MANILA, Philippines – The National Youth Commission Employees Association (NYCEA) broke its silence Tuesday, June 2, when it voiced its concerns on the leadership of NYC chief executive Ryan Enriquez. 

In a statement addressed to the youth,  the employees association said that the agency faced a challenging time with Enriquez as chairperson. 

According to the Youth in Nation-Building Act (Republic Act 8044), the commission shall be composed of a chairman and 5 commissioners making up the NYC. This also means that Commission is a collegial body. 

Instead of coordinating with the other commissioners to vote on an issue within the agency, the employees association said that Enriquez would decide by himself.

“Ibig sabihin, lahat ng desisyon sa loob ng ahensiya ay kailangang dumaan at napagbotohan sa Commission Proper. Lumalabas kasi ngayon na hindi na nasusunod ang prosesong ito at nagdedesisyon na lamang si Chairperson Enriquez nang sarili niya kaya naman nagkaroon ng kaguluhan sa mga proseso sa loob ng ahensiya at nalagay sa alanganin ang mga operasyon ng Commission,” the statement reads. 

(This means that all decisions inside the agency must go through a process and must be voted for by the commission proper. It turns out now that this process is not followed and Chairperson Enriquez makes his own decision resulting in conflict within the agency and puts the operation of the Commission at risk.)

Aside from this, NYCEA has also cited several instances of the chief executive’s abuse and usurpation of authority, violation of security of tenure, and harassment. This urged the association to appeal for President Rodrigo to take action in a letter sent to his office on May 21. (READ: [OPINION] We are young and we choose to fight back) 

These violations made by Enriquez were affirmed in a signed statement by the other members of the NYC proper including Commissioners-at-large James Ceasar Ventura and Paul Anthony Pangilinan, Commissioner representing Luzon Laurence Anthony Diestro and Commissioner representing Visayas Victor del Rosario.

The commissioners also expressed their support to NYCEA. 

“The members of the Commission Proper of NYC manifest our unwavering support to NYCEA in its demand for a competent leadership in the agency. Just like them, we want an agency that keeps up to its mandate of truly serving the Filipino youth. In this period of pandemic, we must not be slowed down by unnecessary tension between and amongst our officials and employees,” the statement read. 

The decision of NYCEA to share the appeal to the President online came after the majority of the employees voted in favor of its release. 

“Naniniwala rin kami na karapatan ninyo itong malaman bilang aming pinaglilingkuran at sektor na dapat na ipinaglalaban (We also believe that it is your right to know since we are serving the youth and this sector is what we should fight for)," NYCEA continued in its statement. 

Although NYCEA is saddened by the turn of events, it clarified that the employees only wanted that respect be shown in following the process of operations within the agency as stated by the law. 

It continued to believe that President Duterte would hear their plea.

“Naniniwala kasi kami na papakinggan kami ni PRRD, lalo’t buong puso kaming sumusuporta sa kaniyang kampanya para sa good governance at laban sa korapsyon (We believe that the President will hear us especially that we support his campaign for good governance and fight against corruption),” NYCEA added. 

President Duterte appointed Enriquez, who was a former provincial board member of Cavite in July 2019. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The La Trinidad Municipal Police Station in Benguet deleted Friday, June 5, its social media post red-tagging a young journalist and youth group convenor, 4 days after putting it up on Facebook.

The cops originally posted on their official Facebook page a screenshot of a video clip from Youtube warning the public of the recruitment practices of the communist armed rebel group New People's Army. This post included the name of Khim Abalos as a recruiter of leftist groups. 

Abalos is a convenor of the group Youth Act Now Against Tyranny Baguio (Yanat).

“Please be informed that La Trinidad PNP does not have the intention to malign him regarding the issue,” the police said in a statement after the takedown.

They clarified that the post was an infographcs on terrorism captured in a video clip on YouTube which was later on deleted by the owner.

But the youth called the police statement “a non-apology for circulating a post that implicated Abalos and his organizations (YANAT included) as terrorists.”

“While this initiative of the La Trinidad municipal police station may look laudable, the damage has already been done. With the recent railroading of the anti-terror bill, such acts, if continued, will put the lives of these red-tagged and terrorist-tagged organizations and individuals at risk,” the Yanat statement said. 

The La Trinidad police invited Yanat to a dialogue, but the youth group refused the invitation. Instead Yanat said it was taking legal actions against the law enforcers.

They urged the police to do fact check, apologize and stop red-tagging journalists and activists. 

What happened to Abalos was not an isolated case. According to Yanat, the incident happened a week after the youth group filed a formal complaint to the Commission on Human Rights-CAR against the Benguet Provincial Police Office, Police Regional Office- Cordillera, 54th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (Charlie Wildcat), and the 5th Infantry Division (Kabalikat Star Troopers) for a series of red-tagging and terrorist tagging posts circulating online. 

“It's a shame for a state machinery, well-funded for its programs, to sow fake news and endanger the lives of the youth,” the youth group said.

Youth group YANAT- Baguio-Benguet has long been participating in various dialogues and discussions concerning political vilification and has continued lobbying for the anti-political vilification ordinance. – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – #HandsOffOurStudents is a call echoed by several netizens as suspicious fake accounts of students and alumni flooded Facebook on Sunday, June 7.

Seen by many as a scare tactic to silence critics of the administration, they slammed the creation of the accounts and called for the safety of the youth. By mid-afternoon, #HandsOffOurStudents is trending on Twitter in the Philippines with more than 20,000 tweets. 

Various student groups had first flagged the existence of dummy accounts bearing the names of several University of the Philippines (UP) students and alumni. (READ: Users report duplicate, dummy Facebook accounts in PH)

Initially, they noticed duplicate accounts of the activists arrested during an anti-terrorism bill protest on Friday, June 5.

The proliferation of blank and duplicate accounts eventually covered not only UP students and alumni but also from other schools. This came days after the passage of the anti-terror bill that critics fear could be used to clamp down on Filipinos’ basic freedoms. 

The UP Office of the Student Regent added that these dummy accounts are suspected to cause harm or spread false information online.

Netizens were baffled to find duplicate accounts under their name, urging others to stay vigilant and be wary of messages and threats coming from the dummy accounts.

I'm not even from UP or PUP pero bat may ganto?? San niyo gagamitin?? Para baliktarin niyo kami? Para hindi kami magsalita sa kapalpakan ng gobyerno?? #HandsOffOurStudents#JUNKTERRORBILLNOW#MassTestingNowPHpic.twitter.com/zgA2DqFoVn

— sul #BLM || #JUNKTERRORBILLNOW (@tarantularawr) June 7, 2020

I’ve been seeing a lot of fake accounts surfacing under the names of students and activists which are probably a red-tagging scheme. These are my only fb accs. Any message and threat you get from my name but not from this account is not from me.#HandsOffOurStudents#ResistAsOnepic.twitter.com/RGyaIdHlCI

— clarice | BLM (@iveronclarice) June 7, 2020

The loyalists/enablers' troll army is a real thing. What happened this day to PH activists is a reminder that we should work harder than ever.

