What is put out on social media has great influence on people’s beliefs. Regardless of whether this content is an opinion or not, all individuals have a responsibility to uphold truth-telling in our online spaces to avoid contributing to the massive disinformation and misinformation problem.

Vloggers, artists, and even national institutions have at times spread false claims and accusations to shape public perception. Some school textbooks have also been found lacking in thorough discussions of history, which potentially leads to historical distortion and the reinterpretation of historical accounts. What is shared online has real-life consequences.

These factors potentially leave communities vulnerable to online disinformation, affecting their way of understanding history and reducing their ability to empathize with certain issues.

How exactly can fact-checking help uphold transparency and accountability? What can we do to help combat the potential impacts of historical distortion? Why should facts always come first?

This will be discussed in depth in the upcoming #CourageON webinar titled, “What the FACT: The primacy of truth over personal opinions,” happening on Friday, October 21, at 1 pm. 

The community show aims to put the spotlight on pressing issues in the Philippines and the ways we can take collective action on them. It is organized by Rappler’s civic engagement arm MovePH and Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, in partnership with the Senior High School – Leadership Development Program, the Arrupe Office for Social Formation, and the Ignatian Spirituality Formation Office of Ateneo de Davao University.

The show will feature the following speakers:

• Pauline Macaraeg – Rappler digital forensics researcher
• Mike Pante – Ateneo de Manila University assistant professor and Tanggol Kasaysayan member

This will be hosted by Rappler’s head of community Jules Guiang and Ateneo de Davao University SHS Blue Ridge moderator and Davao Writers’ Guild, Inc. vice president Reil Benedict Obinque.

The show will happen on Zoom. Only limited slots are available. 

Interested participants may register here.

Registration is open until Thursday, October 20, at 5 pm. If you signed up past the deadline or have any questions about the event, you may send an email to move.ph@rappler.com. Registered participants will receive a confirmation email from MovePH on or before October 20.

Those unable to register may also check out the Facebook Livestream via MovePH and Ateneo de Davao University’s pages. – with reports from Gaile Patanñe/Rappler.com

As more and more people turn to video consumption, how do we spot content peddling false information? What happens if more people believe these videos without fact-checking?

What are the dangers and effects of disinformation in the Philippines, which continues to be highly polarized by politics? What are the roles of vloggers and social media personalities in proliferating the truth? How do we apply the fact-checking methodology and spot-checking on vlogging platforms? 

We explore this and more in an upcoming webinar organized by Rappler’s civic engagement arm MovePH, titled “Fact-finding in vlogging: For today’s video” happening on Friday, October 7, at 1 pm. 

This is done in partnership with the Senior High School-Leadership Development Program of Ateneo de Davao University, the Arrupe Office for Social Formation, and the Ignatian Spirituality Formation Office.

The webinar will feature the following speakers:

• Gemma Mendoza – Rappler head of digital services
• Loreben Tuquero – Rappler researcher-writer

It will be hosted by Rappler’s head of community Jules Guiang and Office of Learners Activities coordinator Paul Adriel Loquias.

The webinar will happen on Zoom. Only limited slots are available.

Interested participants may register here.

Registration is open until October 6, at 5 pm. If you signed up past the deadline or have any questions about the event, you may send an email to move.ph@rappler.com. Registered participants will receive a confirmation email from MovePH on or before October 6.

Those unable to register may also check out the Facebook Livestream via MovePH’s social media pages and Ateneo’s Ignatian Spirituality Formation Office TV via Facebook and Youtube.

This webinar is supported by Friedrich Naumann Foundation. – with reports from Quianna Verazel Dizon/Rappler.com 

Now You Know PH, a media platform established in 2018, is one of MovePH’s partner organizations joining Lighthouse.

NYK is a developing online media platform that aims to bring into light relevant information on pressing issues in the Philippines. It was established as a response to the rampant disinformation and misinformation on social media.

NYK took on the challenge to spark truthful discussions by providing factual and relevant information to the public. Through well-researched videos produced by its then small team, NYK strives to offer useful information to Filipino netizens. 

As a Lighthouse community partner, NYK will be rolling out content to raise awareness about different social issues such as food security, education, health, peace and security, and transparency and accountability to its corporate, school, and church communities nationwide.

“What the 2022 elections revealed to us gave us goosebumps: In order to defeat the monster called disinformation, we need to be louder – we need to be everywhere. NYK is optimistic about hopping onto Lighthouse as a way for our content and message to be heard by wider online communities,” the group said. 

