Rogelio Calubad, 53 and his son Gabriel, 29, were abducted by suspected state forces on June 17, 2006 in Bangkuruhan village, Calauag, Quezon. Rogelio was a peace consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in Southern Tagalog. They were among the 10 people – three of them NDFP consultants – who were abducted by suspected military men in separate incidents in Luzon in June 2006.

Rogelio’s wife, Elizabeth led the search for her husband and son for 14 years, until she passed away in 2020.

Read more articles about them:

When a long search is never over

The life of selfless struggle of a desaparecido

Lamentations of families of the disappeared

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“The worst kind of trash is the government that surrenders Philippine sovereignty. They can’t even manage their own waste, yet why do they accept waste from foreigners?”

MANILA – “The Philippines is not your dumping ground!”

This is the response of the newly formed environmental task force consisting of environmental groups and advocates on Thursday, June 25, as it strongly opposed the reported year-long illegal dumping of the United States’ (US) electronic waste (e-waste) in the Philippines. 

The Environmental Task Force Against Illegal E-Waste Imports to the Philippines (END E-WASTE IMPORTS) aims to raise awareness and put an end to illegal waste importation to the country, as it undermines the nation’s sovereignty, it causes environmental harm, and it exposes Filipinos to various health complications.

In a press conference, Basel Action Network (BAN) Toxics, a waste trade watchdog, revealed that a total of 234 suspected containers of e-waste and one plastic waste from the US have been allegedly dumped in the country since March 2025.

Through BAN’s Operation Can Opener (OCO), a program that tracks intermodal containers carrying hazardous and problematic wastes, including e-waste, and sends alerts to destination countries, the group said they used GPS (global positioning system) tracking devices placed inside non-functional e-waste and available trade data to track the shipments.

According to BAN Toxics, some of the GPS tracking devices reportedly ended up in some factories in Subic, including ones linked to Jack Electronic Metal Incorporated and Enjoy Electronics Subic International Corporation.

Both companies had faced controversies in the past. In 2022, Jack Electronic faced a criminal complaint for the alleged misdeclaration and unlawful importation of assorted goods, while the authorities had confiscated counterfeit television units from the alleged facility of Enjoy Electronics last year.

BAN had sent 14 OCO alerts to the Bureau of Customs (BOC), but the latter stated in its letter to BAN that it cannot intervene, citing the 2025 Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) ruling that upheld the Subic Bay Freeport as a separate custom territory. 

Thony Dizon, BAN Toxics advocacy and campaign officer, denounced the ruling, which was elevated to the Court of Appeals, as it may be interpreted that the Philippines is open to accepting waste importation even if it is illegal.

Article 4(5) of the Basel Convention states that hazardous wastes and other wastes shall not be allowed to be imported from a non-state party or to be exported to a non-state party.

The Philippines is a state party of the convention, while the U.S. is not.

However, Article 11(1) provides that a state party and a non-state party may enter into bilateral agreements as long as such deals “do not derogate from the environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes and other waste” as required by the convention.

There was no bilateral agreement regarding the matter that was made public, but BAN Executive Director Jim Puckett said in a video message that they have a source saying that the US and Philippine governments were allegedly in discussion to make the dumping of e-waste legal.

“You can’t carve out part of the Philippines that says Basel [convention] doesn’t apply there. So it’s completely against international law. And the bilaterals, if they pull that off, would be violating the Basel guarantee,” Puckett argued. “It would be a horrible precedent for the very first time the U.S. would assign a bilateral to a developing country to receive e-waste.” 

Further probe

For Kabataan Party-list Representative Renee Co, there should be further investigation to identify the entities involved, and why they were bypassing an international convention.

“We don’t want to be the world’s dumping site; we don’t want to be the US’ dumping site. We also don’t want shipments that don’t go through the Bureau of Customs for clearances and end up in a free port zone of the Philippines without us checking them,” Co asserted.