This morning, seven Roland Reyes accounts surfaced on FB. Same thing happened to my friends in the collective.#HandsOffOurStudentspic.twitter.com/gS3F52eBiN

— spaghetti #JunkTerrorBill (@spaghettireyes_) June 7, 2020

After UP Cebu Students, members of the Political Science Society are now being targeted by malicious online duplication of Facebook accounts, empty accounts copying personal information of our students.These are employed tactics to silent dissent. #HandsOffOurStudentspic.twitter.com/B9LWf44GsF

— Osiris (@adenosine_SS) June 7, 2020

Others saw the proliferation of blank accounts as attacks on progressives and critics, saying that these could possibly be used to frame people as terrorists if the anti-terror bill is enacted into law. (READ: #JunkTerrorBill: Sign this petition to help uphold human rights)

With the anti-terror bill, people can be accused of inciting to terrorism through their speeches, proclamations, writings, emblems and banners. The bill will also authorize the arrest and detention, of anyone who expresses dissent to government.

TERRORIZING THE NON-TERRORISTS. Following the passage on third reading of the Anti-Terror Bill, activists and progressives are now being digitally attacked with dummy duplicate accounts.

We will not be silenced.#JunkTerrorBill#ActivismIsNotTerrorism#HandsOffOurStudentspic.twitter.com/77K1NNt5pm

— Frank (@frankiesteinart) June 7, 2020

If you persist with your "only terrorists should be afraid of the ATB", well let me tell you that students are now victims of identity theft on Facebook, EVEN THOSE WHOM I KNOW ARE NOT VOCAL IN CRITICIZING THE GOVERNMENT!!!

Everyone, not just the activists.#HandsOffOurStudents

— mysterisko #OustDuterte (@_ilawdagitab) June 7, 2020

Trolls using fake accounts to red-tag students and UP alumni. How long can you go?

What more can the government do to silence their critics? This isn’t just about UP and their students. This is about everyone who had the voice to criticise the gov’t.#HandsOffOurStudents

— Desiree Lois (@desireeloisss) June 7, 2020

The real terrorists are behind these attacks to the privacy and security of students and people who are critical of the administration's incompetence.#HandsOffOurStudents#DefendUP#StopRedTagging

— #StopRedTagging (@babaylangidda) June 7, 2020

Many lambasted how efforts to quell criticism and dissent are prioritized over more important matters such as effective coronavirus response and mass testing.

Ito na ba yung pangmalakasang plano ng gobyerno? Gumawa ng duplicate accounts ng kahit sinong Filipino? Kung sana yung energy na inilaan niyo sa kagaguhang ito ay inilalaan niyo sa pag-conduct ng mass testing, eh di wala sana tayong problema.#HandsOffOurStudents#JunkTerrorBill

— #ResistAsOne (@tintangdilaw) June 7, 2020

#HandsOffOurStudentspic.twitter.com/LsP6IhO1Ti

— hao(@shembelepbep) June 7, 2020

With attacks now targeting young students, netizens called on Filipinos to stay vigilant and urged others to continue speaking out despite attempts to intimidate them.

Grabeee the amount of caution we have to exercise just so we can air or thoughts on the gov is truly just nakakapagod sismars pero laban lang#ActivismIsNotTerrorism#HandsOffOurStudents#JUNKTERRORBILLNOW

— Gaby D. Domanais #OUSTDUTERTENOW #MassTestingNowPh (@little_saumench) June 7, 2020

Here’s what other netizens have to say about the matter: 

With multiple reports of existing fake Facebook accounts, here's how you can report accounts pretending to be someone you know or someone that doesn't exist.

– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – “Ano ang ambag mo? (What’s your contribution?)”

When netizens started asking that question at the onset of the coronavirus lockdown, the answer of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) ng Barangay Maybunga in Pasig City was to establish the #AmbagNgKabataan advocacy, originally #BeatThatCOVID.

The initiative’s purposes are to advocate youth leadership and involvement, and empower the youth by giving them an active role in the community.

“#AmbagNgKabataan aims to prove that the youth holds up to its titular role of being the hope of the future,” SK Maybunga Chairperson Patricia Mae Torres said. 

Helping the needy

Through #AmbagNgKabataan, members of the SK Maybunga helped the neediest in their barangay including teenage solo parents, breastfeeding mothers, and indigent families through relief assistance projects.

To strengthen the advocacy, the council reached out to youth organizations in the barangay to help lead relief operations. (READ: With relief goods running out, Cebuano youth group helps raise funds and aid)

For the youth organizations to be prepared, SK Maybunga Councilors have set meetings with the leaders of their constituent youth organizations to orient them with the proper operating procedures. 

With the help of youth organizations, the SK was able to identify the neediest citizens, repack, and distribute the goods.

To be precise with the distribution, a house-to-house survey was conducted beforehand to check who qualifies as recipients.

Youth Empowerment Community Organization President (YECO) Jehwie Bantillo described their organization’s struggles while doing the community assessment.

“It’s hard to balance the ideas of giving everyone aid and selecting the neediest in the community, but we made sure that everyone is given the chance to (be on the list),” he said.

Making it possible

When it comes to funding the program, the SK depended on its 10% budget allocation from the barangay, and citizen donations.

“We decided to realign the budget dedicated to our supposed projects to respond to the pandemic,” SK Maybunga Treasurer Aubrey Garcia said.

Normally a long procurement process is required to have the lowest bidders supply civil work projects, but the Government Procurement Policy Board allowed negotiated procurements for pandemic response starting March 26, enabling the SK to acquire the goods faster.

Once the goods were available, the SK then faced the overwhelming task of repacking the relief goods for distribution together with youth volunteers.

SK Maybunga Councilor Roselyn Constantino shared how they turned the repacking process into a game to encourage others to make quick progress.

“We divided ourselves into two teams and started a race. Whoever repacks faster wins the game,” she said. 

Through the game, they were able to finish at least 30 packs in 5 to 10 minutes, with each one containing all of the essentials for the relief distribution.

By March 30, the SK was ready to distribute the first wave of relief goods to residents in the barangay.

Reaching out

Hoping to reach every resident in the area and ensure their safety, SK Maybunga and youth volunteers equipped themselves with face masks, gloves, and alcohol, and distributed the goods via a door-to-door process in a bid to avoid a mass gathering.

With the relief goods distributed by batch, those who weren’t able to receive theirs were listed in SK Maybunga’s recipients for the next wave of distributions. 

So far, the group has provided food packs and vegetable bundles to 6,000 families, diapers and biscuits to more than 1,000 kids, welfare kits to more than 10,000 households, 300 personal protective equipment sets to medical frontliners, and three waves of supplies to area and curfew monitoring frontliners.

“It is fulfilling to help the community with the most that I can do as a youth,” Damayan Youth Volunteer Jeffrey Collo said.

Beyond relief

As a contribution to the development of Pasig City, members of the Sangguniang Kabataan ng Maybunga Council also assisted with the house-to-house payout of the supplemental cash assistance program of the city government. 

Aside from relief operations, youth organizations also launched religious and entertainment programs for the residents. (READ: While classes are on hold, students find ways to help affected communities)

LODI Ka Organization of Villa Concha was able to continue the annual tradition of the community’s Santacruzan in May by retaining prayer meetings and household transfers of religious statues while following safety measures. (READ: The spirit of Flores de Mayo)

To uplift the spirits of the residents during quarantine, Kabataan ng Damayan (Damayan Youth Organization) has been creating online dance videos and distributing biscuits to children residing in their area.

As Metro Manila eases quarantine restrictions, SK Maybunga is creating a recovery and adaptation plan for their constituents.

“To move forward to continually help our constituents, there is also a need to shift to new programs,” Torres, the SK Maybunga Chairperson, said. 

