A highly militarized environment may create a “climate of fear” that could result in voter disenfranchisement.

MARANTAO, Lanao del Sur — Upon arriving at polling centers for the first-ever Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections on September 14, soldiers were seen guarding the entrances.

They were the ones allowing voters to enter.

Katungod Bangsamoro, an independent local observer accredited by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), recognized the need for the presence of state armed forces but legitimate concerns should be heard as a highly militarized environment may create a “climate of fear” that could result in voter disenfranchisement.

“Given the BARMM’s complex history of militarization, election authorities must assess whether the presence of security forces in and around polling precincts, however well-intentioned, undermines voters’ sense of safety and their genuine freedom of political choice,” the local observer said in its preliminary statement released on September 15.

Two military armored carriers were seen several meters away from an established entrance at Marawi City Pilot Elementary School. According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), nearly 12,000 soldiers were deployed across the BARMM.

In Sultan Guro Central Elementary School (SGCES), one of the polling centers in Marantao, Lanao del Sur, there were no massive people roaming around the area, far different from the crowded situation in Daanaingud-Bacong Elementary School in the same municipality. Aside from allowing voters to enter the polling center per batch (10 persons only), soldiers stationed in SGCES roamed the area, asking those done casting their votes to exit the school premises. 

Military personnel also guarded the polling precincts in SGCES after closing the polls at 7 p.m., preventing unauthorized individuals from entering or going near the precincts while electoral board members are processing the transmittal of election returns.

Moreover, Katungod Bangsamoro also noted the augmentation of Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel as part of the electoral boards. “[T]he psychological impact of having armed police officers inside polling centers must also be considered.”

PNP personnel served as “special electoral boards” following the reported withdrawal of around 800 teachers from their participation in the BARMM Parliamentary Elections. In Lanao del Sur alone, 71 teachers reportedly skipped their poll duties, the reasons for which are not yet known.

Irregularities were also observed. In SGCES, many voters who were on their way out after casting their votes did not have marks of indelible ink on their fingers. In fact, military personnel were the ones putting the ink to avoid multiple entry, contrary to Comelec rules.

The absence of indelible ink on voters raised suspicions as this is first checked by the chair of the electoral board before handing the ballot to avoid multiple voting. The chair must also be the one to apply the indelible ink on the forefinger nail of the voter, or any other nail.

Moreover, under Comelec rules, the ballot of a voter shall be rendered as spoiled if he or she refuses to have his or her fingernail stained with the ink.

An electoral board member told Bulatlat that many voters refused the ink to be applied on their fingers, citing religious prohibition. This response also raised questions considering that many voters did not refuse when the soldiers stained them with the indelible ink.

On the other hand, in a polling precinct at SGCES, an automated counting machine (ACM) was reportedly overheating, with an electoral board member continuing to feed a ballot without the presence of the voter which is also contrary to the rules. The explanation was that voters could no longer wait.

Contributed photos

The location of the same ACM also raised questions since it was placed in a position where no one could view from the back of an electoral board member feeding the ballot. It was reportedly positioned that way due to unstable internet connection.

The same scenario was observed by Katungod Bangsamoro observers in several polling precincts in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur, saying that voters already left because the machines were slow. They also noted the power outage in Matanog, Maguindanao del Norte, which prevented voters from verifying the accuracy of their votes.

Tirmizy Abdullah, a history professor at Mindanao State University (MSU) Marawi City, said that his cousin was unable to vote because the latter’s vote had been allegedly cast.

On election day, the Comelec placed two areas under its control following the series of explosions in Cotabato City and the signs of pre-shaded ballots in Maluso town in Basilan. 

The observers’ group said that the voting was disrupted by gunfire, recounting an incident at Nabundas Central Elementary School in Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao del Sur, where voters left around 11 a.m. due to armed confrontations that lasted until afternoon.

As of this writing, at least five individuals were reportedly killed in election-related incidents in Cotabato City.

“For these reasons, Katungod Bangsamoro cannot accept an unqualified description of the elections as ‘generally peaceful’ if such a characterization risks trivializing the deaths, injuries, fear, and trauma experienced during the electoral process,” the group said. (DAA)

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Progressive groups asserted this after authorities arrested five paralegals who responded during the September 10 protest at the Grand Hyatt Manila, where the Luzon Economic Corridor forum was held, attended by 600 foreign investors, industry leaders, and government officials.

The arrested paralegals were released on bail on September 12. 

In particular, human rights group Karapatan criticized Presidential Spokesperson Claire Castro’s statement that those who oppose Pax Silica should course their objections through “proper channels,” claiming that “proper protest uses reason and intelligence.” 

Philippine National Police Chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., meanwhile, said that the right to protest must remain “within the bounds of the law” and urged cause-oriented groups to raise their concerns through “lawful means.” 

Karapatan maintained that the arrests were unlawful and arbitrary and impeded the peoples’ right to protest.

“It is the State that carries out unlawful and arbitrary arrests through Marcosian laws such as Batas Pambansa 880. Whose interests are you protecting, that of the people or that of big business who will benefit from the Pax Silica?” Karapatan Secretary-General Cristina Palabay said in a statement.

Batas Pambansa 880 is also known as the Public Assembly Act, a relic of the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., used against activists and community leaders for expressing their grievances and dissent to the government. 

Karapatan’s three paralegals — Jona Yang, Kenneth Castro, and Mara Peralta — were arrested during the dispersal and brought to the Tuktukan Police Station. While two other paralegals, Daya Juliano and RC Placido, were arrested while providing legal assistance to the 3 arrested paralegals.

“The President recognizes the freedom of expression. But not in a manner that could cause harm or potentially lead to violence. If they have something they wish to convey regarding the Pax Silica issue, the government agency concerned with the Pax Silica project is open to hearing their concerns,” Castro said in Filipino. 

In reaction, Palabay said, “The right to protest is not conditional on whether the government approves of what people are saying. People have the right to dissent, to oppose government policies, to expose their consequences and to demand accountability. People’s rights do not become suspended whenever the President is courting foreign investors.”

The LEC Investment Forum was organized by the United States, Philippines, and Japan, convening 600 investors. The site of Pax Silica is in New Clark City, positioned as the anchor of the LEC connecting Subic Bay, Clark, Manila, and Batangas. 

Center for Environmental Concerns, an environmental research institution, noted that the project will require not only 5 million gallons of water for cooling and other operations, but also displace an estimated 20,000 Aeta indigenous peoples.

Amnesty International Philippines also condemned the police violence. “Almost without exception, this wave of mass protest has been met with obstructive, repressive and often violent responses by state authorities. Instead of facilitating the right to protest, this government is going at greater lengths to quash it.”