Generating 540 million kilograms of e-waste in 2024, the Philippines was the third country in Southeast Asia after Indonesia (1,900 kg) and Thailand (750 kg) with the highest e-waste generation, according to the Global E-waste Monitor.

The same report noted the Philippines’ lack of disposal facilities, especially in rural areas, which limits the collection and disposal and results in illegal dumping of e-wastes in rivers, landfills, and other areas.

Co cited how Thailand handled the OCO reports they received from BAN and acted upon them by rejecting hazardous waste and implementing stricter protocols for waste importation.

From January 2025 up to the present, authorities in Thailand noted 203 violations, totaling more than 4,504 tons of illegal waste at the ports of Laem Chabang Port and Bangkok. 

To further intensify the investigation of alleged illegal e-waste importation by the U.S., the Kabataan representative said that she and her colleagues in the Makabayan bloc are keen on filing a resolution at the House of Representatives.

From tech hub to e-waste

Cathleen de Guzman, national coordinator of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, equates the reported illegal e-waste importation to other U.S. involvement in the country, including the Pax Silica initiative and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). She said these partnerships undermine the country’s sovereignty.

“The worst kind of trash is the government that surrenders Philippine sovereignty. They can’t even manage their own waste, yet why do they accept waste from foreigners?” De Guzman said. 

On the other hand, she said recent issues of landfill tragedy in Cebu and Rodriguez, Rizal, exposed how the country lacks a well-functioning system in its domestic waste management.

Read: Binaliw landfill reopens amid unresolved issues after landslide 

Read: Rodriguez, Rizal community calls for action over buried bodies at landfill

Mayang Azurin, deputy director of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives Asia Pacific, raised health concerns on workers directly working on e-waste. “It contains toxic substances that can contaminate air, water, and soil, and it threatens the health of the workers and surrounding communities.”

She also warned of the country’s involvement with the US-led Pax Silica that it might advertise e-waste consumption in the face of a “circular economy” and “critical mineral recovery.”

The environmental task force END E-WASTE IMPORTS pushed for several demands, including the reversal of the Manila RTC ruling, the rescission of any bilateral agreements pertaining to e-waste importation, and the assertion of environmental governance and national sovereignty. (with reports from Franck Dick Rosete) (AMU, RVO)

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Beyond shelter, livelihoods remain uncertain. In their community, the coast has been elevated, disrupting fishing grounds.

ALBAY — Sixteen days since the magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck, 116 families from Barangay Pangyan in Saranggani province have finally found a safer place to stay. That is, the open grounds in front of Pangyan Central Elementary School. Unlike the cracked hillside where they once lived, this space is not landslide?prone. 

“We’ve just settled here on Tuesday (June 23) after staying under makeshift shelters by the shore,” 20-year-old Daniela Lagunsay said in a phone interview.

The June 8 disaster exposed deep cracks on the hill behind their temporary shelters, destroying houses built in “danger zones”. With continued aftershocks and heavy rains, the risk of landslides made staying longer dangerous. 

“If we don’t take action, we won’t get the aid we need,” Lagunsay added, crediting a group that helped in assessing post-quake hazards and in coordinating with the local government.  

Jassim Guila, executive director of Cavite-based non-profit organization Mutual Aid Disaster Relief – Search and Rescue, confirmed in a virtual interview that they had already alerted the barangay chairman about the looming landslide threat. 

Their ground visits allowed them to listen to what the communities actually needed. 

In a Facebook post, the group stressed that “safe shelter was among the highest priorities, as many families were living in fishing boats, makeshift structures, roadside areas, and other unsafe locations.” Their hazard assessment and coordination with local authorities paved the way for the relocation, linking the Provincial Government of Sarangani, Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 12, and Pangyan’s barangay leadership. 

“The successful relocation of families from Purok Dungon marks an important milestone in reducing disaster risk. However, significant humanitarian needs remain,” the group noted.  

