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Hindi kataka-taka na maraming bansa sa Asya, Latina Amerika at Africa ang tumitingin sa Cuba bilang modelo ng pagtugon sa pangangailangan ng kanilang mamamayan. Ang mga naganap sa Chile sa panahon ni Allende, sa Venezuela mula sa panahon ni Chavez, sa Nicaragua sa ilalim ng mga Sandinista - ang naglagay sa rehiyon sa pagpapatuloy ng diwa ng pagpapalaya sa sarili na nagdulot naman ng reaksyon ng mga konserbatibong pwersa.
Yanat Baguio-Benguet condemned the threats, saying that “the state is hell-bent on suppressing those who are critical of its administration."
“Urban poor advocates are not spared in this widespread crackdown against progressive organizations. We have to be even more vigilant.”
"If there would be no conviction, I'm sorry to say press freedom is dead."
Parents and relatives are not allowed to enter the premises of the said government agencies.
"If all the search warrants issued by Judge Burgos-Villavert from No. 5944 to No. 5953 are offices and homes of members of people’s and human rights organizations, then we are looking at more raids in the coming hours or days."
Local folks simultaneously do panag-aapoy (light a fire) on the graves of their departed relatives which gives a sight of bonfire across the cemetery. They believe that the fires give warmth and light to their departed loved ones. According to some community members, panag-aapoy is also a way of connecting to the souls of their ancestors.
Malaborbor was a peasant activist and was a staff member of Pagkakaisa at Ugnayan ng Magsasaka sa Laguna (Pumalag). He was also an organizer for the Makabayan Koalisyon ng Mamamayan – Timog Katagalugan.
"The narrative that there are guns and bombs in the said office, as what the government has peddled in the raids of offices in Negros, is preposterous and a barefaced lie meant to justify these patently arbitrary arrests and to silence social justice workers and activists."
“The ultimate objective of EO 70 is a national crackdown. Duterte wants to wipe out the opposition, legal and armed. Wala ng pag-iiba diyan. (No distinction anymore)”
Paghimutad was formed after the Sagay 9 massacre in response to the growing human rights violations in the island. Despite the culture of fear in Negros, Paghimutad and its volunteer community journalists courageously filled the void of information, publishing audio-visual reports through social media.
Imagine a world without impunity, where everyone is free to exercise their right to freedom of expression and information and able to access, generate and share ideas and information in any way they choose, without fear.
We do.
The law is flagrantly used by judges, police and military to violate human rights. Organizations previously red tagged have endured painful outcomes such a the imprisonment, murder and massacre of their members. This is none other than full spectrum dominance.
Karapatan called the raids part of a “full-blown crackdown on activists and red-tagged legal organizations.”
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