On September 11, the police reportedly disrupted the protest caravan against LEC and Pax Silica by conducting arbitrary checkpoints in Pampanga and Tarlac. The security personnel of New Clark City also blocked the protest at the entrance of the former US Clark Base. 

The police also filed a case against three individuals, including Bayan Chairperson Teddy Casiño. For Bayan, these tactics mirror the Martial Law tactics used to silence the activists during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

“The police violence and Malacañang’s response are reminiscent of the tactics used during Martial Law to quell protests. They highlight the government’s desperation to undermine the people’s rising dissatisfaction against the worsening poverty and corruption, while Marcos and his cronies are treasonously promoting the imperialist agenda of their US patrons,” Bayan said in a statement, 

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) also announced that it will deploy 15,000 personnel in the upcoming Martial Law commemoration on September 21. (AMU, DAA)

The post Gov’t urged to respect right to protest vs. Pax Silica appeared first on Bulatlat.

Huwag sisihin ang malakas na pag-ulan dahil may mas malaking kasalanan ang palpak na pamahalaan.

Ilang beses na bang nagkaroon ng suspensiyon sa klase dahil sa malakas na pag-ulan?

Mula sa personal na karanasan, nagsimula na ang klase sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (UP) at Politeknikong Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (PUP) noong Agosto pero isang beses pa lang naisasagawa ang face-to-face (F2F) na klase sa isang kurso. Dalawang beses o higit pa sa iba pang kurso pero siyempre’y mas madalas ang asynchronous at synchronous (online) na mga sesyon.

At sa mangilan-ngilang pagkakataong may F2F na klase, may mga estudyanteng nale-late o lumiliban. Nahihirapang bumiyahe papuntang kampus, binabaha ang lugar o nagkakasakit dahil naulanan—mahaba pa ang listahan ng mga paliwanag. Malinaw na nahihirapan ang marami, lalo na ang mga kapos sa buhay!

Kumusta naman ang kalagayan ng anak na nag-aaral sa UP Integrated School (UPIS)? Habang sinusulat ito, hindi pa siya nakakapaglaro ng table tennis dahil parating suspendido ang F2F na klase sa mismong araw ng Physical Education (PE). Hindi man sayang ang mga biniling paddle at bola, nakalulungkot lang na hindi pa niya nagagamit ang mga ito.

Siyempre’y higit na nakalulungkot ang dumaraming araw ng “bakasyon” ng mga estudyante. Hindi kailangang maging guro para malamang iba pa rin kung nagpupunta ang kabataan sa apat na sulok ng silid-aralan. Ang mga sesyong asynchronous at synchronous (online) ay maraming limitasyon.

Sino ba ang nagsabing lahat ng guro’t estudyante’y may magandang koneksiyon sa internet? At kahit na may koneksiyon sa internet, hindi ba’t kadalasa’y napipilitang mag-off ng kamera para makatipid sa bandwidth at para hindi ma-disconnect kung mahina ang signal?

Kung walang F2F na klase, tandaan ding napakalimitado ng interaksiyon ng mga guro’t estudyante, pati na rin sa pagitan ng mga mismong estudyante. Iba pa rin ang pisikal na pakikipag-usap sa guro’t kaklase lalo na kung kailangang maglinaw sa mahahalagang paksa. Mas epektibo rin ang malayang talakayan kung harapan ang diskusyon sa halip na gumagamit lang ng kompyuter.

Ang problema lang sa ilang mga nasa kapangyarihan sa pamahalaan at maging sa loob mismo ng maraming paaralan, tinitingnan ang asynchronous at synchronous (online) na pag-aaral bilang kapalit ng F2F. Bakit hindi na lang daw kasi ipatupad nang malawakan ang programang “open university” (OU) na ginagawa sa UP at PUP? Hindi ba’t mas mainam ito para hindi na mangailangan ng maraming silid-aralan?

Totoo namang may mga programang OU pero limitado ang mga disiplinang puwedeng ipaloob. Halimbawa, kung kailangan ng mga kursong may laboratoryo para epektibong maituro ang kakayahan at kaalaman, imposibleng magturo nang walang F2F na mga sesyon. 

Tandaan ding ang distance learning na batayan ng mga programang OU ay depende sa kakayahan ng estudyanteng makapag-aral nang mag-isa at makapasa sa mga eksaminasyong kailangang kunin sa loob ng isang semestre.

Kung ang isang estudyante ay mula sa mahirap na pamilya at marami siyang responsibilidad para alagaan ang mga mahal sa buhay, halos gayundin ang mga problema niya sa pagbabalanse ng buhay-estudyante at ang sariling pakikibaka.

Sa madalilng salita, palpak ang anumang programang hindi nakapagbibigay ng “enabling environment” para sa pamilyang masiguradong nakatutok ang mga anak sa pag-aaral.

Napakaraming halimbawa ng mahirap na kalagayan ng pamilyang Pilipino. Mababang sahod ng mga magulang, problemadong transportasyon lalo na kung rush hour, binabahang mga kalsada kahit sa kaunting pag-ulan, biglaang desisyon ng pamahalaan sa suspensiyon ng mga klase, maliliit na silid-aralang nagsisiksikan ang mga estudyante—sadyang malaking kalamidad ang mismong sistema ng edukasyon.

Nakababahala lang na posibleng gamitin ng mga nasa kapangyarihan ang masamang panahon ngayon para unti-unting bawasan o tuluyang tanggalin ang mga F2F na klase para sa isang asynchronous at synchronous (online) na kaayusan sa mga paaralan.

Sa konteksto nga naman ang pambansang badyet, nangangahulugan ito ng mas maliit na alokasyon sa pagpapatayo ng mga silid-aralan at iba pang kinakailangang pasilidad sa mga paaralan. At siyempre’y ibebenta ito sa publiko sa pamamaraang hindi na kailangang lumabas nang bahay para matuto. At mas siyempre’y hindi na kailangang tugunan ng pamahalaan ang mga problema sa limitadong transportasyon at binabahang lansangan.

Walang laptop o anumang gadget? Walang magandang koneksiyon sa internet? “Magtrabaho po kayo nang maigi para makabili ng mga kinakailangan! Hindi lahat ay dapat iasa sa gobyerno!” malamang na bagong iskrip ng mga nasa kapangyarihan.

Ilang beses na bang walang F2F na klase nitong mga nakaraang linggo? Huwag sisihin ang malakas na pag-ulan dahil may mas malaking kasalanan ang palpak na pamahalaan. Labanan ang anumang planong ikondisyon ang isip ng publiko hinggil sa nararapat na edukasyon ng kabataan.