They are proud to have organized their youth activation campaign Now You Vote 2022 to provide a platform to engage the youth in the 2022 elections. After the elections, they turned this effort into a long-term campaign against disinformation.

“The objective of the campaign is to provide the youth with a platform to have a more active, participative, and engaged role in the upcoming elections through factual and truthful reporting and conversations – by the youth, and primarily for the youth,” Now You Know said.

Sharing the goal of fighting against disinformation, NYK has also been Rappler’s partner organization for different initiatives, such as the #CourageON and #PHVote coalitions, and the fact-checking alliance #FactsFirstPH.

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#FactsFirstPH: ‘Groundbreaking effort against disinformation’

Check out NYK PH’s’ Lighthouse page by visiting https://nowyouknowph.rappler.com/. – with reports from Czecillia de Leon/Rappler.com

Czecilia de Leon is a Rappler intern from CIIT College of Arts and Technology. She is a 4th year multimedia arts student, focusing on video graphic motion.

Lighthouse Communities of Action integrates Rappler’s third pillar – the communities we have worked with since Rappler was launched in 2012 – into the platform. It also features collaboration across several efforts through Movements. Know more about this initiative here.

Here are some of our partners’ pages on Lighthouse:

• ABKD Network
• Amateur Media Association of Philippine Scouts
• Ashoka Philippines
• Baguio Chronicle
• Break the Fake Movement
• DAKILA
• Foundation for Media Alternatives 
• Legal Network for Truthful Elections

If your organization is interested to partner with us, send an email to move.ph@rappler.com.  

The Amateur Media Association of Philippines Scouts (AMAPS), an independent Scout-led online media site, will now be featured on Rappler’s Lighthouse Communities of Action. 

AMAPS is one of the most active online platforms continuously promoting scouting in the Philippines, even in the height of the pandemic lockdown. Beyond promoting scouting ideals, AMAPS has also been an active supporter of press freedom, striving to uphold tenets of journalism: truth, accuracy, courage, fairness, and responsibility.

“AMAPS, also promotes and encourage the participation of Scouts in the society outside the movement as well as it inculcates to its audience the importance of independent journalism – free from influence of the authority,” said AMAPS Executive Director JK Gamora.

In 2021, AMAPS launched the PinasALAMIN: Unravelling the Influence of Powell-ful Voters campaign to promote election awareness and provide voter education to AMAPS Scouts, highlighting the role of the youth for the upcoming elections. In cooperation with MovePH and various other entities, the campaign began on May 5, and concluded with the participation of more than 200 scouts from various parts of the Philippines.

In January 2022, AMAPS launched Kamalayaan 2022, a comprehensive six-day training program on Scout Journalism Skills, and the first of its kind to ever be conducted by an independent Scouting association. The program’s goal was to encourage proactiveness amongst Scouts through heightening their skills in writing, and enlightening them with the importance of truthful and responsible journalism. Kamalayaan 2022 was also in line with AMAPS’ commitment to the fact-checking alliance #FactsFirstPH.

#FactsFirstPH is a first-of-a-kind initiative that aims to debunk dubious claims online, make facts spread faster and further than hate and lies, flag disinformation narratives and actors, and hold online perpetrators accountable.

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#FactsFirstPH: ‘Groundbreaking effort against disinformation’

“We also wanted to break the stigma among our members that journalism is just a simple news writing, but it also comes with responsibilities like bringing factual and accurate news, and being the voice of the voiceless society,” said Gamora.

With their shared advocacies in the importance of civic engagement and values of independent and truthful journalism, AMAPS and MovePH have been long-time partners for various initiatives, several of these being the #CourageOn and #PHVote coalitions.

“For the past couple of months, AMAPS can say that we’ve built a fruitful and strategic partnership with MovePH,” Gamora said.

As one of the community partners of MovePH on Lighthouse, AMAPS hopes to expand its audience and strengthen engagement with fellow Scouts.

“Of course, with [the] Lighthouse partnership, we are expecting to get more experience in CMS management, a very important technical skill for our members. However, we are looking forward to learn and, at the same time, propagate our advocacies and stands,” said Gamora.

With this opportunity to find new audiences, AMAPS will also continue to advocate for their stands in press freedom, youth empowerment, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and fact-checking. AMAPS will be publishing editorials and opinion articles on their Lighthouse platform, along with notable Scouting news and achievements of AMAPS.