Youth organizations have also pledged to help the community to continue the #AmbagNgKabataan advocacy.

Acknowledging those who helped make the project possible, the SK Maybunga Council thanked the youth organizations and volunteers for putting in the effort to help residents in need.

“From a mere nine-man council, we got (helping) hands from around 80 people throughout the whole program,” Torres said.

The council asks the youth to be part of the ongoing advocacy by posting their contributions in fighting the effects of the pandemic on social media using #AmbagNgKabataan. People may track the advocacy’s progress here. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – In a strongly-worded statement released Sunday, June 8, 2020, the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu demanded the immediate release of their students, alumni, and 4 others who were "unduly arrested and detained."

Earlier on Friday, June 5, cops detained at least 8 individuals from a gathering of protesters against the anti-terrorism bill over alleged violation of a ban on mass gatherings under the general community quarantine (GCQ).

In the statement, UP Cebu insisted that the right to peaceful assembly is not proscribed even under the current national emergency.

"The constitutional right of individuals to express their views publicly and to hold protests peacefully and safely is not proscribed under any law – not the Bayanihan Law, nor even under RA11332, or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act," it said. 

Probe possible violation of UP-DND accord

UP Cebu also renewed their call to uphold the 1989 UP-DND accord while urging Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella and the chief of the Cebu City police office to "seriously look into this clear transgression against our constituents and our property." 

In the statement, they also noted, upon review of footage during the incident, the violent disperal done by members of the police force – some of whom were in civilian clothing. 

"Our students are not criminals and they were despicably manhandled by police force who were in full battle gear and heavy firearms during the arrest. This is totally unacceptable," UP Cebu said. 

In their statement, the campus also weighed in on the subject of the protesters' gathering on Friday: the controversial anti-terrorism bill.  

"We deem the proposed Anti-Terrorism Law as seriously flawed because of its failure to clearly operationalize the definition of 'terrorism.' This sweeping anti-terrorism legislation will be prone to abuse and misuse by those whom the people have entrusted the authority to exercise the power, resources, and duties of the government," UP Cebu said.

Condemning the arrest of the activists, Filipinos earlier took to Twitter their call for the protesters' immediate release using the hashtag #ReleaseCebu7. Various student organizations also showed their support by organizing donations for the detainees' community bail fund. (READ: How to help activists arrested in Cebu City) – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – The world has been experiencing a prolonged period of uncertainty and turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Aside from the unprecendented health crisis, we are also facing potentially one of the greatest threats to education.

In an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, several governments around the world temporarily closed educational institutions.

According to the latest data released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), more than 1.190 billion or almost 70% of the world’s student population have been affected by the said closures. 

Indeed, starting the school year late or interrupting it completely disrupts the lives of many children, parents, and teachers. But a lot can also be done to at least reduce the impact through remote learning strategies. (READ: No student left behind? During pandemic, education 'only for those who can afford')

In the Philippines, the pandemic affected accessibility to education. As more schools shift to virtual and distance learning, non-governmental organizations such as the Pilar Reading Center (PRC) provide interventions so that students from vulnerable areas can sharpen their reading and comprehension skills without leaving their home. (READ: Teacher walks extra mile during pandemic to help students in Sorsogon)

PRC started in 2010 as a storytelling initiative of Lowel Andrian Solayao, a 2017 Search for Outstanding Volunteer national awardee, for 3 children.

Ten years later, PRC is now composed of students and young professionals from Pilar, Sorsogon who regularly conduct literacy activities for the benefit of the children and youths of their town. Since 2015, PRC has been conducting annual summer reading camps, which they had to cancel this year.

Bringing the classes at home

With the learning and educational gaps brought about by the pandemic, PRC hopes to help their regular learners by providing modular reading activities and partnering with parents. Thus, Project Personalized Activities with Contextualized Experiences (PACE) was conceptualized. 

Project PACE is a two-week home-school learning experience with the help of parents or guardians as teachers and facilitators at home. The project includes the use of modular reading activities and worksheets prepared by PRC volunteers to provide a variety of educational exercises to regular PRC learners aged 6 to 12 years old in two weeks. 

The modules feature real-life themes and content, as well as activities designed to educate the students about the novel coronavirus outbreak and the consequent community quarantine. There are two modules, with the first tackling the importance of good hygiene and surroundings, while the second focuses on the impacts of COVID-19 on agriculture and economy. 

These modules were refined with the help of parents and guardians, who were later trained to serve as teachers and facilitators at home for Project PACE.

To empower learners and give them a sense of achievement despite the pandemic, a house-to-house recognition event was conducted for students who completed the program. Food packs and hygiene kits were also given as awards to students and their parents or guardians.

The second phase of Project PACE runs from May 28 to June 12. Students have a hands-on focus on planting crops in their homes. 

Because of the tremendous support given by parents and other community stakeholders, PRC volunteers are now able to prepare and produce another program called #ProjectPACEforToddlers catering to 12 toddlers, so far. 

Hit the books

Despite the ongoing health crisis, PRC volunteers are still hopeful that their actions provide their students a quality learning experience. 

Aside from a home-school learning program, PRC has also provided other alternatives to help educate residents in Sorsogon. (READ: While classes are on hold, students find ways to help affected communities)

In a bid to inspire more bookworms, the PRC launched the Borrow Books for Barangay Banuyo (4Bs) Program on April 15. Through the program, residents, regardless of age, can select books from PRC’s book recommendations of the week as posted on their Facebook page or request a title that’s available on PRC shelves.

The 4Bs program hopes to encourage the children to read and, at the same time, help parents to encourage their children to be avid learners and bookworms. 

Under Solayao’s leadership, PRC’s vision rests on the crucial role of book reading in every children’s cognitive and affective development. For the volunteers, they hope that this vision on early literacy can later blossom into even bigger goals for the children. (READ: A pandemic makes neighbors look out for each other in Sorsogon)

Education systems must also be thinking of how they can recover amid this crisis, with a renewed sense of responsibility of all stakeholders and with a better understanding and sense of urgency for the need to close the gap in opportunities and assuring that all children have the same access to quality education. – Rappler.com

Tricia Marie Ayala is currently the program officer of Volunteerism for Development Communication and Advocacy Program under the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency.

MANILA, Philippines – Saying the National Youth Commission (NYC) deserved competent leaders, various youth and student groups from different universities called on NYC chairperson Ryan Enriquez to resign for his “misrepresentation of the Filipino youth.”

At least 120 Sangguniang Kabataan and student organizations signed a unity statement on Sunday, June 7, clamoring for the NYC chairperson’s resignation.

They stressed the need for “genuine youth representation,” adding the NYC has kept mum on issues affecting the youth sector including the clamor against online classes, mental health concerns, and massive unemployment, among others.

“We hold Chair Enriquez accountable for NYC’s silence and inaction during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Under his leadership, NYC has not released statements or action points to address pressing issues faced by the youth sector...Enriquez’s actions are an insult to the Filipino youth and the dignity of NYC’s employees,” the groups said in a statement.

They added that NYC showed its support for the anti-terrorism bill and a legislative measure granting additional powers to President Rodrigo Duterte without consulting youth stakeholders or other NYC officials.

“His support for the bill reflects his disregard for the welfare of citizens, particularly the youth, critical about our country’s governance,” it added.

The NYC Employees Association (NYCEA) also voiced their concerns about the leadership of Enriquez. (READ: National Youth Commission employees demand a competent leader)

Instead of coordinating with the other commissioners to vote on an issue, the employees association said that Enriquez would decide by himself.

