The Supreme Court (SC) announced yesterday its denial with finality on appeals filed by 37 petitioner groups, including MASIPAG, for reconsideration of the Anti-Terrorism Law due to “lack of substantial issues and arguments”. Almost two years ago, Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura or MASIPAG, a network of more than a hundred people and farmers’ organization, scientists, and non-government organizations advocating for sustainable organic agriculture filed an appeal with the Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG) and other organizations advocating for people’s rights to development and protection of spaces where people may exercise their civil and political rights.
“While the Anti-Terrorism Law is at play, our pursuit for genuine development will always be under threat” MASIPAG National Coordinator Alfie Pulumbarit asserted. Resource-poor farmers, indigenous peoples, development workers and dissidents, at the forefront of resistance against the corporate control of food and agriculture systems and struggles for rural development, are the first casualties in the spate of harassments, intimidation, and killings in the countryside brought about by militarization of communities and counter-insurgency programs.
Even before the implementation of the law, cases of harassment and extrajudicial killings are already occurring. In fact, former MASIPAG board of trustees member and people’s lawyer Atty. Ben Ramos fell victim to the killing spree of progressives in Negros last 2018. With him are many other victims including Elena Tijamo, Windel Bolinget, Bestang Sarah Dekdeken, Santos Mero and other members of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA). “The trend of intensifying political repression in the country will greatly hinder the development works, where people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake, being done by rural peoples with civil society.” Pulumbarit added.
MASIPAG reiterates its opposition to the law based on its unconstitutionality and dangerous implications, e.g. indiscriminate terror-tagging, paralysis in operations, shrinking of civic spaces, among others, in civil society and rural people’s pursuit for genuine development based on peace and justice.
MASIPAG continues to call on the junking of the Anti-Terrorism Law. At the same time, MASIPAG will continue to assert the protection and creation of more spaces where rural peoples are able to take part in political activities without the threat of harassment.###
The Supreme Court (SC) announced yesterday its denial with finality on appeals filed by 37 petitioner groups, including MASIPAG thru the Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG), for reconsideration of the Anti-Terrorism Law due to “lack of substantial issues and arguments”. Almost two years ago, Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura or MASIPAG, a network of more than a hundred people and farmers’ organization, scientists, and non-government organizations advocating for sustainable organic agriculture filed an appeal with the CPDG and allied organizations advocating for people’s rights to development and protection of spaces where people may exercise their civil and political rights.
“While the Anti-Terrorism Law is at play, our pursuit for genuine development will always be under threat” MASIPAG National Coordinator Alfie Pulumbarit said. Resource-poor farmers, indigenous peoples, development workers and dissidents, at the forefront of resistance against the corporate control of food and agriculture systems and struggles for rural development, are the first casualties in the spate of harassments, intimidation, and killings in the countryside brought about by militarization of communities and counter-insurgency programs.
Even before the implementation of the law, cases of harassment and extrajudicial killings are already occurring. In fact, former MASIPAG Board of Trustees member and people’s lawyer Atty. Ben Ramos fell victim to the killing spree of progressives in Negros last 2018. With him are many other victims such as Elena Tijamo of the Farmers Development Center (FARDEC), Windel Bolinget, Bestang Sarah Dekdeken, Santos Mero, other members of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA), the nine members of the Tumanduk who stood against development aggression, among many others. “The trend of intensifying political repression in the country will greatly hinder the development works, where people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake, being done by rural peoples with civil society.” Pulumbarit added.
MASIPAG reiterates its opposition to the law based on its unconstitutionality and dangerous implications such as. indiscriminate terror-tagging, paralysis in operations, shrinking of civic spaces, among others, in civil society and rural people’s pursuit for genuine development based on peace and justice.
MASIPAG continues to call on the junking of the Anti-Terrorism Law. At the same time, MASIPAG will continue to assert the protection and creation of more spaces where rural peoples are able to take part in political activities without the threat to life and liberty.###
Read more on MASIPAG’s position on ATL:
https://masipag.org/2020/07/anti-terrorism-law-sagka-sa-karapatan-sa-pag-unlat-at-gawaing-pangkaunlaran/