Para makipag-ugnayan sa awtor, pumunta sa https://risingsun.dannyarao.com

The post F2F appeared first on Bulatlat.

Sirach 27:30—28:7
Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
Romans 14:7-9
Matthew 18:21-35

Simulan natin ang pagninilay sa tanong ni Pedro kay Hesus: “Panginoon, ilang beses ko po ba dapat patawarin ang aking kapatid na nagkakasala sa akin? Hanggang pitong beses po ba?” Sa kultura at tradisyon noong panahon na iyon, ang magpatawad ng tatlong beses ay itinuturing nang higit pa sa sapat. Kaya naman sa pag-aalok ni Pedro ng pitong beses, akala niya ay napakarami at napakarangal na ng kanyang mungkahi. Ngunit pinalawak ni Hesus ang hangganan ng pag-unawa ng tao. Sinagot niya ito ng, “Hindi ko sinasabing hanggang pitong beses, kundi hanggang pitumpung ulit na pitong beses.” Sa madaling salita, walang bilang, walang hangganan, at walang katapusan.

Upang mas lalong maunawaan ni Pedro at ng mga alagad, isinalaysay ni Hesus ang talinghaga ng isang hari na nag-audit ng kanyang mga account. May isang alipin na dinala sa kanya na may utang na sampung libong talento—isang napakalaking halaga na sa kasalukuyang panahon ay katumbas ng bilyun-bilyong piso, isang utang na imposibleng mabayaran ng isang karaniwang manggagawa sa buong buhay niya. Dahil walang maipambayad, iniutos ng hari na ipagbili siya, ang kanyang asawa, mga anak, at lahat ng kanyang ari-arian. Ngunit nagpatirapa ang alipin, nakiusap, at humingi ng palugit. Naawa ang hari, hindi lamang siya binigyan ng palugit, kundi tuluyan nang pinatawad ang kanyang napakalaking utang.

Subalit, pagkalabas ng aliping iyon, nakatagpo niya ang isang kapwa alipin na may utang sa kanya na isandaang denaryo lamang—isang maliit na halaga na katumbas ng ilang buwang suweldo lamang. Sinakal niya ito at sinabing, “Bayaran mo ang utang mo!” Nagpatirapa rin ang kanyang kapwa alipin at nakiusap ng katulad na mga salita: “Bigyan mo pa ako ng panahon at babayaran kita.” Ngunit hindi siya nakinig. Sa halip, ipinakulong niya ito hanggang sa makabayad. Nang malaman ito ng hari, nagalit ito nang husto, tinawag siyang aliping masama, at ibinigay sa mga tagapagpahirap hanggang sa mabayaran ang lahat ng kanyang utang. At nagwakas si Hesus sa babala: “Ganito rin ang gagawin sa inyo ng aking Ama na nasa langit kung hindi ninyo patatawarin nang buong puso ang inyong mga kapatid.”

Kung susuriin natin ang talinghagang ito sa konteksto ng ating bansa ngayon, makikita natin ang isang malinaw at masakit na repleksyon ng ating lipunan. Ang unang alipin ay sumasagisag sa mga taong nabiyayaan ng malaking kapatawaran, pribilehiyo, at kapangyarihan, ngunit naging maramot at malupit sa mga mas maliliit sa kanila. Sa ating lipunan, madalas nating makita ang ganitong estruktura. May mga makapangyarihan at mayayaman na kapag nagkasala sa batas o nagkaroon ng malalaking pananagutan sa bayan—gaya ng korapsyon, plunder, o pag-abuso sa posisyon—ay tila madaling nakalulusot. Nakakakuha sila ng mga pardon, piyansa, hospital arrest, o technicality na nagpapalaya sa kanila sa kanilang bilyun-biling utang sa taumbayan. Sila ang mga pinatawad o pinagbigyan ng sistema.

Ngunit ano ang nangyayari kapag ang maliit na mamamayan naman ang nagkasala? Kapag ang isang mahirap na ama ay nagnakaw ng isang latang gatas para sa nagugutom niyang anak, o ang isang magsasaka na ipinagtatanggol ang kanyang lupang sinasaka laban sa malalaking korporasyon, ang batas ay mabilis, mabigat, at walang awang ipinapataw sa kanila. Walang palugit, walang “isandaang denaryo” na konsiderasyon. Dito natin makikita ang kawalan ng hustisya at ang kawalan ng habag na tinutukoy sa talinghaga. Ang mga biniyayaan ng kalayaan at kapatawaran ng sistema ang siya pang nagiging instrumento ng pang-aapi sa mga mahihirap.

Bilang mga Kristiyanong sumusunod sa mga halimbawa ng Panginoon, paano natin isasabuhay ang diwang makabayan sa harap ng katotohanang ito? Ang pagiging makabayan ay hindi lamang pagsaludo sa watawat o pag-awit ng Lupang Hinirang. Ang tunay na nasyonalismo ay nag-uugat sa pagmamahal sa kapwa Pilipino, lalo na sa mga nasa laylayan. Sa talinghaga, ang pagkakamali ng unang alipin ay ang hindi niya pagkilala sa kanyang kapwa alipin bilang isang kapatid na nararapat din sa habag na tinanggap niya. Nilimot niya na siya mismo ay biktima lamang ng sarili niyang kahinaan na sinagip ng grasya.

Kapag nakikita natin ang matinding pagkakabahagi sa ating lipunan ngayon—dala ng politika, magkakaibang paniniwala, at fake news—madalas tayong madala sa galit at paghihiganti. Madali nating hilingin ang kapahamakan ng mga taong hindi natin kasundo. Ngunit ipinapaalala sa atin ni Hesus na ang radikal na pagpapatawad ay hindi nangangahulugang pagpikit sa kasamaan, kundi ang pagpili na huwag maging katulad ng mapang-aping sistema. Ang pagpapatawad na itinuturo ng Ebanghelyo ay may kakayahang bumasag ng anumang uri at porma ng karahasan at poot.

Gayunpaman, mahalagang linawin na ang pagpapatawad sa Bibliya ay hindi nangangahulugang kawalan ng pananagutan o hustisya. Sa katunayan, sa katapusan ng talinghaga, ang hari ay nagpataw pa rin ng parusa sa masamang alipin dahil sa kanyang kalupitan. Ang tunay na pagpapatawad ay hindi kailanman kaaway ng hustisya; sila ay magkakambal. Upang magkaroon ng tunay na paghilom ang ating bayan, kailangan may pananagutan. Ang mga nagnakaw sa kaban ng bayan ay kailangang ikulong at magbalik ng ninakaw; ang mga pumatay at umabuso sa karapatang pantao ay kailangang humarap sa korte. Ngunit ang layunin ng hustisyang ito ay hindi upang maghiganti, kundi upang itama ang mali at ibalik ang dignidad ng biktima.