Check out AMAPS’ Lighthouse page by visiting scoutmediaph.rappler.com. – Andrea Abadia/Rappler.com

Lighthouse Communities of Action integrates Rappler’s third pillar – the communities we have worked with since Rappler was launched in 2012 – into the platform. It also features collaboration across several efforts through Movements. Know more about this initiative here.

Here are some of our partners’ pages on Lighthouse:

• ABKD Network
• Ashoka Philippines
• Baguio Chronicle
• Break the Fake Movement
• DAKILA
• Foundation for Media Alternatives 
• Legal Network for Truthful Elections
• Now You Know PH

If your organization is interested to partner with us, send an email to move.ph@rappler.com.  

Weeks before the 2022 Philippine elections, Rappler welcomes Akademiya at Bayan Kontra Disimpormasyon at Dayaan (ABKD) as one of its community partners on Lighthouse.

ABKD is an extensive network of teachers, educators, and academic institutions founded in 2021 that focuses on combating disinformation and fraud amid the 2022 elections. It aims to “expose, denounce, and correct” those disinformation efforts that prevent Filipinos from making factual electoral decisions. 

“Fact-checking the claims, whether on historical narratives or current affairs, propagated by electoral candidates and their supporters is important in shaping the voters’ consciousness and assuring that their choices in the 2022 elections are grounded on solid and truthful facts,” Jio Guiang, lead convenor of ABKD, said.

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A Pulse Asia survey in 2021 revealed that almost half or 48% of Filipino adults get their political news from the internet. The unverified information plaguing the digital space increases the vulnerability of Filipinos to lies. 

With this, ABKD has been actively fighting disinformation on several social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. They are posting fact-checking content on a daily basis in a bid to rise above the lies online.

Rappler and ABKD’s first partnership takes off from the common goal of preserving facts over lies and holding stakeholders to account through #FactsFirstPH, a multi-layered and multi-sectoral effort that brings together more than 120 newsrooms, civil society groups, business associations, religious organizations, academic institutions, and legal and human rights groups.

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As a Lighthouse community partner, they hope to cultivate a conducive environment for civic engagement – an avenue free from irrelevant attacks made by disinformation peddlers. 

“Given the rampant spread of fake news and disinformation in cyberspace, the credibility of reliable sources of information is under constant attack. This partnership is important because it can ensure a platform where ABKD Network can continue to freely and safely communicate our campaigns that are mainly directed at defeating disinformation,” Guiang said. 

ABKD’s initiatives are headlined by academic personnel who offer expert opinions and critical perspectives on a particular topic. These educators also empower audiences with the basic competencies that are needed to critically understand and assess information delivered by all kinds of media.

Considering the chunk of posts social media users are inundated with, the network has partnered with several comic book artists to create contents that will make their campaign standout. The creative posts are targeted to those individuals who prefer to learn from visual materials. 

They are also organizing webinars to debunk the lies and propaganda intending to whitewash the atrocities during the Marcos regime. The plethora of disinformation benefited dictator’s son and presidential survey frontrunner, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. 

Aside from these fact-checking activities, the network regularly conducts voters’ education seminars to promote election awareness and responsible voting. In the high stakes polls this May 2022, they believe that it is very important to acquaint the Filipinos with their rights and responsibilities as members of a democratic country. 

They will be featuring more of these initiatives on the Lighthouse platform. 

Check out their Lighthouse page by visiting abkd.rappler.com. — Jose Polon/Rappler.com

Lighthouse Communities of Action integrates Rappler’s third pillar – the communities we have worked with since Rappler was launched in 2012 – into the platform. It also features collaboration across several efforts through Movements. Know more about this initiative here.

Here are some of our partners’ pages on Lighthouse:

• Amateur Media Association of Philippine Scouts
• Ashoka Philippines
• Baguio Chronicle
• Break the Fake Movement
• DAKILA
• Foundation for Media Alternatives 
• Legal Network for Truthful Elections
• Now You Know PH

If your organization is interested to partner with us, send an email to move.ph@rappler.com.  

Ashoka, the first and largest network of social innovators in the world founded in 1980, will now be featured on Lighthouse Communities of Action. 

The network’s Philippine chapter is well-recognized for conducting civic engagement programs specializing in venture and fellowship, youth changemaking, barangay resilience and innovation, and advancing women social entrepreneurship, all of which are available on their website at www.advancingwse.ashoka.org.