The NYCEA cited several instances that Enriquez abused his authority, violated his security of tenure, and harassed the agency's personnel. This prompted the association to appeal to President Duterte to take action in a letter sent to his office on May 21.

“NYC should not be led by an individual who gravely misrepresents the Filipino youth and shows no clear concern for their welfare. Its employees, who work closely with the members of the youth sector, should not be governed by an individual who steps on their dignity,” the youth groups said in their statement.

The 12th National Youth Parliament, an alumni group from the NYC-led activity of the same name, has even distanced themselves from the government agency, saying that “the statements on the National Youth Commission Facebook Page do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position, nor are they endorsed by the 12th National Youth Parliament.”

Youth groups including Oriental Mindoro Society of Young Parliamentarians and Sanguniang Kabataan-Nagrumbuan demanded for the immediate removal of Enriquez and called for “genuine youth representation in the NYC.”

“Calling for the resignation of the current NYC Chair Enriquez is a call for a genuine representation of the aspirations of the Filipino Youth...At a time of crisis where programs and policies undermine the capacity of the Filipino youth, we need genuine leadership that fights for and safeguards their interests. We need leadership that champions democratic values, inspiring the Filipino youth to work together in building this nation,” they said.

The groups said those interested in joining their plea can invite their own organization to sign and share the unity statement. – Rappler.com

The world seems to be marching shoulder to shoulder in solidarity against the recent spate of racial prejudice in the US. The fuse was lit when an African American, George Floyd, died in the hands of arresting officers in Minnesota.

Now, this is not something new. There are numerous studies that map out decades of black American deaths during confrontations with or under the custody of police officers in the US. But what makes the George Floyd case so different in the history of police brutality along racial lines is that the world saw his death as it played out on social media. 

Suddenly, sections of cities across the US were up in smoke, looting and pillaging sprouting forth from what started out as peaceful protests.  

And suddenly, the issue of racial prejudice became a "thing" in the Philippines. Maybe it is, but it is not as evident and manifested here as it is in the US. The last time a major uprising broke out here because of racial intolerance was when we were under the colonial yoke of Spain. Swelling the ranks of the revolutionaries were Indios – native-born Filipinos who couldn't avail of as many rights and privileges as the rest of the racial hierarchy, which also featured the Mestizos (Indios of mixed lineage), Insulares (Spaniards born in the islands), and the Peninsulares (the lofty ones; Spaniards born in the Iberian Penninsula). (READ: [OPINION] The anger against colonialism is, and continues to be, justified)

In recent memory, the impetus for major revolts and insurrections in the Philippines were more ideological than they were racial. 

But yes, we have George Floyds among us. 

He is the pitiable farmer who tills soil under torturous conditions so he can provide food for the rest of the country. He is the lowly employee who has to make good with low wages and extended working hours. He is the health worker whose meager salary is not commensurate to the hard labor and hazards he faces every day in the workplace. He is the environmentalist who puts his life on the line as he battles big, greedy corporations to defend our fragile earth. He is the poor voter who is blinded by the empty promises of corrupt politicians, who use him for their own personal gain and furtherance. 

Same oppressed people. Different oppressors. Have we ever bothered to notice them? Have we ever exhibited consternation when we see them mistreated and abused? Have we ever thought about protesting on their behalf?

Maybe the events in the US are a way to remind us that we should keep our eyes peeled for any form of discrimination and exploitation anywhere around us. We don’t have to wait for something to unfold miles away in order to bring out the activist in us.

If we remain blind to the bigotry in our society and only start to take notice when an issue is popular, then our voice lacks authenticity.  

Speaking up for the voiceless and defenseless is a way of life…a vocation, if you will. It is not a fashion trend. Protest because you need to. Not because you want to. Be a genuine advocate, not a seasonal activist. If you truly speak for the oppressed, then look no further, for they are all around us. There is always a George Floyd in our midst. – Rappler.com

Alex Manlapao is a professor of philosophy, ethics, humanities, and the contemporary world at Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod.

MANILA, Philippines – The implementation of the enhanced community quarantine disrupted a lot of transactions and processes, even the settlement of taxes. In response to the pleas of taxpayers, the Bureau of Internal Revenue extended tax filing until June 14.

However, most of the taxpayers are still confused about the protocols on taxes and tax relief now that the enhanced community quarantine is being eased.

How much do we owe the government? What are the steps in settling our taxes?

All of these questions and other related concerns will be answered in a webinar hosted by Project Lifeline on Friday, June 12, at 2 pm. Project Lifeline was launched by Mosveldtt Law Offices, in partnership with the Union Bank of the Philippines (UB), BounceBack PH, and Rappler.

Jules E. Riego, Principal of Sycip Gorres Velayo & Co.; Christian G. Sia, Head of Taxation Group of Mosveldtt Law Offices; and Raymond A. Abrea, Chairman and Senior Tax Advisor of Asian Consulting Group will join this webinar. Rappler’s multimedia reporter Ralf Rivas will moderate the webinar.

To register, visit this link or sign up below:

– Rappler.com  

A few weeks ago, the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges-Student Network (APMC-SN) surprised everyone by publishing its most political statement in a while, upholding press freedom in light of the ABS-CBN shutdown.

This might look like just another group statement in these conflicted times, but for us, in our internal network of doctors and doctors-to-be, the APMC-SN statement is astounding in its bravery.

The APMC-SN is mainly known as an organizer of competitions, particularly MedGroove and MedRhythmia. These events are politically non-partisan, a safe space amid the stresses of attaining that "MD."

Even if the essence of medicine is saving lives, it is not in the immediate interest of a medical student to dwell on social and systemic injustices that kill the poor. To give you an idea, Google Ang Kuwento ni Rosario and you will see how stressful it is for us to decide the reason a poor person dies. 

Then comes the hospital, where interns work for free, and are sometimes even asked to pay an exorbitant fee despite clocking in more than 60 hours a week as mere paper-pushers. These hospitals endorse attendings and senior residents who demand an entourage to accompany them in rounds without teaching, and who utter sexist, racist drivel inside the OR. And when someone attempts to speak out about this behavior, that person is labeled an onion-skinned brat, a “millennial” who can't handle the pressure.

And the truth is, some of these attendings and senior residents are some of the most successful in their fields, great doctors whom trainees would be honored to learn from. They are some of the most laudable examples of how to approach patients, how to build rapport, and how to elegantly manage diseases. Their contributions to Philippine medicine are undeniable. (READ: [OPINION] Worshipping the false idols of public health)

And where are public health, preventive medicine, and family and community medicine in this world? They’re kept on the sidelines. The lack of personal glory in these fields may have created the myth of the “apolitical” medical student. Medical training itself is an exercise in individualism. It is a private privilege.

So, is the push to emphasize community medicine just a means to attain individual excellence in the clinical sciences? No, it isn’t. Harboring great clinical knowledge should be based on moral and ethical principles, formed by a deep understanding of our society’s problems. (READ: You can’t reduce poverty without a strong public health care system)

The APMC-SN's recent statement is laudable in a culture that weaponizes professionalism in order to repress. The backlash against “apolitical” medical students and doctors bares our hidden affliction, which another doctor once wrote about more than a hundred years ago – a Filipino ophthalmologist who, because of his writings, was silenced with a bullet in Bagumbayan.