Ang pitumpung ulit na pitong beses na pagpapatawad ay isang panawagan para sa isang radikal na kultura ng habag at malasakit. Kung ilalapat natin ito sa ating bansa, ito ay nangangahulugan ng pagbuo ng mga patakaran at batas na hindi mapang-api. Ibig sabihin nito ay ang paglikha ng isang sistema ng hustisya na pantay-pantay, kung saan ang mahirap at mayaman ay may parehong karapatan at proteksyon. Bilang simbahan at bahagi ng lipunan, tayo ay sinusubok kung paano natin pinapakitunguhan ang mga “isandaang denaryo” ang utang sa atin—ang mga drayber ng dyip na naghahanapbuhay, ang mga tindera sa palengke, ang mga katutubong ipinaglalaban ang kanilang lupang ninuno, at ang mga manggagawang humihingi ng makatarungang sahod. Sila ba ay sinasakal natin at ipinapakulong sa pamamagitan ng ating kawalan ng pakialam, o binibigyan natin sila ng puwang upang mabuhay nang may dangal?

Ang ating pagiging tao ay hindi nasusukat sa kung gaano natin kayang lamangan ang ating kapwa, kundi sa kung paano natin kayang buhatin ang isa’t isa. Ang panawagan sa atin ng Mateo 18:21-35 ay ang maging mga ahente ng kapayapaan, pagkakaisa, at hustisya. Huwag nating hayaan na ang galit at pansariling interes ang maghari sa ating mga puso. Tanggapin natin ang kapatawaran at pagmamahal ng Diyos, at gamitin natin itong lakas upang baguhin ang ating lipunan—mula sa isang lipunang mapangmarahas at makasarili, patungo sa isang bansang makatarungan at nagkakaisa.

Baunin natin ang hamong ito: Ang pagpapatawad ay isang gawain ng isang taong tunay na naglilingkod sa Diyos dahil pinagdurugtong nito ang mga pusong pinaghiwalay ng sugat at galit. At sa pamamagitan lamang ng nagkakaisang puso natin maitataguyod ang isang tunay na malaya at maunlad na lipunan para sa lahat.

Balik-Tanaw is a group blog of Promotion of Church People’s Response. The Lectionary Gospel reflection is an invitation for meditation, contemplation, and action. As we nurture our faith by committing ourselves to journey with the people, we also wish to nourish the perspective coming from the point of view of hope and struggle of the people. It is our constant longing that even as crisis intensifies, the faithful will continue to strengthen their commitment to love God and our neighbor by being one with the people in their dreams and aspirations. The Title of the Lectionary Reflection would be Balik –Tanaw , isang PAGNINILAY . It is about looking back (balik) or revisiting the narratives and stories from the Biblical text and seeing, reading, and reflecting on these with the current context (tanaw).

The post Balik-Tanaw | Ang radikal na pagpapatawad at ang hustisyang panlipunan appeared first on Bulatlat.

MANILA – Almost every Wednesday, from 3:30 in the afternoon until dusk, kids flock to the corner walls of Intramuros near Letran, Manila, to practice parkour. 

From the outside looking in, bystanders would watch as kids do seemingly dangerous stunts. 

Parkour is a street-sport defined as going from one place to another as efficiently and as acrobatically as possible. It can branch out and translate well into other types of movement-heavy practices such as gymnastics, and dancing. Philippine parkour as we know it can be traced back to a small group of friends who practiced the sport in Ateneo, who went on to create Parkour Philippines (PKPH) back in 2004. As time went on, more groups and parkour-centered gyms emerged, and in 2018, the Philippine Parkour Community was formed; a collaborative effort by PKPH and Philippine Parkour and FreeRunning Association (PPFA), a separate group which was formed in 2008. 

Parkour reached many parts of the Philippines, having small communities in Rizal, Navotas, Mindoro, IloIlo, and even parts of Visayas and Mindanao. But the community says the most prominent and active members are based in Manila. 

Within the confines of centuries old adobe stone walls, Kiro and his friends spend their time doing parkour.

The kids who go with the flow

A few years after coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kiro noticed kids training parkour near their area which sparked his interest. Curious, he and his friends gathered the courage to join their sessions, and became active members.

Kiro, or as they would sometimes call him Mayor Kiro, is an outgoing personality who always manages to showcase his new flow. Flow refers to an athlete’s sequence of parkour skills to navigate a particular space. The kids themselves are the ones who think of their flow, utilizing the skills they learn throughout the sessions. 

He lives with his mom in Intramuros, and is thankful for having been allowed and encouraged to keep doing parkour. He dreams of becoming a seaman, and credits parkour for helping build his character as a growing person. He believes that parkour will help him greatly in his aspirations, and said that the strength, and even some techniques like landing and vaulting (a technique used to efficiently traverse over, under, or through obstacles) will be useful in the job especially in emergency situations.

Kids like Kiro gravitate toward parkour for a variety of reasons. Like many of their peers, and even some of the now professional athletes, they started doing parkour because it simply looked cool; that the movements or tricks look fun to execute. Some of them were drawn to it because they wanted to recreate moves anime or movie characters would do. Others saw it as an extension of Pinoy games like luksong baka, or taya, while some saw it as an opportunity to “show-off” tricks to their other friends. Above all, they all agree that the beauty in parkour is its accessibility: they only need themselves, and a space to begin. 

While healthy competition can incentivize the kids to improve their craft, the community has fostered an environment built on respect, discipline and consistency that values effort and diligence over raw talent. Techniques are taught, shared and experimented with collectively. And as much as possible, comparisons are not made against one another but against the person they were last week. For kids like Kiro, this environment slowly developed their character and genuine passion for movement. 

Likewise, parkour reimagined how Kiro and his friends view their environment. What was once unassuming staircases, walls, and jagged nooks and crannies have suddenly become fun challenges for them to overcome. Kiro has said that he is always eager to learn new skills, despite how “dangerous” it may be, because it can broaden his perspectives of what he can do with the given space. 

Before parkour, Kiro described himself as a tambay, idly letting time tick by without much to do besides school. Parkour, unknowingly, was where he and his friends discovered a new found purpose and focus. “Before I was just hanging around anywhere, not helping mom, but after training with coach, I realized that I can do more for my mom,” Kiro said. 

The kids would not be consistently working out if not for the guidance from Coach Raven Cruz and Coach Johndave, who are part of the Philippine National Team for parkour. 

Raven Cruz, 32,  in particular, has been training kids parkour for more than a decade, and has seen its holistic effects on children first hand. 