Lagunsay explained that more than one family is assigned to each white tent provided by the DSWD. As of yesterday, only ten tents were ready, with more expected to arrive. She said they still need tarpaulin for additional cover.

Beyond shelter, livelihoods remain uncertain. In their community, the coast has been elevated, disrupting fishing grounds. The tuna boat her father relied on was lost to fire during the quake. 

“We don’t know how we would start again,” Lagunsay said quietly. “We’re back to zero.” (RTS, RVO)

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The energy crisis hit urban poor communities the hardest.

MANILA — Hundreds of thousands of consumers across the Luzon and Visayas grids faced severe rotational brownouts in the past weeks, after the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and the Department of Energy (DOE) issued emergency supply warnings. 

According to the institutions, intense dry season and unexpected power plant outages pushed both major grids into critical Red and Yellow Alert statuses. Local distribution utilities, including Meralco, implemented manual load dropping to prevent a complete grid collapse. 

NGCP data highlight a critical power gap: Luzon’s 12,479 megawatts (MW) capacity falls short of its 12,595 MW peak demand. The deficit worsens in the Visayas, where available capacity (2,413 MW) trails behind a 2,541 MW peak. 

For Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (AGHAM), the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) is to blame for the unsteady supply of electricity and expensive power rates. 

The energy crisis hit urban poor communities the hardest. In an interview with Bulatlat, residents of Krus na Ligas (KNL) in Quezon City detailed their experiences amid the rotational brownouts. 

Analyn Salinas, a 49-year-old housewife, described the agonizing heat that left young children crying and kept her working husband from sleeping before his 4:00 a.m. shift. 

“You have to sacrifice and keep fanning them. You just don’t know what to do because they kept on crying. Luckily, my children are already grown up. I don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Salinas shared.

Despite the power interruptions, Salinas watched her monthly power bill skyrocketed from less than P1,900 ($31.09) to P5,000 ($81.80). This severely strained their family budget ahead of the school year. 

The struggle extended heavily to the youth. Lara Francisco, Salinas’s 17-year-old daughter and youth activist from Kabataan Partylist KNL, explained that the power outages in their community usually occur from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m which affects the youth and those who work during those hours. 

“Most of us are working from home, especially those in call centers. So they really had to leave their rented places because they needed a stable internet connection,” she said. 

She added that the brownout forced sleepless families to sit outside of their homes.Francisco added that while there are digital announcements from the barangay, they failed to warn all affected areas accurately.

She said that if the brownouts continue, this may also affect her studies under the Department of Education’s full-day online requirements. Francisco noted that the weak mobile data and dying laptop batteries during brownouts may disrupt both synchronous and asynchronous activities. “It really acts as a barrier to quality education.”

EPIRA at the root of power service decline 

During the June 8 Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) anniversary mobilisation, Cleng Julve of Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (AGHAM), pointed out that the crisis stemmed directly from the 25-year-old EPIRA. 

EPIRA, or Republic Act No. 9136, was enacted in June 2001 under the administration of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. It privatized and deregulated the Philippine power sector with the goal of fostering competition, with the promise of lowering electricity rates, and ensuring a reliable energy supply. 

Read: Epira, the culprit behind high power rates

Read: Scientist group calls anew for scrapping of Epira, VAT amid the power rate hike

However, Julve argues that the law was a U.S.-dictated policy that privatized basic services and created a corporate cartel where only a few large corporations dominate the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. 

“Under EPIRA, cross-ownership was permitted, which is why—as Ka Mimi mentioned earlier—from generation corporations to distribution utilities, practically the same companies are the ones profiting,” Julve said. 

Julve also cited data from Agham and People Opposed to Warrantless Electricity Rates (POWER), which highlighted a long history of corporate overcharging. According to her, in 2003, Meralco’s overcharging reached P28 billion ($456.39 million), and the Supreme Court ordered it to be returned to the public. The National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms (NASECORE) reported that Meralco’s overcharging is estimated to have reached P160 billion ($2.62 billion). 

