Manila Bulletin
Philippines
Hontiveros, opposition personalities stage online rally on Independence Day
Philippines
Hontiveros, opposition personalities stage online rally on Independence Day
Hontiveros, opposition personalities stage online rally on Independence Day
Published Jun 12, 2020 12:00 am
By Mario Casayuran
“Are we really free?”
Senator Risa Hontiveros posed this question on Friday (June 12) as she led an online Independence Day rally aiming to protect the Philippines from what she referred to as modern-day “oppressors” that continue to deprive the country of its sovereignty and deny Filipinos basic rights and freedoms.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros
(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN) “Araw ng Kalayaan pero hanggang ngayon, nakakulong pa rin tayo sa kahirapang dulot ng COVID-19, sa panghihimasok ng Tsina sa ating mga isla’t teritoryo, at sa mga banta ng paniniil ng ating karapatan at kalayaan (It is Independence Day, but up to now we are trapped in the hardships caused by COVID-19, in the interference of China in our islands and territories, and the threats of suppression of our rights and freedom),” she said. Streaming live on her official Facebook page, Hontiveros, together with advocacy groups and celebrity influencers, called for the government to prioritize the welfare of Filipinos first in order for them to experience the true sense of freedom. She warned that government’s failure to provide robust health care and a comprehensive response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis has continued to trap the public, particularly commuters, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and non-medical and medical frontliners, in a health crisis. “Nalulunod na ang health workers, commuters, public utility drivers, at mga OFWs sa epekto ng pandemiya. Ang iba nagtitinda na online para may mapantawid lang sa araw-araw na pangangailangan. Pero imbis na bigyan ng salbabida para makaligtas, pabigat pa ang ibinato kaya lalong nalubog at nasadlak (Our health workers, commuters, public utility drivers, and OFWs are drowning in the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Others now sell online so that they can earn something for their daily expenses. But instead of giving them lifesavers, government threw them a weight, so all the more they are sinking and suffering) Filipinos deserve better.” Hontiveros also opposed the much-criticized Anti-Terrorism bill, saying that the timing of certifying it as urgent is dubious, coming after a series of mass arrests of citizens and critics of the government’s COVID-19 response. “Definitions in the Terror Bill are open to too much interpretation. Hindi tayo dapat pumayag na maipasa ito dahil siguradong gagamitin ito ng mga politiko laban sa kritiko o nagrereklamo, hindi sa terorista.” she said. (We should not allow this to be enacted into law because this will surely be used by politicians against critics or complainants, not terrorists.) Hontiveros also decried China’s continued incursions into the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. This, according to her, is not only a clear violation of the country’s rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), but it also poses a massive danger to Filipino fishermen, who have in the past been bullied, rammed, and left to die on the high seas by Chinese vessels. At least 165 individuals, advocacy groups and student organizations supported and signed a unity statement on Friday. Among those who supported Hontiveros’ call were celebrities Iza Calzado, Enchong Dee, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, former department secretaries Albert Del Rosario, Butch Abad, and Dinky Soliman, veteran journalist Winnie Monsod, Diocese of Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias. and photojournalist Raffy Lerma, among others. De Lima joins protesters’ calls Meanwhile, detained opposition senator Leila M. de Lima has joined protesters condemning the “increasingly undemocratic and anti-Filipino policies of the current administration.” De Lima, who was justice secretary during the Benigno Aquino III presidency, said Filipinos should continue their fight for freedom from injustice and social inequity as the Duterte administration “continues to oppress its own people.” De Lima released her statement in time with the celebration of Independence Day on June 12. In it she registered her opposition to the Anti-Terrorism bill’s passage by the Senate and House of Representatives. She said the bill uses an overbroad definition of terrorism that can subject suspects, even those apprehended without a warrant, to weeks of detention prior to an appearance before a judge. “They railroaded the passage of the Anti-Terrorism bill, which is like putting the final nail on the coffin of our rights and freedoms,” she said, warning that if the bill is enacted into law, it could worsen rights abuses.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN) “Araw ng Kalayaan pero hanggang ngayon, nakakulong pa rin tayo sa kahirapang dulot ng COVID-19, sa panghihimasok ng Tsina sa ating mga isla’t teritoryo, at sa mga banta ng paniniil ng ating karapatan at kalayaan (It is Independence Day, but up to now we are trapped in the hardships caused by COVID-19, in the interference of China in our islands and territories, and the threats of suppression of our rights and freedom),” she said. Streaming live on her official Facebook page, Hontiveros, together with advocacy groups and celebrity influencers, called for the government to prioritize the welfare of Filipinos first in order for them to experience the true sense of freedom. She warned that government’s failure to provide robust health care and a comprehensive response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis has continued to trap the public, particularly commuters, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and non-medical and medical frontliners, in a health crisis. “Nalulunod na ang health workers, commuters, public utility drivers, at mga OFWs sa epekto ng pandemiya. Ang iba nagtitinda na online para may mapantawid lang sa araw-araw na pangangailangan. Pero imbis na bigyan ng salbabida para makaligtas, pabigat pa ang ibinato kaya lalong nalubog at nasadlak (Our health workers, commuters, public utility drivers, and OFWs are drowning in the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Others now sell online so that they can earn something for their daily expenses. But instead of giving them lifesavers, government threw them a weight, so all the more they are sinking and suffering) Filipinos deserve better.” Hontiveros also opposed the much-criticized Anti-Terrorism bill, saying that the timing of certifying it as urgent is dubious, coming after a series of mass arrests of citizens and critics of the government’s COVID-19 response. “Definitions in the Terror Bill are open to too much interpretation. Hindi tayo dapat pumayag na maipasa ito dahil siguradong gagamitin ito ng mga politiko laban sa kritiko o nagrereklamo, hindi sa terorista.” she said. (We should not allow this to be enacted into law because this will surely be used by politicians against critics or complainants, not terrorists.) Hontiveros also decried China’s continued incursions into the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. This, according to her, is not only a clear violation of the country’s rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), but it also poses a massive danger to Filipino fishermen, who have in the past been bullied, rammed, and left to die on the high seas by Chinese vessels. At least 165 individuals, advocacy groups and student organizations supported and signed a unity statement on Friday. Among those who supported Hontiveros’ call were celebrities Iza Calzado, Enchong Dee, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, former department secretaries Albert Del Rosario, Butch Abad, and Dinky Soliman, veteran journalist Winnie Monsod, Diocese of Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias. and photojournalist Raffy Lerma, among others. De Lima joins protesters’ calls Meanwhile, detained opposition senator Leila M. de Lima has joined protesters condemning the “increasingly undemocratic and anti-Filipino policies of the current administration.” De Lima, who was justice secretary during the Benigno Aquino III presidency, said Filipinos should continue their fight for freedom from injustice and social inequity as the Duterte administration “continues to oppress its own people.” De Lima released her statement in time with the celebration of Independence Day on June 12. In it she registered her opposition to the Anti-Terrorism bill’s passage by the Senate and House of Representatives. She said the bill uses an overbroad definition of terrorism that can subject suspects, even those apprehended without a warrant, to weeks of detention prior to an appearance before a judge. “They railroaded the passage of the Anti-Terrorism bill, which is like putting the final nail on the coffin of our rights and freedoms,” she said, warning that if the bill is enacted into law, it could worsen rights abuses.