The APMC-SN’s statement legitimizes what has become less and less emphasized in our training, and what a lot of other good doctors and community health workers on the sidelines believe: that health is inextricably linked with politics.

The way forward for APMC-SN is to double down on their commentary and continue speaking up against the suppression of free speech. Given the #JunkTerrorBill movement and the US medical community's #WhiteCoatsForBlackLives movement – and in the face of a health chief who blames his co-healthcare workers for his failures – a stronger and more assured voice among medical students is needed. – Rappler.com

JM Deblois was a “Scholars among Scholars” awardee of St. Luke’s Medical Center-College of Medicine in 2018, and is now a Family and Community Medicine resident at FamilyDOC.

We are in this life together. We share a common humanity. But what is it about people and institutions that insist on keeping us apart?

I am Filipino-American. I cannot claim to have found myself in trouble because of my race in the same way as the oft-familiar dread and unease African-Americans feel today and probably every day. My racial self-hatred and shame are closer to Cathy Park Hong’s penetrating memories. In Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, she writes, “Asians lack presence. Asians take up apologetic space. We don’t even have enough presence to be considered real minorities. We’re not racial enough to be token. We’re so post racial we’re silicon.”

I feel this way. Here in the Philippines, I am not Filipino enough but am too American. I can tell you that I have attracted all kinds of microaggressions because I never play the role of the yes sir-yes ma’am Filipino. They decide I am difficult when I decide to be honest.

I will not attempt to narrate with my Asian imagination the racial trauma of Black Lives. Our shared injury by white supremacy is not a shortcut to intimacy. Black Lives have their own stories, with their own voices. We should listen.

I do see an imperfect parallel.

I now live in Manila, watching my home of 24 years, Los Angeles, on fire again in the days after the death of George Floyd. The looting, burning buildings, and violence — of the opportunistic few outnumbered by peaceful Angelenos of conscience — are salts to the wounds of the 1992 riots. My family was a little more than a year fobby fresh from the Philippines. I had just turned 11 when the white police officers were acquitted of beating Rodney King. (READ: Thousands mourn George Floyd as accused officer appears in court)

And I watch New York, too. My attachment to the city has ebbed but will never go away. Much of my storied roots were firmly planted in the city — September 11th, Northeast Blackout, and the intrinsic despair of youth. I was there; I was in college.

I am a bystander to a city at the epicenter of sheltering at home. Three months of hardship, 3 months on life support, the coronavirus has besieged New York. But now, it is bursting and immersing itself with long-lasting, widespread demonstrations. The jolting liberation of public assembly is the antidote to the prolonged isolation. I watch New Yorkers defy curfew, stand with health workers and activist groups, and rove, amoeba-like, the once deserted streets. I watch, with a smile and a bit of jealousy, the city returning to itself.

And that synergy of pandemic and protest is also swelling here in the Philippines. An anti-terrorism bill has predictably cleared the codependent Congress. As I write this, it only needs the signature of the president. (READ: [ANALYSIS] The Anti-Terrorism Act: Duterte will have all dissenters’ necks)

The bill comes from the same tired manual that has automated policymaking in the country — which is to say, it is sufficiently sweeping and vague for the plain vanilla palate of public leaders but far removed from the lived realities of Filipinos. The bill makes demands on behalf of public service without actually serving the public. The bill is Karen. 

And just as predictable is the urgent and valid opposition to the bill — or more accurately, the expression of that opposition. The official statement and the hashtag inflate the feeling of political engagement by flattening the physical behavior necessary to make change. Though opponents argue that the written words of the anti-terror bill are poor substitutes for what is intended, the same opponents seem mostly unable to understand their own argument. In the nebulous world of the internet — and Filipinos are addicted to the solidaristic emotions of the virtual invisible hand — simply to include #JunkTerrorBill in any opinion is to be doing meaningful work.

What is it about people that makes it so hard to aspire towards equal protection under the law? How do institutions engender childlike dependency? Why do powerful groups struggle with equal respect, relying instead on domination and exclusion?

Here is where I value, and take seriously, my work. I am a behavioral scientist in public health and social policy. I want to figure out how thoughts and feelings motivate or derail specific policy recommendations. 

We base our policies on human rights and, here in the Philippines, increasingly on religious views. This is an essential design of policymaking but also, for me, too narrow. Policies are not designed by human rights but rather by humans. We would do well to begin with psychology to locate policy choices that keep us apart. (READ: [OPINION] Terrorizing us, but not the terrorists)

The political struggle for equality and justice requires us to focus more deeply on the emotional impediments to these substantial freedoms. The type of society we want — whether systemic anti-black is a desirable goal or whether fear of dissidence is normalized, for example — must first embark as a struggle within all of us.

We are born into this world helpless. As infants, we depend on others to supply our demands. We take great pains in making it known when our needs are not met. We are not devoid of love and compassion, of course. But because we can do little-to-nothing for ourselves as infants, other people are merely objects that bring what we want.

Another is our sense of disgust. Feces and urine are inherently human. It is not until toilet training that we learn to label them with powerful emotions like disgust. Our bodily waste is also the entry points for experiencing shame and perfection. Control is the key for both, we are often told. It is no surprise that these emotions define later beliefs about adult success.

For some, the feelings of weakness and disgust dominate into adulthood. We are all needy and do see some things as dirty, no matter what age we are. But for most of us, we are able to channel these feelings in a healthier direction, one that brings us together. For others, it is how they primarily operate in the world — by prioritizing their own needs and by stigmatizing certain groups as less-than.

We are spectators to men — and they are mostly men — desperately trying to prove their manhood. But in following the strongman’s narcissistic playbook, they emerge utterly anxious of losing control. There is a persistent and increasingly aggressive desire to label others as problematic, disgusting, and subordinate. This is what young children do. We are, in effect, witnessing leaders who have not quite passed the “cooties” stage.

For leaders who are incapable of channeling their helplessness and loathing towards a more inclusive and compassionate direction, they are now getting lessons with #BlackLivesMatter or #JunkTerrorBill. They’re getting new toilet training. – Rappler.com

Dr Ronald Del Castillo is a consultant on social and behavior change communication. He was professor of psychology, public health, and social policy at the University of the Philippines. The views here are his own.

MANILA, Philippines – Even the coronavirus pandemic won’t dull the colors of Pride.

Straying away from a usually extravagant Pride march due to quarantine restrictions, the Filipino LGBTQ+ community continues to celebrate Pride month through various activities online.

Although different from previous years, Metro Manila Pride maintained the celebration of Pride has always been a protest championing LGBTQ rights, as well as the rights of the marginalized.

A prime example is the 1969 Stonewall Riots, the series of protests against the police repression of a popular gay bar in New York City, which became the predecessor of the Pride tradition. 

“Hindi man pisikal na magkakasama-sama upang mag-martsa, maigting pa rin tayong nagkakaisa sa ating mga panawagan (We may not be physically together to march but we are still one in our call),” Metro Manila Pride said.

Pushing the theme #SulongWagPatinag, Metro Manila Pride asserts that the fight for equal rights continues even during the pandemic.

Metro Manila Pride, Bahaghari, UPLB Babaylan, and Benilde Hive are among the LGBTQ+ groups that have spearheaded activities anyone can join to show their support for the community during Pride month.

Here’s a list of events that you may join to celebrate Pride from your homes:

APC Bahaghari

Through their online exhibit titled “Out of the Closet, ”Asia Pacific College’s (APC) Bahaghari will be featuring artworks and stories of discrimination to emphasize the need for safe and inclusive spaces for everyone starting June 5.