This year, they are also in the process of preparing two projects: a faith-inspired Changemaking Masterclass to members of local faith groups and organizations; and Gubataan, an immersive learning experience crafted to the youth towards permaculture and other environmental practices. 

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Given their strong advocacies towards helping different sectors, Ashoka is an active partner of MovePH, Rappler’s civic engagement arm, as early as 2014. 

In 2017, Ashoka was one of Rappler’s partners in launching #HackSociety, a nationwide summit which aims to harness the new democratic space to crowdsource “hacks” that address key societal issues. Ashoka Global Chair for Framework Change Henry De Sio, Jr. also joined Rappler to talk about “The Changemaker Effect” in society, in alignment with the network’s vision. 

In 2021, in time for the National Disaster Resilience Month, they also published an opinion piece on Rappler tackling new ways to effectively respond towards environmental and disaster issues. This was also a way to promote Barangay Resilience Exchange, an initiative Ashoka helped design, to support frontliners and barangay leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“By providing communities and individuals a platform to exercise their agency and changemaking, change will no longer follow a strict hierarchy but will instead be powered by those on the ground, closest to the issues,” Ashoka Philippines Communication Manager Nico Pablo said. 

As a Lighthouse community partner, they look forward to amplifying more of their initiatives and community-based programs on the platform. 

“Ashoka believes that one of the key ingredients to achieving Everyone A Changemaker™ is through framework change, or shifting narratives and mindsets. With an influential partner like Rappler, we hope to reach more people than we ever had before and inspire them to start or advance their changemaking journey,” Pablo said. 

On the Lighthouse platform, they will be featuring stories of changemakers from diverse fields and backgrounds to promote action-oriented initiatives among its readers. Through webinars, summits, testimonials, and on-ground mobilizations, they aim to integrate communities towards social entrepreneurship and social innovation. 

“We look forward to engaging more people in our various areas of work as we believe in breaking down silos. We are excited to have access to this credible platform of thought leadership so that we can amplify the incisive insights of our Fellows and community members,” Pablo said. 

Check out their Lighthouse page by visiting ashoka.rappler.com. —Rappler.com

Lighthouse Communities of Action integrates Rappler’s third pillar – the communities we have worked with since Rappler was launched in 2012 – into the platform. It also features collaboration across several efforts through Movements. Know more about this initiative here.

Here are some of our partners’ pages on Lighthouse:

• ABKD Network
• Amateur Media Association of Philippine Scouts
• Baguio Chronicle
• Break the Fake Movement
• DAKILA
• Foundation for Media Alternatives 
• Legal Network for Truthful Elections
• Now You Know PH

If your organization is interested to partner with us, send an email to move.ph@rappler.com.  

This is further exacerbated by the government’s inadequate and militarized response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Failed contact tracing, confusing protocols, delayed assistance to those who needed it most, lack of transparency, and a slow vaccine rollout – all these have led to the abuse of basic human rights: the right to live, to work, to study, and to be protected by the state.

What can we do?

Several human rights groups and organizations have banded together for the “#CourageON: No Lockdown on Rights” coalition led by Rappler’s civic engagement arm MovePH. The coalition aims to keep watch over abuses and violations, as well as identify opportunities for collective action to promote and defend human rights.

Through this coalition, we aim to build a community that will be ready to drum up noise and put pressure on relevant authorities and institutions to address urgent and life-threatening cases. The coalition will also help us put together a menu of actions collating the efforts of various human rights groups in one platform. This can be found below.

#CourageON is part of a broader coalition under MovePH named #PHVote, which focuses on promoting avenues for civic participation in the coming elections, helping increase voter registration and turnout, and fighting election-related disinformation.

How can I be a part of the #CourageON coalition?

Organizations may express their interest to join the coalition by emailing move.ph@rappler.com. MovePH conducts a regular onboarding with partners twice a month.

The coalition has eight clusters: legal and academe, gender, youth and children, environment, health, media and artists, religion, and marginalized groups. Groups whose advocacies or demographics fall under any of the clusters are welcome to join. 

Individuals interested in volunteer work in the coalition and getting access to opportunities to take action on human rights protection can sign up to become a Mover here.

As a Mover, you won’t only be part of the MovePH community and platform, you’ll also get to build your skills in writing and organizing along with other like-minded individuals.