False solutions vs people’s demands

For years, the government has framed renewable energy (RE) projects as the solution to the unsustainable and unclean energy sector in the country. Take, for example, the establishment of megadams and solar farms, which often displace communities, affect livelihoods, and damage the biodiversity in the area. 

In a country that currently ranks in Asia as the second with the highest electricity rate, Julve argued that relying on these projects that are still being pushed by large-scale private corporations is not the answer. 

“Renewable energy is being promoted as the answer to the climate and energy crises. But under a privatized, oligarch-controlled power sector, whose interests are really being served?” referring to the Olongapo Solar Power Plant Project of Aboitiz Renewables where AGHAM and other Indigenous Peoples groups and scientists held a joint environmental investigative mission last May 29-31. 

Julve also stressed that the country must support localized and sustainable electricity generation managed directly by the people, while demanding the repeal of EPIRA.

”Twenty-five years is more than enough as a test case and proof that EPIRA doesn’t work for the people, and it must be replaced by a policy that will create an electricity industry that is affordable, community-oriented, and nationalistic.”

Julve also proposed the development of local and indigenous energy sources while taking into account the environment and the rights of the people, as an alternative. She also added, “There must be a moratorium on renewable energy projects on farmlands, ancestral lands, and nature reserves.”

Meanwhile, Francisco called on her fellow youth to continue on speaking up about social issues like the privatization of basic public services. 

For consumers like Salinas, a move toward state-subsidized power could bring immediate financial relief. “We would get some breathing room if electricity were free. Electricity rates are going up right now anyway, right? So that would be a major help to our budget. It could go toward our allowance, or as extra allowance for the kids’ school lunches.” (AMU, RVO)

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MANILA — Environmentalists, along with farmers, and workers join LGBTQIA+ groups at Liwasang Bonifacio, reaffirming the progressive and militant spirit of pride. 

Today, June 26, marks the second Stonewall celebration in the Philippines, which pays tribute to the 1969 Stonewall Riots that sparked the modern gay rights movement around the globe. 

For progressives, pride is inseparable from the fight for climate justice, higher wages, to end militarization. For them, celebrating pride is to struggle for genuine and systemic solutions. 

Toffee Galolo, a student leader from UP Diliman, condemned the Aboitiz Renewables Inc. sponsorship of the upcoming Love Laban Pride march. Galolo cited the initial findings from the recent Environmental Investigative Mission, where Aboitiz’s solar renewable energy farms are disrupting and poisoning the local ecosystem while violating the right of Indigenous Peoples to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC). 

Environmental defenders and LGBTQIA+ rights activists also condemned the US-led Pax Silica Initiative, rejecting claims that it will help national development and secure more jobs for Filipinos. 

The Pax Silica treaty was signed by the Philippine Government last April 16 to streamline and secure supply chains for technologies like Artificial Intelligence and possibly military equipment. Groups fear that this will only serve the U.S. military industrial complex. 

Read: US, Malacañang urged: ‘Disclose the true nature of Pax Silica’

Galolo asserted that the quest for genuine sexual liberation requires the fall of imperialist powers. “We can see that the Philippines still has strong ties to the US, and we often submit ourselves to unfair treaties…pride, in essence, is to be anti-imperialist,” he explained in Filipino.  

Despite heavy downpour during the program, the LGBTQIA+ rights activists and allies persisted, calling to end the systemic oppression marginalized communities have long been bearing. (CAM, AMU, RVO)

All photos are by Viggo Sarmago

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Despite heavy rains, Xhin Tax Error, Kennyngina, Keisha, and other drag performers take the stage at Liwasang Bonifacio in solidarity with the Pride Month protest.

Their performances, alongside speeches from advocates and community leaders, amplify calls for the immediate passage of the SOGIESC Equality Bill, accessible social services, quality education, and decent housing — underscoring that Pride remains a protest against discrimination and injustice.

