Tag: social justice
“Upholding human rights coincides to an effective, legitimate, and impartial justice system” – A commentary on the acquittal of Juanito Jose Remulla III on possession of dangerous drugs
January 19, 2023“The judicial system appears to be cruel to the poor but merciful to the rich. People deprived of liberty with connection to power and elite background, like Juanito Jose Diaz Remulla III, son of the Justice Secretary of the Philippines can manipulate the broken judicial system or at the very least experience “due process”, says Liza Maza, spokesperson of the Council for People’s Development and Governance. In contrast, the poor are discriminated against, are criminalized, put behind bars, and worse, killed – like Kian delos Santos, Jefferson Bunuan, Carl Arnaiz, Reynaldo de Guzman, and the thousands more victims of the drug war killed without being given due process. Many others are incarcerated while awaiting trial for years already. The already overcrowded prison cells across the country have become all the more cramped and unhealthy for PDLs.
Solidarity action in support of living wage, ayuda, lower prices and social justice
November 30, 2022CPDG supports the people’s calls for living wage for workers, support subsidy or ayuda for poor households, as well as production subsidy for farmers and fisherfolks, and lowering of the prices of basic goods amid falling household incomes and increasing poverty across the nation.
Uphold social justice and redistribute Concepcion, Tarlac lands to arrested farmers — CPDG
June 10, 2022The land dispute in Hacienda Tinang in Concepcion, Tarlac shows how social justice remains elusive for millions of landless farmers, fisherfolk, and indigenous peoples. Landlessness, widespread poverty, the monopoly by local landlords, real estate developers, big local and foreign agribusiness over large farms and landholdings, and state repression contribute to the continuing revolutions in the Philippine countryside. Only through upholding social justice and prioritizing people’s welfare over private profit and vested interests can the country start the path to peace and truly building an independent nation towards an ecologically sound industrialized economy.
Demand accountability and justice on Duterte’s last year — CPDG
June 30, 2021CPDG has long condemned the government’s growing anti-democratic legal measures such as the so-called Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and the smear campaign against activists, development actors, and rights advocates. These are sham peace-building efforts that harm and even result in the death of rights defenders. Anti-crime and counterinsurgency operations in the last months have already taken so many lives aside from defamed and imprisoned countless red-tagged individuals.