the pandemic,” says Murphy.

Also arrested on the same day was film writer Maria Victoria Beltran over a Facebook post she made in relation to the coronavirus. According to authorities Beltran was charged with violating the Cybercrime Law.

ICHRP, earlier this month, called for an end to the Philippine government’s repressive measures to enable the Filipino people to maximise their capacity to deal with the crisis.#

Letter to Philippine government

ICHRP Secretariat
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Letter to Philippine government

Urging the Supreme Court of the Philippines to send political prisoners home

April 17, 2020

H. E. Mr Rodrigo Duterte,

President of the Republic of the Philippines

Malcanang Palace

E-mail: op@president.gov.ph or http://op-proper.gov.ph/

Urging the Supreme Court of the Philippines to send political prisoners home

Dear Excellency,

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) is urging the Supreme Court of the Philippines at its virtual en banc session today to release political prisoners on humanitarian grounds, as the whole country battles the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are appealing to the leaders of the Philippine judiciary to make the just, humane and compassionate decision of freeing the elderly, sick and vulnerable political prisoners. Around 609 political prisoners are detained in congested prisons and 47 of them are of the elderly while 63 are with pre-existing medical conditions and suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

Twenty-three of these detainees filed their petition to the Supreme Court last April 8, asserting that they are not flight risks because they are old, frail and sickly. On March 29, 2020, Karapatan also made an urgent appeal for the release of political prisoners, especially those suffering from debilitating illnesses and the elderly.

We in ICHRP support the families, lawyers and human rights advocates in the Philippines working towards sending them home from these high-risk prisons.

ICHRP also notes that these political prisoners are Filipino farmers, union leaders, critics of your government and human rights defenders jailed under trumped-up charges. Most of them are still to undergo trial which according to the Philippine Constitution and international law makes them innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

The filed petition also includes the creation of a Prisoner Release Committee which is intended to “urgently study and implement the release of all other prisoners in various congested prisons throughout the country who are similarly vulnerable but cannot be included in this Petition due to the difficult circumstances.”

Releasing prisoners had been endorsed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Michelle Bachelet. Other international groups such as the Prison Policy Initiative called for the release of low-risk detainees while Human Rights Watch warned about “catastrophic public health problems” if the government does not address the worsening situation of the Philippine prison system.

As of March 2020, the recorded congestion of Philippine prison facilities is 534%. Combined with unsanitary facilities, lack of water, nutritious food and medical services, this situation has led to outbreaks of tuberculosis, other infectious diseases and now the current threat of COVID-19.

Finally, ICHRP urges the Court to heed the call of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Michelle Bachelet: “governments should release every person detained without sufficient legal basis, including political prisoners and others detained simply for expressing critical or dissenting views.”

At the time of writing, countries that have released prisoners as part of their response to the pandemic include the USA, Canada, Germany, Iran, India, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Morocco, and Egypt. We ask that the republic of the Philippines does the same.

Sincerely,

Peter Murphy, Chairperson, Global Council,

International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines

Cc: Mr. Diosdado M. Peralta, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines; Mr. Menardo Guevarra, Secretary of the Department of Justice; Mr. Jose Luis Martin Gascon, Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights; Mr Antonio Guterres, United Nations; UN Special Rapporteur on EJK; DFAT Desk; Senator Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Senator Penny Wong; Senator Richard Di Natale, Andrew Wilkie MHR; Julia Dean.

Global human rights group urges PH highest court to send political prisoners home

ICHRP Secretariat
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Global human rights group urges PH highest court to send political prisoners home

Today April 17, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) is urging the Supreme Court of the Philippines to release political prisoners on humanitarian grounds as the whole country battles the COVID-19 pandemic. The Supreme Court will be convening this Friday in a virtual en banc session to tackle petitions which includes the legal request to release political prisoners.

“We are appealing to the leaders of the Philippine judiciary system to make the just, humane and compassionate decision of freeing the elderly, sick and vulnerable political prisoners”, says ICHRP chairperson Peter Murphy. Around 609 political prisoners are detained in congested prisons and 47 of them are of the elderly while 63 are with pre-existing medical conditions and suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

Twenty-three of these detainees filed their petition to the Supreme Court last April 8, asserting that they are not flight risks because they are old, frail and sickly. Last March 29, Karapatan also made an urgent appeal to the Philippine governmnet for the release of political prisoners, especially those suffering from debilitating illnesses and the elderly.