He has trained kids who use solvent as a means to “escape” their precarious realities. Kids who have been sidelined and roamed the streets, saw the sport as a better alternative because of its engaging and fun nature. Despite that, some kids would withdraw which he believes can be linked to not being able to show up consistently, which led to the kids falling back to their old habits.   

Stagnation

Fast forward during and a few years after the pandemic, the community in Intramuros would face a recurring and persisting challenge: the lack of space. 

Kiro and his group never got to experience parkour outside of that particular spot in Intramuros. Though on occasion, they are able to train in indoor gyms such as Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) at Coach Raven’s expense. Before the pandemic, Coach Raven taught kids regularly in a myriad of places: Bantayog ni Lapu-Lapu, Quirino Grandstand and even other areas in Intramuros like Baluarte, as those places feature terrain suitable for more advanced techniques and longer flows. 

The kids have expressed how being limited to one relatively confined space can make things boring, and have felt like stagnating in their progress on a few occasions. “We want spaces that are bigger…the stones can be dangerous and sometimes it gets too crowded,” Kiro explained. Kiro and his friends also added that the current space isn’t suitable for more advanced techniques that they would’ve loved to do. 

“After the pandemic, the parks here [after being rehabilitated] got a lot stricter with what you can do which might also be why kids these days don’t really go to parks, which I understand, you want to ‘preserve’ it but when it comes to us, we always make sure we don’t break anything,” Cruz said. 

The community has stubbornly adapted to their ever decreasing space, and still occasionally hosts “community jams” where different parkour communities across the Philippines come together to compete, teach, and donate goods to neighboring communities. 

Kiro himself has become a pseudo-coach, sometimes leading the training sessions whenever the coaches are unavailable. 

Johndave Venico, 21, a parkour athlete from Rizal, who sometimes helps Coach Raven train the kids, spoke about the improvements he saw from when he first trained Kiro and his friends. He himself started parkour at a young age, and it was because of his outgoing personality that eventually led to where he is now: an athlete who has gone to multiple international competitions and a coach.

“When I saw them for the first time, they were very stubborn, and just did what they wanted to do, but now they understand and follow instructions clearly, ” he said in Filipino. “I think Kiro is also a natural leader, but it was because of Coach Raven’s training that it actually tapped more of his potential as a leader, because we saw that he can make others listen to him.” 

Aside from its holistic effects, Johndave also added that it has changed their personalities for the better, even if it’s small. “[The] discipline they’ve built probably transferred to different parts of their life,” he explained. 

Kiro is aware that he may not be able to do parkour forever, especially once he starts working, and has more responsibilities as he grows up. But ever since he started parkouring, he has become determined to keep his body in top shape, and to become the best person he can be.

And even if he may no longer parkour regularly, he thinks it would be nice to still do it from time to time, as long as there is space and freedom to do so and as long as there is community.

“Many kids have come and gone, maybe because of work, or school, or other things, but what matters is that this community stays open so that they can always come back when they want to,” Venico ended. (CAM, RVO)

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Members of the volunteer group were photographed and recorded during the activity without their consent.

MANILA  — A student leader and youth activist from Southern Luzon asked the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to intervene as he and his family were subjected to intimidation following his participation in a humanitarian relief operation in Camarines Norte.

Michael Orajay Esperanza, a student of Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) and youth organizer, filed a sworn statement before the CHR explaining a pattern of red-tagging, surveillance, and questioning directed at him and his family weeks after he joined relief missions for communities affected by severe weather disturbances.

Esperanza said that the incidents began after he volunteered with The Good Samaritan (TGS), a faith-based humanitarian group that conducted relief operations in Quezon and Camarines Norte in August.

An English education student and campus journalist of The Footprints, official student publication of SLSU’s College of Teacher Education, Esperanza also participates in student and community campaigns. He is lead convenor of Rise for Education–SLSU and previously acted as spokesperson of Kabataan Partylist–Quezon.

Based on his affidavit, Esperanza joined a TGS volunteer team that visited affected communities, including Barangay Lukbanan in Capalonga and a Manide indigenous community in Barangay Guisican, Labo, Camarines Norte.

Relief mission

During the visits, Esperanza crossed paths with members of the 42nd Infantry Battalion under the Philippine Army’s 9th Infantry Division.

He said that the volunteer team was stopped in Barangay San Antonio, Capalonga on August 12 and questioned for more than 30 minutes even if they were told that they were not prohibited from entering the area.

Several days later, during a relief distribution in Barangay Lukbanan, volunteers requested that military personnel temporarily leave the covered court where the activity was supposed to be held. Esperanza said that the request was denied, prompting organizers to transfer the distribution site outside Lukbanan Elementary School.

He said that members of the volunteer group were photographed and recorded during the activity without their consent.

Esperanza said these incidents raised concerns among volunteers, particularly because the mission involved humanitarian assistance for disaster-stricken communities.

Parents summoned

Weeks after the relief mission, Esperanza’s family allegedly became the subject of inquiries regarding his activities. On August 30, a barangay official reportedly went to their residence in Luisiana and asked for his parents. His father was instructed to go to the barangay hall but was later told to return the following day.

According to Esperanza’s affidavit, his mother later met with the barangay captain, another barangay official, and an unidentified individual.

During the meeting, she was allegedly asked if she knew her son’s whereabouts on August 12 and was shown photographs of him taken while he was in Camarines Norte.

Esperanza said that his mother also told him that she was advised to discourage him from joining similar activities and that his involvement was linked to unnamed groups.

The student leader was not present during the meeting and relied on his mother’s account in narrating the incident.

Anonymous warning

Following the meeting at the barangay hall, Esperanza’s mother allegedly received a message from a social media account using the name “Brayan Palma.”

The account, which carried a profile picture of Karl Marx, allegedly sent a message warning that the people Esperanza associated with might put him in danger.

Esperanza said that neither he nor his family knew the person behind the account. He opined that the timing of the message, coming shortly after barangay officials questioned his family about his activities, caused alarm. “The message created serious concern for my family and for my own safety.”

Seeking accountability

Esperanza said that the activities being questioned were humanitarian, civic, and volunteer initiatives intended to assist communities in need.

“The activities involved were voluntary, community-oriented, and humanitarian in nature,” he said. “To my knowledge, I committed no illegal act in participating in them.”

He has asked the CHR to document and investigate the incidents, including the identities of those involved and the basis for the questioning directed at his parents.

He also called for safeguards to ensure that any future inquiries concerning him are conducted with due process and respect for his rights.