What it means to be part of the coalition

Members of the coalition meet regularly at a general assembly scheduled on the first week of every month.

Aside from taking part in brainstorming sessions and meetings, member-organizations can contribute to the coalition by doing any of the following:

• Share relevant efforts, alerts, initiatives, and events that can be consolidated in the coalition’s menu of actions via Rappler’s developing stories page
• Amplify initiatives and efforts of coalition members
• Collaborate and align with members of the coalition on similar efforts
• Lead and organize activities, in partnership with the coalition

Who are part of the coalition?

As of posting, the multi-sectoral coalition has more than 60 member-organizations, with eight clusters focused on fostering collaborations among groups with similar advocacies or audiences. Here are the members of the coalition, to date, according to clusters.

Legal and academe

• Ateneo Human Rights Center
• BALAOD Mindanaw
• Commission on Human Rights
• Karapatan
• National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers
• Rainbow Rights Philippines
• UP Paralegal Volunteers’ Organization
• Xavier University Center for Legal Assistance

Environment

• Greenpeace Philippines
• Kalikasan
• Living Laudato Si Philippines
• Philippine Movement for Climate Justice

Health

• Coalition for People’s Right to Health
• Juan Health PH

Youth and children

• 2030 Youth Force Philippines
• Akbayan Youth
• Buklod CSSP
• Center for Youth Advocacy and Networking
• De La Salle University Student Government
• ECPAT Philippines
• Global Shapers Iloilo Hub
• IDEALS Incorporated
• Likha Pahinarya
• National Union of Students of the Philippines
• UP Diliman University Student Council
• We the Future PH

Media and artists

• Aktor PH
• College Editors Guild of the Philippines
• Concerned Artists of the Philippines
• DAKILA
• Foundation for Media Alternatives
• Furball
• National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
• Now You Know
• Philippine Collegian

Religion

• Caritas Philippines

Gender

• ASEAN SOGIE Caucus
• Bahaghari
• GANDA Filipinas
• Ka Ilongga organization
• Metro Manila Pride
• Mindanao Pride
• Philippine Anti-Discrimination Alliance of Youth Leaders (PANTAY)
• Pioneer Filipino Transgender men Movement
• Transman Equality and Awareness Movement 
• UP Babaylan

Marginalized groups

• Ako Bakwit
• Alyansa ng Kabataang Mindanao para sa Kapayapaan (AKMK)
• Human Rights Online Philippines
• iDEFEND
• Laban ng Masa
• LILAK (Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights)
• PAMALAKAYA
• Save San Roque

Highlights of the coalition’s efforts

Aside from amplifying and collating the work of member-organizations, the coalition also uses its wide-reaching platform to speak up on human rights abuses during the pandemic and demand action.

The more comprehensive list of efforts done by the coalition can be found in this page. Some of the highlights of the coalition’s work include the following:

• Unity statement on the 1st anniversary of the anti-terror law
• Unity statement urging the Duterte government to cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) drug war probe
• A guide for victims of Duterte’s war on drugs on how they can send their representations to the ICC
• Over 70 organizations call Duterte admin’s performance a ‘failure’
• ‘Palpak’: Filipinos assess Duterte’s policies, efforts the past 5 years

The coalition has also led events tackling human rights issues with its member-organizations:

Play Video

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– Rappler.com

For its premier episode, the show will tackle what the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) move to seek authorization to conduct an investigation means especially for victims of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. It will also tackle the ICC’s ongoing victims representation process where victims of the alleged crimes may provide their views, concerns and expectations regarding the Prosecutor’s request for investigation.

We invited Cristina Palabay of Karapatan and Nanay Llore Lozano of Rise UP Philippines for this episode. 

To give Duterte a grade for his performance on the environment, human rights, economy, public health, gender rights, and sovereignty in the past five years, we also invited a number of representatives from the different sectors. 

The show will be hosted by Rappler’s community lead Jules Guiang and membership lead Happy Feraren.  – Rappler.com. 

The Philippines is plagued by a system-wide public transport shortage that has been made worse by the pandemic.

More than 70% of Filipino workers who cannot work from home have found it harder to get to work since the COVID-19 crisis began. This shortage has raised costs for commuters in the past year as road transport prices have shot up by nearly 20%.

