Migrante Europe

Tag: KadamayAko

  • Press Release: STOP THE RED TAGGING

    Press Release: STOP THE RED TAGGING

    The Office of the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) recently released in social media posts (especially in Facebook) the names of organizations linking pro-people organizations to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP); fomenting threats and condemnations from among the online followers of the military and the Duterte government.

    The gross red-tagging of people’s organizations, partylist groups, and even of religious groups is a blatant disregard of basic democratic rights.

    These organizations are legal pro-people organizations; the partylist groups elected in Congress (Bayan Muna, Gabriela, ACT, Kabataan and Anakpawis) are all duly recognized by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), each party represents a specific marginalized sector in the country, bringing pro-people concerns thru participation in Congress. And other organizations representing the media, students, indigenous people, migrants, environment, farm workers, urban poor, labor and others.

    The religious groups identified are the following: National Council of Churches in the Philippines, Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), Promotion of Church Peoples’ Response (PCPR). The tagged organizations are duly recognized faith groups doing spiritual and social ministry to Filipinos, with longstanding history for promoting social justice and defending human rights.

    Migrante International, an international organization of migrant Filipinos abroad (and a co-signatory of this call) is one those red-tagged in social media; we manifest our support to Migrante, aware that this organization will not be cowed by this recent malicious branding.

    Rodrigo Duterte and his war-freak police and military forces, in the name of National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), is using the dirty-old tactic of red-tagging.

    We are all aware that this recent red-tagging is stained with violence and malicious intent as it were in the past, consistently defaming the value of human rights and of our dedication to serve the poor. We want to remind the implementors and campaigners of this red-tagging scheme that we will pursue legal investigation and accountability for the threats, intimidations and violence done to the leaders, organizers and members of the named groups.

    We call our fellow Filipinos to never be deceived by the hopeless campaigns of the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC); be completely aware that the Department of National Defense, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other sectors of the state forces are using peoples’ money for this media campaign enterprise; and be vigilant that our own government is sanctioning the killings and salvaging of our activists, organizers and members of peoples’ organizations.

    As the country faces the grim impacts of the pandemic, and as the Filipino people are suffering from the incapacities of government response; the military and their agents have still the nerve to instill violence and threats to organizations and individuals. Recently, Carlito ‘Karletz’ Badion, Secretary-General of Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY) was murdered by the state-forces in Ormoc, Leyte. As we condemn this vicious killing of our comrade, we offer our salute to ‘Ka Karletz’ for his selfless dedication and service to the urban poor.

    Our network of organizations in Europe condemn this malicious red-tagging of our allied organizations, fellow activists, and members of the red-tagged groups! We are not terrorists! The Duterte Government is! The AFP-PNP tandem is the one terrorizing our organizers and leaders in the communities, with threats and deaths! You are the terrorists in military clothing!

  • The Fourth Estate and The Urban Poor

    The Fourth Estate and The Urban Poor

    It was 3am in Paris when I encountered an article entitled “Now, Kadamay Wants Water, Power with Free Houses” published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer at 12:42 AM April 21, 2017 that seemed to be very insinuating. As I finished reading the whole article, the more I notice that the title given appear to be confusing and irrelevant as the article further stated that the urban poor were not demanding free water and electricity. Truth is, the occupants were willing to pay for the utilities. What they were demanding is water and power supply connections to the houses that they occupied. So I say no to the invitation of my bed to continue sleeping, since it is bothering and started to compose this article this confusion needs to be cleared.

    It started March 8, 2017 when urban poor groups mostly led by Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap or KADAMAY occupied a total of 5,208 idle housing units in five relocation sites in Pandi, Bulacan. A month after realizing that houses are not completely finished and had no power and water, members of KADAMAY held a rally to express their demands for water and power supply connections.

    In relocation sites where there is no water and power supply, the connections mostly run through the National Housing Authority or NHA or its developer, which results to a higher cost of charge. As stated by KADAMAY, the charge for electricity and water per 10m3 on relocation sites in Camarin, Caloocan is P285.00 while in St. Martha’s, Bulacan is P200.00 which is double compared to Manila that is P97.00. This is the reason why the occupants were demanding for water and power supply connections. In truth, the action can be considered as a call of attention to the government’s mandate to provide basic services and public utilities to the citizens, much more to underprivileged and homeless citizens in relocation sites or resettlement areas. Aside from that, there were earlier reports that two children died last August 2016 because of contaminated water. This is supported by the service report conducted by the Natural Sciences Research Institute of the University of the Philippines stating that water in relocation sites in Bulacan is dangerous.

    Now I wonder if I wouldn’t have been so curious to read the whole article published in PDI and didn’t seek other resources and information regarding the matter. I would have thought all along that the urban poor are like ‘spoiled brats’ that after having free housing are now demanding for free water and power supply. It would have been so easy for me to regard or judge them as lazy people and parasites like a lot of people do on the internet or like how the media inadvertently or advertently project the poor in this light. In just one headline, it is scary how big of a difference it can make to influence a perception of an individual especially if we are not curious and probing.

    But the main problem really is how news are presented by some mainstream media outfits nowadays. (I won’t say all of media practitioners as there is still a limited few who work with ethics). As a graduate of BA Mass Communication, it was taught in school how media is regarded as the fourth estate. The fourth estate being a societal or political force that greatly affects its readers and viewers, and that is supposed to do checks and balances on the three branches of government. Back when I was a student, I would have to admit that I was not fully aware of the importance of this said role and responsibility. By landing a job in broadcast, it is only then I became fully aware of the capacity and power of media. On how far it can reach millions of listeners influenced on a daily basis. And after acquiring social and political consciousness, it is only then I was able to fully grasp how greatly it affects the people and its huge responsibility to cater the truth to the people, disseminate complete information, never confuse the public and more so, do not reinforce the status quo, which as it is, a situation of a lot of exploited by a few exploiters.

    May it be in print or in broadcast, it is expected of all media practitioners to do their duties to follow the journalists code of ethics which basically is to be the voice of truth: a reporter or writer expected to scrupulously report and interpret news without distorting the truth by omission or improper emphasis. This is why the media is regarded as the fourth estate, why media are delegated with public trust, why w can continue to uphold and fight for press freedom and freedom of expression even in regimes of ‘pseudo-democracy.’. I may have not been in the mainstream practice anymore but to all those practitioners including those personally I know, it is a challenge once more to maintain the dignity of our profession. That in times of writing and reporting, may we become the voice of the truth and of the people and not those of a few ruling class who wants to silence them.