APC Bahaghari will also tackle different topics involving the LGBTQ+ community and Pride celebration through Zoom sessions entitled “Chika and Chill.” These chikahan sessions will happen every Friday from 4pm to 6pm starting June 12. Here’s a list of topics that the Chika and Chill will tackle:

• June 12, 2020:  An online chikahan on the basics of SOGIESC 
• June 19, 2020: An online chikahan on students’ well-being in times of pandemic
• June 26, 2020: An online chikahan on the essence of Pride

Stay tuned to APC Bahaghari’s Facebook page for instructions on how to join their Zoom sessions.

Benilde Hive

Benilde Hive, an LGBTQ+ organization from De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde, will be celebrating Pride month with tons of activities.

• Spectrum

Alluding to the colors of the rainbow in the LGBTQ+ flag, Benilde Hive will leading an online art exhibit entitled “Spectrum” from June 8 to 15 featuring students’ digital art, traditional art, and photos anchored on the theme “Experiencing love in diversity.”

The exhibit aims to be “a place to recognize and encourage authenticity and beauty through art.” 

Benilde Hive also wants to inspire self-expression as well as celebrate those who are active in putting forward the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Visit their Facebook page to check out the artworks.

• Prism: A Spoken word Night

Aside from the art exhibit, Benilde Hive is accepting submissions for Prism, their online event featuring music and spoken word performances on June 16.

Those who want to perform in the event have until June 10 to submit their works. Here’s how you can be part of Prism: A Spoken Word Night:

• English and/or Filipino spoken word entries can be submitted in the form of text, audio and/or video recording
• The artist’s visual appearance is optional. Song entries may submitted as audio recordings; a visual appearance of the artists involved is not required

Entries must be submitted at bhive@benilde.edu.ph

• Ready, Set, Drag!

Benilde Hive will also stage a talk titled “Ready, Set Drag!” tackling the history and roots of drag performances on June 20. Tune in to Benilde Hive’s Facebook page for updates on their Pride month activities.

MapBeks

MapBeks is staging a free mapping party to locate LGBTQ+ safe spaces in the Philippines. Through the mapping party, participants can learn to understand the need for safe spaces and meet other LGBTQ+ organizations from all over the Philippines. They will also be able to learn how to use the new LGBTQ+ Safe Spaces Map by MapBeks, and map other safe space spaces using different platforms.

It will happen on June 10 from 2 pm to 3:30 pm via Zoom. 

Metro Manila Pride

For all Saturdays of the month of June, Metro Manila (MM) Pride will be tackling different issues related to the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community and their fight for human rights through a webinar series titled “Pride Speaks.”

Pride Speaks Hangouts is series of weekend discussion groups done in partnership with LGBTQIA+ human rights organizations. These activities are led by the MMPride Human Rights, Research, and Education Working Group together with the MMPride March and Festival Team.

This event is part of the 2020 Metro Manila Pride March and Festival calendar of activities.

For their first session, they tackled the impacts of the anti-terror bill on human rights defenders and the LGBTQ+ community. People may watch out for more announcements involving future Pride Speaks Hangouts on Metro Manila Pride’s Facebook page.

While there won’t be a physical Pride March and Festival, Metro Manila Pride will be taking their protest online due to the existing coronavirus threat.

It will happen on June 27 and will feature performances from LGBTQ+ artists, as well as solidarity messages from partner organizations.

For updates on what will happen in the online event, check this out.

Mindanao Pride

Hoping to support other LGBTQ+ organizations in the region, particularly during Pride month, Mindanao Pride will be launching an online fundraising concert on June 20 at 8 pm.

The concert aims to raise funds for Mindanao-based LGBTQ+ organizations helping fellow members in the community and responding to the COVID-19 crisis in the region such as Kagay-an PLUS, LCI-Ladlad Caraga Incorporated, Mujer-LGBT Organization Incorporated, and Olympus Society of Davao. These organizations are responding to the COVID-19 crisis in the region and helps their fellow members in the LGBTQ+ community. 

Check out their Facebook page for announcements and more information.

Pantay 

In celebration of Pride Month, the Philippine Anti-Discrimination Alliance of Youth Leaders (PANTAY) and the Youth for Mental Health Coalition (Y4MH) are organizing the "Queerantine Sessions," an online support group for young LGBTQ+ Filipinos during the quarantine period.

The session will happen on Thursday, June 11, from 4 to 5 pm via Zoom. People may register for free here.

PNU Katalonan

The Philippine Normal University (PNU) – Manila’s premiere LGBTQ+ organization PNU Katalonan’s Pride activities revolve around the theme “Fight against the struggle.”

Through talks and rallies, PNU Katalonan hopes they will be a platform that will encourage everyone to speak out as “we fight to achieve equality, have safe spaces, to be treated justly and fair, and to be loved and accepted by everybody in our society.”

They will be leading a web series titled “ALAB” which will zero in on the basics of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sexual characteristics. 

The web series aims to enlighten Filipinos about the importance of knowing one’s self better, as well as debunk misconceptions and stereotypes regarding one’s sexuality. This will be posted on Katalonan’s Facebook page every Wednesday of the month of June. 

They’ll also hold LIYAB, a twitter rally talking about the significance of the Stonewall Riots in the fight for gender equality, on June 28 from 8 pm to 9 pm.

UP Babaylan

Asia’s oldest student-led LGBTQ+ organization, University of the Philippines Babaylan, is leading #PrideLetters, an avenue where LGBTQ+ members can write open letters addressed to the community, their friends or family.

The open letter initiative seeks to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ members, who may still feel unaccepted in their social circles and homes.

Those who want to share their thoughts and experiences through #PrideLetters can submit here: tinyurl.com/PrideLetters2020. 

UPLB Babaylan

UP Los Baños Babaylan, meanwhile, is organizning an online art exhibit entitled “Pride Series 4: Queer Spaces.” The exhibit features artworks that highlight the community’s “varied experiences during quarantine with hopes to remind them that they are not alone in these trying times.”

It will run for the whole month of June. Check out the artworks on UPLB Babaylan’s Facebook page.

– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – For this year’s commemoration of the Philippines' 122nd Independence Day, various groups will be holding mañanita protests nationwide as the country continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic. 

Going both as partygoers and protesters, groups will take to the streets to protest the government's anti-terror bill and what they deem as inadequate response to the pandemic. They are labeling this activity as a “grand mañanita.”

It's a reminder of the widely criticized birthday celebration of National Capital Region Police Office chief Major General Debold Sinas, which was held during lockdown. Despite breach in quarantine protocols, Sinas has kept his post. (READ: After apology, Sinas says 'nothing wrong' with birthday party)

Others have not been as lucky as Sinas. At least 6 Piston drivers were arrested by the Northern Police District on June 2 for failing to practice physical distancing during a protest and supposedly resisting authorities. They were freed  6 days later after posting bail. Seven activists who stage a protest against the recently-passed anti-terror bill, and one who was a bystander taking video of the others, were also arrested at the protest site near the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu. 

And so to avoid getting arrested or facing charges, Senator Francis Pangilinan gamely advised protesters to call their indignation rallies "mañanita.”

Here is a list of mañanita protests and other activities that will take place on Friday, June 12:

Metro Manila 

Several youth and progressive groups will gather for a grand "mañanita” at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman University Avenue at 10 am.