The student leader said that he is prepared to submit photographs, screenshots, and other supporting evidence to aid any investigation. Esperanza said that he hopes the CHR inquiry would shed light on the circumstances surrounding the incidents and help protect individuals participating in legitimate community service and other activities. (RTS, DAA)

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It spits in the face of the victims of human rights violations whose lives were robbed while the Marcoses lived an extravagant lifestyle.

MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) has reversed Imelda Marcos’s convictions in seven graft cases. For martial law survivors, the decision is a spit in the face of the victims.

“Her acquittal is one of the gravest blows to the decades-long struggle for justice and accountability for the massive plunder attributed to the Marcos dictatorship,” Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (Selda), an organization that led the efforts on the historic class suit against the dictator Marcos Sr. in Hawaii, noted in a joint statement with human rights group Karapatan.

The decision of the high court acquitted Marcos of graft charges due to reported failure of the prosecution to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

“It spits in the face of the victims of human rights violations whose lives were robbed while the Marcoses lived an extravagant lifestyle,” the groups added. 

“This is how hollow justice can be in a country where those accused and convicted of plunder continue to evade accountability, while ordinary Filipinos are made to bear the cost of corruption and the big-time robbery of public funds.”

What is more enraging for them is that the decision was released during the administration of her son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The groups emphasized that this represents full rehabilitation of the Marcoses.

“This Supreme Court ruling is yet another indication of how far that rehabilitation has come. From the outset of Marcos Jr. ‘s presidency, the Marcoses’ agenda was clear: to keep the wealth they had stolen and to systematically secure their exoneration from accountability before the country’s courts,” the groups said.

The Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA) meanwhile said that the decision is outrageous, saying that Marcos Jr. has done what he set out to do in gunning for the presidency: “to recoup all his family’s ill-gotten wealth sequestered by the government and wipe the slate clean of any remaining corruption cases against his family.”

The seven graft cases were linked to the Swiss foundations she and her late husband used for entrepreneurial activity, earning interests and profit reaching up to $200 million, during the time when she was still a government official for almost two decades.

Imelda was already charged with graft in December 1991 and the case dragged on for more than 26 years before the conviction. She did not spend a single day in prison back in 1991 because she surrendered and posted bail. 

When her conviction was announced in November 2018 by the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan, she was allowed to post a P300,000 bail, securing temporary freedom again due to her “age and medical condition.”

“The Marcoses can now cite these dismissals to bolster their distorted narratives and revisions of history,” said CARMMA Spokesperson Kris Lacaba. “But the Filipino people have not forgotten their thievery, which even landed Ferdinand Marcos Jr. a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as having been responsible for the greatest robbery of a government,” he said.

The distinction was made after the Philippine government identified a total national loss of $5 billion to $10 billion since their rule from November 1965 until the end of the dictatorship in 1986.

Lacaba also casted doubt on the timing of publicizing the SC decision. The ruling was dated on June 10, 2026 and was only made public on September 8, 2026.

This “suspicious” timing, he said, is an effort to distance himself and his immediate family from close relatives like his first cousin Martin Romualdez who was recently arrested for plunder in connection with the flood-control project scandal.

“But Marcos Jr. cannot forever feign innocence over his leading role in today’s massive cases of government corruption when no less than former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo disclosed that P8 billion in graft money had been delivered to high-ranking Malacañang officials in the first quarter of 2025 alone,” said Lacaba. 

He added, “In the same vein, the dismissal of martial law-era cases of thievery against the dictator’s family, while another Marcos now sits in Malacañang, cannot remove the stench of corruption that will always follow this kleptocratic family wherever it goes.”

This September 21 will be the commemoration of the atrocities and human rights violations committed under the Martial Law of his dictator father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. For martial law survivors, this ruling will not erase the suffering of martial law victims and the continuing struggle to recover all of the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth. (AMU, RVO)

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“While the Romualdezes are reveling in their stolen wealth, the people of Eastern Visayas struggle with extreme food insecurity.”

TACLOBAN CITY – Progressive groups from Eastern Visayas welcomed the arrest of Leyte First District Representative and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez over charges of plunder.

In a statement, Bagong Alyansang Makayan (Bayan) Sinirangan Bisayas considered Romualdez’s arrest as a win for the Filipino people. “It’s been a year since we have incessantly marched the streets to protest the widespread corruption and finally, key players of ghost flood control projects like Romualdez are now being held accountable.”

While the group welcomed the warrants of arrest issued to Martin Romualdez and former Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co, they said that the magnitude of such corruption extends beyond Co and Romualdez and could have not been carried out by only two or four individuals.

“The testimonies and revelations of Co and DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo points to a much wider network of officials involved. Most seriously, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. tolerated and benefited from the scheme,” Bayan Alyansang Makabayan said in a statement.

Bayan also challenged both Co and Romualdez to reveal the full extent of the conspiracy and all individuals involved. “The government must follow the money, identify every official and private individual who participated in or benefited from the scheme, and ensure they are punished.”

“The Romualdez clan is a political dynasty closely tied to the Marcoses. Martin’s father, Benjamin “Kokoy” Romuadez, the younger brother of Imelda Marcos, served as Leyte Governor, and later appointed as ambassador to the United States, China, and Saudi Arabia during the Marcos dictatorship, was in cahoots with the Marcoses in embezzling public funds,” Bayan-SB said.

As First District Representative of Leyte, Martin Romualdez received a total of P57 billion of funds from the Department of Public Works and Highways from 2023 until 2026, the highest among all legislative districts in the country.

Despite this, Bayan-SB noted that “the people of Leyte and Eastern Visayas still suffer from skyrocketing prices and measly wages”.

“While the Romualdezes are reveling in their stolen wealth, the people of Eastern Visayas struggle with extreme food insecurity,” said Bayan-SB.

Kabataan Partylist Tacloban Chapter Chairperson Rejomar Baltar, in an interview with Bulatlat, said that Filipinos should stay vigilant and continuously call for the arrest of all the politicians involved in large-scale corruption. “We have to remain cautious of Marcos Jr.’s attempt to escape accountability. Corrupt officials must be held accountable from Romualdez, Co, and even Marcos Jr,” he said.

“The youth of Tacloban and Eastern Visayas will not stop until all the masterminds and enablers of the anomalous flood control projects are put behind bars,” said Baltar. (AMU, RVO)

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This is the lament of Renato Gameng, a farmer for 40 years and a leader of Danggayan Dagiti Mannalon iti Isabela (Dagami) for the past 15 years. For him, it is puzzling that he is being accused of violating the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA). Ten more activists were also charged with the same case before the Department of Justice’s National Prosecution Service. 

