STATEMENT Just when we thought things could not get worse, Pesident Rodrigo Duterte signed today the “Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020,” a law that many legal pundits, human rights advocates, and no less than the United Nations Human Rights Council itself – gravely warned about. With the stroke of a pen, Duterte has unleashed a greater…
While we all agree that the fight against terrorism is important and needs the participation and cooperation of everyone, we maintain that the proposed law is open to abuse by despotic governments to visit terror against critics and the people in general.
Local government executives should keep in mind that that the current national emergency does not empower officials to silence dissent and curtail press freedom, both of which are essential to a functional democracy in which elected officials are duty-bound to defend the Constitution.
The recent spate of red-tagging and brazen use of authority against media and the people’s growing dissent speak volumes of how the Duterte administration – and its emboldened security forces – are facing the COVID-19 pandemic not only with apparent incompetence, but also with its usual self-serving and despotic brand of governance.
While we acknowledge the need to fight disinformation in this time of crisis, we fear the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act will only end up criminalizing free speech. We assert that the best way to fight disinformation is through education and the truth.
Amid our continuing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bulatlat denounces the discrimination against the alternative media perpetuated by the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF)
Marking the anniversary of the first ever internet connection in the Philippines, alternative media outifts are fighting back as they filed a civil complaint for damages against two companies found by experts to be the source of the relentless cyber-attacks against their websites. “This is definitely a first and it will serve as a testament…
His Holiness Pope Francis, Greetings of peace and love from the Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) survivors! Indeed we have the same wish: a wish of a poor church and for the poor… for we are the poor in the church. In the spirit of mercy and compassion (the theme of your visit to the Philippines,) we…
Dear Pope Francis, We, the Filipino youth welcomes with joy, justice, peace, and love His Holiness Pope Francis to the Philippines. Your writings and teachings inspire us to offer and commit ourselves to selfless and meaningful service to our fellow people, most especially the oppressed and the marginalized. The Pope’s pronouncements for the poor are…
January 15, 2015 Dearest Pope Francis, Bienvenido! Benvenuto! Vi diamo il benvenuto con il collettivo abbraccio di maggioranza dellafilippina donne nelle Filippine We thank you for coming to personally extend your compassion to a suffering people in the aftermath of the Yolanda disaster. May your visit pave the way for your deeper understanding of the…
Pope of the poor, fight for us. We are Filipino migrants, immigrants, refugees from all over the world who, together with our families, call upon Your Eminence, to bear witness to our struggle. We call on you to speak in behalf of overseas Filipinos in our quest for a better life. We have experienced first-hand…