Among the groups leading the grand "mañanita” include Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy, Movement Against Tyranny, Gabriela Youth, Anakbayan - Albertus Magnus, Kilusang Mayo Uno Metro Manila, Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP), and College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) among others. 

They also posted about the grand "mañanita” event on their respective Facebook pages, advising the public to wear black or any best mañanita outfit, bring party accessories, and  “ambag” or contribution of food, placards, face masks, and alcohol. 

The Movement Against Tyranny also advised Filipinos who want to join the call but are unable to protest in the streets to gather family and friends in a safe venue, make a statement, bring placards and post on social media using the hashtags #JunkTerrorBill and #BawiinAngKalayaan. 

CAP reminded protesters to bring water and protective gear like mask, face shields, umbrella or raincoat during the protest.  It added that the grand mañanita’s party gear theme will be about freedom of expression. 

CEGP also invited its network to join the grand "mañanita" while observing physical distancing. 

Naga City

Anakbayan Naga City will also be holding a 122nd birthday "mañanita." It will start with an assembly and program at 9:30 am at the Plaza Quince Martires, followed by a march to Plaza Oragon at 10:30 am. 

Dumaguete City 

Akbayan Youth-Dumaguete is organizing an Independence Day Mañanita on June 12 at 4pm to 6pm in Portal East, Silliman Avenue, Dumaguete City. 

“If Sinas and many other local officials can celebrate their birthdays, we can celebrate our 122nd Independence Day,” the group said in a facebook post. 

It advised participants to wear black, wear masks, bring water, extra shirts, rubbing alcohol, statement cards or placards, and observe physical distancing. 

Baguio City

The Youth Act Now Against Tyranny-Baguio-Benguet also organized a program to commemorate Independence Day. It invited its community to join the protest by supporting local farmers and vendors at the UP Ikot: Talipapa sa Oble and joining the morning Mañanita at UP Baguio at 10am. 

This will be followed by social media protests where everyone is invited to post, upload, and tweet creative mañanita entries of demands, placards, and selfies with calls. 

An online zoom "mañanita" will also be held at 6 pm through an online discussion on the anti-terror bill. The discussion will be posted live via Movement Against Tyranny Metro-Baguio Facebook page. 

Online 

Kabataan sa Kartilya ng Katipunan (KKK) will be organizing a Virtual Independence Day celebration at 10 am through a Facebook live.  The conference aims to commemorate the significance of independence day through various song presentations. 

Senator Risa Hontiveros will also be having a live Independence Day online rally on her Facebook page at 10am. 

GoodGovPH will also be leading an online webinar from 6pm to 8pm featuring UP Diliman Department of History professor Diego Magallona. – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – What does freedom mean to you?

On June 12, the Philippines is going celebrate 122 years of independence. 

This year, we are celebrating our nation's independence during a very interesting time. Many parts of the country are still practicing strict quarantine measures to control the spread of the coronavirus. Individually, everyone is also encouraged to restrict movement and practice physical distancing.

At the same time, the country's celebration of its independence is also happening against the backdrop of the public clamor against the passage of House Bill 6875 or the anti-terrorism bill. 

At this point in time and in this political climate, we want to ask Filipinos: What does freedom mean to you?

Help us amplify the narratives of Filipinos through photos and videos.

Here’s how you can join us in telling the #StoryOfTheNation:

Step 1: Do a quick interview!
Ask your friends or family, “What does freedom mean to you?” through social media or chat.

You can also ask people in your community in real life, but make sure to observe consent and physical distancing.

Make sure to write down their response and take note of important details such as their name, age, and profession.

Step 2: Take a photo or video of your interviewee!
Take a snapshot or video of your interviewee. It’s okay if it's candid. Make sure your camera's in horizontal position and the area is well-lit.

Step 3: Submit your #StoryOfTheNation entry!
It’s time to send your entry! You may email your photo/video and the text of your interviewee's answer to move.ph@rappler.com and indicate #StoryOfTheNation in the subject line. 

You may also post the photo/video and answer on your Facebook and Twitter accounts, but make sure that the privacy of your post is set to public. Remember to use #StoryOfTheNation in your caption. – Rappler.com

If you visit the official website of Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa (BP2), you will realize how efficient the government can be when they set their mind to it. According to the website’s “Success Stories,” Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go sponsored the Senate Resolution on BP2, and the president signed the executive order on May 6, 2020. Only 14 days later, the first BP2 batch was sent off to their home province in Leyte, and "various government assistance” awaited the 112 individuals.

One month later, however, Michelle Silvertino dies by a footbridge in Pasay City. She was one of the many stranded Filipinos waiting for a bus ride home. If it were not for the viral post on her death, we would never have heard of Michelle’s story. Her body, which was buried in a shallow grave, was one of the many casualties, not of COVID-19, but of the pandemic that is our government.  

Michelle would have benefited from the BP2 program. One month after the first batch was sent off, I wondered if the 112 individuals were indeed given “livelihood/employment opportunities, skills training, and health needs support, among others.” It was, after all, filed under "Success Stories," as if providing transportation was equivalent to fulfilling the program’s mission. I wonder: How does the government measure success?

If success is equivalent to providing transportation, the site has not been updated. I wonder how many more “beneficiaries” were sent home after the well-documented first batch. Even without the BP2 program, I know the government can provide transportation for stranded individuals in bus terminals, piers, and airports.

How many more mothers will die of hunger and dehydration as they sleep on footbridges and roadsides? How many more stranded overseas Filipinos will have to skip meals and endure the scorching heat and rain so they can save their last P6,000 for their hungry children back home? The president flies home to Davao to be with his family for a couple of days when everyone else is not allowed to cross borders without a travel pass. In my hometown in Laguna, our city hall is packed every day with people queuing to request for a travel pass. 

We read about overseas Filipnos committing suicide in quarantine facilities after being held for months, because the government supposedly cannot even provide proper assistance and transportation. We learn of overseas Filipinos being moved from one quarantine facility to another, some with shared bathrooms, makeshift walls with no fans, broken windows and doors, and no sustainable water supply. After staying at a quarantine facility in Manila, some are asked to stay in another isolation facility required by the local government unit, and then in yet another by their barangay. Again, they are given no psychosocial and financial assistance to keep them afloat – just a quarantine facility with barely any room to breathe. 

And what of the farmers in the provinces?

What kind of life is waiting for people who wish to be beneficiaries of BP2? The BP2 creates an illusion that the urban poor and informal settlers in the city will have a sustainable life in the province. But these people left their province and their children to look for jobs in the city.

Michelle Silvertino was a single parent to 4 children, and she wanted to work as a domestic helper abroad. She kept failing the medical exam because of a pulmonary disease, so she had to work in Antipolo, Rizal as a househelper for a while. Michelle was one of millions of mothers leaving their hometown to look for jobs in the city and abroad. They left their provinces because there are no more agricultural lands, with the ones left being threatened to be converted into yet another subdivision, mall or foreign investment. If there are still farmers in their province, they are buried in debt and landless, struggling to survive exactly because of government programs like Build, Build, Build. Most of the farmers end up applying as construction workers in between farming, helping build roads and infrastructure in place of the land they till.  

Applicants of the BP2 program would have to fill an online form, and there seems to be a screening process. In the form, there is an “Assessment” section where you have to answer, “What do you intend to do in the province to financially support your family?” The choices provided are: farming, fishing, buy and sell, transport service, retail, pagmemekaniko, pagmamanekyurista, pangmamsahe, paggugupit, pagkakarinderya, pagkokonstruksyon. 