“Social services, not intimidation,” declared Chuchu Catagora, a resident of Agora Compound in Marikina, who stressed that demanding housing and organizing communities are not crimes.

Text by Kash Camacho
Photos by Mayo Lorengal

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The 20th year of the disappearance of Karen and Sherlyn is not just about them or about their families. It is an indictment of our democracy. It is proof that butchers and human rights violators are being rewarded and that impunity persists.

On June 26, 2006, UP students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan were abducted by soldiers under the command of then Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr in Hagonoy, Bulacan. To this day, the two remain missing. 

The families and friends of Karen and Sherlyn searched everywhere – military camps, hospitals, funeral homes, and every imaginable place in Bulacan, Central Luzon and Metro Manila. Their search led them to the courts. A witness, Raymond Manalo, testified before the Commission on Human Rights, the Court of Appeals, and the Bulacan trial court. Twelve years after the incident, in September 2018, Palparan was convicted of charges of serious illegal detention and kidnapping. 

Entire communities in Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and Eastern Visayas felt a sense of justice for the thousands of activists killed by Palparan’s men. The Butcher, as Palparan has been called, was the first military official to be punished for human rights abuses. Even if he was indicted for just a fraction of his crimes, it was still a bittersweet victory. 

Just recently, lawyers of the victims’ families received information that Palparan has been transferred to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in Baguio City. Before this, Palparan was afforded special treatment in jail. 

He has been without remorse. In fact, he has consistently justified his actions. Clearly, Palparan only implemented his commander-in-chief’s counterinsurgency policy. Then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo praised the Butcher in her 2006 State of the Nation Address, saying, “Jovito Palparan is fighting the enemy. He will not retreat until communities break free from the night of terror and give rise to the new dawn of justice and freedom.”

But Palparan was the one who sowed state terror known as Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and 2. Arroyo’s counterinsurgency policy resulted in 1,118 victims of extrajudicial killings and 204 victims of torture by the end of 2009, according to Karapatan. Concurring with Karapatan was former United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Prof. Philip Alston who also blamed Arroyo’s counterinsurgency program for the extrajudicial killings.

Twenty-years later, the same infrastructure of terror remains. The “order of battle” (or a list of names of activists drawn by the military during the reign of Palparan) is now the vicious red-tagging. Alston, in his final report, said that 94 percent of extrajudicial killing victims with known affiliations belonged to groups maligned in this so-called order of battle. 

Today, there are more Palparans, still emboldened by the President and the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). Sixteen more Karens and Sherlyns have been forcibly disappeared under the Marcos Jr. administration. 

The 20th year of the disappearance of Karen and Sherlyn is not just about them or about their families. It is an indictment of our democracy. It is proof that butchers and human rights violators are being rewarded and that impunity persists.

Still, in this benighted land, our only hope lies in the resistance and collective struggle of ordinary people like the families of the disappeared and all the human rights defenders who have journeyed and fought with them. (DAA)

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Based on the data released recently by HRMI, the Philippines obtained low scores across all metrics on human rights compliance.

The Philippines, together with Indonesia, received a score of 4.6 out of 10 in the Safety from the State metric. This indicates that many people are not adequately protected from arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment, forced disappearance, and extrajudicial killing.

The country’s score for freedom from arbitrary arrest is also low, at 3.1 out of 10, which falls within the “very bad” performance range of the report. It is the lowest score recorded among Southeast Asian countries surveyed by HRMI.

“The exceptionally low score for freedom from arbitrary arrest should be a wake-up call. Everyone should be able to exercise their rights without fear of unjust detention or retaliation,” said Keshia Mahmood, HRMI Southeast Asia engagement lead, in a statement.

The recent glaring incident of arbitrary arrests took place during the anti-corruption protest on September 21, 2025. Authorities arrested 216 protesters and bystanders, including 91 minors. Two died when the violence ensued. First responder lawyers and human rights workers confirmed that there were indications of torture and ill-treatment against the victims.