“We in ICHRP support the families, lawyers and human rights advocates in the Philippines working towards sending them home from these high-risk prisons,” says Murphy.

ICHRP also notes that these political prisoners are Filipino farmers, union leaders, critics of the government and human rights defenders jailed under trumped-up charges. Most of them are still to undergo trial which according to the Philippine Constitution and international law makes them innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

The filed petition also includes the creation of a Prisoner Release Committee which is intended to “urgently study and implement the release of all other prisoners in various congested prisons throughout the country who are similarly vulnerable but cannot be included in this Petition due to the difficult circumstances.”

Releasing prisoners had been endorsed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Michelle Bachelet. Other international groups such as the Prison Policy Initiative called for the release of low-risk detainees while Human Rights Watch warned about “catastrophic public health problems” if the government does not address the worsening situation of the Philippine prison system.

As of March 2020, the recorded congestion of Philippine prison facilities is 534%. Combined with unsanitary facilities, lack of water, nutritious food and medical services, this situation has led to outbreaks of tuberculosis, other infectious diseases and now the current threat of COVID-19.

Finally, ICHRP urges the Court to heed the call of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Michelle Bachelet: “governments should release every person detained without sufficient legal basis, including political prisoners and others detained simply for expressing critical or dissenting views.”

As of this writing, countries that have released prisoners as part of their response to the pandemic include the USA, Canada, Germany, Iran, India, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Morocco, and Egypt. #

Stop police brutality, free the San Roque 21!

ICHRP Secretariat
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Stop police brutality, free the San Roque 21!

Statement of support from Asia Pacific Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines

The Asia Pacific Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (APCHRP) vehemently condemns the violent arrest of twenty-one protesters in Sitio San Roque, Quezon City. 

On the 1st of April, several residents of Quezon City demonstrated to desperately ask the government for food assistance. They were met with a brutal dispersal by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), twenty-one protesters are still in their custody at present.

Not only was the crackdown brutal, as seen on video footage captured by those present, it was also unjust as these residents were merely exercising their right to demand accountability from their government.

The protest in Sitio San Roque was a cry for help by hungry residents from their elected government officials. They have been experiencing hardship under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Rather than to violently disperse them, the city government of Quezon City or the national government should have instead listened to their cries for help and provided much-needed food assistance. 

These San Roque protesters belong to the urban poor who are the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their livelihoods have been decimated by the ECQ and are demonstrating to hold the government accountable to their promise of relief assistance to them while under quarantine.

Elected public officials should expedite the distribution of their promised humanitarian packs, as many impoverished members of society are now languishing due to the restrictions imposed under the quarantine.

To instead be met with such a violent response shows the PNP’s flippant attitude towards the poor. Their motto claims “To serve and to protect”, but this is obviously not applicable to the indigent and the most vulnerable members of our society.

This is not the first instance of police savagery amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals who violated quarantine rules in Laguna were heartlessly placed inside dog cages. A video footage also went viral where police officers can be seen punching a quarantine violator in Pangasinan.

The PNP justify their actions as necessary to enforce the strict quarantine guidelines, but when members of the ruling class violate these same rules – as in the case of Senator Koko Pimentel – they are treated with leniency and maximum tolerance. 

To make matters worse, President Rodrigo Duterte has seemingly given them license to enact more brutality. In a recent press conference, he said that the police, military, and even barangay officials who encountered quarantine violators should just “shoot them dead”.

APCHRP expresses its outrage and indignation at the violent dispersal of the protest in Sitio San Roque and the worsening incidences of police violence. We call on the government to release the 21 protesters who still remain in the custody of the police.

We also urge the government to hold to account members of the PNP who perpetrate human rights abuses. The COVID-19 pandemic should not be used to sow terror over the public.

Free the San Roque 21! Stop police brutality!

Reference: Sister Patricia Fox,  APCHRP Spokesperson,    Email: apchrp2019@gmail.com

                                   

  Photo from Rappler.com                     

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