Besides transporting beneficiaries back to their provinces, the government should strengthen our agricultural programs and rural development. The government must offer genuine agrarian reforms so that the farming, livestock, and fishing in their assessment choices do not offer false hope. It should not be a band-aid solution nor a ruse to evict the poor from areas with high value for real estate and investments, which will ultimately benefit big business conglomerates. 

We need a comprehensive socio-economic program that will analyze how resources, including land and fishery controlled by landlords and large corporations, eventually lead to a vicious cycle of neglect and displacement. The government must first ensure that the beneficiaries will not fall victim to human rights abuses, low wages, and militarization because of the Build, Build, Build program and other policies that are anti-poor. The government must first recognize the real reason people in the countryside are risking their lives to look for better opportunities in Metro Manila and abroad. – Rappler.com

Rae Rival is a high school teacher and a member of Gantala Press, a feminist literary press.

Initiated by the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines, this is a joint statement of media groups, campus publications, and journalists in the country. It's signed by at least 30 groups and 85 individuals as of Friday morning, June 12.

We are the community of independent Filipino journalists.

We are the descendants of Lopez Jaena, of Del Pilar, of Rizal, of Leona Florentino, the sons and daughters of Don Chino, Joe Burgos, Tony Nieva, inheritors of the great tradition of critical and independent Philippines journalism, a journalism that speaks truth to power in the service of the people.

MANILA, Philippines – For Independence Day 2020, Rappler called out for art submissions on nation and freedom, and chose the series below by Zelina Baluyan, entitled Malayang Maria. (READ: Independence Day 2020: Gov’t rites, freedom protests in the time of physical distancing)

Zelina works in the advertising industry, but she commits to pursuing her passion for art in all its forms. She says Malayang Maria was "formed from sleepless nights of fear and uncertainty." 

You can check out Zelina's art on Facebook and Instagram. 

How does this series make you feel? – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – She's the tita (auntie) whom we all deserve. 

Aling Marie, a store owner who recently went viral online, brought the house down during the grand mañanita-themed Philippine Independence Day protest on Friday, June 12. 

Speaking before a very enthusiastic crowd, she told the youth in the audience: "'Di ko man kayo anak, kayo ay aking kakulay. Manahin ninyo ang mga tapang ng nakatatanda laban sa kasamaan. Kaya ang aking masasabi, ibagsak ang terror bill; ibasura at huwag hayaang maipasa." 

(You may not be my children but we belong to the same race. I hope you inherit the bravery of those people who came before you, in the fight against evil. All I can say is, down with the terror bill; junk it and don't let it get passed.) 

Aling Marie first gained popularity on Tuesday, June 9, after her video calling out President Rodrigo Duterte's diehard supporters went viral online. 

This was her iconic declaration in that viral video, which emphasized that all Filipinos belong to same race, regardless of political affiliation: "Hindi ako dilaw. Hindi ako pula. Hindi rin ako puti. Kayumanggi ako (I am not yellow. I am not red. I am not white. I am brown)." 

"KAYUMANGGI AKO, PUTANGINGA MO"

As it should fucking be. We should not let political colors be the reason why we are blinded from the current situation of our country. Stan Aling Marie!!! pic.twitter.com/pJLm5a8yqk

— Rose (@rosielleae) June 8, 2020

Nothwithstanding the statement made by the Department of Justice (DOJ) about "temporarily banning" rallies during the pandemic, hundreds joined the Independence day protest along the University Avenue at the University of the Philippines - Diliman on Friday. (Fearful but defiant: Independence Day rallies push through despite warnings)

It is one of the several mañanita-themed gatherings scheduled as the nation celebrates its 122nd Independence Day. 

The theme takes off from the widely criticized birthday celebration of National Capital Region Police Office chief Major General Debold Sinas, which was held during the lockdown. Despite violation the rule on mass gatherings, Sinas kept his post after Duterte himself said that the police officer did nothing wrong. (READ: After apology, Sinas says 'nothing wrong' with birthday party) – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines –  How will Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 46 decide on the cyber libel verdict case on Monday, June 15, against Rappler, Maria Ressa, and former Rappler reporter Rey Santos? What will the verdict mean for the state of press freedom in the country? 

The verdict was initially scheduled for April 3, but was postponed due to the coronavirus lockdown. 

Branch 46 Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa finished the trial in only 8 months, in what could be the quickest libel trial in recent history.

To discuss the implications of the case and the verdict, the Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation, in partnership with Rappler, is organizing a forum also on Monday. The forum will take place simultaneously with the promulgation. (READ: Maria Ressa 'embraces fear' but hopeful ahead of cyber libel verdict) 

Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, Australian journalist Peter Greste, and curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University Ann Marie Lipinski will participate. It will be moderated by Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist John Nery and Rappler editor-at-large Marites Vitug. 

Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and her attorney Ted Te will be joining the online forum as soon as the verdict is handed down. 

To register, visit this link or sign up below:

You will receive instructions on how to join the webinar soon after you register. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Reports recently went viral about hundreds of Filipinos taking shelter under the expressway near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after their flights going to the province were canceled. 

The photos that went viral online showed a number of women and men who sat on makeshift cardboards, with their luggages hunched near them. 

Despite the threat of bad weather and the possible spread of coronavirus, these students, parents and overseas Filipino workers stayed under the expressway as they wait for a ride home. (WATCH: Stranded workers occupy NAIAX road waiting for flights)

According to authorities, these passengers who do not have a ticket might have to stay there until July.

These stranded passengers were recently relocated to the nearby Villamor Airbase Elementary School's covered court. 

How to help

The Young Feminist Collective is planning to raise funds to deliver the needs of these stranded passengers.

The Young Feminist Collective, a network of groups and individuals, serves as an active platform for advocacy and collaboration on several feminist issues. Member organizations include Young Pinays, End Rape Culture, Time's UP Ateneo, Grrrl Gang MNL, Maya Collective, Miriam College-Women and Gender Institute, and Angat Bayi Young Women.

Shebana Alqaseer, a member of the group, said that the stranded passengers were not able to practice social distancing due to limited space.

In addition, they do not have enough supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks. According to Alqaseer, some even recycle their own face mask. 

Alqaseer expressed her disbelief when she witnessed the situation of the stranded passengers. "Imagine kung hindi nag-viral sa Facebook, nandoon sila sa ilalim ng tulay. [Although to be honest], 'di rin ok 'yung covered court, but better [kesa sa ilalim ng tulay]."

(Imagine if the issue did not go viral on Facebook, they would still be staying there under the bridge. Although to be honest, the covered court is just slightly better than their situation under the bridge.)

Government agencies such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of the Interior and Local Government are in charge of managing the donations being sent by concerned civilians.

Here are some of the items these stranded passengers need:

• Sanitary kits containing soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, and sanitary napkins
• PPE such as face masks, face shields, alcohol, and gloves
• Canned goods or other foods that have longer shelf life
• Better beddings such as pillows, blankets, and mosquito nets

People who want to help may course their donations through the Young Feminist Collective:

BPI

• Account Number: 3089286912 
• Account Name: Brenda Pureza

BDO 

• Account Number: 005630499247 
• Account Name: Dasha Marice Uy

GCash

• Account Number: 09989807640
• Account Name: Dawn Marie Castro

– Rappler.com