Read: Police violence, torture cases surface as new anti-corruption protest looms

The report also revealed that the performance of the Philippines in the freedom of assembly and association is considered “bad” with a score of 4.3. The overall average of 5.4 out of 10 in the Empowerment metric suggests that many people are not enjoying their civil liberties and political freedoms.

The scores were derived from HRMI’s comprehensive and secured survey accomplished by human rights defenders in the country.

The survey identified people suspected of terrorism, people who protest or engage in non-violent political activity, activists and human rights defenders, Indigenous peoples, and labour rights advocates as among those most vulnerable to violations of their safety and security by state actors.

Interconnectedness of human rights

More than the civil and political rights, the Philippine standing in “Quality of Life” metrics – economic, social, and cultural rights – is very low. The data sources come from the 2023 reports of United Nations (UN) agencies, World Bank (WB), and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). 

Compared with other countries in Southeast Asia, the country is performing worse than average again. It garnered the third lowest score, with Thailand and Vietnam indicating highest scores.

The country’s weakest areas are the right to education (66.1%) and the right to food (65.9%), both of which fall within the ‘very bad’ range. The data also point to a worrying trend in education, with the right to education score declining since 2017.

“While the Philippines has the resources to achieve better outcomes, our data show it is currently not fully meeting its economic and social rights obligations under international human rights law,” said HRMI Co-Executive Director, Thalia Kehoe Rowden.

The HRMI’s data states that anything less than 100 percent indicates that a country is not meeting its duty under the international human rights laws.

“Our assessment is that the Philippines has a very long way to go to meet its immediate economic and social rights duty,” the report states, noting that the Philippines failed to meet the minimum standards of fulfilling peoples’ right to education, work, food, health, and housing.

Meanwhile, in the Quality of Life metrics, the most at risk are indigenous peoples, the homeless, the economically disadvantaged, internally-displaced people, children, people with disabilities, and people affected by climate change, among others. 

“Combined with the civil and political rights findings, these new data paint a troubling picture of the challenges many people continue to face. Meaningful reforms are needed to ensure that everyone in the Philippines can live safely, freely, and with dignity,” Rowden added.

Not the first time: Flagging civic space

It is not the first time that the Philippines has been flagged by the international community for its human rights performance. Global human rights watchdog CIVICUS added the country to the Monitor Watchlist flagging serious concerns about its civic space.

“There is a deeply troubling pattern of state actions against protests that is restricting the democratic space and stifling fundamental freedoms,” said Josef Benedict, CIVICUS Monitor Asia researcher. “It is creating a chilling effect for many in the Philippines who seek to speak out and organise.”

Read: Philippines on human rights watchlist due to crackdown on dissent

The Philippines has been rated “Repressed” for five consecutive years, the second worst rating a country can receive, indicating severe restrictions to the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.

Human rights record and failed bid

The Philippines recently lost its bid for a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), a primary international organ that can make legally-binding decisions before the UN-member states. 

Human rights group Karapatan said that the failed UNSC bid is not merely a diplomatic setback but an indictment of its own human rights record, laid before the international community. They warned that no amount of lobbying and aggressive campaigning could conceal the ground reality.

“Marcos Jr. regime has lost a platform for its brazen hypocrisy on the Philippines’ dirt-and-grime human rights record,” said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan. “It has used the UN and the international stage to whitewash the regime’s violations of human rights and international humanitarian law before the world.”

Read: Philippines’ failed bid for UNSC seat reflects human rights record

Beyond the Philippines, HRMI also released the human rights performance scores of more than 200 countries, tracing patterns of shrinking civic space and democratic erosion in countries such as the United States, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and the United Kingdom, among others.

Read: Measuring government’s human rights compliance via Rights Tracker

The annual report has been used by civil society and international organizations (e.g. Amnesty International, CIVICUS, International Service for Human Rights) in the development of Universal Periodic Review reports, research, and national and international level advocacy. It is also being used by the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI), and sometimes by the governments themselves. (AMU, RVO)

Disclosure: The author is the Philippine consultant of the Human Rights Measurement Initiative.