Under the banner of human rights group Karapatan, the Cagayan Valley activists, including Gameng, and other human rights defenders held a protest in front of the Supreme Court (SC) and DOJ to denounce the use of twin terror laws– Anti-Terrorism Act and TFPSA– against activists. They submitted a letter to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, calling for the review and repeal of the twin terror laws.

“The Supreme Court, as the guardian of the Constitution and the final arbiter of constitutional rights, has the solemn duty to ensure that laws enacted in the name of national security do not become instruments for suppressing constitutionally protected dissent,” the letter stated, signed by victims of the twin terror laws.

Just last month, six activists in Cagayan Valley received subpoenas including Gameng. They are former Kabataan Party-list Cagayan Valley regional coordinator Jhames Paredes; National Council of Churches in the Philippines program assistant and Taripnong Cagayan Valley secretariat member Anne Pascual; Bayan Muna Cagayan Valley coordinator Nelson Escalante; Punganay Cagayan Valley coordinator Marifel Macalanda; and Kabataan Party-list regional coordinator Walter Villegas.

Meanwhile, five others have been previously slapped with similar complaints in January 2025. They are Isabelo Adviento, a former fourth nominee of Anakpawis Party-list; Makabayan Cagayan Valley regional coordinator Agnes Mesina; Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas National Council member Cita Managuelod; Karapatan National Council member Jackie Valencia; and Pinoy Weekly journalist Deo Montesclaros.

“This new wave of attacks against us is alarming because for them, our advocacy of providing services for the farmers, campaign for more budget in education and classrooms, and proper disaster response are terrorism,” said Paredes during the protest.

Paredes is a student at University of the Philippines (UP) and a former contributor of Northern Dispatch, an alternative media outfit reporting people’s issues in Northern Luzon. 

“Of course, the initial reaction was fear when we first heard it. Because the main objective of filing these cases is to sow fear, silence us, and stop us from joining organizations that defend our rights,” Paredes told Bulatlat in Filipino. “However, this fear does not last long. There are many people who were also charged with these cases which were later dismissed. This is a form of judicial harassment.”

Three activists of Cagayan Valley filed their counter-affidavits before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, before they went to the DOJ and SC in Manila. 

The case stemmed from statements made by alleged military assets Elnan Tul-ag and Rex Pagbilao, who claimed they had received supplies from the activists inside an alleged New People’s Army encampment in 2019.

Local human rights organization Umaddang Cagayan Valley Para ti Karbengan said that the only evidence against the 11 Cagayan Valley activists was an uncooked rice, allegedly found decaying inside plastic containers buried underground for seven full years.

“Our protest is not only for Cagayan Valley 11 (activists), but to all victims of political persecution and judicial harassment such as the recent attacks against the Kasibu and Dupax del Norte. This is also for all our political prisoners in the region,” Paredes said.

The activists of Cagayan Valley are targeted because of their continuous defense of the natural resources, Enjo Sarmiento of the Center for Environmental Concerns said.

“Cagayan Valley is rich in natural resources. But it also remains vulnerable in times of disaster, worsened by the government’s inadequate response,” Sarmiento said in Filipino. “The terrorism laws in the Philippines are targeting the wrong people. Most of them are working in environmental defense like the 11 activists of Cagayan Valley.”

In 2025, the Philippines was identified as the most disaster-prone country based on the World Risk Report. In its local analysis, Cagayan Valley was also identified as the top ranking province with high exposure to floods.

“This is the reason why the Philippines remain a dangerous country in Asia for environmental defenders. This is also the reason why we will not be able to achieve our climate targets because they keep on paralyzing the primary environmental defenders in the communities: the farmers and indigenous peoples,” Sarmiento added.

Since the administration of Rodrigo Duterte until the current administration, the Philippines has been dubbed as the most dangerous country in Asia for land and environmental defenders based on the report of international watchdog Global Witness.

An alarming pattern

Karapatan once again raised “serious concerns” over the twin terror laws’ impact on fundamental rights and freedoms of the people, from speech, expression, peaceful assembly, association, and the right to due process. The group urged the high court to examine case patterns, strengthen constitutional safeguards, and to hold state forces accountable for using the law to stifle dissent. 

The group has documented a total of 259 individuals charged with the said twin terror laws. They cited a recurring pattern in cases under the twin terror laws, with many dismissed due to insufficient evidence, questionable witnesses, lack of probable cause, failure to establish offenses, or due process violations. 

Read: Rights groups data show terror laws used for state repression

“While the dismissal of these cases ultimately vindicated the respondents, the damage caused by the prosecution does not disappear with dismissal,” the letter read, emphasizing adverse impacts that the individuals and organizations are subjected to such as arrest, detention, surveillance, red-tagging, public vilification, financial restrictions, reputational harm, and continuing threats to personal safety.

Among the dismissed cases cited in the letter were Southern Tagalog activists church pastor Glofie Baluntong, human rights workers Hailey Jade Pecayo, Adrian Paul Tagle, Fritz Jay Labiano, Alaiza Marie Lemita among others. 

Of the 25 individuals currently imprisoned under twin terror laws, Karapatan reported that there are 20 who were charged during the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. At least 48 individuals who are not currently detained have faced or are facing court cases under the two laws, with 10 having posted bail. 

In addition, of the 139 individuals whose cases were dismissed by courts or prosecutors’ offices, 130 were charged during the Marcos Jr. administration. 

“Taken together, these figures show the extensive use of the twin terror laws under the Marcos Jr. administration. Even if many of the cases were dismissed, a person may have already been arrested or detained, subjected to surveillance and harassment, red-tagged, threatened, publicly vilified, or made to suffer damage to their livelihood and reputation,” Karapatan Deputy Secretary General Sol Taule said in a statement.

She also emphasized that this pattern creates a chilling effect that discourages legitimate advocacy, community service, and the exercise of people’s democratic rights.

In 2024, German human rights alliance Aktionsbündnis Menschenrechte – Philippinen (AMP) observed a substantial number of TFPSA charges filed against NGOs and their members. Among those targeted with arbitrary accusations were the Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET), Katinnulong Daguiti Umili iti Amianan-Peoples Partner in Northern Luzon (KADUAMI), Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Development (PDG), and the Leyte Center for Development (LCDE).

This is after the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) placed the Philippines on its “grey list” of countries under increased monitoring. A year after, FATF representatives visited the Philippines and removed the country from the grey list amid the spate of TFPSA charges against development workers and NGOs.

But even after the removal in the FATF’s “grey list” in February 2025, Philippine state forces continue to use the terrorism financing law against activists. (RTS, AMU, RVO)

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The groups rejected the Luzon Economic Corridor, calling it a “massive sellout” of Philippine patrimony.

By Wendyl Geronimo
Davao Today

MANILA – “The Philippines is not for sale!” 