Jeepney drivers, already hard-pressed to make ends meet after the government suspended their operations last year, were harmed by the checkpoints and then denied nearly P4 billion in service contracting funds they fought for, as President Duterte failed to extend Bayanihan 2 beyond June 30. The expiration of service contracting funds is making COVID-19 worse as commuters are forced to crowd into even fewer public transport trips. 

Car-centric public budgeting

Car-centric public budgeting is one of the reasons behind this system-wide transport shortage.

From 2010 to 2021, 99% of the P2.8-trillion road-based infrastructure budget went to road construction, widening, and maintenance. Only 1%–or P40 billion–of the road-based infrastructure budget went to road-based public transportation.

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Car-centric public budgeting has harmed not just commuters, but car users too. In Metro Manila’s major roads, public transport trips collapsed by 14% from 2012 to 2019 as more users shifted to private cars and motorcycles. Average vehicle trips ended up taking 40% longer as congestion worsened. 

The P2-trillion infrastructure flagship project pipeline will not be enough to meet the country’s mobility demand through 2030 because it focuses too much on rail and budgets very little for road-based public transport.

A big chunk—98%—of the P2-trillion pipeline is for rail, and just 2%, or P49 billion, is for road-based public transport. Rail is good for long-term needs, but we are facing a massive shortage in public transport supply now. Road-based public transport infrastructure can be built quicker. 

Budget for road-based public transportation

We need “a better balance for a better normal.”  We propose a P150-billion budget for road-based public transportation that should be funded starting with Bayanihan 3 and the 2022 budget. 

To address traffic congestion and our climate crisis, we need to shift people from their cars into walking, cycling, and public transport. We should build more safe and accessible pathways for cyclists and pedestrians. We should build on the momentum from the construction of the bike lane networks in Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao, worth P1 billion under Bayanihan 2.

Much more can be done with a higher budget. We should fund better service contracts and equity support for transport workers and expand the number of buses, jeeps, and other road-based public transport modes.

Our Coalition Co-Convenor Robert Y. Siy, Jr., writes, “What is urgently required is balanced support to road-based public transport, the mainstay of the public transport system, which has been starved for support in recent years.” He also identifies mobility priorities in the less than 12 months left in the Duterte administration.

Our proposed budget was crafted through a long process of deliberation and consensus-building with health care workers, cyclists, transport workers unions, labor unions, commuters’ rights advocates, climate justice advocates, faith-based groups, student groups, and persons with disabilities. These are people from all walks of life, with each one deserving of a dignified commuting experience and adequate public transport service quality. 

#CommutersNaman

There is money available at the national and local level for these critical public transport investments.

In fact, the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act of 2017 requires 70 percent of its incremental tax revenues for “infrastructure programs to address congestion through mass transport”. From 1997 to 2018, the national government collected P2.1 trillion in revenues from road-based transport sources like motor vehicles and oil. There was around P510 billion in end-balances of local government funds in 2019.

Our research puts our budget proposal in the proper historical perspective: Our proposed P150-billion budget is a much more efficient, equitable, and effective use of taxpayer money to address this system-wide transport shortage. This budget is small, but will be more effective than the P2.8 trillion car-centric road infrastructure budget from 2010 to 2021. Our proposed budget will correct the lopsided P2 trillion infrastructure flagship project pipeline that focuses too much on long-term rail. Our proposed budget will help the Philippines recover from the pandemic sooner as it makes transport safer for commuters and transport workers.

As Congress debates on our budget, let us ask: What country do we want to build? A country just for the rich few who own cars? Or a country for all Filipinos from all walks of life, who walk, cycle, and use public transport? 

Let us work together for a better balance for a better normal.

Let us work together to pass a budget that our people deserve.

#CommutersNaman – Rappler.com

Hinihikayat ng International Criminal Court o ICC ang mga pamilya at biktima ng drug war ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa Pilipinas na ibahagi ang kanilang mga pananaw at saloobin.

Ang mga patotoo na makakalap sa victim representation stage ay gagamiting gabay ng pre-trial chamber ng ICC sa pagdedesisyon nito kung magbubukas ng imbestigasyon laban sa administrasyong Duterte.

Ang kongklusyon ng tagausig ng ICC: nagkaroon ng “crimes against humanity of murder” sa Pilipinas kaugnay ng drug war ni Duterte.

Ano-ano ang dapat gawin ng mga biktima at kanilang mga pamilya para makasali sa prosesong ito? Kasama ang Rise UP at National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), sasagutin namin ang ilan sa mga katanungan tungkol sa Victims Participation and Reparations Section o VPRS. 