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The Justice for Negros 19 campaign network said that it will organize public fora, cultural productions and solidarity activities in the coming months to sustain its call for accountability.

By Trisha Nasam

MANILA — Families of victims, along with peasant and human rights advocates, launched the “Justice for Negros 19” campaign network on June 24 at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman College of Media and Communication as they reaffirmed their calls for “truth, accountability, and justice.”

Ariel Casilao, spokesperson the Defend Negros Network decried the lack of accountability two months since the military operation by the 79th Infantry Battalion killed 19 individuals in Toboso, Negros Occidental. Nine of the casualties were civilians.  

Read: What were civilians doing in Toboso, Negros Occidental

“No one has been held accountable [even if] the violations are clear — clear violations of human rights and international humanitarian law,” he added.

While lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc and Mamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima continue to push for an investigation at the House of Representatives, Casilao said that a hearing remains uncertain.

Casilao said that some sponsors were being convinced to withdraw support and that efforts were underway to dissuade the House Speaker from pursuing it. “Congressman [Bojie] Dy—the Speaker—was approached by the [Armed Forces of the Philippines’] top leadership and [was] urged not to push through with the congressional inquiry. That only shows they are afraid of the truth.”

He said that government agencies have yet to release key materials and documents related to their investigations, including drone footage showing one of the victims unarmed.

“The CHR [Commission on Human Rights] continues to face a blank wall,” he said. “The PNP [Philippine National Police] and SOCO [Scene of the Crime Operatives] have not responded to our inquiries, nor have they provided the commission with documents related to the investigation they claim to have conducted.”

The network’s formation also comes amid the group’s frustrations over the handling of evidence and the identification of victims’ remains.

“Some of the bodies still cannot be produced, and we are encountering difficulties with the local government unit in securing the exhumation or retrieval of bodies that have already been buried. As a result, we still cannot piece together the full story of what happened,” said Kristina Conti of the National Union of People’s Lawyers.

She cited the case of community researcher and peasant advocate Errol Wendel whose family is still seeking the return of his remains more than two months after the incident. Lisa, Wendel’s mother, renewed her appeal to the local authorities to allow the exhumation and release of her son’s body.

Read: Months after massacre, victim’s remains not yet given to family

Families of the victims also condemned what they described as continuing attempts to portray their loved ones as armed combatants.

Sheila Alano, mother of UP student-activist Alyssa Alano, said that the military’s claims ignore the findings of rights groups’ independent fact-finding mission.

“They cannot recognize the difference between armed and civilian, so they will twist the truth,” she said. “Those responsible for the killings continue to push a narrative built on falsehoods because it is the only narrative they can sustain.”

The Justice for Negros 19 campaign network said that it will organize public fora, cultural productions, and solidarity activities in the coming months to sustain its call for accountability.

Among the planned activities are the public presentation of the fact-finding mission’s full report, commemorative events on July 19 marking three months since the killings and a CHR inquiry scheduled for July 21 and 22, Casilao said.

Dismantling impunity

Beyond calls for justice for the Negros 19 victims, the network seeks to challenge the broader impunity that turned Negros into the country’s “massacre capital” where perpetrators have repeatedly evaded accountability.

“It is time to go beyond asking why there are NPA [New People’s Army] forces in the area, why tragedies such as the April 19 killings occurred, or why incidents like the Sagay 9 and the Fausto massacre happened, and instead confront the deeper issues that allow such violence to persist,” Casilao said.

Florence Guzon of Manindigan Negros linked the violence to the island’s longstanding agrarian crisis, stressing that landlessness, poverty, and a monopoly in land ownership continue to fuel conflict in Negros.

“Farmers in Negros resist because of the deep discontent they feel as they endure daily exploitation, where every drop of their sweat and every ounce of their labor is used to amass wealth for a handful of landowners,” he said.