Progressive groups led by the Bagong Alvansang Makabayan (Bayan) and International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS) Philippines on Thursday expressed their strong condemnation as the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) Investment Forum inaugurated on Thursday, September 10 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. 

The group said the initiative is a threat to Philippine sovereignty and a vehicle for foreign control over the country’s resources.

In a joint statement, the groups rejected the LEC, calling it a “massive sellout” of Philippine patrimony, and accused the government of allowing foreign interests to shape the country’s infrastructure and economic development agenda.

Sponsored by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), the event brought together about 600 international investors, industry leaders, project developers, and government officials to discuss investment opportunities within the  Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas corridor. 

LEC and Pax Silica

Bayan and ILPS argued that the corridor would not lead to genuine industrialization but instead create profit opportunities for foreign companies and local business interests. The groups questioned the prominent role of the U.S. government in promoting the initiative, noting that the USTDA is sponsoring and organizing the investment forum

According to the USTDA, the LEC is a trilateral initiative involving the Philippines, the United States, and Japan aimed at mobilizing investments in transportation, logistics, energy, digital infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing. The agency said the corridor seeks to strengthen connectivity and economic growth across Luzon.

The groups also cited the proposed 232-kilometer Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas Freight Railway, which they said would primarily serve foreign commercial interests. Corridor documents identify the freight railway as a key transport project linking major economic hubs in Luzon.

Among the projects criticized by the groups was the proposed Pax Silica Economic Security Zone, which they claimed could accelerate critical mineral extraction and affect Indigenous and agricultural communities.

Bayan and ILPS further alleged that the corridor forms part of a broader U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific and raised concerns over what they described as the possible dual-use nature of infrastructure projects located near strategic transportation and military facilities.

The groups said several corridor projects could support both commercial and defense-related activities, citing developments in Subic and other strategic locations. Corridor materials show that the LEC connects key economic centers, ports, airports, and transport networks across Subic, Clark, Manila, and Batangas.

Reject foreign-led ‘development’

Bayan and ILPS urged the public to reject the corridor, arguing that national development should remain under Filipino control and not be driven by foreign governments or investors. The groups also criticized recent government policies that they said were designed to attract more foreign investment and expand critical mineral projects associated with the corridor.

“Do not sell the Philippines to foreigners. The Philippines belongs to Filipinos. If the government is to undertake projects or programs for industrialization, these should be geared toward national industrialization by Filipinos and for Filipinos, not for foreign interests.,” said former Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino, now chairperson of Bayan, during the protest. 

For Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), the LEC is being presented as “economic development” by Ferdinand Marcos administration, but in reality, the group said it is “really a corridor for imperialist profit and war.” 

“Filipino land, resources and infrastructure are being prepared to serve foreign corporations, global supply chains and the strategic military interests of the United States,” said KMP Chairperson Danilo ‘Ka Daning’ Ramos in a statement. 

Ramos further said that the ports, airports, railways, fuel facilities and telecommunications infrastructure being built under the LEC are not simply economic facilities. 

“Many are dual-use infrastructure that can facilitate the movement of military equipment, personnel and supplies. This is strategic infrastructure for US power projection in the region,” he said.

Energy projects under LEC include U.S.-backed nuclear cooperation, hydropower, fuel storage facilities and a 72-kilometer pipeline connecting Subic, Olongapo and Basa Air Base in Pampanga. 

KMP added that digital infrastructure, including submarine fiber-optic cables, fiber networks, 5G and Open RAN technologies, is likewise being promoted alongside data centers and advanced manufacturing.

“These projects are integrating the Philippines into US-led supply chains in semiconductors, technology and defense manufacturing. This is not genuine national industrialization. It is a foreign-dictated pseudo-development where domestic land, labor and resources are subordinated to the needs of imperialist capital,” Ramos said.

KMP also pointed to the modernization of the Subic shipyard, the Agila Subic Multi-use Facility owned by US private equity firm Cerberus Capital, and the expansion of Collins Aerospace, a unit of US defense giant RTX, as examples of the growing integration of Philippine facilities into US-linked defense and logistics networks.

The peasant group also warned that the LEC’s expansion will place further pressure on agricultural lands, particularly in Central Luzon, where industrial estates, logistics hubs, energy projects and other infrastructure are rapidly expanding.

“Central Luzon is among our country’s most important food-producing regions, yet its agricultural lands are increasingly being treated as a real estate hub for investors. Farmers lose land while foreign corporations and local big businesses gain access to strategic assets and government incentives,” Ramos said.

KMP demanded full disclosure of all LEC projects, investors, financing arrangements, land requirements, government incentives and military or dual-use components.

“We need genuine agrarian reform and national industrialization, not foreign-dictated projects. We need full support for food production, decent and secure jobs and genuine national development, not a corridor for imperialist profit, land grabbing and war,” Ramos said.

Violent dispersal

Meanwhile, tensions flared outside the venue of the investors’ forum at the posh Bonifacio Global City between the activists and the police where 29 activists sustained injuries after they were dispersed by the police. 

At least five of the protesters were arrested, including the paralegal assistants who were doing human rights work during the protest. Among those detained were Dana Juliano, Mara Peralta, RC Placido, Jona Yang and Kenneth Castor. 

At least 27 protesters were also injured. The groups alleged that police officers shoved, dragged and struck demonstrators with riot shields and batons while clearing the protest area.

Photos courtesy of Kalikasan Peoples Network for the Environment

Human rights group Karapatan denounced the violent dispersal by the police and demanded the immediate release of the five. In a statement, the group said that the police were clearly prepared to quell the protest, armed with shields and nightsticks. 

“They singled out three paralegals who were telling the police not to manhandle or arrest protesters. They also arbitrarily held and arrested two other paralegals who voluntarily went to the police station to assist those who had been arrested,” the group said, demanding that they be arrested as they are only doing their work as human rights defenders. 

Karapatan said that the protest was legitimate and just. 

“The protesters’ call to junk the Pax Silica initiative in the Philippines is more than justified, given its impacts on the lives, livelihoods, environment, and rights of the Filipino people. Filipinos have every right to demand the scrapping of a project that serves US interests and merely turns the Philippines into a gateway for US economic and militarist power in the region,” the group said. 

The group said that the violent dispersal and the arrest of the paralegals further expose “the country’s police force as acting like private security guards for foreign corporations or mercenaries for the US, Philippine, and Japanese governments.”

“Shame on Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is selling the Philippines to foreign interests at the expense of the people’s rights, national sovereignty, and their rights to land and life,” Karapatan said. (With reports from Anne Marxze Umil) (Republished by Bulatlat) (davaotoday.com)

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