Sino ang maaring magsumite sa VPRS? 

Kahit sinong naging biktima ng war on drugs ng administrasyong Duterte ay maaaring magsumite ng patotoo sa VPRS. 

Sakop ng panukalang imbestigasyon ang mga insidente sa mga sumusunod na panahon:

• Nobyembre 1, 2011, hanggang Hunyo 30, 2016 – kung kailan si Duterte at ang kanyang anak na si Sara ay alkalde ng Davao City
• Hulyo 1, 2016, hanggang Marso 17, 2019 – kung kailan presidente ng Pilipinas si Duterte

Saklaw ng posibleng imbestigasyon ang mga patayang konektado sa war on drugs, isinagawa man ng pulis, vigilante, o mga hindi tukoy na mga suspek. 

Itinuturing na direktang biktima ang mga namatay at ang mga nabuhay matapos ang mga insidente. Itinuturing ding biktima ang mga naulila – halimbawa, ang mga sinusustentuhan ng isang pinatay o napatay na tagapaghanapbuhay ng pamilya.

Maaari ring magpaabot ng saloobin ang mga biktima ng ibang uri ng kalabisan at abuso ng pulis man o hindi, katulad ng: 

• inaresto
• ikinulong
• idinawit sa kaso
• isinama sa drug list at/o pinangalanan sa publiko na konektado sa drugs nang walang sapat na batayan
• sapilitan o napilitang pinaamin na user o pusher
• sapilitan o napilitang magturo ng user o pusher
• pinarusahan at/o sapilitang pinag-rehab, kinikilan
• pinasok sa bahay
• ni-raid, sinona habang may operasyon, at iba pa. 

Ano ang mangyayari sa VPRS? 

Sa pagsusumite ng mga pananaw at saloobin ng mga biktima, kailangang malinaw ang paglalahad ng nangyari sa mga biktima. 

Puwedeng gumamit ng kahit anong wika o diyalekto ang mga magsusumite, at maaari rin nilang ipadala ito nang nakasulat o naka-record na audio o video sa email address o address ng VPRS.  Dapat ding nakalagay ang contact information ng magsusumite upang makontak kung may paglilinaw at/o update na kailangan ang pre-trial chamber.

Ang pinakaimportanteng bahagi ng kanilang mensahe ay kung nais bang ipagpatuloy ng mga biktima ang imbestigasyon, at kung ano ang mungkahi nilang maging saklaw nito.

Bakit kailangang lumahok ng mga biktima at pamilya sa VPRS? 

Gamit ang isinumite ng mga biktima, gagawa ang VPRS ng report para sa mga huwes ng pre-trial chamber. Gagamitin ng pre-trial chamber ang report sa kanilang pagdedesisyon kung papayagang  magpatuloy ang ICC prosecutor sa pag-iimbestiga nito ng war on drugs.

Tanging ang VPRS lang ang makababasa sa mga isusumite; kung sakaling hilingin ng pre-trial chamber, maaaring ipakita ang mga ito sa kanila. Ngunit hindi ito, sa kahit anong pagkakataon, ibibigay sa administrasyong Duterte o sa magiging akusado.

Walang insentibo o pabuya para sa mga magsusumite sa VPRS. Ang nais lang ng ICC ay malaman ang mga pananaw ng mga biktima, partikular sa maaaring maging direksiyon ng malalim na imbestigasyon.

Kung papayag ang mga huwes, maaaring makipag-ugnayan ang mga biktima kung gusto nilang maging bahagi ng sa imbestigasyon. Pagkatapos ay hihiling ang ICC Office of the Prosecutor na buksan ang kaso. 

Kung matuloy ang paglilitis, hihikayating kumuha ng abogado ang mga biktimang lalahok, at maaari ring magparehistro ang mga biktima para sa posibleng danyos.

Paano lumahok sa VPRS?

Bukod sa pagbisita sa online website ng ICC, maaaring kontakin ng mga biktima o ng pamilya nila ang ICC VPRS dito:

• Email: VPRS.Information@icc-cpi.int
• Address:
  • International Criminal Court
  • Victims Participation and Reparations Section
  • Situation in the Philippines PO Box 19519
  • 2500CM, The Hague
  • The Netherlands

Para sa iba pang impormasyon, maaring i-download ang mga sumusunod na resources na inihanda ng Rise UP at NUPL. – Rappler.com