He said that intensified counterinsurgency operations under Memorandum Order No. 32, which placed Negros among areas subjected to heightened military and police deployment. According to Guzon, this policy “gave license” for state agents to commit human rights violations on the island.

He said that these conditions drew the Negros 19 to immerse themselves with farming communities to understand the realities they face.

“This is what drove them [Negros 19] to confront the difficult conditions faced by farmers in the haciendas—to expose the realities they endure and to tell the stories that are often pushed to the margins,” Guzon said.

As long as these realities remain, Guzon said that human rights defenders, community journalists and other volunteers will continue to follow the same path taken by Negros 19: to stand with farmers in their struggle for land and expose the injustices they face.

For the newly formed network, attaining justice for Negros 19 also means ensuring that the case does not become another unresolved entry in the island’s long history of massacres and state violence. 

“With a network, we feel more empowered and we feel that we will win the battle,” said Edita Burgos of Karapatan. (AMU, DAA)

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“Children do not get exposed to violence separate from their environment.”

By Elisha Beatrice Umali

LAGUNA – Local and international human rights groups opposed plans to lower the age of criminal responsibility following three students’ deaths due to a school shooting at San Jose National High School, Tacloban City on June 22. 

Two students, both minors, were identified as suspects. 

In a statement, Amnesty International Philippines said that lowering the age of criminal responsibility does not address children’s exposure to violence and the possibility of these children having access to arms. “When governments respond to social harm only through punishment, only the poor and vulnerable children are affected in most cases.” 

Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Elago also denounced the proposal of lowering the age of criminal responsibility. “There is no evidence showing lowering the age of criminal responsibility will prevent these incidents. What will only happen is that many children will face punishment instead of addressing the root of the problems they face,” she said in Filipino.

Kabataan Partylist Rep. Renee Co called for a comprehensive investigation on the shooting. “Answers should be provided as to where the children got the guns, how they brought the guns to school undetected and what urged them to do the shooting,” Co said in Filipino. 

For his part, Sen. Robin Padilla pushed for lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years old, amending the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act. The Philippine National Police (PNP) is also considering lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years old. 

The Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 states a child aged 15 and under shall be exempt from criminal liability. A child above 15 but below 18 is also exempted from criminal liability, unless they acted with “discernment.” 

Both age groups require intervention programs under the act. 

The League of Filipino Students (LFS) denounced Padilla’s proposal. “If the real criminals that stole public funds and killed thousands of children are not taken accountable by senators, why would they persecute 10-year-old children?” asked LFS Chairperson Gabriel Magtibay in Filipino. 

Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns questioned society’s role in condoning murders, violence, and bullying. “Children do not get exposed to violence separate from their environment. Filipino children grow up in a society with rampant violence, discrimination, and impunity from high-ranking officials without accountability for their sins to the citizenry, especially the youth,” said the alliance in Filipino. 

Salinlahi said that “it is not impossible for children to manifest violent behavior if there is a normalized view of violence in society.”

Better support systems

Child Rights Network, an alliance pushing for child-centered legislation in the country, stressed that guns have “no place in schools,” urging concerned parties to make schools safer, prevent violence on school grounds and ensure children’s access to mental health support.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) stressed that the educational crisis is also a student support crisis. “Thousands of schools remain without adequate guidance counselors, nurses, librarians, and psychosocial support personnel.”

ACT Chairperson Ruby Bernardo said that investing for safe learning environments, every school should ensure having guidance counselors, nurses, and student support personnel. 

Co said that immediate psychosocial support should be provided to the victim’s loved ones and the youth that witnessed the shooting. “The mental health crisis is already prevalent among the Filipino youth and this traumatic incident will only exacerbate it for the students in particular.” 

In less than a month after the opening of classes, the June 22 Tacloban City school shooting is the third recorded case of school violence. This followed the June 16 knife attack in General Trias and the June 19 stabbing incident in Cavite City, both in Cavite. (AMU, DAA)

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